The growing sense of apprehension in Taylor’s stomach on the flight from Texas to North Carolina intensified as the plane’s wheels touched down on the tarmac. She had to remind herself that she loved her family and they loved her. Their judgmental comments were a result of that love for her.

Why are you making excuses for them?

The truth was that she had never fit in with her family.

She already regretted bringing Jamar with her. Would her brother denigrate her in front of him? Would her mother regale him with embarrassing stories from Taylor’s teen years?

She squeezed her eyes shut. This was a disaster in the making. She felt it in her bones.

Just get through the weekend.

The flight captain’s voice came over the loudspeaker, letting the passengers know that it would be a few more minutes before they could pull into their gate. Taylor released a deep sigh. She could use a few more minutes before facing the inevitable.

“You okay?”

She looked over and saw concern in Jamar’s eyes. He reached across the armrest and captured her hand, lacing their fingers together.

The small gesture sent a wave of gratitude flooding through her. How could she regret bringing him when his presence brought such comfort? This man who she’d only known for six short weeks—who had entered her life as nothing more than a client—had come to mean so much more.

After they pulled up to the gate, they deplaned from the first-class seats Jamar had insisted on buying—his Thanksgiving present. As if Thanksgiving presents were a thing.

Taylor thought they would take an Uber to her parents’, but after retrieving their luggage from baggage claim, Jamar motioned for her to follow him to the rental car desk. That’s when she discovered he’d already booked a car for the weekend.

“When did you do all this?” she asked.

“Before we left Austin this morning,” he said. He held up his phone. “Remember what I said about this cool little pocket computer? It can do all sorts of things.”

“Couldn’t leave that smart-ass attitude in Texas, could you?”

“It travels well.”

She rolled her eyes as she followed him to the rental car lot where a silver Lincoln MKX crossover awaited them. Taylor issued directions as Jamar navigated the SUV off the lot and onto the highway toward Fayetteville.

The familiar sights brought her an unexpected sense of peace, contributing to the tangled mass of emotions swirling in her belly. North Carolina had been her first real taste of stability. She couldn’t help feeling an affinity for the place where her parents had finally settled their nomadic family. She liked knowing she could come back here.

She also liked knowing that she could easily hop on a plane and flee if necessary.