The Jaguar Star (Tales of the Were: Jaguar Island Book 4) by Bianca D'Arc (e book reader android .TXT) 📗

A few minutes later, they were airborne, the thrust of the engines propelling them into the air. It was exhilarating, and Ren never tired of the feeling of takeoff. He had a smile on his face as they levelled out. Now, the wooing would begin. He had a plan for the next few days, and convincing Kat that he was serious about her was right at the top of his list of to do’s. Starting now.

Katrina was surprised when Ren took the seat opposite her. She realized someone must have arranged the semi-private setting for them, and her breath caught at the idea that Ren, himself, might’ve done it. Was this some kind of overture? And, if it was, could it be trusted?

She didn’t think he was a shallow movie-star type. Not anymore. She sensed there was more depth to him, and he’d been nothing but kind to her over the past week of filming. But was he interested in some sort of fling? With her? Truly?

And would she be ten kinds of an idiot to let it happen? Or would she regret it for the rest of her life if she turned down any overture he might make?

She was probably over-thinking this. Maybe he just wanted to sit with her for some reason. Maybe he wanted a quiet companion for the flight, rather than the more raucous conversations she could just hear over the engine noise going on in the other seating areas. On this side of the aisle, there were a few two-seat arrangements, but on the other side, the groupings were larger, with four or six sitting together in various configurations.

Greg and Liatha Mendez quietly shared the two-seat arrangement just behind them, and to the other side of the loosely marked aisle, a group of four that included the Hilliard brothers, Deidre and Franny were chatting up a storm already.

Since Ren and Katrina were closest to the cockpit and the small galley, the young girl who had helped Katrina find her seat and stow her luggage came to them first. She brought a tray filled with a selection of sandwiches and had a rolling cart with different choices of juice and snack items. Ren introduced her, demonstrating his familiarity with the plane and its crew.

“Sissy, this is Kat,” he said, smiling at the girl, who had to be in her teens.

“You’re playing Maid Marian,” Sissy said. “I can’t wait to see the movie.”

Katrina was touched by the girl’s enthusiasm and smiled back. “Neither can I,” she admitted. “It all still feels kind of unreal.”

“I bet. Uncle Ren let me visit him on the set during his last film shoot, and it was so cool. It almost made me want to work with these guys, but I like flying too much to change course now,” Sissy added. “My family is teaching me to fly, and one day, I’ll be working with my sister and brother, who are in the cockpit right now.”

“Now, that is truly cool,” Katrina told the girl. “Flying a plane takes a lot of skill and talent, from what I’ve heard. And, I suspect, a lot of guts.”

Sissy shrugged. “I grew up around planes,” she said nonchalantly. “It’s in my blood, my folks say.”

The girl moved her little cart to the next group and served drinks before pulling out another giant platter of sandwiches from the lower portion of the cart. She left two platters with Franny and the gang, as well as a whole bottle of juice and cups with ice before moving on to the couple seated behind Katrina.

“Uncle Ren?” Katrina asked, one eyebrow raised as she smiled at him.

Ren had already demolished half of a giant roast beef sandwich. He swallowed before answering as Katrina chose a small egg salad sandwich for herself from the platter.

“Sissy’s mother is my sister, Rowena,” he admitted. “Her husband, Mike, was a commercial pilot for one of the big carriers, but he’s employed by Mark’s company now, as are my sister and their kids. They all fly, though Ro and Mike tend to stay in the office these days while their offspring roam the skies on behalf of Pepard Industries.”

“That’s really impressive,” Katrina replied, feeling the truth of her words. Flying was something she’d always found fascinating. “Do you know how to fly, too?” she asked impulsively.

“Actually, I do. I keep my license current, but I don’t get as many cockpit hours as the rest of my immediate family these days,” he told her.

“Too busy making movies,” she said, nodding as she smiled.

“Something like that,” he agreed. “Speaking of Hollywood, Sully is already on the island. I know you wanted to meet her.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to meet Sullivan Lane,” Katrina gushed, feeling excitement fill her at the prospect of meeting one of her favorite actresses.

Ren’s famously green eyes flared with amusement. “She and her husband are building on to their home, and Shelly, Mark’s wife, is designing it for them. She’s an architect,” he added. “From what I understand, Mark and Shelly are hosting an informal reception at the mansion when we arrive. You can meet everybody there.”

The flight wasn’t a long one. There had been no wait time at the airport as there always was with commercial flights. They’d simply shown up and boarded the jet, which had taken off shortly thereafter. Katrina was amazed at how rich folk travelled. There seemed to be no hassle, and everything happened on a custom timetable.

Ren was eating his second sandwich when Sissy came back to tell them all that they’d be landing in a half-hour and that she was beginning the process of stowing things for landing. It didn’t take long for them to get on the ground, and Katrina watched out the window the whole way down.

The island, as seen from the air, was stunning. A tropical paradise of green in a clear blue ocean. White sandy beach