Tropical Storm by Stefanie Graham Page B

boy?” Cairo described.
    The man scratched his head theatrically. “Let me see.” He said.
    Cairo hurriedlyslipped a U.S. twenty-dollarbill out of his walletto hurry his memory along. The man’s amnesia instantly cleared up.
    “Yes, I did see a woman like that. If I’m not mistaken she was headed for the JetBlue terminalflight 322 bound for New York City.”
    Cairo was off running before he had even stopped speaking. He ran the entire length of the corridor in record time, and in the end, he had to purchase a ticket to some unknown destination just to get past security. When he arrived at the gate, the flight was already boarding. Cairo was afraid that he was too late, but then a flash of white-gold hair caught his eyes. What if she doesn’t want me? The voice in his head made his heart skip a beat.
    Heads bent together, Shane and Storm were oblivious to the crowd of peoplestreaming by them. They had been next in line for a long time but neither of them made any attempt to move. Shane was crying and Storm was speaking to him quietly.
    Don’t go!
    Cairo knew what bringing Storm back to his hotel meant. The knowledge trapped the words in his throat.
    Would he have said it? Cairo would never know. The choice was taken from him.
    “Cairo!”
    Shane’s frantic search for something over his shoulder was finally rewarded. He spotted him and was off running before his mother could stop him.
    He launched himself into Cairo’s arms. “I knew you would come for us.” He said hugging him fiercely. “I just knew it.”
    Storm’s approach was much slower. “We’re going to miss our flight, Cairo. Was there something you wanted?”
    And that was that. No tears, no joy and no emotion, period. Storm’s face would have put a poker player to shame.
    It was up to him to make the first move.
    With a beaming Shane in his arms, Cairo found the words.
    “Don’t go, Jessica. Stay.” He forced the sentence out while unclenching hands that he’d curled into fists. She couldn’t know what those words cost him, but he should have known she wasn’t going to make it easy.
    “Sorry, I can’t.” She said.
    Cairo’sheart sank; he was stunned, but only for a moment. He didn’t know why he was surprised. He had forgotten whom he was dealing with.
    She was smiling. Now that he had come to get her, there was obviously room to negotiate.
    “Don’t go? Stay?” She repeated looking into his eyes. “What does that mean? Why do you want us here when you were so determined for us to go? If you have changed your mind then I want to know why.”
    Cairo groaned. She was not going to make it easy.
    “I . . . I . . . I” For the life of him he couldn’t think of what to say.
    Storm crossed her hands over her chest and waited.
    Cairo swallowed and tried again.
    “I . . . I behaved badly.” He admitted finally. “I don’t want to be the reason you’re leaving.”
    “Last call for flight 322”. The announcer said from an overhead speaker. Storm looked at him and then turned away.
    “If that is what you’ve come all this way to tell me then you’ve wasted your time and mine.” Her hand closed over Shane’s and she turned back toward her gate.
    “Wait!” Cairo took a deep breath and plunged in. “Stay Jessica. Stay because I want you to. Stay so that I can get to know you and you can get to know me.”
    The smile started small and then spread. “It certainly wasn’t the declaration I was hoping for, but it will do for now. You wait, Cairo.” She said with a smirk. “You won’t regret this.”
    Cairo wasn’t so sure.
    Storm and Shane chatted happily all the way from the airport back to the hotel. In contrast, Cairo was silent and reflective. He had Storm with him but what was he supposed to do with her now? She was not the kind of woman one could ignore. He had promised her another beginning, could he deliver? He didn’t know. What he was sure about was that Storm would make him keep his promise, even if it