Splendidly Ever After
For those who love Pad and RJ.
To Mel and Kerry for their honesty.
And, to my husband.
Chapter 1
The sun glinted through the almost rhomboid-shaped window as it made its journey below the line of the horizon. Soon the sunset would be a memory. RJ placed the checklist to the side and double-checked the gauges. He saw his co-pilot heading to the metal stairs that connected the jetway to their narrow-bodied airliner. The scene in front of him played out like other moments he had seen countless times before. The tug operator below jawed at another employee on the tarmac. Baggage crews worked to load up checked-in luggage. He heard passengers walking and loading up behind him, entering the cabin.
He sipped the coffee that the attendant had provided to him and took a
