Free England or Bust by Georgiana Louis Page A

muttered to herself. There were several fast food outlets and a small old fashioned American diner.
    Definitely the diner. She needed some real food and a glass of wine to settle her frayed nerves. Maybe two.
    She slipped into a booth just as the overhead speaker announced an entire airport shut down. Just in the nick of time!
    The noise of groaning people in the restaurant almost overwhelmed Michelle’s over sensitive senses and she cringed in discomfort. She bent down and retrieved her phone from her bag so that she could play one of the many games she had. That would calm her down.
    “Can I get you something Ma’am?” A young, tall waiter stood by her table and Michelle blinked as though he were an apparition. She really did need to get her head back into the real world.
    “Ahh, yes.” She opened the menu and ordered the first thing she saw. “An old American hamburger please.”
    “A drink Ma’am?”
    Definitely!
    “Yes, a glass… actually make it a bottle of the….” Michelle scanned the very short wine list, “Penfolds Shiraz please.”
    The waiter nodded and took the menus from her hands and a heavy sigh escaped her lips. So much for her tight budget, this would just have to be part of her contingency plan. A girl had to make exceptions when the heavens opened up and produced such a massive storm.
    “Excuse me. Would you mind if I sat with you? Everywhere else is full.”
    Michelle jumped, startled by the sound of a man’s deep voice. Then she looked up into the prettiest blue eyes she had ever seen. Having spent a week in a jaded stupor with her damaged heart ripped in two, she still saw the beauty in front of her. Her lower belly tightened in appreciation. Yes, she was going to need that bottle of wine.
    “Yeeesss… yes of course,” Michelle stuttered, looking around the restaurant to see it was no lie. Since she had arrived, the place was now full to brimming. Clearly everyone had had the same idea as her, yet she had made it into the restaurant first. Wow. Since when was she lucky?
    “I’m Robert McLennan. Rob.”
    The gorgeous man, who was probably in his mid-thirties, held his hand out to her across the table.
    Michelle eyed it for a moment before placing her hand in his. Hot awareness tingled along her palm and blood flooded her cheeks.
    “Michelle Smith.”
    Rob smiled at her as he sat down and called to one of the waiters. “Could I get a menu please?”
    The waiter walked back to his computer, picked up a menu and put it down in front of Rob on his way to attend another customer. The under-staffed employees were flying around the room. It was obvious the managers hadn’t anticipated the airport shut down. No one had.
    “Not the healthiest selection in the world, is it? What did you order?” Rob’s voice was clear and cut through Michelle’s musings on the staff. He looked up from his menu, his expression open his eyes bright and happy.
    Michelle felt tendrils of light filter through her. She had been so unhappy lately, revelling in the blackness of her despair. Now, just looking at the man in front of her, that unhappiness was breaking apart. She mourned its loss.
    “A burger and a bottle of red.”
    Just as she spoke a waitress arrived with her wine and two glasses. “One glass or two Ma’am?”
    Michelle shrugged and looked over at the interloper opposite her. “Would you like to join me?”
    Rob nodded and the waitress began pouring their drinks. “Why not? I’ll buy the next one.”
    A rough laugh erupted out of Michelle’s throat. She coughed; the feeling and sound foreign to her.
    “Next bottle? You really think we’ll be getting through two bottles?”
    Rob lifted his glass in the air and smiled that smile. The one that made her belly clench tight with awareness. She picked up her glass in a hurry.
    “Well, what else is there to do while we wait for the storm to pass?”
    Michelle’s eyes dropped to Rob’s full lips and she swallowed the saliva that had pooled in