“Mr. Carter?”
“Yes.”
“You are in 1A.”
The cabin seemed to exhale.
Evelyn stared at Daniel.
“You must be mistaken.”
“I don't believe I am.”
She leaned toward him.
“Do you know who I am?”
Daniel remained professional.
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Then perhaps you should understand that I do not make mistakes like this.”
Daniel glanced at the manifest.
“I can move you to 1C.”
“I don't want 1C.”
“That's your assigned seat.”
“I want this one.”
He looked at me.
Then at her.
“This seat belongs to Mr. Carter.”
Evelyn's face reddened.
She looked at me.
“Then why did you let him board?”
The question was so strange that several passengers exchanged glances.
I almost smiled.
“I boarded because I had a ticket.”
She turned toward Sarah.
“This is unbelievable.”
Sarah stepped forward.
“Ms. Harrington, perhaps we can—”
“No.”
Evelyn stood.
She pointed at me.
“He assaulted me.”
A murmur moved through the cabin.
Daniel frowned.
“I'm sorry?”
“He pushed me.”
I looked at her.
“I never touched you.”
“You were standing over me.”
“That isn't assault.”
She turned toward the passengers.
“Someone saw him.”
Nobody spoke.
Then a voice came from Row 2.
“I did.”
Everyone looked.
The teenage girl lowered her phone.
“You pushed him first.”
Evelyn glared.
“Excuse me?”
The girl swallowed.
“You grabbed his hoodie.”
Sarah's face tightened.
Daniel looked toward the girl.
“Did you record this?”
“Yes.”
“Please don't delete it.”
The girl nodded.
Her phone remained in her hand.
Evelyn suddenly seemed less certain.
But only for a moment.
She picked up her tote.
“I'm not sitting beside that man.”
Daniel nodded.
“Then we'll find another solution.”
“I expect an upgrade.”
Daniel stared at her.
“You already purchased First Class.”
“Then I expect compensation.”
Daniel didn't respond.
I finally stepped toward my seat.
The coffee still burned against my skin.
I placed the newspaper on the empty armrest.
The front page was soaked.
But I wasn't thinking about the newspaper.
I was thinking about the manifest.
My name was there.
Exactly where it should have been.
But something else bothered me.
Daniel had looked at my reservation longer than necessary.
He had recognized something.
I noticed.
He noticed that I noticed.
“Mr. Carter,” he said quietly.