But he'd insisted that the seat next to mine had been empty the entire flight. That no one had ever sat there.
To make sure Amy left a deeper impression on him this time, I gently tapped Bertram on the shoulder. "Excuse me, sir."
Bertram looked at me, curious. "Yes?"
I pointed at Amy in her seat, putting on a nervous expression.
"I was wondering—what do you think of my girlfriend? How does she look?"
"My parents haven't met her yet, and I'm a little nervous."
Bertram studied Amy for a moment, then nodded approvingly.
"She's a lovely young woman. You two make a wonderful couple."
"Your parents are definitely going to love her."
I thanked Bertram for his words and sank into thought.
Both Bertram and Melissa had reacted completely naturally. Their tone, their expressions—nothing suggested evasion or discomfort.
So where was the problem?
Why had they insisted, after my previous life ended, that they'd never seen Amy at all?
I needed to push Amy's presence to the absolute maximum. I took her hand and pulled her to her feet beside me.
Under her puzzled gaze, I raised my voice so the entire cabin could hear.
"Sorry to interrupt, everyone. Just a couple of minutes."