Catriona MacKinnon adjusted the scarf she was wearing to cover her brilliant red hair before getting out of the cab. She looked at the terminal a moment before entering and took a deep breath. It would be the last breath of the air of her native land before she left forever. She steeled herself and walked straight to the check in counter. Trina handed her ticket to the agent, and handed her the identification she'd been given. It was the first time she had used it, so Trina was nervous.

"Thank you for flying United, Miss MacKinnon. I hope you enjoy your trip to America."

Trina smiled a tight-lipped smile and nodded. She picked up the handle for her bag and walked toward the gate. Her life all fit into the twenty-five pound piece of luggage. Once again, she cursed her uncle.

The flight was long. Incredibly long and terribly boring. After an eternity, the plane landed, and Trina hated that even more. She vowed that once she got off of this plane, she'd never get on another one.

Trina adjusted the blanket over her legs and looked out the window. The flight attendant came over to her.

"Would you like anything to drink, ma'am?"

Trina nodded. Until yesterday, she'd never been on a plane in her life. And after that flight, she certainly could use another. There was a layover here in Houston, and she had decided not to get off the plane. "Please."

"What would you like?"

"Could I get a strawberry daiquiri?"

"Yes, ma'am." The flight attendant started to turn away.

"How long will we be here?"

"The plane will begin boarding again in 20 minutes."

Trina nodded and looked out the window again.

Drew Standish looked out the window of the 737 jet she was flying from Cancun, Mexico. Her older brother, Ezra, weighed heavily on her mind. He would be disappointed in her yet again. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him; he was the only person in her life who gave a damn. Her mother hadn't spoken to her in over six months. She was angry with Drew for not accepting the proposal of marriage from Colin, an investment banker that Maude had met. Drew had declined, stating she didn't love the man. Maude had gotten angry and told her she'd never amount to anything and had nothing to offer any man but to sit prettily at his side. Her mother's words had always hurt, and each time it seemed to lower her self esteem just a little bit more.

Ezra had been there to pick up the pieces like always and had been her financial support since her refusal to marry the banker had caused Maude to disown her. Now she was on her way back home and had to tell her brother that their mother had been right all along. She had flunked out of college. It was her own fault. Drew knew that. Instead of attending her classes at UCLA, she went on auditions to become an actress. Nothing much came of it. She managed to be in one rock video, but it was so degrading that she didn't even tell Ezra about it. What was there to be proud of? His sister dancing around in a bikini? So given everything that had happened this past year, she decided to have one more big blow out before she told Ezra the news. He had funded her spring break trip to Cancun, and she just decided to stay a few extra weeks.

She got off the plane in Houston to meet her connecting flight into Los Angeles. The flight was delayed so she went to the bar for a beer. Another thing that Maude frowned upon was that her underage daughter drank beer. Now if she drank wine, Maude wouldn't complain. Drew had a fake ID that no one ever questioned.

Two beers later she got on her flight. She made her way down the aisle to her seat and saw a young red-haired woman about her age was already in the seat next to hers. She smiled and handed her carry on to the fight attendant before sitting down.

She extended her hand to the woman. "Drew Standish."

The other woman shook her hand. "Catriona MacKinnon."

"Nice to meet you." Drew smiled then looked to the flight attendant "I'll take a Heineken please." She looked to Trina's glass. "You want another drink too?"

Trina looked to the flight attendant and spoke softly, "Another strawberry daiquiri please."

The flight attendant smiled to Trina then raised her eyebrow to Drew. "Miss, I'm going to have to see an ID."

Drew shook her head and pulled her ID out of her purse. The flight attendant looked over it and went to get their drinks. "Did she card you?" Drew looked to Trina.

"Aye, the first time she did," Trina replied. Her Scottish accent was very pronounced.

Drew sat back and grinned. "You're not an American are you?" She looked to the flight attendant as she handed her the beer. She grabbed it and took a sip; before Trina could answer, she asked another question. "So where are you from?"

"From Glasgow, in Scotland. An ye?"

"Wow Scotland?" Drew was impressed; she looked at the other woman, noticing the diamond and emerald earrings she had on. "Well I was born in South Carolina but I've been living in LA for the past year." She moved closer to Trina and looked at her ear. "Hey, those real?"

Trina's face clouded for a moment before she nodded. "Aye, they were my mother's." Before Drew could ask anymore, she said, "Tell me about LA?"

Drew shrugged. "LA is not all it's cracked up to be. You know you assume if you move to Hollywood that you're going to be this big star and well things don't always turn out the way you planned. But someday, though, someday my time will come and I'll be as famous as Julia Roberts. I still have time I'm only twenty."

"I'm 21," Trina replied. "Who is Julia Roberts?"

Drew looked shocked. "You know…Pretty Woman?"

Trina nodded.

Drew looked to Trina. "You have seen Pretty Woman haven't you?"

"No, I haven't. Is it good?"

Drew watched as Trina's knuckles turned white gripping onto her seat as they took off. "Are you okay?" Suddenly, she realized Trina had said she'd never seen Pretty Woman. "You, you've never seen Pretty Woman?" Drew was in total shock her mouth dropped and she looked to her.

"No I haven't but I'd like to sometime."

"Well it's a must see movie. Julia's big break. I plan on having one too someday. Just need to get my foot in the door though."

Trina looked to her puzzled, and Drew went on to explain the whole audition process and the countless ones she had been on. Before Drew knew it, an hour had past. She had talked Trina's ear off, and the two had finished several drinks. She had told her everything, how she flunked out of school and stayed in Cancun a little longer then expected.

Trina looked to her. "You and your brother sound close."

"We are." Drew noticed that her eyes had misted over and got Ezra's picture out of her purse to show her. She handed it to her and smiled. "Well I've told you all about me now tell me about yourself. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Aye. I had two brothers. They were my best friends."

"Were?" Drew asked.

Trina nodded, unsure if she could talk about this. She would be lying to her new friend, but she was forbidden by necessity to tell the truth. "They died when my home caught fire. My parents too."

Drew looked sympathetic. "I'm real sorry about that. How long ago?"

"Not long really. Kind of hard to keep track of the days. Everywhere I looked reminded me, so I had to get away and get a fresh start. That's why I'm going to LA."

Trina didn't offer to share pictures of her family, hoping that Drew would assume that they were lost in the fire. But she did have one picture at the bottom of her bag. It was the one they'd taken as a family the last Christmas that her family was alive. Trina treasured it, but she wasn't ready to look at it right now.

The intercom beeped. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We're going to make a slight detour to Tucson. There is nothing to worry about, and the airline is already rerouting your tickets to ensure that all passengers will arrive at their destinations in a timely manner. We apologize for this inconvenience."

Trina paled and looked over to Drew. "They wouldn't do that . . . not unless the plane was going to crash before we arrived in LA. Would they?"

"Don't panic Trina, I'm sure it's nothing major. Probably just a warning light and the captain want to check it out rather than chancing it."

Trina nodded, but didn't calm down much.

"This your first time flying?" Drew asked, trying to distract her.

Trina nodded.

"I've been flying since I was really young. Safest way to travel. Hey! My brother lives just near Tucson. I bet we could exchange our tickets and detour down to meet him. I need to talk to him anyway."

Trina looked to her gratefully. "I think I'd like that."

"Well, if we're going to be getting off in Tucson, we need to inform the airline." She waved the flight attendant over again.

The flight attendant was getting rather annoyed with Drew. Every time she had a minute she was asking a question or waving her over for another drink. "I'm sorry miss but we are getting ready to land I can not get you any more to drink." She started to walk away.

Drew reached out and grabbed her arm. "I didn't know mind reading was a qualification for flight attendants. You might want to go back and retake the course because, honey, that's not what I wanted."

Trina's mouth dropped as Drew went on and the blonde flight attendant's faced turned a bright shade of crimson. "Then what is it you need miss?"

"Well, for starters, your name because I'll be reporting you for your lack of courtesy to your passengers. I happened to have paid a lot for this seat, and I do not appreciate being smarted off to. Okay? So if you value your job, like I'm sure you do, you'll listen to me without anymore rude comments."

The flight attendant took a deep breath "fine what is it you need?"

"I wanted to inform you that we will be getting off the plane in Tucson and would like to have our luggage there instead of LA. You're not writing this down?"

"I can remember."

"Okay then our names are Drew Standish and Catriona MacKinnon."

Trina reached over and touched Drew's arm. "I've just got my carry on."

Drew's mouth dropped but she turned back to the bitchy flight attendant as she asked, "Anything else I can do for you?"

Drew smiled to her. "Yes do you have any recommendations for a nice hotel for us for us?"

"The Hyatt is nice. Now I really must get the plane ready for landing. Anything else?"

"Just don't forget to have my luggage left in Tucson, Katherine." Drew grinned evilly, letting her know she took note of her name earlier.

She turned back to Trina. "We're going to have to take you shopping. Only one carry on and that's it?"

"Aye." Trina just shrugged. "I haven't had much of a chance to go shopping since...the fire. But I'd love to go shopping. It's been a long time since I went shopping with a friend." Trina smiled to Drew. "I'm really glad you're the one who sat there today."

Drew returned her smile. "I'm glad I sat here too, Catriona. You're going to have to let me show you around LA once we get there."

Trina just smiled. "Oh Aye! I'd love for you to do that. You don't make me feel like such an outsider. Would you call me Trina? Catriona sounds so formal, don't you think?"

"Catriona is a beautiful name, but I'll call you Trina. I like that too. And you're not an outsider, you're my friend." She noticed Trina paled again as they started to land. She reached over and squeezed her hand. "We'll be fine. I tell you what, why don't we rent a car and drive the rest of the way to LA? Make a road trip out of it."

Trina smiled gratefully to her and nodded. "I feel such a fool for being so nervous. I don't like flying."

"You think this is bad," Drew said with a grin, "You should see what it is like in coach."

When the plane finally landed, Trina took a couple breaths before looking out the window. Then she turned to Drew. "If we're going to go shopping anyway, why rent a car? I'll need one in LA, and I may as well get it here as there. Though, I will need to learn how to drive."

Drew was stunned "Buy a car?" She watched as Trina nodded then looked at her earrings again "Okay." She stood up and took her carry on from the flight attendant. She looked back to Trina. "That woman is such a bitch. I can teach you how to drive."

Trina smiled. "You would? That would be great. I hate to impose on you, but when you're showing me around LA and teaching me to drive, can you tell me where good places to live in LA are?"

"Of course." She smiled to the captain and another flight attendant as they walked by.

The older flight attendant smiled "Miss Standish you can pick your luggage up at baggage claim 3. I do hope you enjoyed your flight."

"Flight was nice, service could of been better." Drew looked over to Katherine with a scowl then back to the pilot and older flight attendant. "You really shouldn't let some people fly while PMSing. Then again she might always be that rude."

"I'm so sorry." The captain looked to them.

Drew just nodded and walked off holding her laughter in until she and Trina walked out of the gate.

After collecting Drew's luggage and securing a room at the Hyatt, Drew suggested that they get a little shopping in that afternoon.

Trina nodded.

"I thought I saw a mall about a block from here. We should probably take a taxi," Drew said.

"We could walk there and get a cab back," Trina said. "It's nice outside."

"Yeah, but the first rule of living in the city is that you don't walk anywhere that you don't know. You can get easily lost and we don't know the neighborhood."

Drew smiled and Trina nodded. Drew picked up the phone and dialed the front desk. "Yes, we'd like a taxi." She paused. "All right. Thank you." She hung up. "Taxi should be ready for us in five minutes. You ready?"

"Aye," Trina said with a smile.

Five minutes later, the two got into the taxi and were on the way to the mall.

Drew looked at Trina. "What kind of clothes do you prefer? Sundresses, suits, pants? Oh! We should get makeovers. That's always fun."

"Make overs?"

"Yeah, they decide your colors and clean out your pores and then put make up on for you. It's real fun."

Trina nodded. "We could get our hair done too? Dye it?"

"Why would you dye that hair? It's such a pretty color. Natural is always best."

"Aye, you're right. Just wondered what it was like to have a different color hair."

Drew looked over. "They treat blondes like they're dumb. And that can be really annoying. On the other hand," she grinned, "you can work it to your advantage."

"This is going to be fun." Trina looked at the mall in absolute shock as she got out of the taxi, then back to Drew. "Is that all stores?"

"Yep. Don't you have malls in Scotland?"

"Aye, but not like this." Trina shook her head. "How do you know where to start?"

"I usually pick a door, and just go." Drew grinned. "I can find my way around any mall. Come on." Drew led her in. "Oooo good, they have a Neiman Marcus. We'll start there."

It didn't take Drew long to navigate the mall. They were soon shopping in the classier section of Neiman Marcus. When Trina had stared at the racks and racks of clothing without picking any clothes out, Drew had looked at her appraisingly and then grinned.

"Try this one." Drew handed Trina a pink dress. "Trust me. Besides, if you don't like it, you don't have to buy it. Half the fun of shopping is trying on things you'd never buy."

Trina grinned and took the dress. It wasn't long before both girls had their arms full of clothing to try on and were giggling on their way to the dressing room.

Trina ended up loving the pink dress, and everything else that Drew had handed her. Drew had a good eye for sexy, yet stylish clothing and was good at matching it to the person who would be wearing it. Trina tended to pick out more conservative clothing on her own, and would never have even tried most of the clothing if Drew had not insisted. But she ended up buying everything.

By the time they'd finished with Neiman-Marcus, Trina was fighting back yawns. The combination of jet lag and daiquiris finally taking its toll.

Drew just smiled. "We can come back tomorrow and hit the rest of the mall. This is going to be so much fun!"

"Aye," Trina said.

"Besides, we should both rest so we can go down to the hotel bar tonight. They have a live band playing and we should check them out. The Electric Cowboys. Don't they sound exciting?"

"I've never met a cowboy."

Drew grinned. "Well, we have a lot of work to do then."

The pair picked up their bags and walked over to the area where taxis waited to transport the carless. They loaded their bags and got inside and were whisked away to their hotel, where a porter assisted them with their purchases. Soon they were settled in their suite again.

Trina didn't even bother to unpack the clothes she'd just bought. She went into the bathroom, changed into her pajamas, and then crawled into the bed, instructing Drew to wake her in time to get ready for the band.

While Trina slept, Drew went through her purchases and organized them, deciding carefully what to wear when they went downstairs, when they went shopping tomorrow, when she talked to her brother. The outfit she picked out for confronting Ezra was one of her most conservative and made her look young and vulnerable. Maybe he would not yell too loudly.

Drew almost laughed at the absurdity of it. The way her luck went, she'd probably pushed him far enough that he'd disown her too. So she was going to have one last good time before that happened.

Trina needed a place in LA and so did Drew. Drew hoped that maybe her new friend would also want a roommate.

The two had made a strong connection. Drew could sense that Trina needed a companion and friend more than anything. Drew needed that too.

Drew called the front desk to ask when the band started playing and found out that it wasn't until ten o'clock. At 9:45, she started getting ready. Trina was still sleeping. Drew woke her up when she was finished with her make up.

It took a moment for Trina to recognize where she was, but she shortly regrouped and nodded.

"You have a good nap?"

"Still kind of tired." Trina smiled. She looked over at what Drew was wearing and then got up and walked over to her bags. "I should get a garment bag next time we go shopping." Trina looked through her bags, finally pulling out a black dress with silver embroidery on it. She carried it into the bathroom and came out twenty minutes later. Her hair was styled and she wore a diamond drop necklace.

Drew raised an eyebrow. "That's a real pretty necklace Trina. But if it's real, I wouldn't wear it to a bar if I were you. I wouldn't wear anything real."

Trina nodded and got her jewelry case. She carried it over to the bed.

Drew couldn't help herself. She walked over and sat next to Trina as she looked through her case for something that might be appropriate.

"I guess we don't need to worry about getting you jewelry tomorrow," Drew said with a grin. "May I?" she asked before touching one of the rings.

Trina nodded. "My ma used to let me play with this. I'd spend hours sifting through and looking at all the sparkly stones. I didn't understand until later how valuable they were. She never cared if I played with them though." Trina smiled softly. "She'd sit and tell me who had this piece before her or teach me about the gem." She carefully placed her earrings and necklace in the box, taking out a simple pair of garnet earrings and a matching ring.

"They are beautiful."

"Thank you." Trina picked up the box and carefully packed it again at the bottom of her carry case.

"You must have really loved your mother."

"Aye. She was wonderful."

Drew nodded. "Why don't we go downstairs and have some fun?" She smiled.

Trina put her shoes on and followed Drew.

The band was amazing. Trina and Drew were having a blast just listening, though Drew was constantly shocking Trina. She would shamelessly bat her eyes at the lead singer and blow him a kiss. He would grin and seem to sing straight at her. Trina looked around and saw a couple of guys looking at Drew.

When she pointed them out, Drew waved at the two guys. Trina was shocked when they picked up their drinks and approached their table.

"Evening ladies," the taller brunet said. "My name is Kevin. My quiet friend here is David." Kevin slapped David across the back. David gave Kevin a dirty look with a smile.

"My name is Drew and this is my friend Trina," Drew said.

"Mind if we join you?" David asked.

"Okay," Drew said with a laugh.

Trina wasn't so sure. But she didn't really see the harm in it. Trina watched in amazement as Drew flirted with Kevin, focusing on him. David turned to Trina.

"I've never seen you here before. Just traveling through?"

"Aye," Trina said.

"Are you Irish?" David asked.

"No, I'm Scottish."

"I thought the Irish had red hair. So, how long are you visiting Tucson?"

"I dinna know. A couple days. Then we're driving to Los Angeles."

"That is a harsh drive in this heat, if you're not used to it. I'm surprised you're not flying."

Trina just shook her head.

When the waitress came back to their table, the guys ordered drinks for everyone. Trina found it refreshing to talk to a guy her own age who had not been paid to be there. She looked over to Drew and found her friend smiling and laughing.

Kevin smiled and looked at the band onstage. He'd noticed the lead singer making eye contact with Drew earlier. Not that he could blame the man; Drew was gorgeous. Her friend was too, but she was more on the quiet side like David.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Drew's voice broke his thoughts.

"I'm thinking I'm sitting here with the prettiest girl in the room."

Drew giggled. "Well, you're not so bad yourself." She glanced over to the band. "Wanna dance?"

"Now I was supposed to ask you that question." He watched as Drew stood up. He towered over her at six feet. He stood up and took her tiny hand. "You know Little Bit, I'm really glad we came here tonight."

"I am too." Drew smiled and led him to the dance floor. She paused and raised her eyebrow to him. "Little Bit?"

"Yeah." Kevin flashed a smile. "You're a little hottie, but I thought Little Bit was cuter."

Drew laughed and wrapped her arms around him. "I guess that's okay then." The two remained on the dance floor for almost the rest of the evening.

By the end of the night, Kevin and David had made Drew and Trina promise to meet them again the next night.

Trina and Drew went back up to their room and collapsed.

Drew lay awake in bed deep in thought. She had a wonderful time that evening with Kevin. He was her type: tall, dark and handsome. She had given him her cell phone number and they were supposed to meet again tomorrow night.

Kevin was a nice guy, the type Ezra would approve of but her mother wouldn't. He was a student not a rich man. Maude had always told Drew, "You don't marry for love you marry for money." Something her daughter had disagreed with her on. Drew wanted love; she wanted a family too. She put on a front with everyone made them think she could take care of herself and that she needed no one. She also wanted a true friend and in her heart she knew Trina could be that for her. Trina never judged her or made her feel inferior. The truth of the matter was she wanted a man who would love for her and care for her. Kevin was sweet but he wasn't the one, 'Doesn't matter. I'm still young,' she thought to herself then smiled and drifted off to sleep.

.