His green eyes raked over her. “Sue? For what? Look, you seem like a smart lady. What part of ‘no flights’ did you miss? There’s a blizzard moving in. Lots of people are going to find themselves asleep on hard plastic seats here tonight.”

She readjusted her carry-on bag. “Look, Hodges, I’m not trying to be disagreeable. I just want to get home.” She gave him a pleading look. “It’s Christmas. You know, family, lights, tree?”

“It’s the same for all of us, Ma’am.” Then he relented a little. “Listen, I can get you a room at the Garden Inn here in the airport for the night at least, so you know, no airport lounge chairs.”

She cringed at the thought of spending a night on those or worse. “Are you sure there’ll be no flights? I’ll be happy to wait until the wee hours if need be.”

He shook his head. “Nope. The flight you missed was the last for today due to weather. But if it’s any consolation, I’m stranded, too.”