Frankie defaulted to Charlie. “I’m game if you are.”
“We’ll split a piece of the pineapple upside-down cake.”
He remembered I like pineapple!
“I’ll be right back with it. Do you want a scoop of ice cream on the side too?”
Frankie nodded. “Vanilla if you have it.”
Charlie shot an amused glance at her. “Vanilla is so plain. I thought you’d go for the chocolate or the strawberry.”
“Chocolate would overpower the pineapples and the cherries.”
“And the strawberry?”
“Same. It would overpower the pineapple.” She winked. “Thanks for ordering the cake, by the way.”
“You’re welcome. The pineapple upside-down cake is my favorite thing on the dessert menu.”
She arched an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t care for pineapples.”
“As long as they’re not on pizza, they’re fine by me.”
They shared a laugh.
Frankie glanced at her watch. “It’s ten-thirty already. I didn’t realize we’ve been sitting here for four hours! It’s a good thing tomorrow’s Sunday.”
Charlie reached for his water glass and took a sip. “What happens on Sundays?”
“Sunday is my lazy day. It’s the one day a week I allow myself to sleep in past six. The only things I have on my to-do list are to call my best friend Gemma, catch up on the TV showCupid’s Arrow,do laundry, and meal prep a few lunches and dinners for the days I work late.”
“Six sounds like a luxury. I wake up every day at three.”
She winced. “I must be keeping you up way past your bedtime.”
“If I’m in bed by eleven, it’ll be a victory.”
“Are you part vampire? How can you run off four hours of sleep?”
If she did end up agreeing to partner with Charlie, this four-hours-a-night sleep nonsense was the first thing that was going to change. He was going to get a minimum of seven hours. No ifs, ands, or buts. She refused to put her own safety at risk for a guy who was permanently exhausted. Plus, maybe it was another reason he was always kind of grumpy.
“You get used to it.” He shrugged. “Even if I wanted to sleep late, I don’t think I could. I’m on autopilot. My body is used to early mornings.”
“Even on your days off?”
He nodded. “I’m only off on Sundays.”
“And your Sunday routine is . . .?”
“Hiking.” His eyes lit up. “Weather permitting, I try and get out on a different trail every week. There’s nothing more relaxing than being out in nature.”
“Where are you planning to go tomorrow?”
He stroked his chin. “I’ll probably take it easy and do the King’s Summit loop. It’s a nice flat trail, plus I haven’t been up to the waterfall in a while.”
Frankie rested her elbows on the table. “That takes about five or six hours round trip, right?”
“Give or take.”
