"Is this a bad time?"
Oh!
She recognized that voice.
It wasn't hard.
She'd never met a man whose voice sounded like sunshine and she could only imagine what the ocean sounded like across the sand, a warm and refreshing rush of sound.
"No. Sorry." She sighed. "I was just staring at my open and nearly empty fridge wondering what I'm going to eat before I sit down to study."
"Ah..."
She heard his hesitation and wondered if he was second guessing his call.
"You know, I don't think I asked you where you were staying."
"Yeah... Well, there's only half of the answer for that right now."
"A half answer?" She closed the fridge door and turned to lean back against the counter. "What's that?"
"Well, I tried looking for an apartment before I got here, but it was kind of hard to get a feel for a place through pictures. You almost have to wonder what they're hiding with the camera angles."
She nodded and smiled to herself. "You know, I get it. When I was looking for an apartment, I was able to look around a few times."
"So, I picked up a cheap Airbnb for about a week to give myself some time to look before I start work. I do have some paperwork to do at CCFD headquarters before that."
"Ahhh," she nodded. "If the FD is anything like working at Cole. You have to do photos and paperwork. I had to do a background check."
"Mmmhmm. I had one done while I was working for HFD so that was pretty much taken care of. I think they had to look and see if I'd broken any laws since the first background check. So, I think I'm okay."
"You mean, if you did something, you've covered it up pretty well?"
"Nothing to add. My family would have kicked my butt if I'd done something stupid."
There was a wry tone in his voice that made her listen in closely.
"You mean besides moving to Center City?"
His laughter filled the air, and she laughed along with him.
"Did I hit it on the head?"
She swore she could see him shrug.
"Kind of. They're holding onto my surfboard and wetsuit, expecting me to head on home within the year."
His words had the sound of humor in them, but they fell like a rock at her feet.
The idea of him going back to Hawaii didn't sit well with her.
Not at all.
She wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure what to say.
So, she blurted out the first thing in her head. "Are you hungry?"
"Starving." His reply was almost a laugh. "I was making a list of apartments to check out, and I lost track of time. When I looked up and saw the clock on the wall, I thought it might be a good idea to see if you have any suggestions of where I could go for a quick meal."
