Between Hello and Goodbye(22)

“Thank you so much!” I said. “You’ve made our day.”

The couple beamed and strolled on. When they were out of earshot, I flashed Asher a teasing smile. “You hear that, honey? We’re a lovely couple.”

Asher wasn’t smiling. “Why’d you say that?”

“Because,” I said, gingerly moving my foot off the cooler for a bottle of iced tea. “If I’d told them the truth, they’d be disappointed and maybe embarrassed. Instead, for the rest of the day, they’re going to feel good about their compliment. Did you see their smiles?”

“Well, yeah…”

I shrugged. “So I let them believe it. To make them happy.”

Asher seemed like he was about to reply and then didn’t. I struggled to get the cap off the tea, and he was still watching me, a strange expression on his face.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Wordlessly, he reached over, took the tea from me, popped the cap, and handed it back.



“I’ve kept you all day,” I said at four o’clock when we were back at the condo. Asher made me another ice pack while I took up my spot on the couch.

“Are you going to be okay for dinner?” he asked, settling the ice over my foot.

I grinned, fighting the urge to put my finger in the little crease between his furrowed brows. “If I can’t handle ordering one dinner, there’s no hope for me.”

“Don’t let the delivery guy in,” he said. “Tell him to leave it outside the door and don’t get it until he leaves.”

Asher’s protectiveness brought back that warm feeling in my chest. One that I wasn’t familiar with but could definitely get used to if I let myself.

“I will, I promise,” I said. “You’re the only one allowed to barge in unannounced.”

Asher seemed to think about smiling but changed his mind. “Do you need anything else?”

“Nope. I’m just peachy.”

“You sure? Because—”

“I’m good,” I said. “You’ve already given up more of your day than you were supposed to.”

“I don’t do anything I don’t want to, Faith.”

Lord have mercy…

I waved my hand. “That’s enough of your masculine gallantry for today, firefighter. A gal can only take so much and keep her clothes on.”

“Christ, woman…” He rubbed his hands over his face and went to the door.

“Asher.”

He stopped. “Yeah?”

“Thank you.” I cleared my throat, my usual flirty façade replaced by genuine gratitude. “Today was a good day.”

His answering smile was softer than I’d ever seen him wear. “Yeah, it was.”

Then he stepped out and locked the door behind him .





Chapter Six



I pulled into the Pono Kai around ten the next morning with a small voice in the back of my head noting that this was the fourth time. Coming here had slipped right into my routine the same way pulling up to Morgan’s house for dinners or arriving at the fire station had—too easy. I opened Faith’s front door without knocking because I could and found her crutching around her kitchen, making coffee.

“Hey, you,” she said, smiling as I came in and set two bags of groceries on the counter. “I wasn’t expecting you back so soon. Not that I’m complaining…”

Her hair was fresh-out-of-bed messy, no make-up, and she was only wearing some kind of long sleep shirt. No bra that I could see. It was too easy to imagine this was how she’d look after a night in my bed.

Don’t go there.

She held up a mug. “Coffee?”

“I can’t stay.”

I’d decided on aisle three of Mana Foods that morning that I’d deliver some groceries and get out. No more long talks, no more spending entire days off with a woman I wasn’t going to see after next week. But now I found my damn feet rooted to the floor of her kitchen.

She cocked her head. “My coffee’s not that bad, I promise.”

“I’m having lunch with my brother, up in Hanalei.”

“At ten in the morning?”

“I have some stuff to do first…”

She was already waving her hand. “None of my business. You do you.” She gestured at the bags on the counter. “But at least let me pay you back for all this.”

“Nope,” I said. “Just something to get you through the next few days.”

“A few days? This is enough for a few weeks.” She rummaged through the bag and pulled out a frozen pizza the size of a wagon wheel. “Dinner for one?”

“I figured you could have leftovers,” I said lamely. “How’s the ankle?”

“Better. Or maybe I’m just better at the crutches.”

“Couple more days and you’ll be able to get around just fine.”

She nodded and set the pizza down, not looking at me. “I haven’t decided if I’m staying the whole two weeks or not. The idea of venturing out by myself is still a little bit daunting.” She offered me a small smile. “The last thing I want is for you to get a call and have to come rescue me again.”