Between Hello and Goodbye(33)

The question of the hour. Faith didn’t fit into any neat category. We were technically friends, but as far as I knew, friends didn’t lust after each other every minute. And when she returned to Seattle in a week, what would we be then? Pen pals?

I left the station with a wave and a vow to teach Billy his place when I got back. But that would come later. Now, I walked into a perfect Kauai twilight in May and four full days with Faith ahead of me.

Pretty sure friends don’t get this stupidly excited about hanging out, either.

Not to mention, I had plenty of friends and not one of them occupied my every waking thought like she did. They weren’t the first thing I thought of when I woke up in the morning or the last thing I thought about as I drifted to sleep, and I sure as shit didn’t dream about them. Hell, I’d nearly bungled relaying an order during a call—something I never did—because I’d been thinking of her. Faith infiltered every part of my life and I’d actively made it happen.

“Hey, Ash, wait up.”

Captain Reyes jogged across the parking lot to catch up to me.

“What’s up, Cap?”

“You know what.”

I turned and squinted into the setting sun with a sigh. “I’m still thinking about it.”

“You’ve been thinking about it for two months. With Valdez transferring to Honolulu, I need a lieutenant.”

“What about Roy? He has seniority.”

Cap glowered. “Can you picture Roy in the field, shouting orders?” He shook his head. “Every guy has the perfect role in this outfit. Roy is exactly where he should be, but you need to level up. I need you.” He cocked his head. “You happy being a grunt?”

“Yes,” I said automatically. “But I’ll think about it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cap grumbled. “The tests are coming around in two weeks. In the meantime, think harder.”

He slapped my shoulder and headed back into the station. I hated disappointing Cap; we all did. It’s what made him such a great captain. He commanded loyalty and respect just by being himself. But being his lieutenant meant I was in it for the long haul, and while I had zero plans of ever leaving Kauai, my internal alarm was always keyed up. The one that made me sleep in my clothes as a kid, ready to escape a burning trailer at a moment’s notice. Or pull up stakes in a new town when the authorities sniffed too close to Morgan and me after we’d fled…

I brushed the memories away and took a deep breath to quell the anxiety squeezing my guts that came with them then drove like a bat out of hell straight to Faith.

At her condo, I opened the door to find her in her usual spot on the couch, foot up, gorgeous in a yellow dress with a book in her hand.

“Hey, you,” she said, her smile going straight to my chest like it always did. “Your shifts are finally over and now you’re all mine.”

Fucking hell, the woman knew how to choose her words to ensure I was always on the verge of grabbing her and putting an end to this want that surged in my veins every time I was near her.

And yet I can’t stay away.

“You’re in a good mood.”

“Are you seeing this?” Faith held up the book. “I found it on a shelf in the bedroom and I’m actually reading it. Worse, I’m enjoying it.”

“Worse?”

“I’m a Twitter kind of gal,” she said. “I usually take my words in short, digestible paragraphs, but I’m discovering I have an attention span when I’m not on my phone twenty-four-seven. But that’s not all.”

Faith got to her feet without her crutches and then took a step toward me, putting weight on her bum ankle. Then another step, then another, until she was right in front of me. Close enough I could smell her flowery perfume, the warmth of her skin; could feel her breath waft through her parted lips.

She gazed up at me. “Miracles do happen, I’m living proof.”

It would take the slightest movement—an inclination of my head—and I could capture her mouth with mine…

“That’s great,” I said too loudly, turning for the kitchen. “How’s the pain?”

“Not bad. I’m not ready for heels, but it’s a start. We should celebrate. I’m dying to get out of this condo.”

Over the last four days, we’d made small excursions in the evening after my shifts, but for the most part, she rested and gave her ankle a chance to heal.

“Sure,” I said. “Dinner? I know a place.”

“I would hope so.” She laughed. “And yes, I’d love to.”

Great, I thought with no small pang in my chest. It’s a date.



Ten minutes later, we pulled into the gravel driveway of Reggie’s. The pink restaurant with blue trim sat tucked into the greenery, off the main road. A huge wooden patio curved around from the side, where most of the dining took place. Faith crutched along with me up the front steps, gingerly putting weight on her foot, wincing now and then but never complaining. A rooster perched on a bench out front heralded our arrival.

“This island and its chickens.” She laughed.

“No chickens served here,” I said as we made our way inside. “This place is vegan.”

She looked dubious. “I’ll try anything once. Once.”

I chuckled. “It’s good, I promise.”