Between Hello and Goodbye(55)

The reply came a few moments later. Finally! Altura tonight? she sent, followed by champagne glasses.

I bit my lip. I’m dead tired. How about my place with a bottle of wine and a movie?

A pause and then, Booooring. Damn, girl. Talk to me when you’re ready to have an actual good time. A petulant text followed the first. Like you used to ****before**** you went to Hawaii.

I sighed and sat for long moments in the quiet. The entire agency was still, everyone having gone home for the day. The silence became unbearably loud. I picked up my phone again, and because I’d evidently lost my mind, I called my mother.

It went to voicemail.

“Hey, Mom,” I said haltingly. “It’s been a while and I… Well, I’ve got some good news at work and just wanted to share. Anyway, call me back when you have a sec. Love you.”

I hung up and touched my forehead to my desk. I hadn’t spoken to my mother in a meaningful way in more than a year and suddenly I was calling her for…what? Validation? Approval?

“Just go home,” I muttered.

I grabbed my purse and was about to shove my phone in it when it lit up with Asher’s name. I sank back down into my chair, my heart thudding loud and hard.

“Hey, you,” I answered. “How…how are you?”

“I’m good,” he said. “And I miss you.”

“I miss you too.”

Bam, I miss you. It was the first time either of us had said something like that on a call, never mind right off the bat. We’d kept everything as light as possible, as if we were both afraid to say more than our geographical separation would allow. We hadn’t even sexted, for crying out loud, and now my entire body and heart felt like they were reaching across the Pacific for him.

“You sound hoarse. Was it very smoky on the Big Island?”

“It wasn’t great,” he said. “I probably didn’t wear my mask enough, but it’s too hard to shout orders.”

I nodded against the phone. My firefighter was shouting orders because he was now my lieutenant firefighter. The fact that he’d taken his promotion spoke volumes, but I shoved the ramifications away. It was too good to talk to him.

“I finished the ad,” I said. “Turned out pretty well.”

“Yeah? I’m not surprised in the least. Congrats.”

Hot tears sprung to my eyes. “Thank you. I sort of needed to hear that from someone who doesn’t stand to make millions off of it.”

“No, you made something out of nothing with your own two hands, right? You had a vision and you made it real. We have to celebrate.”

“We?”

“I was thinking of coming to visit. Tonight.”

I nearly dropped the phone. “Really? Tonight?”

“There’s a redeye that leaves in a few hours. Gets in tomorrow morning.”

“Yes!” I practically shouted, then mentally kicked myself. “I’d love that. How long can you stay?”

“I have five days off. That’s probably too much for you with your work schedule…”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll take personal leave, or I can work around it… Hell, I’ll tell them I’ve been kidnapped and won’t be released for exactly five days.”

Asher chuckled, his deep voice sounding rougher and sexier than ever. “I’ll grab a hotel and—”

“Jeez, Mackey,” I said, trying to sound flirty and light over my pounding heart. “We’ve been naked together. No hotel. You’ll stay with me. Okay?”

“Okay,” he said quietly. “I’ll text you when I land. See you soon, Faith.”

“Tomorrow,” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”



The following morning, I showered and primped and prepared my body for ravishment, but no text arrived from Asher. At nine a.m. I checked the flight times online. The only Lihue-to-SeaTac redeye should’ve arrived around seven-thirty in the morning. I texted him but there was no answer.

Finally, at around ten-thirty, just when I’d convinced myself he’d changed his mind and stayed home, a text came in.

Sorry. I’m in town. Had to sleep.

I frowned and texted back. Where are you?

Hotel. Don’t want to get you sick.

I fumed. Hotel? We talked about this. What’s wrong?

Prob just laryngitis. It happens after a call sometimes. Be gone in 24.

That wasn’t going to cut it. I itched to call him, but if it hurt to talk, I didn’t want to add to his pain. My fingers flew. Which hotel? I’ll come over.

If it’s a bug, don’t want to give it to you.

You won’t. I haven’t had so much as a sniffle in years which is pretty amazing considering the only vitamins I take are V-O-D-K and A.

There was a pause in which I knew my firefighter was wrestling with the decision, putting me first when what he needed was someone to bring him soup or medicine. He needed to let someone take care of him for a change.

I heaved a breath and sent another text.

Being sick wouldn’t feel as terrible as being in the same town and not seeing you.

Another pause and then, Centennial Hotel. Room 333

My pulse ratcheted up again. Be there soon <3



After a pit stop at a supermarket for lozenges, gourmet soup, bottled water, and flowers, I arrived at the Centennial. On the third floor of the elegant hotel, I shuffled the bouquet under my arm and knocked on door 333.