In the beginning Steve had felt the pull of her blue eyes and soft curves, and instantly falling in love with her had been half-serious, half-folly—a private joke on himself that held an element of truth. This morning he woke up and realized that he wasn’t just enamored—he liked her. Really liked her. She was brave and bright and honest. And there was a lot of passion bubbling below the surface. He suspected she hadn’t fully tapped into it yet. There was a breathless element to her kisses. It was as if she were always astonished, always pleasantly surprised by the chemistry that existed between them. He understood that astonishment. He felt it, too.

“Oh my Lord,” Daisy said, jumping to her feet. “Look at the time!” She dashed to the car, stuffed the plug in her ear, and grabbed the two-way.

After a few minutes, she came back and dropped onto the quilt. “Just made it. I put the plug in my ear when the cue came up.” She looked guilty. “I gave the same report as last time. I’m probably not supposed to admit that to my boss.”

“It’ll cost you. I might fire you, if you don’t agree to help me figure out the gas grill tonight.”

“Job harassment.”

“Absolutely.”

“I’m not worried. You’ve tried to fire me before.”

“Does that mean you won’t help me with the grill?”

“Of course I’ll help you with the grill.” She stretched out on her stomach with her head resting on her arm. “After all, what are friends for?”

“Is that what we are? Friends?”

She felt heat flood to her cheeks. “I don’t know what we are. Friends seems like a good place to start.”

He watched her eyelids drift closed and studied the fringe of blond lash that had received a cursory swipe with the mascara wand. Her breathing slowed, her mouth softened. She was asleep. He glanced at his watch. If he canceled the rest of his day, he could do the traffic reports and let her sleep. He mentally reviewed his agenda and grunted. There’d be hell to pay if he canceled his afternoon. He couldn’t do it.

He packed up what remained of the food and clicked the leash on Bob. He went to Elsie and spoke quietly so he wouldn’t wake Daisy.

“I have to get back to the station. Let her sleep as long as possible. She has to broadcast another traffic report in ten minutes.”

“She’s one of them givers,” Elsie said. “Never says no to anybody, but there’s only so much responsibility a person can take on.”

Steve was on the beltway when the next traffic report cued in.