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Kate’s smile bloomed and she tucked a strandof hair behind Autumn’s ear. “Yeah, well, you make it easy.”

Autumn quirked a smile. “Did you just call meeasy? I think I heard easy.”

The soft grin slid from Kate’s face. “No. Iwouldn’t ever—”

Autumn placed a finger on her lips. “I waskidding. You might have to get used to that if we’re going to be friends.”

“Oh. Okay then,” Kate said, relaxing. “I canwork on that.”

Autumn took a long and very necessary breath,as she attempted to remember her original trajectory. Groceries. On thecomputer. For this week. Before her world had been rocked by a woman she didn’tknow a month ago. “I need to hit send on this grocery order, and then you’retaking me to your place, because we’re not done.”

“I am?” Kate asked, but didn’t wait for ananswer. “I’m in favor.”

“Oh, there will be favors,” she said, quiteseriously.

Kate shook her head. “You’re good with words.And plays on words. I’m not.”

“No. You’re more of a quiet type.” She tookboth of Kate’s hands in hers and squeezed them. “Trust me when I say that youshine in a multitude of other ways that don’t require words at all.”

She watched as Kate, the firefighter who raninto burning buildings, blushed. The world was perpetually interesting.

Ten minutes later, and post grocery order,Kate let them into her apartment. The space was quiet and still, and Kate setto flipping on lights. The crackle of energy between them had yet to settle,and Autumn wondered if it ever would.

“All aboard,” Autumn murmured, as she took inthe overly embraced nautical theme that Larry was so insistent would appeal tovacationers.

Kate moved behind the kitchen counter andplaced both hands flat on the surface. “What can I get you?”

“Are you playing bartender? I like it.”

Kate shrugged. “You always get my drinks forme. Probably my turn.”

“Well, yeah, but you pay me to do that.”

“Good point. What can I get you for some hardcash?”

Autumn laughed. “Do you have wine?”

Kate disappeared to a lower level cabinet andappeared with a bottle. “The red kind.”

“The red kind? You’re not a wine drinker, areyou?” Autumn proclaimed and accepted the bottle handed across the counter.

“No, but I’m trying a few new things whileI’m here. Thought I’d give wine a shot.”

Autumn nodded sagely. “Ah, testing thegrape-infused waters.” She turned the bottle around so it faced Kate. “This isa Malbec from Argentina. A bigger red, which I happen to love.”

“Then I’ll pour us each a glass.”

“Thank you, bartender.” Autumn smiled andrealized that her legs still wobbled wonderfully. A hearty endorsement.

As the deep red liquid cascaded into theglass in front of her, she saw this as an opportunity to learn more about Kate.In fact, she was overcome with the urge to know everything about thismysterious woman who had waltzed in and brought Autumn’s mundane existence to awhole new level of stimulating, and not just metaphorically.

She raised her glass. “Thank you for this.Now tell me about your family.”

Kate seemed surprised by the question.“Really? Okay, let’s see…” She came around the counter with her glass of wineand took a seat in the armchair, tossing the pillow with the embroidered seagullonto the floor. She stared up at Autumn, who leaned against the counter. “Myparents married really young. Eighteen. Had my brother, Randy, a year later andme two years after that.”

“Wow, sounds like they were a couple of kidsin love.”

Kate smiled. “Big-time. They workedincredibly hard for what we had, which was never that much. My mom was afantastic chef at the retirement home in town, cooking for the seniors, whoadored her. Called her ‘Sweet ’Ums’ as a nickname because she was exactlythat.”