Page 48 of Flame Kissed

She shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’m happy to do it. After all, Sebastian deserves nothing but the best.”

“Sounds like the two of you have been talking.”

The pair laughed before Leilani said, “Other than that, how have you found Phoenix Ridge? Have you been enjoying your stay?”

She shrugged. “I can’t complain too much. Aside from not getting a chance to go for a hike with Sebastian, it's one of the better places work has sent me.”

Leilani frowned, taking a sip of her water. “Well that’s good. Do you have to travel for work a lot?”

“Almost constantly,” she groaned but was smiling brightly. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s got its drawbacks, but I love it. I’ve seen most of the country at this point.”

Leilani sighed. “That must be nice. I sometimes wish I would have traveled more before settling here.”

“So go. There’s nothing stopping you.”

Leilani shrugged. “Maybe at some point. I just can’t imagine taking that long off work. Speaking of, I’ve been meaning to ask, what do you do?”

“It’s complicated, but to put it as simply as I can, I handle consulting for various academic institutions. Basically, they pay me to come in, tell them what they’re doing wrong in their architecture program then leave.”

“You’re an architect?”

“I was, but I didn’t like all the pressure that came with it, so I stepped back. This is much more my speed.”

“Do you like it?”

She shrugged. “It’s a job and I make good money. They also only need me thirty-five hours a week, which is amazing. If I’m honest, I just like getting to travel so much most of the time.”

“Does it ever get lonely?

“Sometimes, but I think it's good for me. Sometimes you need a little time to yourself, you know?”

“I can understand that.”

Then their food arrived. They thanked the waitress and began to eat.

“What about you?” Veronica asked. “What do you do?”

“I’m a firefighter specializing in sea and water rescue.”

Veronica’s jaw dropped. “Wow, that’s impressive.”

“Thanks,” Leilani shrugged, looking away. “But it’s really nothing special. I just want to help people where I can.”

“No need to humble brag. Own it. You should be proud. I’m sure you’ve got all kinds of awesome stories!”

She shrugged, looking away. “I might have a few.”

“Go on. You have to tell me at least one or two.”

Leilani couldn’t help but smile. “Well, it's only because of my job that I met my girlfriend. She was on a sinking yacht, and we got the call. When we got there, it was worse than we were expecting. We didn’t have time to put our usual rescue procedures into place, so I jumped into the water and swam to save her.”

“Oh my god!” she gasped. “That’s incredible!”

“I was just doing my job.”

“Sounds to me like you did a little bit more than that.”

Leilani shook her head. “Anyone in my position would have done the same thing. Like I said, water rescues are my thing. I’m a super strong swimmer and I know the ocean so well.”

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