I grabbed my phone and opened a new message to him.
Got your models. This looks serious. Coffee before the show tomorrow? We should coordinate messaging.
The response came faster than I expected.
6:30. The place next to the station.
See you there.
I set my phone down as my heart did some complicated maneuver in my chest. It was just coffee with two colleagues preparing for emergency coverage.
But the way I'd reacted when he'd shaken my hand earlier suggested it might be something more.
And for the first time in eight months, I wasn't sure if that terrified me or thrilled me. Maybe both.
THREE
DAWSON
I arrived at the coffee shop fifteen minutes early, which was ridiculous. This was a work meeting. A professional discussion about storm coverage and viewer messaging. There was no reason for my wolf to be pacing beneath my skin as if we were about to do something significant.
The café was nearly empty at this hour. There were just a few bleary-eyed early risers and a barista who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. I ordered a black coffee and claimed a table in the back corner, positioning myself so I could see the door.
My phone showed three new model runs from overnight. The storm had intensified faster than predicted with winds now sustained at ninety miles per hour. The cone of uncertainty still covered a wide area, but two of the major models had shifted closer to our region.
I was studying the latest satellite imagery when Parker walked through the door.
My wolf's immediate reaction was embarrassing. He sat up and wanted to take over so he could scent Parker better but I tamped down his demand.
Every instinct I had urged me to pay attention and notice the way the morning light caught in his dark hair and the slight flush on his cheeks from the cool air outside. He wasn't wearing his usual on-air clothes. Instead he had on jeans that hugged his hips and a sweater. The casual look emphasized the breadth of his shoulders. As I studied the scruff on his chin, I'd never realized he must shave at the studio and I imagined running my fingers over the bristles.
But that couldn't happen.
He spotted me and smiled, and my heart did flip flops.
"Morning." He slid into the chair across from me, bringing with him that citrus-sweet scent that had been haunting me for weeks. Was it aftershave or just his natural scent? "Thanks for meeting so early."
"The storm's not waiting for convenient hours." I turned my phone so he could see the latest imagery. "It strengthened overnight. It's Category two now, possibly Category three by this afternoon."
His expression changed immediately to that focused seriousness I was beginning to recognize. "Its track?"
"Still uncertain, but trending closer to us." I pulled up the cone of uncertainty. "We need to start preparing viewers for the possibility of significant impacts. Not enough to cause panic, but enough that they take it seriously."
"Agreed." He studied the screen, and I picked up on details I shouldn't. His eyes narrowed when he concentrated and there was a small crease that appeared between his brows. I noted how his jaw tightened when he was thinking hard. He also didn't have that awful studio makeup plastered over his skin.
This was the first opportunity to see him fresh-faced and he was… Damn I'd been about to use the word gorgeous. He was very attractive. "What's our timeline for decision-making? When do we start recommending evacuations?"
"That's not my call. Emergency management will issue orders based on the official forecast track." I switched to the spaghetti models, showing the various potential paths. "But if this trend continues, we could be looking at Thursday morning for evacuations in low-lying areas. Friday morning for everyone else."
The barista appeared at our table. "What can I get you?"
"A large latte, extra shot, please." Parker's warm smile could have charmed the pants off the guy. "And whatever he's having."
"I already ordered."
"That was twenty minutes ago. The coffee's cold by now." He pointed to my cup. I'd been too focused on the weather models to notice.
"A large black coffee, please."
