“Deal,” she laughed.

“So what’s the plan?” I asked.

“They’re planning to leave early, and grab some lunch in the Isthmus in Catalina, and then do some snorkeling, etc. They plan to be back in the afternoon.”

Don’t give her a hard time about this, Aerin.

“So will that be ok?” she asked, after I didn’t react to what she’d said.

“Of course. Sounds like it’ll be fun,” I answered, trying to sound pumped. “Will you call me during the ride?” And added, “honey.”

“Of course I will, baby,” she answered, and then laughed.

My tummy did tiny flip-flops again, and, after we’d exchanged audible kisses, hung up.

“You’ll have to get used to the flip-flopping thing now that you’re committed to doing this, Aerin,” I told myself. “Even if it hits you before your morning latte.”

Normally, things didn’t end well with other people who’d gotten in the way of my first shot of java in the morning. But these were far from normal times – I knew I would happily walk over broken glass if Harley asked me to before anything resembling a cappuccino was even within eyesight.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harley

The traffic to the first café Aerin suggested we meet in was unexpectedly bad, and little relief came from the few alternate routes available through streets that weren’t under one form of repair or another.

“Maybe we should just abandon this plan to meet for coffee this afternoon and meet for dinner instead?” I asked as I ran into yet another traffic knot in the second alternate route I tried.

“Really?” Aerin asked. I heard clear disappointment in her voice – which saddened me. I was about to retract what I’d just asked when she offered, “how about we meet somewhere else closer to where you are now?”

I had to smile at that. “Ok, I’m up for that. I’m stuck in Clinton St., about to reach the intersection with N. Croft Ave.”

I heard her relay my coordinates to others who could have been near her.

“Alright, Harley, here’s what they suggest. Park where you can when you get to N. Croft Ave., and then you’ll have to hoof it a bit, depending on where you park, maybe a block or two, and then cross Melrose,” Aerin was talking hurriedly. “You’ll walk to your right on Melrose, and then turn left about twenty yards later into the street behind a clothing store that’ll be sitting in the intersection of Melrose and that street. There’ll be a café on your right after you walk about 10 yards. It’ll have a couple of outdoor patio sitting areas that’ll be right next to the sidewalk.”