Help Me Heal

Chapter 16

After Hank and Kalinda had returned to her car, the question of what to do next had arisen. Neither of them had eaten dinner yet. Heading to where Kalinda was living wasn't an option, so two the two possible choices had been either to try going to a restaurant without a reservation or to head to Hank's place.

Given the poor first impression Erin had made, Hank had felt reluctant to ask Kalinda to eat with her at his place. As it turned out, she had solved that problem for him.

"It would be nice to properly meet Erin," was what she had said, signalling that there were no deeply-held hard feelings.

A text to Erin had confirmed that she hadn't yet eaten, and was up for ordering something in. With that, the plan for the evening had been finalised.

Entering the house, Hank only had positive thoughts in his mind. He knew Erin wouldn't mess up again, especially after their earlier argument over her behaviour. Therefore, he was confident that a pleasant time would be had by all.

"Come in, and let me take your coat," Hank said to Kalinda as she followed him into the house. He was glad to shut the door, keeping most of the warmth safe inside. "Erin! We're here!"

"Two minutes!" came Erin's voice from upstairs. It sounded like she was in the main bathroom.

"Lovely and warm in here," Kalinda said pleasantly. She took off her gloves and stuffed them into one of her coat pockets before she removed that too and handed it to Hank. "I have just had a vivid moment – sitting by a real fire, toasting marshmallows, with a snow storm in full force outside. Not sure where that came from. I cannot remember the last time I sat by a real fire, or had marshmallows, or anything with which to toast them."

Hank couldn't help smiling. "You use words in a way that I could never do." The pronunciation, the accent, the choice of words. He felt like he could sit and listen to her talk about anything or nothing for hours on end and not become remotely bored.

"Well, thank you. This is simply how I talk. Americans finding it attractive is not entirely new to me."

Hank laughed. "I'm sure it isn't. And I'm sure it's done you plenty of favours over the years. Go through to the living room. Can I get you something to drink?"

"That it has. I'm happy to come into the kitchen with you. Since I'll need to drive home later, I won't partake in any alcohol."

In the kitchen doorway, Hank turned to face her, smiling broadly. "Now you're doing it on purpose. No one uses the word partake."

Kalinda burst out laughing. "Okay, you got me. I did do that on purpose. It's your fault though, encouraging me."

They moved into the kitchen. "So what would you like to drink? I've got coffee, OJ, apple juice, Coke, there might even be some lemonade. I think Erin bought some kind of fruity tea too."

"Oh, I do like a fruity tea. Do you think Erin would mind if I had one?"

"She wouldn't mind," came Erin's voice from the bottom of the stairs, heading towards them. Her tone was pleasant, and she walked into the kitchen with a smile on her face, keen to make amends. "Hi, Kalinda. Sorry about the interrogation routine the other night. It's a hard habit to get out of."

"I totally understand. No apology expected or required, but it is accepted. Honestly, I'd be lying if I said I'd have acted any differently if I had been the one in your position. In the interest of starting afresh, it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too. I have to say, your accent is delightful."

Both Hank and Kalinda laughed.