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“Ouch Hawaiian is for wimps”

Matteo took a bite of the pizza Within a few seconds the hot sauce hit his taste buds and his eyes started to water “Wow” It cah pitched and he followed it with a deep, hearty laugh and a cough

Phoebe laughed too and slapped his back “Too much for you?”

He ain “I can do this Hot sauce is nothing I eat this kind of thing for breakfast”

“Well, don’t eat it all,” said Phoebe quickly “We’ll need to have it for breakfast too”

He hadn’t even said the words out loud, but clearly she knew there was no way he was getting out of here tonight Trying to travel in that thick snoould be stupid And it was New Year’s Last thing he wanted to do was get stranded so noould be stupid and selfish Matteo was neither

He held his hand out for the soda that Phoebe passed with a laugh “Should I have got you Hawaiian?”

He shook his head as the soda finally cooled the explosions in his taste buds

Phoebe had pulled her knees up in front of her and leaned her head on her elbow “So, it ht not know this, but the TVs aren’t working yet, and the wi-fi doesn’t get fitted until next week So, it’s books or nothing”

Matteo leaned back on his hands and stretched his legs out in front of hiht have taken his jacket off, but he was still wearing the suit he’d been dressed in all day After sixteen hours his hand to pinch Phoebe looked much more comfortable than he did “I’d kill for those sweatpants,” he murmured

Phoebe nodded and pulled at the stretchy material “There’s a reason I always have fall-back clothes” She held up her hands “And this, is it”

Matteo shook his head “How often do you get stranded or snowed in at work?”

Phoebe grinned “You’d be surprised Quite often I’ at a place that is a bit out of the way Or, is in the midst of renovations that means the water is turned off, or the electricity” She lifted her hands higher “So, this is really a palace in comparison to some of the other places”

Phoebe was just so easy to be around She was relaxed—comfortable in her own skin, and much more beautiful than she clearly realized