Tempo Of Love. Kianna Alexander

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       Chapter 2

      With a cup of iced coffee and a warm croissant in hand, Nona slid into a seat at a table for two near the front of Starbucks Tuesday morning. It was eight thirty, well before the time she was scheduled to meet with Ken Yamada, but she’d come in early for several reasons. First, she needed to get something in her stomach and get caffeinated so she could be fully ready for this crucial first interview.

      The other reason she’d come in early was to snag the right table. It needed to be small so that she would be sitting in close proximity to her interview subject. She found that nearness made people more likely to open up. The table also needed to be near the front so she could see him when he walked in. After years of doing in-person interviews, she’d become an expert at reading people: their stride, their expression and their body language.

      She munched on her croissant, washing it down with a sip of the cold, sweetened coffee. While she ate, she wondered what Ken would be like in person. Their brief phone interaction had given her very little to go on. From that conversation, she could only tell that he had a deep voice, that he was a busy person and that he wasn’t a fan of being interviewed. He’d been pleasant with her but still managed to be a bit brusque when he’d asked her how many interviews she’d need.

      She settled into her seat, pulling out her phone. She’d made sure it was fully charged so she could use its recording app to capture their conversation. Beyond that, she’d brought along her charger, just in case. She considered being prepared to be one of her greatest strengths.

      She was scrolling through her email when the phone rang and her best friend’s face and name appeared on the caller ID. Knowing she still had at least ten minutes until Ken would arrive, she swiped to answer the call. “Hey, girl.”

      “Hey, Nona.” Hadley Monroe, Nona’s closest pal since college, sounded chipper as ever. “What’s up in the big city?”

      Nona chuckled at Hadley’s quip. “I’m guessing most places are big cities when you compare them to Sapphire Shores.”

      Hadley popped her lips, the familiar sound reverberating in Nona’s ear. “Nona, don’t be hating on my little slice of paradise. But for real, what are you up to today? Anything interesting?”

      “I’m actually at a coffee shop, waiting for an interview subject to arrive. Remember the feature I told you about Saturday?”

      It sounded like she was chewing something. Between bites, Hadley spoke. “Yeah. The one about the architect and the old opera house or something.”

      Nona rolled her eyes. “It’s a theater. But yes, I’m interviewing the architect today.”

      Hadley stopped chewing. “Oh, girl. Is he fine? Have you seen him?”

      “No, he hasn’t gotten here yet, so I don’t know what he looks like.”

      “Um, hello, Ms. Ace Reporter. We have this invention now where you can look people up. Have you heard of it? It’s called the internets.” Her tone was rich in sarcastic humor.

      “Shut up, Hadley. You know I have a very specific method of doing my stories. I never web search someone until I’ve met them in person. I don’t want anything clouding my first impression of them.” That had always been her policy, and it had never failed her, so she didn’t plan on changing it any time soon. Balancing the phone on her shoulder, she spread her favorite pens in front of her. She rarely took handwritten notes due to advances in technology, but she liked to have the pens there anyway.

      “All right, whatever. But I’m expecting a call after you meet him. If he’s fine, I wanna know about it.” The sounds on Hadley’s end of the line included the rattling of pots and pans and running water.

      “Hadley, what are you doing? There’s a lot of background noise.”

      “I just finished breakfast and now I’m washing up my dishes before I head over to the office.”

      “Another fun-filled day at Monroe Properties, eh?” Nona chuckled, knowing most people would be very happy with having an ocean view from their desk. But since Hadley worked for the family business and often complained about feeling stifled, she probably saw things differently.

      Hadley sighed. “Yes, girl. But at least Savion is on vacation this week, so I only have to deal with Campbell. Working with family ain’t easy.”

      “Let me get off the phone. I’ve got an interview and you’ve got to go do your brother’s bidding. I’ll talk to you later.”

      “’Bye, girl.” Hadley disconnected the call.

      As the phone returned to the home screen, Nona glanced at the time in the upper right corner. Nine twenty? Where is this guy? She hoped he had a damn good excuse for being late, because she considered punctuality very important. She placed the phone on the tabletop and let her gaze move to the doorway.

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