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Lazy Day Off (1/1)
Danny took a seat on the couch and surveyed his supplies for the day which were gathered on the coffee table in front of him. Pizza? Check. Beer? Check. Chips? Check. Leftover Easter candy? Check. Cannoli from Grandma Linda? Double Check.
Scout was on the floor by his feet ready for any scraps that might come his way.
Today was a rare day off when he had absolutely zero plans and zero obligations and Danny intended to enjoy every minute of it. He was going to sit on the couch, watch tv, and eat whatever he wanted. There would be no one around to point out that his calorie intake for the day equaled what he should be eating in a week. No one to cluck disapprovingly about fat grams or sugar content or how much exercise it would take to work all this food off.
He hadn't had a completely free day in months and there was nothing, and no one, that was going to stop him from enjoying this one. Gabby was prepping for a huge presentation, Grace was working back to back weddings, Steve and Catherine were spending a day out with Angie, and there was absolutely nothing pressing going on at work.
He picked up the remote and scrolled through the channels.
"This might be a good day to knock a few things off my Netflix queue," he said aloud.
Scout's tail thumped.
Just as he was trying to decide between finally watching the last season of Breaking Bad, or going for something a little lighter, his cell phone rang.
He froze.
Maybe if he ignored it it would stop ringing.
No such luck.
He looked at the caller ID.
Gabby.
"What's up?" he asked nonchalantly as he answered. "Everything ok?"
He had a momentary irrational fear that she somehow knew how much food was piled in front of him and was calling to remind him he wasn't 20 years old anymore and eating like this had consequences.
"Not really. I'm just frustrated."
He sat up straighter. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing earth shattering. The Japanese Cultural Center was supposed to send over a courier with some stuff I need for this presentation on Monday and somehow half of the material got left behind. I'd go over and pick it up myself, but they close in an hour and I've got a meeting with my boss in 10 minutes that I can't postpone, and I have no idea how long it will last. I was wondering … I know it's your day off but … could you do me a huge favor? Could you possibly go pick the stuff up and bring it to me?"
Danny knew how important this presentation was to Gabby. She was pitching the board an idea that, if successful, would not only be her largest acquisition to date but would preserve an important part of the island's heritage.
He closed the lid of the pizza box.
"Sure. No problem."
"Really?" He could hear the relief and gratitude in her voice. "That would be a lifesaver. You're the best."
He smiled wryly. "Remember that next time I have to work late on a case, and I spoil your plans for date night."
"I will. I promise. It shouldn't take long and then you can get back to your quiet day off."
"No problem. I'll see you soon."
As he finished up the call, he put the pizza and beer in the refrigerator then addressed the rest of the food on the coffee table. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."
Crisis averted and Gabby's materials delivered to her safe and sound he retrieved the pizza and beer from the refrigerator. He considered turning on the oven to reheat the pizza, but only for a second.
Cold would be fine.
He made his way back to the living room and settled on the couch. He pulled a pepperoni off the pizza and tossed it to Scout then picked up the remote.
"Breaking Bad it is."
Before the opening credits rolled his phone rang again.
He sighed heavily and looked at the screen then connected the call.
"Hi, Jacob. What's up?"
"I was calling to see if this would be a good time. Mom said you might be busy so I should ask first if you have time now."
Danny searched his memory but came up empty. "Time for what, buddy?"
"For me to interview you for my class project. Remember? I'm supposed to interview people I know about where they're from and where they grew up. You're my farthest person because you came all the way from New Jersey."
Danny nodded.
It was all coming back to him.
Steve and Catherine had done their interviews over Easter, along with Chin, Kono and Kamekona before Jenna had finally insisted it was time to go home, promising Jacob he had plenty of time to finish his interviews since the project wasn't due for several weeks.
He pressed the pause button on the remote.
"I remember."
"Do you have time now? Because Mom said she can bring me over if that's ok."
Danny sighed silently. He wanted to help Jacob with his project, but the timing was … not great. He paused for a moment then said, "It's fine."
"I can show you the map of New Jersey I drew for your section of the report. Cody helped me trace the outline, but I did all the rest myself."
Danny smiled. "I can't wait to see it."
"Mom says thank you and we'll be there in about 20 minutes."
"I'll see you then."
He had just finished stashing all the junk food in the kitchen when there was an exuberant knock on the front door.
"Well hello there," he said as he opened the door.
Jenna smiled apologetically. "Thanks for doing this on your day off."
"No problem." He waved her off. "My pleasure."
"None of my friends know anyone from as far away as New Jersey," Jacob said as he greeted Scout with an exuberant hug. "This is gonna be the best report ever."
Danny grinned. "Awesome. Let's talk about New Jersey."
An hour later all of Jacob's questions about growing up in New Jersey were answered and he returned his notebook to his backpack.
"Mom said we don't know for sure if we're going to New Jersey this Christmas like Nonna suggested but if we do, do you think there will be snow?"
The young boy's eyes danced with delight at the possibility.
"There's a good chance." Danny ruffled his hair. "Do you think you'd like snow?"
Jacob pumped his fist. "Yeah!"
"Every time we talk to Nonna she reminds me of the invitation and assures me there's more than enough room between her house and your sisters and cousins." Jenna began to steer Jacob towards the door. "It sounds like a great idea, but five kids are a lot ...especially around the holidays."
"Nonna would absolutely not have made the offer to begin with, let alone keep bringing it up, if she didn't really want you to come," Danny said confidently. "The more the merrier. Especially around Christmas."
Jenna smiled. "Hopefully I'll be able to make it work."
They said their goodbyes and after Danny closed the door he turned to Scout. "I never get tired of talking about New Jersey but now it's time for you and me to get back to Breaking Bad."
He retrieved all the junk food from the kitchen and reassembled it on the coffee table in the living room. Once everything was exactly as he wanted it, he sat down on the couch and opened a cold beer.
He took a sip then eyed his phone warily.
Nothing.
Another sip.
Still nothing.
Feeling confident he picked up a slice of pizza, pressed a few buttons on the remote and sat back to enjoy season 5.
Just as he finished his first piece of pizza and tossed Scout a piece of the crust his cell phone rang.
His chin hit his chest. "I knew it was too good to be true."
He looked at the screen and connected the call immediately. "Hi, Grace. Is everything ok?"
"Not exactly."
He could hear the slight tremor in her voice and was immediately on alert.
"I mean I'm fine."
His heartbeat returned somewhat to normal.
"But things at work are crazy today with back to back weddings and the florist delivered the flowers for the last wedding but they forgot the boutonnieres for the groomsmen and the petals for the flower girl and their delivery person is all the way over on the other side of the island delivering for another wedding so Boris asked if I could run to the florist and I said I would but then I got a flat tire."
"Ok, Monkey." He interrupted her. "Take a deep breath." He waited a second until he heard her comply. "The most important thing is-are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Her voice sounded a little calmer. "I called AAA just like you said to do in a situation like this and they're on their way. I was pulled off to the side of the road with my emergency flashers on and an HPD car pulled up behind me. The officer's name is Jennifer Kahiona and she said she'll stay here until AAA arrives."
"That's perfect." He grabbed his keys and headed for the door. "Where are you?"
"I'm on Hanawai Circle. Almost at Waipahu Florist."
"Sit tight. I'm on my way."
He pulled up to the scene just as the AAA truck was arriving.
He hopped out of his car and made his way to Grace's driver's side. "Are you sure you're ok?" he asked as she opened her door and stepped out.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "The tire felt funny while I was driving so I pulled over right away. Just like you said."
He smiled. "Good girl."
"I called Boris and told him what was going on." She checked the time on her phone. "He said just get back as soon as I can." She eyed the jack the AAA driver had pulled from his truck. "Do you think this will take long?"
Danny held up his keys. "Take my car. I'll wait here and drive yours home."
"Really?" She hugged him. "Thanks, Danno!"
"Just be careful," he told her. "No rushing. If you're late getting back Boris will work his magic and everything will be fine."
"No speeding. I promise." She hugged him again then headed for the Camaro.
Danny smiled as he watched her put on her seatbelt, adjust the mirrors, then signal and merge back into traffic. Once she was safely on her way, he headed towards the cruiser parked behind her car to than Officer Kahiona.
Forty-five minutes later he pulled into his driveway. Grace had texted to report that she got the flowers, got back to the Ko Olina safely, and that the second wedding of the day was going to start on time.
He made his way up the sidewalk and just as he was about to slip his key into the lock his phone rang.
His chin dropped to his chest.
"Hey, Kono. What's up?" he answered.
"I'm really glad I caught you. I need the evidence reports on the Winstead murder. I have to fly to the big island tonight for court first thing in the morning."
"They're on my desk," he told her.
"I'm standing in your office now and I don't see them."
"Check my top left drawer."
"It's locked."
Danny grimaced. Having her check the other drawers would be a waste of time. He knew it was in the locked drawer. "I'm on my way."
By the time he made it home from meeting Kono at headquarters it was dinner time.
"We can still salvage part of the day," he informed Scout as he surveyed the coffee table. In his haste to get to Grace he hadn't put anything in the refrigerator.
He sniffed the pizza.
"It's probably ok but better safe than sorry," he told the dog who was eyeing the box eagerly. "Let's order a new one."
He glanced at cannoli.
"These are a lost cause for sure."
He grabbed the pizza box and plate of pastries and headed for the kitchen. After disposing of both he entered the living room and was met with the sound of the front door opening.
"Anybody home?" Steve called as Angie toddled in in front of him and made a beeline for Danny.
"Dannnnnnno!" she squealed.
"Angiiiiiie!" he replied as he swept her up in his arms.
"We figured you'd probably had enough of laying around doing nothing by now and might want to join us for dinner," Steve said. "Is Gracie here? I saw her car in the driveway."
"She had a flat tire so she's driving mine," Danny said. "I'm fine here alone. You guys are having a family day out."
Steve shrugged. "You're family. What's the issue? Come on. Catherine's waiting in the truck. She had to make a call."
Angie placed her hands on Danny's cheeks. "Dan-no go?" she asked hopefully.
He kissed her cheek. "How can I turn down an invitation like that?"
"Let's go," Steve said. "We're hungry. Unlike you we've been on our feet all day."
Danny snorted.
"Besides," Steve continued, "You're not the kind of guy that can sit on the couch all day anyway."
Danny smiled as he grabbed his wallet and keys. "Apparently not."
THE END
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