the daughter.

reaching for a cracker on the tray between them on the table she chucked it at dani while laughing. "it's a big deal after an eleven year drought. that moment felt just as good as sex." then mia paused and pursed her lips while shaking her head. "okay, i don't need to think about that." the sous chef knew she was grinning ear to ear but she couldn't tamp it down whenever nathan was on her lips. "i know, god," she groaned a little, "i feel almost giddy like when we'd first started dating." being hopeful was also a bit of a scary thing, because what if she got her heart set on something that wasn't to be. she nodded in agreement with her friend, "i believe him. it's just the talk we have to have. i'm nervous and it's not necessarily bad, it's just that there's been so much space. all the what ifs are filling my head."

The laugh came easily from Daniela's lips. "I mean," her grin was genuine as it pulled the corners of her lips upward. "I bet that will be better than any word in the dictionary can describe when it happens." Daniela knew it was only a matter of time for the two of them now that they were back in each other's lives. "I don't think that's a bad thing." She found herself envious of the feeling but she'd never not support Mia. "The what ifs always get the best of us." The observation lingered for a moment, "The two of you know each other and even though it's been a long time, I have a feeling the two of you won't be disappointed by the outcome." Perhaps that was naive of Daniela, but it was the grin on Mia's face, the giddiness that poured out of her that was given Daniela a good feeling about it all.

the public relations heir had no business in the middle of a culinary discussion. it wasn't the first time he'd talked on something he had no clue about, and it probably wouldn't be the last either. "no?" he was genuinely curious and he watched her with an arched brow as she worked through her options within her mind. whatever she came up with at the end of it, he knew it'd be anything better than what he could suggest. "is that an easy thing to do?" he had to imagine that for her, it probably was. for him, he wouldn't even know where to start.

His question pulled a smile from her. "For someone that knows what they are doing, it's easy." While Daniela preferred to remain humble in the kitchen, not bragging about her skills in the ways that others had for her, she couldn't help but state that fact. Her eyes moved to the clock on the wall, noting how late it was. Yet, Ozan had sparked inspiration. The kind that ignited the already burning low fire she always had. It had been low, needing kindling and Ozan had given her just that.

"sure, it counts, but i don't know if that's enough." it was difficult for him to wrangle when he replayed the devastation on the faces of everyone that had seen what happened at the chapel. it made his stomach twist into knots, because as kind as they'd been about what the fire crew did, he could still see the disappoint in their eyes. "you know what's best for that place. i don't know why he can't let go and let you lead." when she put it like that, he couldn't argue it. he followed her gaze to the runway and nodded slowly, willing himself to understand. "it's hard not to."

His answer hadn't be entirely surprising. There were only so many things that Daniela could say to help ease the mind of Maverick. Once, she might have had better luck but as the moment settled around them, Daniela was left with the impression she was no longer the best person for the job. Maverick's observation lingered. "You'd think." Daniela's tone was flat as she looked out ahead, chewing on her bottom lip. The thought stuck with her, as it often did. "Maybe one of these days." An airplane's engine hummed loudly on the runaway, suddenly becoming more interesting to her than discussing why her father wasn't letting her lead. "Thanks for this, Maverick. It's been nice."

It was solitude that he found himself looking for on tough days where he remembered his past. Not due to lack of support, but due to dealing with things however he could in a way that, for once, didn't affect those around him. Runs and walks kept him going on days like this - the closest thing to an escape. How he ended up outside The Paloma was beyond him, maybe just a coincidence. Who knew. Next thing he saw was Daniela pop out of nowhere, his earphones blasting so loud that he almost missed her words.

She found herself watching Will, her eyes darting down to the towel wrapped finger at his question. She wasn't in a rush to fill the momentary silence. The evening was settling around them, tying Sedona up for the evening. "Yeah," the answer wasn't wrong, it simply was not ideal. "I just, uh, cut myself tonight. It's not a big deal." Her shoulders lifted into a shrug to brush off the idea that it was anything to fuss over. Daniela never liked to be that person. "Are you okay?" She shifted the topic back to him, unable to help the notice that something felt off with him. Daniela, however, asked, rather than letting her imagination run wild.

her heart felt giddy and she couldn't stop smiling at the news. too many times had she gone over the what ifs with dani if she ever got a chance to see and talk to nathan again. having been back an entire year and not brave enough to do so until they almost physically ran into each said how much it meant to her. "well, we ran into each other at our parents houses and it's awkward because after so much time and distance between us it was like we didn't know how to speak to each other." likely because it was all feeling and emotion between them. "but he thought i was avoiding him and i told him otherwise since i thought he wanted space between us. we told each other we missed each other and then..." grin spreading wide again, mia nudged her friend's knee this time, "we hugged." for a moment she covered a bashful, excited face in her hands but then shook it off to focus on dani again. "there's a lot to figure out but i get a feeling he wants to figure it out? he doesn't want to go on like we still don't mean everything to each other? i have no idea what that means or how to do it but i think we just need to first sit down and have a real heart to heart."

"Oh, you hugged!" Daniela's eyes widened as if Mia had confessed to something far more scandalous. "I have to let you know that the smile on your face is absolutely ridiculous right now but in the best way possible." She knew that her own grin was growing with her words. Then, her expression softened because she was trying to remember the last time she had seen Mia this hopeful. "Nathan isn't exactly known for his emotional vulnerability," at least not since his sister died, "so I really don't think he'd say something like that unless he absolutely meant it."

"you shouldn't take coffee advice from me. i think anything without grounds in it sounds five star worthy." the machine at the station needed replaced, but no one cared enough to replace it. instead, they choked it down and chose to focus on other things that mattered more than their brew. that, and it wasn't unusual for a cafe to drop by their house blend as a treat. "i'll keep it honest, i swear." he'd always been honest to her, but truthfully, she'd never given him anything that he hadn't enjoyed.

She shook her head at Maverick's words. "No." The word was simply stated, gentle but still firm. Her gaze stayed fixated on Maverick, fries long forgotten. "Just because you cannot stop every bad thing from happening, doesn't mean what you do doesn't count. That's not how it works, Mav." The evening air loosened a strand of hair, and she brushed it back absentmindedly. "I know that I can't stop people from quitting or my dad from making decisions I don't agree with, but that doesn't mean showing up every day matters less." Daniela looked out toward the runway. "I think you measure your worth against outcomes rather than intention." She hated to see Maverick punish himself for being human.

he studied her closely, unashamed of how much attention he was giving a woman he barely knew. it was innocent in intent, intrigue getting the best of him. he was drawn to people who let their passion seep through everything they did, and she'd shown no shortage in her own. "too polite? you'd prefer it be more... upfront?" the corner of his mouth twitched upward. he'd had similar conversations with clients about their methods of social communication. some preferred the in your face approach, while others dodged the whole point entirely. "and how would you go about ensuring that happens? do you hold back on the caramel, or do you add a little more citrus?" he knew next to nothing about the science of it all, but his brows pulled together as he watched and waited for her to school him on the subject.

There was something about the way Ozan was willing to entertain her thought process. Many people would simply nod along, mostly because they didn't understand where her thoughts were going. "Ah-ha!" Her smiled widened, despite herself. "Now that is exactly the right question." The excitement in her voice was there before she could lessen it. "More citrus isn't the move, at least not yet." She tilted her head as she considered it, her gaze returning to the plate. "Adding more blood orange is going to shift the whole balance, right?" Even if he didn't understand entirely, she had a feeling he'd better get where she was coming from than most others. "Maybe, maybe what I need is a darker caramelization or a finishing salt that wakes the citrus back up after the caramel hits."

"Uneventful?" Jordan's brow shot up, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Dani, I watched you get paired with Noah Sullivan and you want me to believe your night was uneventful?" She let that sit for exactly a second before laughing, reaching over to grab a glass off the counter. "I'm just saying. I have eyes." She wasn't going to push it too much, but she also wasn't going to pretend she hadn't noticed.

"I should have known you saw that." Her hand lifted to her head, as if she had suddenly gained a headache. "One interaction does not mean it was an eventful encounter. Honestly, I barely survived the interaction without embarrassing myself." And in front of Noah Sullivan, it wouldn't have taken Daniela all that long to trip over her words. "Or at least, I think." A quiet laugh passed over lips with Jordan's words. "Yeah, honestly, that sounds about right." The corner of her mouth tugged upward. "That's just the joy of small-town life, right?"

He watched her as she considered his words, half waiting for her to tell him to mind his own business, half skeptical that his words would even land. But when she said she appreciated his concern, the tension in his shoulders released a bit. 

Daniela wrapped both hands around her drink, looking down into it briefly before lifting her gaze back to him. Her smile had softened around the edges, now. "It sounds like I'm some rare sighting." She raised her brows slightly, a quiet laugh escaping her before she took a sip of her drink. Frankly, Daniela knew that she would be working at least another hour. "Thank you for reminding that not everything will fall apart if I stop touching it for more than five minutes." The admission fell tenderly from her lips. "And being just annoying enough to make me take a break." The corner of her lips curved upward with her playful tone. "So tell me," Daniela's head tipped slightly to the side, "How's the world of Dre?"

"i don't know if i know what that means. i'm used to having grounds in my coffee," he chuckled, noting the way her shoulder brushed his when she laughed too. he didn't ask for much in life, asked even less when it came to brew. "maybe you can show me sometime. what a pretentious coffee tastes like." he was a simple man at heart, but because of her and mia, he'd learned a thing or two about good food and how to make it. he supposed the same could be applied to coffee too.

"That's exactly why I know how insane it sounds when I'm saying it aloud." She said, her laughing softening as she tucked her hands into the sleeves of her sweater against the evening air. "I'll make you one sometime, though. And if you hate it, don't even think of lying to protect my ego." Daniela's lips tugged upward with amusement. Still, she had a warmth in her expression that lingered.

through daniela she had met maverick and they'd forged their own friendship, something she was eternally grateful for, and her feelings resonated with dani's so much. the thought of maverick running into the fire had worried her too. losing the church and all the questions that arose, especially considering how much it meant to the community as a whole, had also been so heavy on her mind. "knowing you care helps, i can promise you that," she tried to assure. "yeah," mia's head nodded slowly, "it puts things into perspective with it hitting so close to home." meaning the people they cared about.

Mia's assurance carried a weight that not many other people could give it. It wasn't an empty set of words that she was saying to get Daniela to move on. Mia actually cared. However, Mia's next words had her full attention. One minute she was carrying tension and worry and the next, she felt like she forgot how to blink for a second.

"I know," she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, as if she were equally disappointed in the lack of dental in her faux benefits package she was offering to Roman. "Tough economy out there." She jested, a faint smile playing against her lips. "Food is practically our entire manipulation tactic," she teased once more, her brows lifting slightly. At his question, Daniela glanced briefly down the street before looking back toward him again. "Coffee. Which I probably should reconsider getting based on how much I've already had today, but hey, I like to live a little dangerously." She answered with a quieter laugh. "Care to join? My treat."

ozan caught the way she studied him. he didn't shy away from it. if anything, he didn't hold back when his brows arched upward and the curve of his mouth did too. there had never been any doubt that it'd taste so good, but he was still surprised that she'd managed to find something about it that just wasn't right. "how would you go about doing so, chef?" he turned his head slightly, his eyes only falling from her to watch where she pointed with the fork. he nodded slowly, almost like he understood the plan and approved of such. "you make a good point." it was endearing to hear her admit that she could put it out as is and people wouldn't notice, but that she wouldn't allow herself to make such a mediocre move. "when are you making these improvements?"

Most people tended to politely nod along or teased her for overthinking it. Again. Yet, here Ozan was, seemingly willing to follow her into the process of it all. She knew that was dangerous in its own regard. "I'm thinking, right now," she thinned her lips a moment as she gathered the whirling thoughts inside her mind. "That the blood orange is being too polite." Her gaze found the plate again, as if it looking at it would will the answers into existence. "The caramel is getting the final word right now, instead of the citrus." Flickering her eyes back to Ozan, she continued. "I want the finish to linger a little longer. Not enough to overpower it, just so you remember it after the bite is gone." Daniela felt her pulse quicken as so she spoke of the dish. It wasn't as if talking about it was her exposing her soul, but it was headed in that direction. There was something so vulnerable in the way she talked about food. At his question, she smiled at him. "I was planning on tomorrow morning," a pause as her smile held a hint of amusement, "but since I have you here..." Daniela trailed off with her suggestion, "and you're humoring me way more than the average person would."

"I see no other way to survive than to make pretentious coffee with my dad breathing down my neck and pulling double shifts just to keep from feeling like we are drowning in the kitchen." Daniela laughed softly, more under her breath. Lifting her head from her shoulder, she followed his gaze back to the runway. "Have I told you about the orange peel espresso I've been doing?" She said with a tiny shake of her head. "Honestly, it might even make me sound pretty insufferable when I go to explain it." While she had worn a small smile on her lips, it faded at his words.

maverick chuckled quietly, but he knew the amount of pressure that was for her and how joking about it made the truth easier to hold. "pretentious coffee," he echoed with a deeply set curve on his mouth, "what's that taste like?" when she lifted her head, he stole another glance down at her before shifting his focus back to the runway. he thougt about what kiraz had said to him, that some days she wanted to run away from it all. he wondered if dani ever felt the same, but then again, they were too much alike, and proving themselves worthy of their place on earth was too much of a priority to run from. "you haven't, but i'm all ears." he shifted on the tailgate slightly, just enough to send his attention her way.

"It just tastes expensive. Which is how you know it's pretentious." Daniela let out a quieter laugh, her shoulder brushing lightly against his. Still, her smile lingered as her mouth softened, catching the way that he shifted toward her to listen. Maverick had always done that. He paid attention to her in a way that made her feel like her thoughts were worth finishing.