Her Early Bird

Meet Cute

Danica got off the plane, took a deep breath, and tasted salt. Then she felt a drop of rain hit her nose. Maybe she should have looked up the weather here before blindingly agreeing to this as her destination, but oh well. She was going to make the best of it. Stiff from the flight, it felt wonderful to move in an open space again. She could hear seagulls in the distance that fit perfectly with the salty taste in the air. She couldn't remember when she'd been in such a small airport before. There was only one departure gate, and nothing past security except for chairs. Since it seemed the wisest course of action, Danica asked the cab driver to recommend a hotel.

"If you're on a budget," the driver said. "There's the Schooner Motel on Campbell street."

"And if one isn't on a budget?" Danica inquired.

"The Wickaninnish Inn," the driver said. "But they are over $300 a night!" The very idea seemed to offend him.

"Wickaninnish it is," Danica said with a smile. The driver gave her a look that clearly expressed that he thought her insane, but Danica ignored it. She was determined to enjoy her vacation. Besides, she probably wouldn't be here that long.

Danica grinned like an idiot as she watched the beautiful view through the window. Small stores flashed past her with the ocean poking through between buildings. The sky was a light blue with hints of pink - the first indicators of the oncoming sunset - and Danica could see rain clouds on the horizon. There were so few people here. Before her parents died, Danica hadn't lived that far from here. Prince George was a small town compared to London or Toronto, but Tofino was even smaller. She had never before been somewhere with so few people about.

"How many people live here?" Danica asked the driver.

"Just under two thousand," the driver replied. Tofino was hardly even a city. As long as no one ratted her out, Danica was sure the media wouldn't be looking for Dani Brookes here of all places.

Danica arrived at the hotel, marvelled at the beautiful forest nestled around it before she entered and checked in. She gave them a cash deposit, as cash was all she'd brought with her, and she'd rather not take any chances with the media finding her. The hotel was right on the water, the view from every window breathtaking from a different angle. She could hear the crashing of the waves as the receptionist handed her a key card to her deluxe suite.

She moved slowly through the halls, taking in the beautiful natural wood of the walls, and drift wood carvings on every table adorned with sea shells. The art on the walls also made her think of ocean waves. Finding her door, Danica opened it with her card and went in. Four large windows all showed a different view of the ocean. There was a fireplace opposite the king sized bed. The wood and ocean themes from the rest of the building carried through the room. The windows let light in at just the right angle to really show the room at its best, while not reflecting off the small flat screen television in the corner. Danica hadn't looked in the bathroom yet, but if it was anything like the rest of the hotel, she knew it would be immaculate.

The time difference between here and Toronto was only three hours, but since Danica had been in so many time zones in the last week, she felt a little jet lagged. Exhausted, Danica collapsed in bed and was instantly asleep.

Danica awoke the next morning smiling. She didn't open her eyes, and just listened to the waves gently crashing outside. She enjoyed the feel of her high thread count sheets, and wondered idly how late she'd slept in. She opened her eyes to the crisp white ceiling and turned to check the time. Holding her phone close to her face to be able to see it without her glasses, Danica learned that it was almost two in the afternoon. She laughed. Steven had also teased her about sleeping in like a teenager.