"I'm sure crabs are traditional for breakfast somewhere. Where that is I don't know," he said, flashing a grin. "I'm being optimistic that we aren't going to be pulling up a mass of seaweed and nothing more."

Something about the way she eyed him sent a pleasant shiver through him. He refrained from asking what she was thinking just then, preferring to be surprised. One corner of his mouth twitched up in a wry expression for her question. "I don't know that I set out not to get involved, but I wasn't looking and had no intention of doing so. You fall into a routine in this job. It makes sense, and you start thinking you don't have much to offer someone. There aren't many people willing to come second to duty, even if they believe in what you're doing. So I just...don't usually give it much thought, which means something like this is few and far between."