AJ nodded shyly. "Yeah, I did," he said. "It was really pretty. I have pictures of it too. That was sort of the part I wanted to get lost in. It was just so peaceful." Unfortunately he didn't have any photos with him. "When my car is done, I can bring them in with me so you can see them." There was nothing personal in them. Just a bunch of pictures he'd taken of interesting things on his cross country trip. He was just surprised she was interested in them.
"Probably comes in handy, having a mechanic in the family," he said "I just hope I'm not being ripped off. I don't know anything about cars except they never have enough leg room." Yeah, that was a lame joke. He needed to stop trying to be funny. "Actually, everything pretty much fit in my truck. I mailed some stuff to arrive a couple days after I did, but I didn't see the point of bringing most of what I got in the settlement all the way across the country. So I donated it or sold it to help with the expenses. I just hit Ikea as soon as I found an apartment. I don't need much, it's just me." She didn't have to pry. AJ hadn't had anyone to talk to in awhile and she just seemed so nice. Like she wouldn't judge him.
He smiled shyly at her thanks. "It's no problem," he assured her. "I always wanted to be a fireman. As a paramedic, I can help people even more." It was really sweet of her to say that. Comforting.
She had nothing to apologize for in light of how unintentionally tactless he'd been. AJ paled when he realized that her husband was dead. "God, I'm sorry," he immediately apologized, looking stricken. "With the baby and you didn't say he was your brother. God, I didn't mean. I mean, I'm sorry. That's really rough." God, he was a moron.
When she asked about the paperwork, AJ just got more flustered. She was working and he was wasting all her time on top of being insensitive. "No," he admitted with a wince. "Let me finish up and I'll be out of your hair. I'm sorry, um-" God, he hadn't even asked her name. What was wrong with him? "I didn't ask your name. Sorry. I'm AJ. AJ Carter." Well, he'd managed to just completely screw this conversation up. As usual.