He handed Winona a mug of coffee. “We did. Thanks. You?”
“I stayed out way too late. I went to Knockers thinking I’d find you there, but you had already gone. I ended up staying until closing talking with Nicole, who is fine, by the way. I think it made her feel better to know that you were together with Naomi.”
Naomi looked up at Chaska, doubt in her eyes.
Are we together?
He could almost hear her thoughts. He held her gaze. “But Nicole understands now, right? She and I are not going to happen. I’m with Naomi.”
The doubt vanished from Naomi’s eyes, a soft smile lighting up her face.
That didn’t mean she wanted to stay with him, but for now, it was enough.
“Nicole does understand, and she’s not mad at you, either. I think she’s embarrassed about what she said when she was drunk.”
Chaska had forgotten about that.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you that Rose wants you to come by and catch a king snake that’s living under her front steps and scaring away customers.”
“You’re kidding me.” He set plates on the table, held out Naomi’s chair, then took her crutches, while Winona told him about Rose’s call yesterday.
“I’m afraid if you don’t move it, she’ll call an exterminator.”
Chaska sat, picked up his fork. “Well, I guess I’ve got a snake to catch.”
“Are you afraid of snakes?” Chaska drove through the roundabout, where Bear stood in the hot sun, preaching his gospel.
Naomi waved to him, saw him wave back. “I grew up on a farm. We had snakes all over the place. I got used to them.”
“You seem unhappy.”
“I’m not unhappy. I’m … jealous.” There. That was honest.
“Jealous—ofRose?” He seemed to find this funny, laughing harder than she’d seen him laugh before. “You have nothing to worry about where Rose is concerned.”
“Win said Rose just wants to get inside your pants.”
Chaska grinned. “In that case, it’s a good thing you’re coming with me. You can show her that my pants are already occupied.”
How Naomi was supposed to accomplish this, she didn’t know. “I’m not going to say anything to her.”
“Oh, angel, you won’t have to.”
He turned a corner, drove past a beautiful yellow Victorian inn where a woman with short tousled hair was watering a bed of bright daylilies in flip flops and a pink floral kimono that stopped mid-thigh. Chaska pulled over in front of a smaller Victorian house, this one painted white with a pink sign hanging over the porch.
Rose’s New Age Emporium
The front door opened, and a woman with long silver hair stepped out. She was wearing a black broomstick skirt and a lacy white peasant top.
Naomi felt silly. “You didn’t tell me Rose was old enough to be your mother.”
Chuckling, Chaska climbed out. “Hey, Rose.”
He made his way around the front of the truck to Naomi’s door, helping her to the ground, then ducking down to press a kiss to her mouth. “See? Nothing to worry about.”
He walked with her over to the front step, where a large black snake with yellow markings was sunning itself on the concrete. “Hello there, little guy.”
The moment Chaska’s shadow fell over it, it disappeared back into its hole.