Almost Fired by the Cowboy - Natalie Dean Page 0,61

to get face lines. And she didn’t mind that one bit.

“Ag, you caught me. And here I thought I was going to get away with it.”

“I mean, I would do the same thing so…”

“…so you want another piece of pie?”

“Well, I certainly ain’t complaining about that idea.”

Nova went to serve her up another piece, and it was like she’d won Tawny’s trust. The young woman never fully relaxed, but she did open up and her shoulders settled even more. They had a fun conversation, one that continued when Frenchie and the others came out, each carrying a loaded bag. There was a kind lecture for Mac—the chubbier young woman—and Tawny from Frenchie as the artist explained that they both had jobs and needed to do better on feeding themselves quality, fresh items, and do less hoarding of canned goods and processed foods. Nova only chimed in where appropriate and otherwise just did her best to be a positive force for the nervous trio. By the time they left with Frenchie, all three of them were smiling and Nova felt wonderfully useful.

She could get addicted to the feeling, to be honest. It was so nice how it bubbled through her and made her feel validated. For once in her life she was doing real, tangible good. It was hard not to get swept up in the wonder of that, even with the sun beating down on her from overhead and her feet hurting from standing so much. She could sit, but in a way, she felt too excited and full of energy to do so.

“My oh my, I’m getting much too old for this!” Mum Miller said, finally rejoining the table and plopping herself onto one of the chairs. She was red-faced and her normally well-coifed hair was frizzy and loose around her head. Her braided bun had shaken loose from how she pinned it, going all the way down her back and revealing just how long it was.

“I don’t know—I always like to think it’s not how old you are, but how you are old,” Nova quipped, reaching into the cooler for another water bottle only to realize that she’d already drunk the last one.

“Are you calling me old, darling?”

It was such an echo of Sal’s statement that Nova’s mind shot back to the muscled man. He was helping inside of the food pantry, in the back behind the counter where all the fridges were, but she’d still caught glimpses of him. He gave her all the space he promised her, and the few times their eyes had met, he’d given her a weak smile. No glower, no resentment.

It was becoming easier to accept his apology with each passing minute. He really did seem contrite.

“We’re out of drinks,” Nova said, sidestepping Mum Miller’s verbal trap. “Is there a place where I can get you some cool ones?” Nova knew where to grab other ones to refill the coolers, just beside the food pantry where they were out of the way, but those would be very warm, and Nova hated drinking warm water or sports drinks. Gross.

“Oh, I think Sal stocked the fridge from the staff-kitchen at the back of the church. Should be able to grab some there. Thank you, sweetie, you’re so thoughtful.”

“Just want to make sure you don’t pass out on me. It’s hot today.”

“If you think this is hot, you should have been here for twenty-eleven. That was a real scorcher.” She kicked off her shoes and settled further into the chair. “Not that I’m asking for it back, or anything like that. Say…” she gave Nova a curious look. “How old were you even in 2011?”

Nova also knew that was a trap too, but a fun one. “I was twelve.”

“Twelve? Good Lord, all of you keep getting younger and younger while my back never stops aging. Sal was right about… just graduating high school, I think? His birthday falls late in the year, so he was always younger than the rest of his class.”

“He was seventeen,” Nova answered after her brain did the automatic math.

“You came up with that answer mighty fast,” Mum Miller said in a way that was clearly pleased.

“What drinks do you want?”

Thankfully, Mrs. Miller let the dodge happen and gave a general list of things she wouldn’t mind, and Nova raced off. The walk around the massive church actually took a handful of minutes, and once she was inside, the wash of the AC over her was like a kiss of cooling