“Good morning! You must be Naomi?”
Naomi took the proffered hand, nodding. “Yes, I am.”
“Great!” The young woman beamed at her. “I’m Tamera. And these are Adina and Sasha, and their children, but I won’t get into all the names so you’re not overwhelmed.”
A little lost, and already feeling a little overwhelmed, Naomi smiled at the three women. Tamera, she remembered, was the Chosen of Katerina’s brother. She remembered there were other Shifters staying at the inn, but at this point, she was on information overload, and everything she’d learned yesterday was starting to run together.
Her confusion must have been transparent, because Tamera laughed softly and patted her arm. “It’s okay, I’ve been there, too. Go get something to eat and drink, and come join us.”
“All right.”
Going to the buffet, Naomi’s mouth instantly watered. Today there was a scrumptious looking hash-brown casserole, as well as the eggs, bacon and sausage, as well as pancakes. She took a plate and piled it high with eggs and bacon and some of the casserole, poured herself a cup of coffee, and returned to the table, taking the vacant chair beside Tamera.
The children had gone quiet since she’d entered the room, and she found their silence disconcerting. None of them made eye contact, but she noted some of the older ones casting discreet glances in her direction. Wait. Last night, hadn’t they told her about a group of caracal shifters, women and children, rescued from some kind of compound? She aimed a questioning look to the other women. The one Tamera had introduced as Sasha was the oldest of them, a lady perhaps in her forties, and now she gave Naomi a faint smile.
“You must forgive the children,” she said in a soft voice, lightly accented. “They are not accustomed to meeting new people. It has been a little hard on them.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine,” Naomi admitted.
“They will be fine,” the other woman, Adina, said as she leaned to steady a little boy as he slid from his chair. “The young adapt more easily. Sahar,” she addressed the oldest girl, who looked to be about twelve. “Take the children upstairs and get them ready to go outside.”
Instantly, the children forgot to be shy.
“Are we going to the playground, Mama?” This was from the little boy who’d just gotten down.
“Yes, so hurry, now.”
Cheers and squeals of excitement punctuated the air, along with the thudding of feet on the floor as the children left the table and made for the stairs. Adina and Sasha rose from their seats.
“We will see you again soon, Naomi,” Sasha said. She exchanged air kisses with Tamera, and left the room with Adina, who gave a cheerful wave in farewell.
Naomi sat rather stunned by the sudden silence, and Tamera laughed.
“You’ll get used to it,” she said. “Right now, they are giving the children a chance to become acclimated. Schooling is being arranged, but they have to have private teachers at first, to prepare them for public school.”
“It must have been horrific. I can’t even begin to imagine!”
“It was.” Tamera gave her a sympathetic look. “You haven’t had such an easy time of it, either, I’m told. It seems like all of us here in this bed and breakfast are all starting over in some way.”
“There are so many people I’ve met, just in a couple of days. I’m never going to remember them all.”
“There will be a quiz on Friday,” Tamera teased, then laughed when Naomi blanched. “No, seriously, it’s okay. Nobody’s expecting you to remember everyone, okay? It’s just that, it’s like a huge family here, so there’s really no help for it. I remember when I first came here I was overwhelmed, and that was before I got kidnapped to Morocco and came back with lots more shifters.”
She pointed at Naomi’s plate. “Eat,” she scolded. “You still look like you just came from a prisoner of war camp or something. You need some meat on your bones, girl.”
“I know.” Naomi grimaced, but obediently scooped up some of the hash brown casserole on her fork, and took a bite, humming in pleasure. “Oh, this is good!”
“Renee is a wonderful cook, and an even better baker,” Tamera agreed. “You’re not going to go hungry here, that’s for sure!”
Grinning, Naomi picked up a strip of bacon, perfectly fried, and bit into it with gusto. “Oh, I’ve missed bacon.”
Tamera reached over and snatched a piece of bacon from her plate, and Naomi swatted at her. “Hey! Get your own!”
“Bacon,” Tamera moaned, eyes closed in ecstasy as she chewed. Finishing the bacon, she winked at Naomi. “Gotta eat yours, because if I take all I want from the buffet, Renee might up my room price.”
“That would suck,” Naomi agreed, eating another strip. “But it might be worth it, because… you know… bacon.”
“True. So, you’re meeting Maroulla today.”
