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“You’re welcome.”
He watched her as, still smiling to herself, she looked out the window at the little town still buzzing over their news. Royal had seen a lot of upheaval over the last few months. Thanks to the mysterious Maverick, things had been changing right and left. It wasn’t just him and Naomi making a major shift in their lives. Some of Toby’s friends had made sudden changes that at the time had completely surprised Toby.
Hell, there was Wes Jackson for one. Toby never would have thought that man would settle down and get married, and now the man had a wife, a daughter and another baby on the way. Tom and Emily Knox had worked out their problems and seemed stronger than ever, and even Naomi’s best friends, Cecelia and Simone, were happy and settled into real relationships.
Toby knew that Maverick had been at the heart of all those changes. Sure, the man had been trying to ruin people, but in a roundabout way he’d helped them instead.
Toby had stood on the sidelines, watching his friends take steps forward in their lives, and wondered when he would be Maverick’s target. But the nameless bastard hadn’t come for him at all, but Naomi. Seeing her worried, upset, had torn at him enough that he was willing to put aside his anti-marriage stance. And actually, the more he thought about it, the more marrying Naomi made sense. He’d get a family out of it without having to worry about getting in too deep emotionally.
All he had to do was make sure she didn’t back out.
“Hey, Toby,” Clay Everett called out, “you got a minute?”
“Sure.” Toby glanced at Naomi. “I’ll be right back.”
* * *
She nodded when he slid out of the booth and walked to the table where Clay and Shane Delgado were having lunch. Toby’s strides were long and easy, as if he had all the time in the world. He was tall and confident and seemed so damn sure that they were doing the right thing, and Naomi really wished she shared that certainty.
Clay, Shane and Toby were all ranchers, so no doubt they were talking about horses or grazing pastures or summer water levels. Her gaze swept them all quickly. Shane had long brown hair, a perpetual five o’clock shadow and a killer smile. He was both a rancher and a real estate developer. Clay was the strong, silent type with short brown hair, a lot of muscles and a limp he’d earned riding the rodeo circuit. After the accident that had ended his rodeo career, Clay had started a cloud computing company and had found even more success. Then there was Toby. Toby was both an inventor and a rancher and, from Naomi’s point of view, the most gorgeous of them all.
She blinked at that thought and realized that for the first time she was looking at Toby without the filter of the best friend thing. And it was an eye-opener. When he looked up at her and gave her a slow smile, something inside her lit up—so Naomi instantly shut it down.
Surprise at her own reaction to him had her tearing her gaze from his and reminding herself that this marriage was a platonic one and now was not the time to start noting things she never had before. Toby was standing for her like no one else ever had. He was being the friend he always had been, and she should be grateful. Maybe, eventually, she would be.
But at the moment, her own pride was nicked, and Naomi hated knowing that she needed the help. He was right, of course. Raising a baby on her own was a daunting idea, but she would have done it. Now she didn’t have to face the future alone. She had her best friend standing beside her. The only real question was, was it fair to him?
“Here’s your tea,” Amanda said, sliding two tall glasses of icy amber liquid onto the table.
“Oh, thanks.” Naomi reached for her glass and took a sip.
“It’s decaf tea for you, sweetie.” Amanda tossed a glance at Toby, Clay and Shane, deep into a conversation, then looked back at Naomi. “I’d expect to see a smile on your face, just getting engaged and all.”
Naomi sighed a little. Amanda Battle was a few years older than her, but growing up in the same small town meant they’d known each other forever. Amanda’s blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her eyes were sharp and thoughtful as she studied Naomi. “What’s going on, Naomi? A woman engaged to a man like Toby McKittrick should be all smiles—and you’re not.”
“It just happened so fast,” Naomi said, already leaning into the lie she and Toby had created out of thin air.
“Not too fast, since you’re carrying his baby,” Amanda reminded her.
“True.” Toby had claimed the baby as his already, so that didn’t even feel like a lie. Especially since the baby’s actual father didn’t even know about the pregnancy. “But he sort of sprung the proposal on me just this morning and I haven’t gotten used to it yet, I guess.” The best lies had a touch of truth in them, right?
“I know it must feel like a lot,” Amanda said, laying one hand on Naomi’s shoulder in sympathy. “But I was in your shoes once, remember?”
She did remember, and because she did, Naomi couldn’t understand why Amanda was being so nice to her. Several years ago, Amanda had been pregnant and agreed to marry Nathan Battle for the sake of the baby. But then she miscarried and called the wedding off. Amanda had left town after that but had come back a few years later when her father died, and almost instantly, she and Nathan had reconnected and set the gossip train humming. Today, though, Nathan and Amanda had two kids and were so happily married there were practically hearts and flowers circling Amanda’s head.
But back then, Naomi and her friends Cecelia and Simone were at the height of their mean girl reputations, and though it shamed her to admit it, Naomi had spread every ounce of gossip about Amanda that had come her way. Shaking her head at the crowd of memories that made her want to cringe, she managed to ask, “Why are you being so nice to me?”
Amanda threw another glance at Toby to make sure he wasn’t on his way back, then she slid onto the bench seat opposite Naomi. Tipping her head to one side, Amanda studied her for a second, then said, “Because I’ve been the center of gossip and I know how ugly it can make you feel. And, Naomi, you’re not who you were back then.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because the old Naomi wouldn’t be feeling bad about any of it.”
Yes, she would have, Naomi thought. Even back then, when she’d been the queen bee, guilt had haunted her whenever she allowed herself to think about what she’d said or done. Now Naomi relea
sed a pent-up breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. All the years she’d been coming to the Royal Diner, she’d never really had an actual conversation with Amanda. Years ago, it was because they were too far apart in age, and Naomi was too busy mocking people to make herself feel better. And then later, she’d been too ashamed of her past actions to talk to her. A small smile curved Naomi’s mouth. “Thanks for that.”
Amanda smiled again, shot a quick glance at the kitchen pass-through, then looked at Naomi. “Most of us did things when we were young and stupid that we come to regret.” Her smile turned rueful, but her green eyes never left Naomi’s. “So if you’re lucky enough to grow out of the stupid, then you have a second chance to be who you want to be.”
