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“Camilla!” Naomi stepped up to them, concern in her voice.
“They’ll be okay. Bones is a good guy,” I said.
“Says a complete stranger.”
The look she gave even made me want to run after them. Her genuine concern showed her heart and her compassion.
“If you want, we can take a walk, keep our eye on them.”
“I don’t think Mia would appreciate me traipsing off with some stranger, just because Camilla is stupid enough to. Besides, I wouldn’t leave her here alone.”
I glanced at Mia as she deepened her kiss with her new female friend. “I don’t think that will be an issue.”
When Naomi looked at me, I nodded to them. She didn’t seem too happy to see their tongues dancing together in a sexy rumba dance. “Mia,” she whispered. “Again? Really?”
Mia waved her off without breaking the kiss and fed her arm back around the blue-haired beauty.
Naomi pulled her arms around her stomach and looked bewildered.
“You hungry?” I tried again. “Let me buy you a gyro. They have some damned good ones just around the corner.”
“Thanks, but—” She looked at Mia and her friend again, a defeated sigh escaping her lips.
“It’s just a gyro,” I coaxed. “Promise.”
I extended my hand, hoping she’d comply. When she took a step, I dropped my hand and accepted her gentle gesture to my company.
We walked along the roadway away from her friends, and I took measures to keep my distance so I wouldn’t scare her off. It seemed that Naomi wasn’t the kind of woman who’d just drop herself into my lap and the way I was feeling about her. I was happy about that. She was worth my time and effort.
“I’m not overly hungry, but if you want something—” Her voice was soft. I wanted her to talk more. I wanted her soothing voice to wrap around me.
“It’s okay. I can grab something later.”
I looked up at the sky, the darkness increasing and battling the lights surrounding us on the ground. “Do you like fireworks? I think they’ll be starting soon,” I asked.
“I do,” she cooed, looking up into the night sky. “It’s always been my favorite.”
“What else?”
“What else what?” she squinted at me.
“Tell me more about you. What are you passionate about?”
She lowered her head and smiled. “I’m a teacher. However, I also love art. It’s always been just a hobby, but I’ve had a few of my pieces shown in the art gallery in town.”
“Artistic, beautiful, passionate. I can see that about you.”
“Can you?” she smiled shyly.
“Mm-hmm. I also see an old soul.”
She lowered her head. “My father used to say the same thing.”
“Used to?”
She nodded. “He died when I was young.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. He died doing what he loved.”
I didn’t pry but felt it an honor that she entrusted a painful memory with me.
“He was a military man. Died in combat.”
“Did you see much of him?” I asked.
“No. This festival is one of the few memories I did have with him. He used to bring me every year before he got called to war.”
“I see now why it means so much to you.”
“He would play that basketball game. You know, the one where the hoop is smaller than the actual balls? Every year he would play it, and every year he would win me the biggest stuffed animal they had.”
I enjoyed watching her tell the story more than the story itself. Something about the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about the man who made her feel safe. I wanted to be that man. I wanted her eyes to sparkle like that for me.
“Your dad sounds really special.”
“He really was. I miss him a lot.”
We walked along through the games, and I enjoyed every step I took with her. “Where do you like to go to watch the fireworks? Do you have a favorite place?”
“Not anymore. We used to lay a blanket in the field out there,” she pointed. “But that has since grown out, and the lack of maintenance makes it impossible to do that now.”
“So, what do you propose?”
Naomi smiled up at me and took a big breath. “I usually just stand behind the vendors away from the lights so I can get the best out of the show.”
I looked around, my mind turning for a better idea. I spotted that basketball game she’d mentioned, and as we walked past, the attendant called out to us.
“Why don’t you try to win your lady a prize? You look like I could make a few bucks on you.”
I tried ignoring him, but he kept on.
“Come on, big boy. Let’s see your ball skills.” The guy held up a smaller version of a basketball. “Have you ever seen one of these before?”
Naomi walked up to the booth. “They look bigger than yours,” she said with a playful smirk.
“Oo, you have a feisty one,” the carny said to me. “Maybe she should show you how it’s done, huh, cowboy?”
