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Nadia clenches her jaw. I don’t like the news myself. I will lose business, and who knows how many trees will be tumbling. Nadia glances around the shop. Her eyes focus on the pocket door that leads to my home. Most people are curious about what lies behind it. And right on time, Adam slides it open. His face tightens as he bites his lip.
“Dad, I’m scared.”
“Come here, bud.”
He scurries toward me as he gives Nadia a suspicious glance.
“God’s just cleansing the earth. It’ll pass.”
I ruffle his hair as he stares at Nadia.
“This is Nadia. She shouldn’t be out in this storm, so she’s here with us for now.”
Nadia blesses us both with a bright smile. I’d say she’s an ethereal beauty, but I can’t ignore the exoticism she carries very well. That’s not seen in Evergreen. By the sounds of her two last names, she’s mixed Italian and Russian? Or is she married. I see rings but nothing on the left hand.
“Hello, I’m Nadia. What’s your name?”
“Adam.”
“Great shirt! Nice to meet you.”
I note Adam’s moose shirt before I take another eye full of Nadia’s attire. Dressed in gray yoga pants, sneakers, and a snug jacket zipped to her bosoms. Her sports bra grants me a hint of cleavage.
I keep my gaze down. I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable in my shop.
¨Would you like anything, Nadia? A cup of coffee while it’s still hot?¨
¨Yes, please.¨ She responds eagerly.
I can’t offer her a specialty coffee drink with no electricity. I hope the power comes back, but something tells me I need to haul up the candles from the basement. Too bad I failed to move the generator out of the shed. There’s no way I’m heading out there by the look of loose and fallen branches. I have to wait for the wind to simmer down. Candles will have to do it for a while.
“No one mentioned the storm in the airport, huh?” I find this incredibly hard to believe.
¨The pilot mentioned landing before the storm, but that was all.”
“What brings you to Evergreen this time of year?”
“Visiting my grandmother. Why is this a terrible time of year to come?”
“No. But out-of-towners typically prefer to visit this town in late May through July. The greenery, naturally.” I shrug.
A quick grin slides across her face.
“Makes sense. But, yes. My grandmother called me on the road. Told me to seek shelter because of expecting storms and… tornadoes? Is that what that siren was?¨ A flash of terror crosses her honey-green eyes.
¨If tornadoes come, they’ll hit the west side. Over here, we have way too many trees, and a few will be tumbling. I’ll say it’s proven worse than anyone expected.¨ I head behind the counter.
¨Climate change. The world is ending little by little every day.¨ Nadia murmurs as she sits in one of the comfy brown chairs by the electric fireplace.
Adam takes a seat on the opposing chair from her. Interesting, he’s not scared. He doesn’t take well to many strangers or patrons. Something about Nadia makes him comfortable. Come to think of it, she’s probably a teacher.
“Do you have kids?” Adam asks, hugging his knees.
“No, I don’t. Always wanted one, but I’m not sure my life will allow it.”
That information went over his head. However, it makes me curious. I scratch off the teacher possibility.
“Are you too old to have kids?” Whoa, hadn’t expected Adam to ask her that.
