The bell over the door goes off, and my eyes shift to whoever is coming in. It’s the delivery guy again.What the hell?He heads to the desk and drops off a package to Cora, who quickly takes it and places it behind the desk, thanking him. She gives Kash a small smile, and their gazes connect with mine. I don’t like that one bit.
Walking over to the desk, I notice Cora shuffling the box under it. “Whatcha got there, pretty girl?” I ask, gesturing to the box at her feet.
Shrugging her shoulders, she slides her glasses back onto her nose. “Nothing, just some supplies for the shop. I’ll check them in later.”
“Right…” I trail off. “I thought we just got supplies yesterday.”
“We did,” Kash cuts in. “But they didn’t send all of it, so this is the last box, right, Care Bear?”
Care Bear?“What did you just call her?” I level him with a glare.
Slinging his arm over her shoulders, he pulls her in and puts his head on her shoulder. I’m dangerously close to removing it completely. “She’s like a Care Bear, man. All small, cuddly, and cute and shit,” he explains with a smile.
If he doesn’t remove his arm right now, he will lose that or his head completely. As if sensing the tension, Cora slides out of his embrace and pats his knee. “Back to work, Money Man.”
“Money Man?” I question.What the fuck?
“Yeah, I mean, he’s literally named Kash. Who names their kid after money?” She laughs. It’s a sweet sound, but I see the shift in him. She doesn’t fully understand all our stories, and I know shedoesn’t mean anything by it, and so does Kash, but the ugly never really leaves us.
“Well, who names their kid Cora anyway? What’s it even mean?” Kash slings back, trying to lighten the mood.
“It comes from the Latin word ‘cor,’which means heart,” I respond, causing both of their gazes to snap to mine.
“What?” She looks confused.
“Ah, that. Yeah, it’s one of Atlas’ quirks,” Kash explains with a chuckle, ignoring the look I give him.
“What do you mean?”
“When we were growing up, Atlas would spend time in the library at school. Not because he liked reading, mind you, but because the dumbass couldn’t keep himself out of detention. Anyway, one day he comes home, and starts telling everyone what their names mean from different origins.”
“Seriously?” She looks from him to me. I shrug, not knowing how to respond. How do you tell the center of your universe, the core of your heart and being, that your own name means to endure? Perhaps all the suffering you went through was what you were destined to have. I could never understand what made my parents give me up the way they did, until I saw what my name meant. I was destined to exist in darkness.
“Yep, mine has something to do with the sky or universe in Sanskrit. Rhett has some Dutch origins, something about being ‘advice or counsel,’” he says in air quotes. “And then Seth—his is fun, lucky bastard.”
“What’s his?”
“It means ‘appointed or placed,’” Seth answers, joining our conversation. “It’s from the Bible. Seth was the replacement son when Abel was killed. Or there’s always the Egyptian origin if you prefer, where it derives from the Egyptian god Set, who was linked with chaos, storms, and violence.”
Cora looks between the three of us, and her eyes shift to whereRhett is currently chatting with a client while he works on their calf. “So, what does Emma’s name mean?”
“That’s the best one, of course. Emma’s name meansuniverse, orwhole. Kind of funny if you think about how out of all the people in the universe, we got her,” Seth admits with a rueful smile.
“I love that. Now I’m curious about Noah’s name. I’m going to look it up.” She turns back toward the computer.
“His name means ‘peace’from the Bible. Noah was a beacon of peace and comfort for many,” I explain.
Cora freezes in place, her hands hovering over the keyboard. I feel three sets of eyes drift my way, and it makes me suddenly wish I was anywhere but here.
“That’s amazing.” She smiles.
“It’s stupid,” I point out.
“No. It’s not. It’s cool,” she argues, her blue eyes lighting with a challenge.
“If you say so,” Kash interrupts. Standing from his chair, he points at the clock behind the desk. “You’re all done for the night, Care Bear. Why don’t you head out?”
“I’ll walk you out,” Seth offers. Lately, it’s been getting dark much earlier, and with the flowers and notes being sent, I don’t want Cora left alone.
