“For the cerastes,” he said, cutting off her train of thought before it could get more ridiculous than it was already. “For the snake.”
“Yes?”
Talking about the problem at hand was safe. When they were talking about the snake that had invaded her beloved city hall, she could focus. She wouldn’t be thinking about raking her fingers through Luca Reyes’ hair or how his eyes might look dilated with excitement and need oranything at all like that.
“For the most part, cerastes are normal snakes. They’re motivated by hunger and fear, and like most large constrictors, unless they are very hungry or afraid, they’re docile. They would rather run away from a human than attack one, and they don’t offer any real threat to a careful adult who’s not trying to crowd them.”
Macy cocked her head to one side.
“You mean, crowd them like you’ll be doing to trap this one?”
The corner of Luca’s mouth kicked up with humor, and he acknowledged her point with a shrug.
“Well, I’m fast. Hopefully, I’ll have it before it knows it’s been caught. It’ll be in a safe dark bag, where it can just chill out until we get it somewhere safe. With any luck, I’ll have it by dawn.”
“Sounds good to me,” Macy said, even if something in the vicinity of her heart twinged at the idea of this stranger leaving town as quickly as he’d arrived.
If she was being honest with herself, something that was maybe not the best idea right this moment, it was less a twinge than a wail. And a wild feeling of abandonment. And panic.
No! You just got here! I don’t know you yet, and I have to—
Macy tamped down her irrational and just a little nerve-wracking feelings, and painted on a bright smile.
“Well, I hope it goes as smoothly as you’re suggesting. You’ll have to let me return the favor for dinner tonight by taking you and AJ out to breakfast tomorrow before you hit the road.”
Luca recoiled slightly from her words, eyes wide as if she had said something incredibly horrifying, and she was about to ask him what that was all about when the waitress returned with their food. It looked excellent, like it always did, the pasta bake and lemonade for her, a steak so rare it bled for him, and a portion of mac and cheese for AJ.
AJ was so excited by his own personal bowl of mac and cheese that a glass of water ended up tipped all over the table. By the time Luca had gotten it sopped up and Macy had dabbed her shorts as dry as they were going to get, any oddness wasforgotten in favor of the delicious food and making sure that AJ caused no further messes.
By the time Luca firmly paid the bill, it was twilight, the sky gone the soft dark denim blue of early fall. A hint of heat hung in the air, but there was a briskness to the breeze that reminded Macy that true autumn was right around the corner.
Out on the pavement, AJ yawned mightily, and when Luca gave him an inquisitive poke on the shoulder, he whined, shoving his uncle’s hand away.
“Agitated,” Luca mused as if it was a problem for the ages, and Macy smiled.
“Tired. Riding in a car all day takes it out of full-grown adults. When you’re as little as this one is, it’s exhausting. Hey, kiddo, you need a break, don’t you?”
To her surprise, AJ looked up at her with the saddest expression she had ever seen, and just as her heart was breaking, he tipped forward dramatically in her direction. She caught him before he hit the pavement, his small body a warm weight against her, and instinctively, she scooped him up into her arms.
“I guess that’s a yes,” Luca said with a slight, rueful grin. “Here, let me take him.”
“Actually, how about this? We found him a place to stay with Cathy, Wil’s grandma, and if you don’t mind a passenger, I can show you how to get out there. Her cottage is on the far side of Wil and Rikki’s spread, a little hard to GPS. Wil and Rikki would take him, but they’re having a big get-together this week.”
“Oh, right, the family reunion. Large gatherings are sort of the Madsens’ thing.”
Macy laughed at the reluctance in his voice, remembering at the last minute to keep it quiet for AJ, who was already drowsing fitfully against her shoulder.
“You sound like you just love a party.”
“No, I—” He laughed, a little self-consciously. “That obvious, huh?”
“I like parties, used to throw them all the time in my twenties. I can spot someone who needs a quiet corner and introductions to my favorite quiet friends right away.”
Macy wondered for a moment if she had offended Luca—not everyone liked being spotted for an introvert. Instead of being offended, however, he grinned, taking a barely stirring AJ from her to secure him into the car seat.
“Don’t get me wrong, I like a party, but I like it on my terms. You know, I get to leave when I want, and the host understands that I’m probably going to hole up with two or three people and have a bad time the minute someone mentions the M-word.”
“Martini? Married?”
