“I can eat a single jar in a day.”
“Doesn’t it stick to the roof of your mouth?”
Her laugh was a small chuckle, but he felt pretty good that he’d pulled it from her.
“There’s a phobia called arachibutyrophobia that has to do with peanut butter.”
“Actually the fear is more rooted in the possibly of something sticking to the roof of your mouth than actual peanut butter,” she said.
“I stand corrected. I’m Noah.” He held out his hand.
She looked at the hand, then him. Several seconds passed and he waited. She was hesitant to tell him her name, which Noah found interesting.
“Lani.” She shook his hand briefly.
“So, Lani, what are you doing here in Brook? After all, you’ve just listened to me talk for the last hour about my business, so tell me something about you.”
She looked down at her wine again. “I don’t have much to share.” The words were spoken softly and had him leaning closer.
“Okay, well, just share anything.”
She looked at him again, almost like she was trying to read his thoughts.
“I like to bake.”
“With peanut butter?” He said the words to take the tension out of her face, but she didn’t smile.
“No, not peanut butter.”
“Do you live here?”
“No.”
“Are you looking for work or have you got a job here?”
She shrugged again, and he now knew this was the gesture she used when she didn’t want to speak.
“A shrug is not an answer, Lani.”
“I’m just travelling about and picking up work as I go.”
She’d backed away from him mentally again.
“That’s pretty cool, I bet. You been on the move long?”
“I need to go.”
Noah touched her shoulder as she started to move; it was rigid with tension.
“That would be a shame, as your fries have just arrived.”
She looked at the food, then sat and picked up a french fry.
They ate in silence, and he thought about what was going on with the woman beside him. What was her deal, and why did he care? She was just someone he’d spent a few hours with and would likely never see again, so what was it about her that intrigued him?
She ate in tidy little bites, swallowing what was in her mouth before taking another bite. His mother would love her manners.
“I’ve been travelling for a while.”
