“Exactly. I thought you might have experimented more yesterday,” she finishes wryly, as she glances around the kitchen.
Which is still an ice cream-spattered disaster zone.
“I did! I have blackberry ice creamdownnow. Can you wait a few minutes? I can make some more.”
So what if my arms do in fact feel like they’re going to fall off after yesterday’s exertions?
I’ve got a whole bunch more rage to take out today.
Especiallybecause I didn’t even get toeatany of yesterday’s ice cream!
“There’s... there’s none left?” Nomi asks.
I look at Zan. “What happened to the last bowl?”
Out of the corner of my eye I see her eyebrows shoot up again.
It takes me a second to work out that she thinks I lost track of it due to sleeping with Zan. Or rather, not sleeping.
If only.
“It’s in the ice house,” Zan says with a shrug.That damn shrug again, gah!“There should be plenty to fill these containers for Nomi to take back down.”
“Yora needs to come with me.”
Now it’s my turn to blink in startlement. “What? Why?”
“The bowl you sent me with yesterday is already gone,” Nomi tells me. “Gonefast. And people are clamoring for more.”
“That’s great, but I don’t see—”
“Exactly.Youneed to come see the effect you’re having.”
My last foray into Crystal Hollow did not exactly fill me with confidence.
And now that my connection to the one person I care about in this world above all others isalsounder pressure, this seems like a bad time to meetmorepeople, honestly.
Not to mention that if I only have one more day with Zan...
My lack of enthusiasm is clearly speaking, because Nomi steps in closer and places her hands on my shoulders so I glance up at her with my full attention.
“You may be an expert on power,” Nomi tells me, “but you don’t know how to live with people. This ismyexpertise. I trust you when it comes to battle. When I say it’s important for you to come to town today, you can believeme.”
Argh! Okay,fine.
But you know what?
Iwillhave more than one day with Zan, gods damn it all.
“I also brought you some more clothes,” Nomi says. “Let’s go into your room so I can show you the options, while Zan transfers the ice cream to the containers.”
My eyes narrow. She’s trying to get me alone. For what?
“Zan should get dressed first too,” I say, turning to him. “If I’m coming, so is he.”
The words come out more like a challenge than a statement, which, frankly, is what I mean by them.
Zan is leaning back against his door with his arms crossed, looking sexier than he deserves to when I’m mad at him.
