“There was a gator who stole the limelight. We’re waiting for it to move off set and hopefully we can finish up the scene before the sun goes down.”
“Oh.” Cam shudders. “I’ll never get used to the crocodiles out here.”
“It was an alligator,” I say with a half laugh.
Cam squishes her eyebrows together. “What’s the difference?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. Doesn’t matter.”
Glory strokes my arm. “Noel was my hero. He saved me from snappy.”
Wanelda tilts her glasses again.
I scratch the back of my neck. “It was nothing. Really.”
Glory swats my chest. “It wasn’t nothing. He was fearless, like Steve Irwin. If the gator had come any closer, I think he may have wrestled it.”
I don’t know about wrestling the Gator, but I’d like to wrestle Glory to the ground. Wanelda’s eyes are wide. She may as well be taking notes.
“I had to dosomething.You were just standing there. Gray would have had my balls if I’d let you get snapped up by a gator.”
Just as I throw my second shot—and miss again—a woman pushing a baby carriage comes over to the stall. “Hey, girl, how are you? I just heard you talking about your ordeal. Sounds like we have a hero in town.”
“Trudy, you remember Noel, right?” Cam asks.
I half smile. Would a hero be saving the damsel in distress because he secretly wanted to bang her? Somehow, I don’t feel like the hero with my ulterior motives.
Glory reaches into the baby carriage and lifts out a small baby. “Look at my little man. He’s getting so big,” she croons, kissing his tiny nose, then blows a raspberry on his belly. The kid laughs and dribbles down his chin.
Cam looks as uncomfortable as I do watching Glory cradle the infant like a natural mother while catching up with Trudy.
“Want to hold him, Cam?” Glory thrusts him into her arms, making Cam more stunned than Glory with the gator.
Cam gives a fake smile and looks to me for help. “Noel, do you want to have a hold?”
I step back with my hands in the air, before she passes the kid around like the party game, pass the present. “Noooo.” I give Trudy a shrug. “Sorry, Tru. He is cute and all, but I’m not into babies.”
Trudy laughs and takes her son from Cam, sensing her awkwardness. “Me neither, but unfortunately it’s not possible to birth a five-year-old. If he’d only let me sleep a little, I could get on board.”
“Whenever you need a break, I’ll babysit,” Glory says.
“Thanks, Glory, I appreciate that.”
“Anyway, must dash. See you later, alligator,” Trudy says.
Glory waves her hand. “In a while, crocodile.”
“I have to go, too. Gray’s on his own at the tea shop. I think he was going to ask if you could do a few shifts at the weekend.”
“Of course. I already told him I would.”
“Great. Thanks, Glory. I’ll catch you both later.” Cam rushes off, leaving me to take my last shot. I suck in a breath, wanting to impress Glory and win her a coconut at least. With all my focus on the last stand, I bowl the ball and cheer when it knocks the coconut off the podium.
Glory claps her hands and throws her arms around me. “You did it.”
Wanelda reaches down to the bottom shelf. “I have just the thing for you two lovebirds.” She hands over a gator stuffed toy and I let the lovebirds thing slide, because seeing Glory’s face light up warms my soul.
“Thanks, Wanelda.”
