CHAPTER 18
Micah sawNaomi through the window.
He’d been sitting at the corner table for ten minutes, two waters already ordered, watching the street the way he always did when he had time to kill. It was an old habit, one he’d never managed to shake.
He watched as Naomi had stepped off the curb across the street, hands in her pockets, heading straight toward Ember & Oak.
She’d almost tripped. Then she’d stopped.
Not slowed. Stopped. Mid-street, her body going rigid, her face draining of color.
Micah was already pushing his chair back before he consciously registered what he was seeing.
A car—dark blue sedan—came around the curve too fast.
Naomi stood frozen in the middle of the road, a dazed expression on her face.
What was going on?
“No . . .” The word came out low, instinctive.
Micah was through the door before the driver saw her.
A horn blared.
The sedan swerved hard, tires squealing.
The driver missed Naomi by less than two feet before fishtailing past and disappearing down Main Street.
Micah reached her in four strides.
“Naomi.” He kept his voice low and steady. “You’re okay. Let’s get out of the road.”
She didn’t look at him. Didn’t move.
He touched her elbow—light and careful. She flinched, but she let him guide her. One step. Then another. Off the street, onto the sidewalk, through the door of Ember & Oak.
Inside, the café was warm and quiet. A few heads turned when they came in, but Micah didn’t acknowledge them.
He walked Naomi to the corner table and pulled out a chair. “Sit.”
She lowered herself into the wooden chair.
Her hands were shaking. Not trembling—shaking, the kind that came from adrenaline crashing hard and fast. She pressed them flat against the table, trying to still them, but they wouldn’t stop.
Micah pushed one of the water glasses toward her. “Drink.”
She stared at it.
“Naomi.” He waited until her eyes lifted to his. “Just a couple sips.”
She picked up the glass with both hands and brought it to her lips. The water sloshed slightly, but she managed two small sips before setting it down again.
Micah sat across from her.
Her breathing was still too fast. Her face was still too pale. And her eyes had that distant, fractured look he’d seen before in people who weren’t entirely present.
He gave her another moment. Then another.
