The first thing I notice when I enter my home is the scent of vanilla. It’s an alien smell in my home, but not an unwelcome one. The anxiety that followed me when I left Nora to take Opal to the clubhouse eases knowing she’s here in my home, in my shower. And soon, hopefully, in my bed.
I leave my boots on the shoe rack near the door and walk towards the bedroom. The door is wide open. Nora has left the bathroom light on, and I can just make out her form in the bed, her blonde hair peeking from beneath the towel she’s wrapped around it. That can’t be comfortable, but I’ll leaveher for a minute while I clean up before removing it. Her hair will have dried enough by then.
Gathering up clean clothes, I quickly shower and clean up the bathroom. Picking up our clothes, I throw them in the washing machine before returning to the bedroom. I gently ease the damp towel from Nora’s hair and hang it up to dry.
She looks perfect in my bed, and I’d love nothing more than to crawl in next to her, but not while she’s asleep. I have a feeling she’s one of those women who don’t like to be surprised awake. She’d probably knee me in the balls or stab me.
Taking my pillow and the spare blanket from the bottom of the bed, I walk back into the lounge and collapse on the couch. I tuck the pillow under my head, and I’m fast asleep within minutes.
***
It feels like I’ve barely closed my eyes when my alarm wakes me up. Groaning, I roll over and switch it off.
“Fuck,” I mutter, wiping at my gritty, sleep-filled eyes as I squint at the time. We have an hour before Church.
I stand and stretch with another groan. Every muscle in my body aches. Shaking my shoulders out, I go to the kitchen and start the coffee before transferring the washing from last night to the dryer. Then I check on Nora, who’s still fast asleep.
I make use of the bathroom and get dressed for the day. The smell of coffee is calling me. Leaving Nora to sleep a bit longer, I make myself a cup and down it as I fold our clothes from yesterday.
Making a pile for Nora, I fill a cup with coffee for her and take it along with her clothes to the bedroom. I squat next to the bed, placing her coffee on the bedside table, and grasp thewrist of the hand buried under her pillow. I caught a glimpse of the knife last night, and I don’t fancy being stabbed before breakfast.
Running a finger over her face, I wake her gently, whispering her name until her eyes open. It’s a little disconcerting that she’s asleep one minute and wide-awake the next. I’m glad I’m holding her wrist because I was right; she’s woken up ready to fight.
“It’s me, Nora. I brought you coffee.”
“Nickel.” She huffs a sigh and falls back on the bed with a groan. “What time is it?”
“Just gone nine thirty. We’ve got Church in half an hour.”
“Thanks,” she mutters, pushing herself up in bed to rest her back against the headboard.
Picking up her coffee, I hand it to her and stand.
“Clean clothes,” I nod to the pile at the end of the bed.
Surprise flares in her eyes as she looks at me, then at the pile of clothes. “You washed them?”
“You needed clean clothes. Mom gave you t-shirts, and I’m sure underwear, but there weren’t any jeans or such in the pack.”
Nora lifts luminous grey eyes to mine. Her voice is soft when she says, “Thank you, Nickel.”
I’m missing something. At least I think I am. Why my making sure she has clean clothes is a big deal, I have no idea.
“You’re welcome. I’ll let you get dressed. We’ll have breakfast at the clubhouse.”
“Okay,” Nora agrees, downing her coffee. She finishes it and hands me her mug. “I’ll be ready in ten minutes.”
Taking the hint, I leave her to get ready.
Exactly ten minutes later, she walks out of the bedroom in socked feet, carrying her boots.Clothed and ready, she puts her hair up in a messy bun, then slips on her boots.
I hand her another cup of coffee as she straightens and open the front door for her. We do all this without uttering a single word. For me, that’s normal, but I’m not sure if it’s Nora’s go-to or if she just isn’t a morning person.
She’s waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, sipping her coffee and scanning the area.
“Ready?” I ask when I reach the bottom.
Nora looks up at me with a slight smile and nods. “Yeah, let’s go.”
