Page 29 of Not Part of the Plan
“I’ve met more neighbors today than I have in the three years I’ve lived in my building,” Niko quipped.
“You’ll get used to it if you stick around. People have even less privacy around here than they do living on top of each other in the city,” she grinned.
“I’m getting the feeling that you’re not kidding.”
“Nope. So Emma’s sick?” Julia asked as she danced out from behind the counter. She wore black skinny jeans and a paisley patterned tunic.
“So I hear.”
“Willa called over and said you were on your way, so I pulled a couple of juices that should help,” Julia said, pulling a paper bag out of the tall cooler in the corner. “This one is infused with ginger to help with the nausea,” she said pulling out a jar filled with what looked like apple juice. Next came a pink one and then a green one. “This one’s an immunity booster, packed full of citrus fruits for vitamin C. And this one is her favorite. So once she’s back on her feet, she can enjoy it.”
“Thanks, Julia,” Niko said, pulling out his wallet.
“You’re getting the flu season discount, even though it’s not technically flu season,” she said, slim fingers flying across the screen of her register.
“Thank you. That’s very nice of you,” Niko said, handing over cash.
“We’re a nice town. A nice place to live,” she said with a crooked smile. He got the feeling she was trying to pass him an encrypted message and was amused about doing so.
The back door of the shop opened, and two kids raced in ahead of a man in a hockey jersey carting a third.
“Gird your loins,” the man called out in warning. “Here come the troops!”
“Mooooom!”
Julia’s face lit up as the two ambulatory kids hurled themselves into her arms. “Hi, my lovelies!”
“Hi!” the little boy in an Avengers t-shirt and pajama pants chirped.
“Why aren’t you wearing real pants?”
The little boy eyed Niko and gave him a nod. “Hi,” he said suspiciously before turning back to his mother. “Because I didn’t wanna. Dad’s not wearing real pants.”
Niko’s gaze tracked to the man’s well-worn gym shorts.
“Well, I guess I can’t argue with that,” Julia said, puckering up to accept a kiss from the man who was clearly her husband.
“Who’s he?” Kid Avenger demanded, eyeing Niko suspiciously.
“This is Nikolai,” Julia said by way of an introduction. “This is my husband Rob and our unruly mob.”
“Ah, the famous Nikolai,” Rob said, offering his child-free hand. “It’s nice to meet you in person instead of just reading about you on Facebook.”
“Robert!” Julia shot her husband a warning look.
“Uh, what?” Niko interjected.
“Trust me. You don’t want to know,” Rob assured him. “All you need to know is that Blue Moon is a wonderful place to live. Right, honey?” Rob’s exaggerated wink at his wife told Niko there was a bit more to the story.
“The best,” Julia said brightly.
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After the juice café, he’d been directed to make a quick stop at the home of one Elvira Eustace, president of the chamber of commerce and maker of organic, homemade household cleaner “guaranteed to cleanse the hell out of everything.” Elvira, with her head full of silvery curls and her alpaca wool caftan, then made him promise to stop by the used bookstore in town for some kind of cleansing incense that the owner, a squirrely hippie named Fitz, sold.
Your flu-busting incense smells like pot.
By the time he pulled up in front of Beckett and Gia’s stately Victorian, he was starting to wonder if the entire town of Blue Moon was fucking with him.
