Page 9 of Things We Hide from the Light
“Fifteen bucks,” she said, tucking her hands behind her head. The kid was an electronics genius and had no problem making a few bucks off her talents.
“Waylay,” Naomi said, exasperated.
“What? I’m giving her the friends and family discount.”
I tried to remember if I’d ever been close enough to anyone to earn a family and friends discount before.
Knox winked at Waylay, then gave Naomi another squeeze. “I gotta talk to Nash about something,” he said, hooking his thumb toward my door. “You need anything else, Leens, let me know.”
“Hey, I’m just happy I don’t have to fight an army of cockroaches for the shower here. Thanks for letting me move in temporarily.”
He tossed me a salute and a half grin as he headed for the door.
Naomi shuddered. “That motel is a health hazard.”
“At least it had a TV,” Waylay called from my empty bedroom.
“Waylay! What are you doing?” her aunt demanded.
“Snooping,” the twelve-year-old replied, appearing in the doorway, hands in the bedazzled pockets of her jeans. “It’s okay. She doesn’t have anything in here yet.”
A loud thudding came from the hallway. “Open up, asshole,” Knox growled.
Naomi rolled her eyes. “I apologize for my family. Apparently they were all raised by wolves.”
“Uncivilized has its own kind of charm,” I pointed out. Realizing I was still holding the plant, I took it over to the window and placed it on top of one of the empty crates. It had glossy green leaves.
“It’s lily of the valley. It won’t bloom until the spring, but it symbolizes happiness,” Naomi explained.
Of course it did. Naomi was expert-level thoughtful.
“The other reason we’re bursting in on you like this is we wanted to invite you over for dinner Sunday night,” she continued.
“We’re grilling chicken, but there’ll probably be about a hundred vegetables,” Waylay warned as she wandered over to the front window to peer out.
A dinner I didn’t have to order and the chance to enjoy domesticated Knox? I wasn’t about to pass up that invitation. “Sure. Let me know what I can bring.”
“Just bring yourself. Honestly, between me, my parents, and Stef, we’ll have a feast,” Naomi assured me.
“How about alcohol?” I offered.
“We’ll never turn that down,” she admitted.
“And a bottle of Yellow Lightning,” Waylay said.
Naomi shot Waylay a parental warning look.
“Please,” the girl amended.
“If you want an entire bottle of that tooth-rotting soda, you’re going to eat a salad with your pizza at lunch todayandbroccoli with dinner tonight,” Naomi insisted.
Waylay rolled her eyes at me as she sidled over to the table. “Aunt Naomi’s obsessed with vegetables.”
“Believe me, there are worse things to be obsessed with,” I told her.
She eyed my box of files, and I regretted not putting the lid back on it when her quick fingers tugged a folder free.
“Nice try, Snoop Doggy Dog,” I said, snatching it from her with a flourish.
