“You really don’t have to.” She rushed out the door, hoping he wouldn’t follow. When Ellen dropped her off, she didn’t have to worry about Chuy meeting Lash; Ellen always drove away before Naomi walked through the door. She dreaded the thought of her nosy cousin meeting him.
“No problem,” Lash said, chasing after her. “I could use the exercise.”
Naomi was outside for less than five minutes, and she could feel the sweat oozing from her pores. She panted as she pushed her way through the thick humidity. Even though it was late in the evening and the sun was starting to set, the heat continued to engulf the city. Her bangs were plastered to her face, and she just knew her hair had frizzed up. It probably looked like she’d stuck her finger in an electric socket. Lash, on the other hand, had well-behaved hair that waved back off his face and not a spot of sweat in sight.
Lash jogged ahead of her and ran backwards—his eyes twinkled with amusement. “Want me to carry your bag for you? You look like you could use the help.”
She scowled. Why did he have to look so perfect? “No … thank you. I … got it,” she panted.
“Are you sure?” He glanced at the street sign as he continued to jog backwards. “We’ve got four more blocks to go.”
She nodded. If it wasn’t for the damn humidity and heat, she wouldn’t be so out of breath. She groaned when she thought of what Chuy was going to say when he saw her. She’d been meaning to start working out again. Yeah, right. Who was she kidding? She hated exercise.
“Here we are.” He held the door open for her. “After you.”
Naomi leaned against the wall and took a drink of her water. “Give me a minute.”
She dug into her bag and pulled out a rubber band. Tossing her head down, she gathered her hair into a ponytail and twisted the band around it. She flipped her head back and immediately felt a breeze on her neck cool her off.
“That’s better,” she said, smiling. Lash stared at her, the cocky expression on his face gone.
“What’s wrong?” She wondered if the heat had gotten to him. That would serve him right for teasing her.
“I’m not sure. I have this funny feeling—like déjà vu.”
Naomi gazed into his eyes, mesmerized by the soft tone of his voice. The only time he sounded like that was when he was talking about missing his Uncle Ralph. In that moment, she forgot where she was and what she was doing. An image from the deepest recesses of her mind surfaced, a river and eyes like Lash’s staring intently at her.
“It’s about time, Naomi. Who’s this?”
Naomi jumped at sound of Chuy’s voice.
“Hey, you mind closing the door? You’re letting out the cool air,” Chuy said to Lash.
“Sure, no problem.” Lash was about to step into the building when Naomi moved in front of him.
“Thanks for walking with me, Lash. See you next week,” she said, grabbing the door handle and attempting to pull the door closed.
Lash looked at her, surprised.
“Lash? That’s an interesting name.” Chuy extended a hand to him. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Naomi’s cousin, Chuy. Why don’t you come in and join us?”
Dear Lord, help me, she thought as Lash shook Chuy’s hand.
“I’m sure you have other things to do,” Naomi said to Lash. “You don’t have to stay.”
“Nope. I don’t have any plans. I’d love to stay,” he said as he walked past her and into the building. “Maybe I’ll learn something.”
“Great, we could use the extra help. Most of the time, I pair up with Naomi to provide the demonstrations.”
Oh, no. He’s going to ask Lash to partner with me. Don’t do it, Chuy. Naomi stood behind Lash waving her arms at Chuy, trying to get his attention.
“If you don’t mind pairing up with Naomi, it would make it easier for me … to teach … the …” Chuy glanced quizzically at Naomi. “Why do you keep shaking your head?”
Naomi froze when Lash turned to her. “I don’t mind at all,” he said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “Anything to help out.”
She smiled weakly and wondered how she was going to handle having his hands on her body.
***