“SETH!” the waitress shrieked, dropped her novel, and charged at Seth as he entered.
The young woman threw herself into his arms, wrapped her legs around his waist, and planted a kiss on his lips. Natti’s jealousy stirred, her cheeks burning. She wanted to grab the girl’s ponytail and rip it from her skull. To control the urge, she made herself as rigid as stone. Her nails sunk into the plush fabric of the jackal. Seth finally lowered the bleached blonde to the floor and peeled her raspberry pink lips from his mouth.
“Uh, hi, Kandi.” Seth glanced nervously at Natti. “Kandi, this is Natti.”
Natti pushed back a strand of her hair, and then held out her hand. “Um, hi.”
Kandi raised her nose and pretended Natti didn’t exist.
Natti rolled her eyes. “Nice to meet you, too.”
Kandi turned to Seth. “I’ll escort you to your usual table!”
She looped her arm through Seth’s and kicked her leg back at Natti with a crinkled nose. Natti shook her head in disbelief, and Seth gave her an apologetic smile. Kandi led him down the rows of seats to a booth by the window. She set him in his seat, her rump blocking Natti’s way. As Kandi rubbed Seth’s shoulders, leaning over him to expose her low cut shirt, Natti’s attention was drawn to something on the back of Seth’s neck: a tattoo of a hieroglyph. Like the seal on her grandmother’s letter, the design wasn’t anything close to the hieroglyphs the tattoo parlors at the festival. A golden straight line with a two point fork on the bottom and a curve balanced on its tilted top. It was so light that it was hardly noticeable.
“So, what can I get you, sweetie?” Kandi cooed.
“Ah, two regular coffees,” Seth told her and glanced back at Natti.
“Coming right up.”
Kandi pushed herself up and knocked right into Natti without an apology.
“Friendly, isn’t she?” Natti mocked as soon as Kandi had disappeared.
“Don’t mind her. Have a seat.”
Natti placed the jackal on the table and started to walk to the bench on the other side.
“No, not there.” Seth smiled and moved closer to the window. “That seat has been broken for years. Here, sit next to me.”
She scanned the other empty chairs around them. “Can’t we just sit at another table?”
Seth gave her a mischievous grin. “We could, but this really is the best seat in the house.”
Natti sputtered a laugh. “And why is that, I wonder?”
“Why don’t you sit here and find out?”
Natti shifted, a little uneasy, before finally sitting next to Seth. Seth placed a hand around her shoulders and leaned her over, pointing out the large window. The sun was slowly melting into the horizon, its light cast on the open fairgrounds and town hall outside.
“Best place in town to watch the sunset. You see, Amon Street—the road that stops in front of the town hall and begins again right behind the grounds—lines up perfectly with the sun’s path.”
The vibrant colors began to paint the sky, and the light shined through the line of buildings, highlighting town hall. That mixed with the soft tingling seeping through her jacket while his thumb moved in slow circles on her sleeve made her feel at ease.
“It is pretty. It makes me think a little about home, though.”
Seth pulled her a little closer. “Yeah? How so?”
“Well, after visiting my grandmother’s for the day, my dad always took me to Kensington Gardens. There’s a little outdoor café—the Boardwalk Café, actually—and he always bought me a hot chocolate.” She laughed while she thought on her old home in England. “Afterward, we would walk through the gardens, passing the ponds and structures. My favorite spot was the Italian Gardens. I loved sitting and listening to the fountains. And when the sun began to set on a clear day, the colors would reflect in the water. It looked as if an artist painted the scene.”
“Sounds like you really miss it.”
“I do,” Natti admitted, but she honestly loved being in Seth’s arms as well. In a way, they too felt like home to her. Like she belonged there. There was definitely something about him—something about his touch—that made her feel comfortable, enticed. She just hadn’t figured out what it was that caused it.
“And what about your mother? Did she join you two on these little trips?”
Natti heart sank and lowered her gaze as the chill took hold of her once more. “My mum died when I was five.”
“Oh.” Seth rubbed his neck. “How—How did it happen?”