A Different Slice

37 - Nomes (Naomi)

She reached up to squeeze his hand and rested her head against his. "Me neither."

Once in Gimli, they drove down the quaint small-town streets with generous front yards and simple bungalows. They found Jodie's back lane and parked near the two-car garage. Her oldest nephew, Jason, looked up from the raised deck and scrutinized the truck. It wasn't until Naomi poked herself out the window to holler, 'Hello,' that he shot up and ran toward them.

"Aunt Mimi!" He threw his arms around her in a hug. "Do you have more cinnamon buns?"

She laughed and ruffled his hair. "Those made an impression on you. I don't, but I have something you'll like even more." She dug in a reusable bag until she found a large container. "Auntie Shivanna baked cookies since she couldn't come this year."

Jason grinned and eyed the lid.

"Only one for you and one for Leo before you give them to grandma, okay? We'll save the rest for later."

She and Jason reached in and lightened the container.

"Hey, you took two!" he accused.

"Drivers get grumpy if you don't feed them."

Her nephew looked at Kieran with narrowed eyes before heading into the house. Naomi extended the cookie to Kieran, who took it and sighed. "Damn, that woman can bake."

"I've tried learning, but I'm hopeless."

"Invite me over. I'm a quick study, especially with food. Then I'll make them for you anytime."

"If Shivanna agrees, you're on." She handed a bag of groceries to him and carried the other one inside.

The house had cabin vibes with a cathedral ceiling painted white to brighten up the room. A long black wood-plank table contrasted it, alongside stainless steel appliances and grey blinds in the open kitchen, dining and living room area.

"You two made it. Welcome." Jodie came to give them both hugs. "Camping in the backyard is Naomi's tradition. We have the couch or the spare bedroom if the bugs are awful."

"We'll be fine. Thanks for hosting us," Kieran said.

"Any time. There's ice fishing up here in the wintertime, and I promise we won't make you camp."

He chuckled, looked at Naomi and raised his pierced eyebrow. "Sounds fun."

She pictured him in a red toque and a plaid jacket, somewhere between a lumberjack and hipster. They'd snuggle on the couch, drink hot chocolate, and skate. She squeezed Kieran's hand and smiled up at him.

After lunch, they headed to the festivities in the 'downtown' area, which was a handful of streets facing the beach on the edge of Lake Winnipeg. While Jodie drove Peter and the kids to explore the Viking Village first, Naomi and Kieran wandered the shore. Since Lake Winnipeg was a remnant of glacial Lake Agassiz, the shores were lined with a mix of small rocks near the water and fine, golden sand despite being in the middle of the continent, far from any ocean. They walked past a familiar rocky section at the start of the trail where the sand met the soil, and she looked away.

She and Kieran strolled hand-in-hand, bumping shoulders too often for it to be accidental, and his grin was a major giveaway. They passed a park where spectators cheered as a tall woman spiked a volleyball over the net that the other team couldn't block. Naomi had played in the tournament once or twice, her height boosting her mediocre skill.

"Brinny mentioned she had fun at the softball game," Kieran said.

How much time did he spend with Brinny? When he and Naomi had first hung out, he had almost avoided the woman, but he seemed closer to her now. Was that Brinny's doing or Kieran's wish?