it. John swept his feet with his foot and lifted him into the backseat.
“Foley!” he called. “Ride with me.”
Foley was in a daze which he broke just enough to brush Naomi with his lips in a quick kiss.
“I’ll be back. I am leaving my bike here,” he said entranced.
Kay’s eyes flared with curiosity. Naomi pushed the door, closing them both in the house.
“Girl,” Kay declared. “What in the world?”
That was what Naomi loved about Kay. Even when things were tense, she was sunshine. With her white-blond ringlets and her bright blue eyes. Her crisp white Ts and Daisy Maes, she got right to it no matter what.
“Why Miss Kay I have no idea what you mean,” Naomi giggled.
“That fine looking deputy-slash-biker kissing you good-bye is what I am talking about?” said Kay. “Got some coffee?”
“I just got here. I am sure I am about to walk into a kitchen mess,” said Naomi as the two of them climbed the stairs to the kitchen. “Daryl Pollard hasn’t pitched in since he helped make my last child.”
“Ew,” said Kay.
Sure enough, dirty dishes loaded the sink.
“Have a seat, while I clean,” said Naomi. “I’ll put a pot on. My stomach is roiling though. I need me some biscuits.”
She pulled a zippered bag of home-made biscuits from the freezer and popped a couple in the toaster oven.
“Girl you are so organized,” Kay remarked. “I wanna be you when I grow up. So tell me.”
Kay flipped her fingers like she was coaching Naomi to back up a truck, encouraging her to give her the details. Naomi made coffee.
“Daryl finally got the kids and me a truck. You were gone when he brought it home. So immediately I hop in and do my thing. I was in a meeting in downtown, coming home and it died. Well the son of a bitch would not come and get me,” said Naomi.
Kay snickered in her hand.
“What?” asked Naomi.
“Well for corn sake, Naomi. It’s not but a twenty minute walk from here to downtown,” said Kay.
Naomi was surprised at her response.
“Really? After dark in Deliverance-ville, you going to tell me you would walk home? And I was on the other side of town not on the hill side. It would have taken an hour if anything,” Naomi challenged.
Deliverance-ville was their reference to a movie about people who lived in the deep hills. Any kind of scary, iffy person in Orange got a Deliverance reference.
“Hayell no,” said Kay putting on her thickest southern accent.
“I didn’t think so,” said Naomi.
“But,” she continued. “If I had to I could and I would. I wouldn’t spend the night at some stranger’s house.”
Now that really blindsided Naomi because she hadn’t told Kay a thing about Foley.
“Who said I did?” demanded Naomi. “And you saw him. Yes you would, not that I said anything about shacking up.”
Kay leaned in across the table, wide-eyed.
“Naomi Wellington. I am your best friend. You got in a spat with your husband and a gorgeous, and I mean gorgeous, man is in your doorway, kisses you goodbye. I can do math.”
“Okay,” said Naomi with an irrepressible grin. “Okay.”
But it still didn’t make sense, completely unless Kay knew Naomi better than Naomi realized. She was fighting with Daryl it was true but that didn’t mean she stayed out all night. It didn’t matter. Maybe she had said as much and didn’t realize it. She shrugged it off and poured them two fresh, hot cups of coffee. She checked the biscuits. They were just about done. She took a ramekin out of the refrigerator and popped it in the microwave. When the microwave was done, so were the biscuits. She set biscuits and honey butter in front of Kay.
“Dang, but this is good,” Kay remarked. “We are so blessed.”
“I knew that yesterday when I felt trapped in my marriage. But I know it even more,” said Naomi.
“Oh please,” said Kay. “A Wellington? Not blessed? By ‘we’ I meant me,” Kay