Chapter Five

Nicole is at the Homestead early the next two days, working long hours to try and get the yard back into shape. She weed whacks and mows, which takes much longer than Waverly thought it would.

By the third day, she's gotten the long grass under control. She's even put new grass seed down and fertilized it all. She's gotten to work on the garden plot- which is completely overgrown and tangled with weeds. She's attacking it with a pitchfork, and the flannel she was wearing has been tossed somewhere, leaving her in a plain black sports bra.

Which is what leads to Wynonna staring at Nicole out of the kitchen window, a cup of coffee (with a dash of whisky) in her hands.

She slowly turns to Waverly, who is standing next to her. "Um, wow. I can totally see why you wanna tap that."

Waverly is distracted by the way the muscles in Nicole's arms look when she yanks the pitchfork out of the ground. "Mhm," is her only vague reply.

"If you don't hop on that I might have to."

"Fuck off, Wynonna."

"I'd fuck off straight into Red's gorgeous arms."

"Seriously, Wynonna, shoo. Go away," Waverly pushes Wynonna away from the window, glancing away from the window.

"Alright, alright. I got it, you called dibs. Just let me know when a new bakery opens up and the owner is a complete stud-muffin."

With that, Wynonna saunters out of the room. Of course, she makes sure to grab the bottle of whisky from the counter as she does.

—

Nicole's made admirable progress in the last few hours. She actually has some of the garden plot completely weed free.

Waverly slips a pair of shoes on before going outside, making her way to the back of the house and Nicole.

"Hey, Nic. I think it's break time. Don't overwork yourself."

Nicole stabs the pitchfork into soft earth at Waverly's words. "A break sounds like a fantastic idea. I thought Canada was supposed to be cold."

"We have summer too. Come inside, get something to drink."

"Thank god," Nicole murmurs, following Waverly inside the house. Nicole sits at the kitchen table, watching as Waverly grabs cups and what looks like a pitcher of iced tea.

"Hope you like tea," she says as she sets a glass down in front of Nicole, pouring tea into it.

"Who doesn't? Thank you so much."

"No problem. Are you hungry? I can make you a sandwich. Do you like turkey?"

"I, uh… Sure," Nicole says. She doesn't really think she has a choice, as Waverly is already gathering the ingredients to assemble a sandwich. It's very appreciated, though.

Just a few minutes later, Waverly sets a sandwich in front of her. It's cut diagonally, which Nicole finds adorable and very Waverly.

She eats quickly, realizing just how hungry she actually was.

"So…"

"So?" Nicole repeats, looking up at Waverly.

"Are you busy after this?"

"Nope. My entire day is free."

"Well… wanna go out for that coffee?" Waverly asks, flicking her gaze up to Nicole, her head slightly bowed down.

A grin spreads across Nicole's face. "You know what? I'd love to."

"You should probably put a shirt on first. Just a suggestion."

Nicole's face grows red as she looks down and realizes her partially undressed state. "Oh my god, Waverly, I'm so sorry. I didn't- I mean- uh…"

Waverly laughs softly, watching as Nicole buries her face in her hands. "It's totally fine, Nicole. Seriously, I don't… I don't mind."

Nicole stands abruptly, the chair scraping on the floor. "I'm gonna go get my shirt. I'll be right back."

She practically flees outside, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. Waverly's laughter follows her.

Nicole returns a few minutes later, buttoning the last few buttons on her shirt. Her face is still that bright shade of red and she refuses to look at Waverly.

She stands behind her chair, staring down at the table. "I'm gonna run home and take a shower."

"Wanna meet up at the diner in two hours?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll, um, see you then."

Nicole gives an awkward little wave before running away again.

—

Two hours later, Waverly is sitting in a booth at the diner, a mug of coffee cradled in her hands.

The bell above the door chimes and Waverly looks up to see Nicole walking in. She glances around and spots Waverly, a shy smile creeping onto her lips.

She slides into the seat across from Waverly, running a hand through her hair.

"Hey, Waves. Did I keep you waiting long?"

"Not at all," Waverly says, sitting up just a bit straighter. Nicole had replaced her blue button up shirt with… another blue button up shirt. She's also wearing a thick jacket.

"That's good. Look, I'm sorry that I ran out on you so fast earlier."

Waverly shakes her head, running her fingertips along the rim of her mug. "Oh, don't be. I completely understand."

Nicole watches Waverly's fingers, stammering slightly. "I, uh, okay. I'm glad. That you understand. That you aren't mad or anything. Yeah."

Waverly watches her with a smile on her face. A waitress comes over, places a mug in front of Nicole, and pours coffee into it.

Nicole thanks her, flashing her a quick smile. The waitress returns it, sliding her hand across Nicole's shoulder slowly as she walks away.

Nicole grabs a packet of sugar, shaking it before she rips it open and pours it into the mug.

The shorter woman glares after the waitress- Hetty, she remembers. They went to high school together. "That was odd."

"Hmm?" Nicole hums, looking up at Waverly. "What was odd?"

"Just… the way she was touching you," Waverly says. She's not jealous. No, that'd be ridiculous. She doesn't even have any reason to be jealous. (Okay, she might be a little jealous.)

Nicole takes a sip of her coffee before chucking softly. "What way was she touching me?"

Waverly huffs. "She was being touchy. Like flirty touchy."

Nicole sets her mug down, raising one eyebrow. "Really? I didn't notice that. Eh, she's not really my type."

Waverly raises her eyebrows this time. "Oh yeah? What is your type, then?"

The redhead takes a moment, pretending to think the question over. "Hmm.. I have a soft spot for pretty girls who work at tattoo shops and love vegan ice cream."

Waverly grins.

—

They spend hours there, going through more cups of coffee than they probably should, considering the darkening sky outside.

To them, it feels like no time has passed at all. They probably would have been content to sit there together all night, if not for the chime that comes from Waverly's phone.

It snaps them out of their little bubble and Waverly checks her phone, finding a message from Wynonna.

She sighs softly. "I'm sorry, Nic. Wynonna needs my help with something back at the Homestead. I had… such a good time tonight. Thank you."

"No need to thank me. I had a great time too. We should definitely do this again sometime."

Waverly nods in agreement, watching as Nicole flags down the waitress so she can cover the bill. (Hetty scowls, displeased with the lack of attention she had gotten from Nicole despite her best efforts.)

They walk out of the diner together, a shiver running through Waverly as they step into the cool spring air.

Nicole quickly shrugs her jacket off, draping it over Waverly's shoulders. She smiles up at the taller woman, wrapping it tight around herself.

"Thanks, Nic," she whispers as they arrive at her Jeep. Waverly leans against it, reaching out to place a hand on the redhead's forearm.

"No problem. I'll see you soon, yeah?"

"Yeah," Waverly says, nodding. She looks down at her feet for a moment before suddenly stepping closer to Nicole. She stands up on her tiptoes, pressing a quick kiss against Nicole's cheek.

Nicole is left standing there, her hand half raised to her cheek. There's a smile on her lips as she watches Waverly drive off.