Page 6 of Down the Aisle
I wasn't the type of person to beat around the bush or idle with time because, well, I didn't have the time or energy for it. I only ever put myself toward things I deemed worthy, and apparently, this woman and Asher fell into the category.
Brushing the tip of her chin with my thumb, I warmed my smile up as much as possible. "So, what do you say? Put up with me for about ten more minutes, for Asher's sake?"
Instantly, her eyes trembled with nervousness as she looked at me with uncertainty and… fear?
Had I tried too hard and ended up making myself creepy? What did I do to scare her? Why was she scared? I really haven't done or said anything too strange… Hopefully… I think…
Her neck tightened as her throat bobbed with a hard swallow, and I was fully prepared for her rejection when she surprised me. "W-well, you should at least tell me your name if you're going to be tagging along." It was so cute how she struggled to sound coy, and the way her cheeks flushed up made her more adorable.
Trailing the back of my index finger up her jaw, I tucked her silky chocolate-colored hair behind her ear. "Adam, and I apologize for being rude and withholding my name from such a beautiful woman," I replied with a smooth chuckle and playful grin. "A lovely woman who hopefully has a name as well?" I couldn't keep referring to her as 'the woman' or 'grocery store woman.'
The redness in her cheeks dissipated with her giggle and shy smile. "Sorry, I'm Eliza." Nervously, she rubbed her bunched hands together. "Are you sure you're fine with holding Asher for another ten or fifteen minutes? I mean, I'm almost done, but I like to take a close look at everything."
Throwing her a knowing smile, I nodded my head with certainty before reaching down to pick my basket up, only to have her take it from me and set it in her cart. "You're already carrying my sack of potatoes," she joked with a playful chuckle. "You don't need to lug around extra weight."
Deciding not to fight with her on it, I let her have it her way. "I mean, these muscles aren't just for show, you know." I lightly boasted with a slight puff of my chest.
"Oh? I didn't notice them," she snarked with a stifled smile.
Unfortunately, her little ray of sunshine cut off with a quick frown and a turn of her head. "Sorry, I don't mean that in an offensive way, not saying you don't look good, or your efforts aren't clearly seen," she quickly apologized with trembling eyes.
A slight pang to my heart caused me to wince internally as I smiled at her sadly. "Hey," my finger reached back out and tilted at her chin. "That means I didn't flex enough for you," I joked with a cheesy grin and chuckle. "You don't have to apologize for a harmless quip," I assured her. "Besides, do I look upset by it?"
I actually found it quite amusing and a little refreshing because not many people made such jabs at me. To be fair, joking around with a mafia boss wasn't a good idea all around.Eliza probably wouldn't have talked to me or looked my way if she knew of my career.
Which is why she will never know if I can help it.
Pinching her chin, I flashed her a friendly smile before nodding at the freezer. "Are you done looking at dino nuggets," I asked with a chuckle before looking down at her cart to see a missing bag of the fun-shaped chicken bites.
"Uhh yeah, I remembered I still have a lot at home…" If her voice hadn't wavered as it did, then I wouldn't have doubted her words.
Hiking Asher up because he was slipping, I gave most of my attention to the smiley toddler. Glancing at her out of the corners of my eyes, I told her, "Well, I'm perfectly fine and dandy with the lil' dude, so you take your time." It also meant more time to spend around her if she took her sweet time.
Giving in with a smile, she started to push her cart along the aisle at a slow pace. Her eyes never ceased scanning each item and tag as we passed by the shelves. Besides watching Asher, I found myself being the cart police with Eliza. She was so engrossed with the items she kept veering her cart into the middle of the aisle, so I had to keep nudging it back or steering it clear from hitting people. Along with Asher duty, I found myself being the cart police. Eliza was so engrossed with the items and tags that the cart kept veering into the middle of the aisles. Discreetly, I carefully nudged it back, keeping it from hitting other customers and avoiding embarrassing Eliza in the process.
Even if most of my attention was on Asher, I didn't let Eliza slip from my radar. I noticed every scrunch of her face, frown of her lips, deflate of her chest as she sighed inaudibly, and downward turn of her eyes.
Was she just picky? Was it something at home? Why did she seem so stressed?
"You usually take these trips alone? Like, just you and Asher? Or does your partner help out usually?" Hopefully, I wasn't too straightforward or offended her, but I was curious as to whether I had to get rid of a body or not to get her.
Her cheeks tensed up in an awkward smile as she looked at me with half-hooded eyes. "Uhh it's just me and Asher…" she dragged out, her voice a little flat as she scratched at the side of her head with a finger.
She didn't soundtobeat up about it. If anything, her voice softened a little with relief before fear tightened it up a little. "But yeah… Uhh just us…" Her bottom lip reddened as she gnawed on it and nervously chuckled. "Hopefully, your girlfriend won't get too upset at you staying out long…" her voice wavered heavily between confusion and coyness with a tinge of regret when she looked up fully at me.
This poor woman really needed to grow a backbone, or at least, she needed to let her confidence out. I could see the sparks of confidence and trouble in her eyes, but they were always extinguished before they could rage into a wildfire.
Who hurt you, my dear Eliza?
Chapter 3
Eliza
I tried not totake long with the rest of my trip, not wanting to take up more of Adam's time than necessary. I mean, I wasn't exactly complaining about having him around. Strangely, I found his presence rather comforting. Well, mostly comforting. There was something about him that made my gut uneasy.
Adam was friendly and charming, but it felt a little overly so. Sure, he could very well be a wholesome man, not like they were extinct in the twenty-first century. But Adam… I don't know… There was this strange, nagging feeling.
Although, such feeling of distrust could be me in general. I wasn’t exactly trusting of people after being constantly let down nearly my whole life, but with men it was worse. I had a natural distrust of them because of all the abuse my ex-husband put me through. Even if they were harmless and friendly, like how Adam presented, I could never lower my guard.
