Page 14 of Graced
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”He watched as Andy left to go tend to a recalcitrant pinball machine.Dropping his voice, he noted, “I wanted to ask him if there was any more of that AB in stock.”
“That good, eh?”his housemate lightly teased.
“You have no idea.”
“Okay.Have it your way.I’ll drop by the supermarket then.Other than our usual, is there anything in particular you need me to get?”
“Not that I can think of.”
“Well, if you do, yell.Later!”Nash ended the call, and Rhyne hung up on his end.
Checking the clock, he resigned himself to a few more hours of work as he hoped for some good news to end his day.
* * *
To say she was half-inclined to drive over to the amusement center instead of going straight home after work would be an understatement.But she also knew that if she did, chances were the strange man wouldn’t be there.Which begged the question—if she hung around for a bit, would he return soon?
“What if he decided to go home instead of going back to work?”she challenged herself.“Then again, Icouldgo over there later this evening.I wonder what time they close.”
She suddenly found herself pulling into the parking lot of a small strip mall.Hitting the brake, she glared at her reflection in the rearview mirror.
“What in thehell’scome over you?Why are you now so obsessed with this guy, this total stranger?A man you know zip about?He could be a serial killer, for all you know!Or a druggie!Or married!Or engaged!Or…” She shook her head.“Fuuuck.”
Burying her face in her hands, she rested her elbows on the steering wheel.“Damn it, Grace, you’re acting like an infatuated groupie who’s hot for a member of the band,” she accused herself.“So why have you gone ape shit over this one guy in particular?It’s not like you haven’t seen or talked to your fair share of eligibles.Hell…” She sat up and stared, unseeing, out the windshield.“I don’t even know your name.Even if I went over to the amusement center, and I didn’t see you, I wouldn’t be able to tell whoever’s working there who you were.”
Pissed, Grace forced herself to calm down before getting back on the road and going home.It wasn’t until she found herself driving past a ValuSav that she remembered she needed to buy more tampons.
“You’d think these companies have a female or two on their research committees who’d tell them ten sticks in a box won’t last them for the duration.Or maybe that’s the whole point why dollar stores don’t offer them in larger packages, and force us girls to buy two boxes at a time.”She laughed as she waited for traffic to pass before pulling into the parking lot.“Geez, woman.Listen to yourself.”
She hurried inside the store and quickly found the product she needed.As she headed for the checkout, she passed by the meat department.“Bologna.And bread.Oh, and don’t forget the cheese.And while I’m here, I might as well grab some milk.”
Knowing she wouldn’t be able to carry everything in her arms, she detoured over to the front of the store to get a shopping cart.Before she knew it, she’d already placed a dozen objects in the basket.
“All right.I have stuff for lunch and a couple of things for supper.Mmm, supper.A roasted chicken!Better hurry to make sure I get one before they’re all gone!”
She moved quickly, rounding the chips and cookies aisle to head for the deli department.She never saw the guy rounding the aisle from the other side.Apparently, neither did he.She tried to avoid him and ended up ramming her cart into his side, a wheel rolling over his foot.The impact nearly knocked the man into several cases of bottled water.The items he was carrying scattered across the floor.
“Oh, my gosh!Oh, no!I’m so sorry!”Stepping over several boxes and cans, Grace held out a hand to help him to his feet.“Are you hurt?I’m so sorry!I didn’t see you!”Technically, the man was at fault for walking in front of her since she was in what could be considered the “main thoroughfare.”
At first, the man didn’t reply.Neither did he accept her offer to help him to stand.She noticed how his nostrils flared and heard him sniff loudly.For a fleeting instant she’d swear his eyes glittered, and the sight of it made her skin crawl.
He got to his feet on his own and began picking up the items he’d dropped.Grace reached down to snag a bag of beef jerky, but he snatched it out of her grasp.It was clear the man was irritated, so she stepped away to let him gather everything on his own.When she realized there’d be no further interaction between them, she returned to her cart to continue toward the deli section.
“You smell good,” the guy told her out of the blue.
Grace paused, confused.“Excuse me?”
“You smell good.”
She cast him a small smile.“Thanks.Are you sure you’re okay?”He wasn’t a bad-looking guy.Clean shaven.Tall and slender.Not very muscular, but she could tell he was fit.A diamond stud glittered from one earlobe.
“I’m fine.”He took another long sniff and smiled at her.“Nice meeting you…” His eyes dropped to her nametag.“Miss Lockhart.”His gaze returned to her face.He continued to stare at her, as if he was memorizing her features, then he turned and walked away as if nothing had happened.
She watched him until he reached the end of the aisle and turned, as if heading for the registers.Shrugging, she continued on her way until she remembered.
She wasn’t wearing any perfume, and her deodorant was unscented.
