Page 195 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“No,” he admitted sheepishly. “But, I do have the internet. I’m sure I can easily find a recipe on Pinterest. It can’t be that hard, right?”
“I may need to help you,” I winked at him.
We laughed as I grabbed a bag of shrimp. We were both in great moods, despite it being a Monday evening.
“This looks like everything,” Cayden said. We walked toward the front of the store with all the ingredients, plus a bottle of wine and tiramisu for dessert. I was excited for a delicious dinner, and hopefully an even better experience after dinner. My body needed Cayden, especially after my double orgasm on Friday night. I had thought of it all weekend, even taking matters into my own hands a few times.
Cayden began to put the items on the check-out belt when he turned to me.
“Shit,” he said. “I forgot to grab some olive oil.”
“I can grab some,” I told him. “Is there any specific type that you want?”
“Any brand, as long as it’s extra virgin olive oil,” Cayden said. I nodded and walked away. Since I was unfamiliar with the store’s layout, it took a minute to find the right aisle, but I was finally able to find the olive oil. I grabbed a bottle and walked toward the front of the store.
As I turned, I froze. Over by the milk, I saw Brad. Rather, I thought I saw Brad. His back was toward me, but I knew those arms from anywhere. He had on gym clothes and a baseball hat that covered his blonde hair. As I walked closer to him, he turned and quickly walked further away. He still had his back to me and I could not see his face.
I debated on what to do next. I could follow the mystery man deeper into the store or I could turn the opposite direction and head toward the front of the store where Cayden was waiting for the olive oil. I turned to look down at where Brad had walked, but he was gone. Feeling defeated, I walked toward the front of the store.
“Thank you,” Cayden said, grabbing the olive oil as I approached him. I tried to avoid looking at him.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “It looks like you have seen a ghost.”
I quickly pulled myself together, not wanting to reveal who I thought I had seen.
“I’m fine,” I lied. Cayden smiled. I could tell that he believed me.
After we checked out, Cayden and I walked outside.
“I’ll meet you at my house?” he asked. I nodded. He kissed me before getting in his car.
“See you soon,” he grinned. He drove away, and I walked over to my car. I turned back to look at the store, hoping I would catch another glance of Brad, or the person I thought was Brad. I got in my car but did not turn it on. Instead, I waited, staring at the grocery store doors. I needed to confirm that it was Brad. If it was Brad, what was he doing here? Why was he grocery shopping in Miami when he lived in Tampa?
My mind began to spin with possibilities. Maybe he had broken up with Jessica and moved back to Miami. Maybe he was single now. Maybe he had realized his mistake and was trying to track me down to apologize? As much as I wanted the last possibility to be true, I knew it wasn’t. He wouldn’t have to work hard to track me down. I had the same phone number and I hadn’t blocked him. I had thought about it, but I wanted to keep the lines of communication open just in case.
He had many ways of contacting me – phone, email, social media. He hadn’t tried to contact me at all since we broke up. I thought he might have called last Christmas or for my birthday, but my phone had stayed silent. Every holiday that passed was a reminder that Brad had moved on and I had not.
I waited for five more minutes, but the mystery man did not come out of the store. I thought about going back in, but I stopped myself. Cayden was probably already back at his house, waiting for me. He thought I left right after him. Finally, I turned on my car and left. Even if it was Brad, I didn’t have time. I had someone else waiting for me.
“Call Mandy,” I instructed my car’s sync system. In a few seconds, Mandy’s voice came over my car’s speakers.
“Hey, girl,” she said. “Are you at Cayden’s?”
“On my way,” I said. “We went grocery shopping before.”
“Aww, that is so cute. You two are already doing real couple things together.”
“Yeah,” I said, “but, listen. I’m not calling for that. I’m calling because I think I saw Brad at the grocery store.”
Mandy gasped.
“No,” she said. “You did not!”
“I think I did,” I said, turning on Cayden’s street. “I’m 99.9% sure that it was him. I didn’t see him from the front, but it looked just like him. I didn’t have time to investigate any further, but I think he is back in town.”
Mandy sighed.
“I think that you think you saw him,” she said. “He is in Tampa, remember? He’s with Jessica and they have their own life there. He’s not here anymore, Tiffany.”
