“Lottie,” he said with a nod.Looking at the haul of goodies on the table, he smiled at the woman before kicking at the wooden floorboard.“Seems Felix got hold of you.”
Lottie rolled her eyes, shooting Parker acan you believe this guyglance.“He did, though you could have just texted me yourself.”She stood in front of the big man and poked his shoulder.“Contrary to what some may think, I am not all that scary.”
Travis shrugged.“Don’t think that.Just know you and Felix are closer.”
Lottie sighed indulgently.“I guess I can agree with that statement.”She smiled at Parker and Kit one last time before starting down the stairs, waving over her shoulder.“Have a lovely day, you guys.”
Parker waved to the woman who was already halfway into the barn before turning her attention to Travis.“Well, she is something else.”Parker had never met a woman as effortlessly friendly while also seeming a little pushy at the same time.
Travis chuckled.“She is.”He looked around the apartment, taking in the few belongings they’d strew about in an attempt to make the place their own.“Ready to hit the store?Not sure what’s left in the fridge besides Felix’s favorite hot sauce.”
Parker laughed lightly as she had already found the bottle of expired sauce and tossed it into the garbage.“That sounds good.”Gathering her purse and stuffing the gift cards she’d just been given into it, she managed to get Kit into her shoes in under five minutes and followed Travis down the stairs.It took another minute to get Kit to come with her out to Travis’s truck since Kit was insistent on spending at least a couple of minutes searching for Boots.“If it’s not much trouble, do you think we could stop by some shops downtown?I was hoping to get some clothes for Kit.”
Travis glanced over his shoulder and nodded curtly.“No trouble.Whatever you need.”Once they were all settled in the truck, Parker couldn’t help but smile as the cold air from the vents hit her face.“Take your time getting settled.We start work Monday morning.”
Smiling at getting a whole weekend to just hang with her daughter, Parker tried to relax and stop waiting for the other shoe to drop.“I look forward to it.”
Hard work wasn’t something she’d ever shied away from and she was eager to start earning her keep, but as she snuck glances over at Travis, the grassy green eyes that were focused on the road at the forefront of her mind, the more Parker realized there was definitely one part of the job she was looking forward to most.
Chapter Nine
Travis
Beecham’s Market was nothing special as far as Travis was concerned, just your run-of-the-mill, small-town grocery store where you could stock up on essentials needed for the week, but you would never know that from the wide-eyed stare on Kit’s face.From the way she had been acting since the moment they stepped foot in the store, you’d think she was at Disneyland.As they traveled between aisles, gathering everything from milk to fresh produce to some kind of brightly colored cereal Kit had talked her mom into buying, the girl was nothing but smiles and giggles.
When she had placed the box into the cart, Parker had shrugged helplessly.“I know it’s probably not the most nutritious food, but I get tired of saying no all the time.”
The reality of their circumstances once again hit Travis like a punch to the gut, but not knowing what to say to make either of them feel better, he simply nodded and added another box of the cereal to their growing haul.When they’d started their shopping trip, he’d had no idea what kind of budget he should use.Any thought of limiting either Parker or Kit flew out the window the moment he heard Kit asking for the yellow sticker section.
“Sticker section?”he’d asked her, thinking it was some kind of kid thing.
Parker smiled sadly and hugged her daughter to her side.“It’s usually where the clearance items are kept.”She watched Travis as he processed another piece of information that reminded him of just how good he’d had things in his life.“We have no problem sticking to that here too.I don’t want to take advantage of anyone’s kindness.”
Travis had huffed, frustrated that they’d been given so little and were still reluctant to take more when it was offered freely.“No need,” he grunted.Parker stepped back, slightly wary and Travis softened his voice.The last thing he wanted was for either of them to be afraid of him.“Don’t have one here anyway.”Parker had shot him a skeptical look, but nodded before going about their shopping again.
Now, a good forty minutes after they’d arrived and traveled every inch of the store, they rang up the sale.When Parker saw the number on the screen, she started to protest, but Travis merely waved her away and tapped his card.“What stores do you want to hit next?”He’d hoped the question would distract her from her worries about the money, and it seemed to have worked, though from the knowing expression on Parker’s face, she knew he’d done it on purpose.
