The grocery store was deserted at this time of the morning. There were only about a dozen cars in the parking lot, and I’d have bet more than half of those belonged to employees. I grabbed a cart out of the corral to help them out since there was no reason for an employee to bundle up and come out in the cold if I was already heading in.
As I browsed the bakery section, I noted what they offered and critiqued everything. I wondered if they’d had less business since Shiloh’s had opened. I sort of hoped not because it was probably hard to keep a grocery store open in a town like Harmony Grove when people could easily drive up to Pineville or over to Birch Lake, where there were more choices at lower prices.
“Hey, Ezra.” I spun around at the sound of someone calling my name. I panicked for a few seconds. The guy’s face was familiar, but I couldn’t place who he was. Luckily, the other man must have noticed my confusion and helped me out of an embarrassing situation. “Blake.” Nope. That didn’t help me a bit. “Danny Langsford is my husband. We met at the meeting the other night.”
“Oh, right. Sorry, it was a hectic night, and I was trying to make sure I didn’t throw up all over the food.” My heartbeat sped up as I realized what I’d just said. No one wanted to hear about someone vomiting when they were talking about food. Especially when I was the one who made the food. “Sorry, I meant?—”
“You’re good,” Blake reassured me. “I know what you mean. People here can be overwhelming on the best of days. And I hope this doesn’t come off as condescending, but I was proud of how well you pulled yourself together. It was obvious you were uncomfortable speaking in front of people, but you did a great job. The guys were telling Eleanor about the menu you pulled together for the tasting, and even she’s talking about asking you to help out for Christmas dinner. It can’t be easy cooking for all of us guys, so that’s probably a good idea. In fact, would I be able to set something up with you directly, or do I need to call Shiloh’s?”
“Um, probably call Shiloh’s.” That was the right answer, right? After all, it was his business, not mine. And I didn’t want him to think I was going behind his back if I offered to do the cooking at home so I didn’t stress him out. “But let him know you talked to me. If he charges you for the ingredients and stuff, I’d be happy to help out. The brothers do so much for this city, and they obviously got that work ethic from somewhere.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Blake’s phone buzzed, and he silenced it. “I’ll give him a call right back. He’s probably trying to make sure I don’t forget anything.”
“Danny?” Blake’s husband and I had been in the same graduating class. He was the youngest Langsford, the “oops baby” as I’d heard him referred to when he was younger. Oddly enough, I couldn’t remember much about him. Like me, he’d kept to himself, but we’d both been in our own orbits.
“Yeah. He’s not feeling well, so I’m going to do my best to make Eleanor’s famous chicken noodle soup,” Blake explained. “He told me to just call her, but I don’t want to do that. She deserves a break from her boys once they grow up and get married, and I like taking care of him.”
That was so sweet a dull ache formed in my chest. I wanted a love like that. I wanted a Langsford of my own to take care of. I chuckled as Blake and I said our goodbyes, and I debated whether I could ask Santa for Carson wrapped up under the tree for me on Christmas morning. That would definitely be a shock to my parents. Their heads might just explode.
Grocery shopping was as boring as it ever was and frustrating to boot when they didn’t have a bunch of the ingredients I needed. I might have to drive up to Pineville after all. I purchased the items I was able to find and offered the cashier a weak smile when she asked if I’d found everything I needed rather than telling her I hadn’t because the selection was subpar. It wasn’t her fault.
After loading the groceries into the car and returning the cart to the store, I started planning what needed to get done so I could have food ready for Carson by lunchtime.
Maybe I should call to make sure he could actually look at my car today. That was probably a good idea. I made a note—on paper, not even just mental—to do so as soon as I got home.
When I turned the key in the ignition, nothing happened. The lights came on, but the engine was painfully silent. I thumped my head on the steering wheel a few times and offered a prayer of sorts if only the dang thing would start.
“Come on, you can do it. I’ll even go to the garage first if you just start so I don’t freeze to death in the grocery store parking lot,” I bargained with my old Toyota. My dad would say this is what I got for not buying American, but that was bull. This old thing had served me well through college and beyond. It was steady and reliable, which is why I hadn’t considered getting rid of it.
I rubbed the dashboard as if giving my car a nice little massage would help. “Come on, come on.”
I tried the key again. Nothing.
I jumped when there was a knock on my window. When I pushed the button to roll it down, the window lowered super slowly.
“Hey, you need a jump?” Blake offered, his arms filled with the bags he needed to go home and make soup for his sick husband.
I considered telling him I’d be fine simply because he shouldn’t have to take care of me when Danny needed him. But then I’d be stuck here. “Yeah, I’m not sure what’s going on, but maybe that would work?”
It had the other night, so maybe it was something as simple as getting a new battery. I hoped. I really didn’t want it to be anything major. I popped the hood and stood in front of the car as if I had the slightest clue what to do next. Yes, I knew how to attach jumper cables, but I really hoped Blake had a set in his car because I didn’t. Mine had been a crummy set I got as a thank-you gift from my insurance company years ago, and the first time I’d needed to use them, I realized they were little more than a decoration.
Blake parked his truck in front of mine and lifted his hood. “Here, let’s get these hooked up, and we’ll see if we can’t get you back on the road. But then, you might want to head over to Hot Rod’s and have the guys check things out just to make sure there’s nothing serious going on.”
Gee, that was a great idea. If only I’d thought of it before I needed to be rescued for the second time in a week by members of the same family. “I actually took the day off to do exactly that. Stupidly, I figured I’d swing by here first and run groceries home just in case I’m stuck without a car while they fix whatever’s going on.”
A minor fib, but so much better than saying I wanted to cook for Blake’s hunky brother-in-law, and that was the reason I found myself in this position.
“If you’d like, I could follow you to the shop and then run you home. You live in the apartments on Evanston, right?” It would have been creepy that he knew where I lived, except this was Harmony Grove, where everyone knew your business, and there was only one big apartment complex within city limits.
“Yeah, but you don’t have to. Danny’s waiting on you, and Shiloh already said he’d give me a ride if I need it.” The way things were going, I didn’t need anyone else witnessing my potential humiliation when I walked into the shop. Maybe I’d get lucky and Carson wouldn’t even notice my arrival. Now that I had no choice but to take my car in, I wasn’t so sure I was ready to see him.
This time, it took longer for my battery to charge enough that the engine would turn over, but it did. Begrudgingly. I thanked Blake for his assistance and got behind the wheel. I’d long ago given up on religion, but that didn’t stop me from praying the entire drive to the shop. I let out a sigh of relief and slumped back in my seat when I pulled into one of the parking stalls in the lot. I hoped that was okay. I hadn’t parked on the street because I figured this would be better for them if my stupid car wouldn’t start again.
“Ezra?” For the second time that morning, I jumped at the sound of my name. I really needed to get myself under control. This time, it was Carson trudging through the lot toward me.
My gaze darted around the parking lot to see if we were alone. I didn’t want any witnesses, but I had to clear the air before I asked him for another favor. “I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad or anything. I just…well, let’s say that I haven’t been on many dates, and the ones I have been on were pretty awful. But last night took the cake for worst of all time.”
“Ouch. I didn’t think I was that bad of company.” Carson pressed a hand to his chest, jerking back as if he’d been wounded. When my breaths started coming in shallow pants, Carson placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. His fingers slipped around to the back of my neck, gently kneading the tense muscles. “Hey, I’m joking. I think I know what you’re saying.”
