“You should probably call Austin.”
“I don’t have his number. Or Adam’s.”
Roscoe picked up a can of paint and shrugged. “Eggshell it is.”
A sudden, uneasy sensation rattled me as a woman’s chuckle echoed through the store, the lights dimming. I turned around just in time to see a flowing black dress disappear around the corner. The lights brightened, and Roscoe nudged my arm.
“You okay?”
“Wait, you didn’t see that? Someone was laughing and the lights went out.”
Roscoe looked around and narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t see nothin’.”
“The lights—and there was a woman.” As his expression grew more concerned, I sighed and shook my head. “Never mind. Let’s just buy this and go home.”
“Without groceries? We don’t got nothing to eat.”
“We’ll order a pizza or something.”
“I thought you said—”
“I’ll make Adam pay for it. He still owes me,” I said, quickly making my way to the checkout line. “And he just got his check the other day.”
“Sweeeeet,” Roscoe whispered, licking some of the slobber away from his mouth. “Better yet, I could just go to the store and pick up some stuff to make pizza. I’ve been itching to cook fer a while.”
“Maybe you should make youramazingbaked ziti.”
“Shit yeah!”
Other customers turned toward us as Roscoe’s voice echoed through the store.
“Can you lower your voice?” I snatched the can of paint from Roscoe and set it on the counter. “I swear you’re like a toddler.”
“Did you find everything okay?” the cashier said, sliding the paint can in front of the scanner.
“Yes, thanks,” I replied, reaching into my back pocket.
“That’ll be forty-one even.”
My stomach dropped. “Whoa! I thought it was fifteen.”
“Fifteen for the quart-sized cans. That’s the gallon.”
“Uh, I didn’t see nothin’ smaller,” Roscoe said.
“That’s because we only carry the gallon.”
“Then why do you have a price for a size you don’t even carry?” I asked, growing frustrated as the line grew behind us.
“Must have been a mistake,” the cashier said.
“Do you have anything cheaper?”
“Listen. You’re not going to find paint any cheaper than that in this town.”
I put my wallet away, but something inside snapped. Pins and needles pricked me from all over, the light in my vision turning that familiar red hue. Roscoe rested his hands on my shoulders, pushing me toward the door.
“Uh, it’s a little out of our price range right now. We’ll get it online,” Roscoe said, before pulling me the rest of the way outside. “Cody, you need to calm the hell down.”
