“Have a good night, Marnie.” I wave.
“Want to go for a trail ride?” Hana asks when we reach the stable.
Prince pokes his head out of his stall, ears swiveling to me. He’s my favorite horse here for his friendship with the donkeys and his penchant for breaking into the hay shed to help himself. I stop to give him some love.
“I wish I could. I promised Reagan I’d get groceries on my way home.”
It’s my turn. We’ve split the groceries between us since we first started rooming together freshman year.
“No worries. Next time?”
“Definitely.” I laugh when Prince bumps his soft nose against the top of my head. “I haven’t had the chance to ride in forever.”
It always reminds me of Grandpa. He taught me to ride on his lazy old mare as soon as he thought I was old enough after I begged him. We used to saddle up and circle the pasture where cows grazed when the dairy farm was operational.
The nostalgic memory makes my eyes sting. Even if he makes a full recovery, Grandpa likely won’t be able to ride a horse with me ever again.
Clearing my burning throat, I get my things and go. The drive to the grocery store is short. In the small town of Heston Lake, everything is nearby. Normally I walk to and from work, but on shopping days I borrow Reagan’s car.
I wander the store with my thoughts a million miles away, plucking our staples off the shelves without paying much attention. A familiar laugh breaks me out of the trance with a jolt. I hesitate at the end of the aisle.
Easton’s here. He’s filling a shopping cart with another guy our age with a shadow of dark scruff on his jaw and a backwards cap. The two of them joke around while they grab three large bags of pizza rolls from the freezer.
Tell me why my stomach dips like I’m excited to see him? Because I’m not. I can’t be.
Have the athletes at this college always been so hard to escape? How did we go the last two years sharing this campus without meeting, yet now I can’t seem to avoid him?
I haven’t seen him since he bought my coffee a week ago. It’s Friday again, shouldn’t he be at the arena playing? I purse my lips side to side, then check the game schedule. They’re off tonight after playing Sunday and Tuesday earlier in the week.
I could turn around and sneak away before they notice me. Ishould, but I don’t.
“Hockey stars shop for their own groceries? They’re just like us,” I announce sarcastically to the otherwise empty aisle.
Easton freezes, then whips around so fast he nearly knocks his friend over. I hide a laugh behind a hand, giving them a small wave.
“Maya. Hi.” His face splits in a handsome grin that makes my heartbeat falter.
“Hey.” The other guy—probably a teammate—nods in greeting, adjusting his backwards cap. “You were at The Landmark the other night. Dancing, right?”
I huff in amusement. “That’s me. Is there anyone who didn’t see that go down?”
“You were hard to miss.” He glances at Easton. “I’m Cameron.”
“Go and get the, uh, chips.” Easton nudges his friend, shoving him more insistently when the guy snorts. “Yeah. Go, Reeves. I’ll catch up with you.”
“Uh huh.” Cameron smirks, looking between us. “Nice to meet you, Maya. See you around.”
“Sure.”
“Reeves.” Easton frowns, shifting closer to me to block me from his friend’s line of sight.
I hate to admit it, but the hint of jealousy is a good look on him. His jawline becomes more defined when he locks it and those thick brows flatten, giving him a sense of ruggedness that stokes an ember of heat within my core.
With our height difference, it’s easy for him to become my shield.
“Relax, dude. I’m going,” Cameron says through his poorly hidden snickering.
Easton’s features clear once he moves down the aisle to leave us alone. He erases the small distance between us. It makes the wide grocery aisle seem more intimate.
