She points her beaming smile my way, and I know I’m a goner.
“Then let’s hurry up and get our groceries. I have about ten recipes I want to try, but I need to know if you can find all the ingredients.” She sits up, then stops. “Oh, right. Incognito shopping.” She grabs her phone and starts typing away.
A second later, my phone rings in my pocket.
“Answer it. We’ve got some cookies with our names on ’em.”
eleven
I race down theaisles as quickly as possible to get back to Daisy.
I can hear her mumbling along to the music in my car, and the sound is almost enough to lessen my rage against her father.
Almost.
“Oh, get tomato paste. If it gets cold at night, I was thinking I could make carne guisada. Or sancocho if I’m feeling adventurous. Maybe some rice and beans with pollo frito. I mean, if you’re in the mood to eat that stuff too.”
I pick up a few cans of tomato paste. “I’m in the mood for anything you want, Daisy. I’m not a picky eater, you know that.”
“Make sure to get enough meat. You’re not picky, but you can inhale food quicker than I can make it.”
I crack a smile because she’s not wrong. “Clear out the meat section, noted. Anything else?” I ask.
“Hmm, no. I think the list I texted you has it all,” she says, followed by singing the tail end of a song playing on the radio.
I look through the list on my phone and double-check that I have everything. I don’t want to make another trip into town if we don’t have to.
Unless she wants more freshly baked cookies, of course.
I start heading toward the butcher area when I realize I should probably get Daisy a box of cereal. She’s mentioned she likes to eat it for dinner or as a late-night snack on nights she doesn’t feel like cooking. And while I don’t mind cooking every meal for us, I know her colorful cereal might be a bit of a comfort meal for her, so I turn the cart until I’m facing the array of options before me.
I’m about to grab a brand I know is her favorite when a sugary voice besides me speaks. “Um, excuse me.” I turn to the woman in brightly colored athleisure. “Do you think I could borrow your height for a moment? I need that box right there and I can’t…” she makes a pitiful attempt of stretching onto her tiptoes. “Can’t manage.”
I easily grab the boring-looking cereal, something Daisy would wrinkle her nose at, and hand it to the lady.
I go to snag three boxes of Daisy’s cereal when I notice that the music playing in my headphones has been turned down significantly and Daisy is no longer singing in my ear. Instead, all I hear is her shuffling around in her seat.
“Why thank you!” The woman next to me says a bit too loudly.
I nod and try to steer my cart away, but she hops in front of it. “I’m sorry to bother, but are you new around here? This is a small town and all, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have forgotten someone like you.”
“Oh, I’m sure she wouldn’t,” Daisy faintly grumbles.
I smirk to myself. Daisy is always sweet. Doesn’t have a bitter bone in her body. Maybe I’m edging closer to the line of delusion, but I swear I hear a little jealousy in my ears.
And I think I like it.
The woman rests her free hand on my cart, keeping me in place.
I shake my head. As much as I would love to hear what Daisy sounds like riled up for me, I would never do that to her. “Sorry, but I gotta get going. Got some cereal to deliver.”
I bypass her question and start to maneuver around her, but the woman is undeterred.
“Oh, my nephews love that stuff. Do you have any of those, or are you a single dad by any chance?” She looks me up and down, and I fight a full body tremor.
“Jeez, can people not take a hint anymore?” Daisy huffs.
I bite back a smile. Only Daisy gets to see those.
