“Glad I could help. Where is Jordy?”
“At home, cleaning. I know I’ll be glad we split up the tasks when I don’t have to be embarrassed about the state of my floors or the streaky bathroom mirror, but right now I’m definitely wishing I’d brought her with me.” I pause only long enough to suck in a breath before barrelling on. I’m on a roll once more. “I was thinking, since you can’t come today, I’m sure it’d mean a lot to Jordy if you called her before she leaves. I don’t know if you’ll be too busy to squeeze in a visit, but maybe you two could arrange something.”
I’m aware my words likely sound passive-aggressive. I didn’t necessarily mean for them to be, but at the same time I can’t bring myself to care. I’m hurt and annoyed and confused by Spencer’s behavior, and I’m tired of letting it slide.
Spencer doesn’t say anything as he carefully sets the last bag in the cart. I throw mine in carelessly, eager to get out of here.
“I’ll call her tonight,” he says. “Can I help you load all of this into your car?”
“No, that’s okay, bagging it was the hardest part.” Why am I breathless? Is it hot in here? I should have taken off my coat. I need to get out of herenow. “Thanks again for your help. See you around, Spencer.”
Hurt flashes across his face. He opens his mouth to say something, but closes it with a sigh when his phone rings. I’ve come to hate his phone or, more accurately, whoever has a habit of calling him at the most inconvenient times. I tell him to take the call and wish him a Merry Christmas again before dashing away.
I push Spencer from my mind as I manhandle my cart out of the store and across the parking lot. The rest of today is going to be incredible; I’m going to do everything in my power to make it so.
*****
It’s possible I wasslightlyoff the mark when I told Spencer bagging the groceries was the hardest part. It takes forever to load everything into my trunk and, despite having Jordy’s help when I get home, I end up grumbling to her that I’d better have more defined arm muscles after all this.
Once all the groceries are inside and we’ve made some headway with unpacking them, I tell Jordy I need a short break for a cup of coffee and something to eat. Once the coffee is brewing, I reach into my purse for my phone. My hand freezes at how empty the inside feels. Panic seizes me when I peer into the purse and discover both my phoneandmy wallet are missing.
“You know you had your wallet at the store, because you paid for the groceries, right?” Jordy asks after she questions my alarmed look and I explain what’s going on. “Could your purse have fallen over in the car and stuff spilled out?”
“I’ll go check.” At the front door, I pause only long enough to shove my feet into my boots. Through the windshield of my car, the weak sunlight illuminates my turquoise phone case under the front passenger-side seat. My legs wobble with relief as I throw the door open and grab the phone, fishing around for my wallet. It’s not there.
Jordy appears in the front doorway of the house. “Find it?”
“Just my phone. Can you search the unpacked bags for my wallet? I’m going to check the back and the trunk.”
Even though I’m only wearing a pullover without a coat, I’m sweating by the time I finish searching for my wallet. It’s nowhere in the car. My mind races with what to do. Call the store and pray someone handed it in? Retrace my steps and hope to find it, which means delaying dinner prep? Forget about searching for it for now and spend god knows how long calling to cancel all my cards?
“Hollie?”
I’m in such a daze, the unexpected voice practically makes me leap into the air. I spin around to find Spencer standing a few feet away, his car parked behind mine. I didn’t even hear him pull up, let alone get out of his car.
He holds up my wallet. “I believe this is yours?”
I surge forward, stopping a few feet in front of him. “Oh, I could kiss you! Where did you find it?”
His eyebrows lift at my words and one side of his mouth twitches. “The cashier spotted it on the conveyor belt while I was taking my call. She asked if we were friends since she saw me helping you. I assured her we were, and I’d make sure it was returned to you. I tried calling, but it went to voicemail and I figured you were screening your calls. I couldn’t blame you, honestly.”
“Wow, there’s a lot to unpack there,” I murmur. “Shoot, unpack! I need to get inside and help Jordy with the rest of the groceries and then get dinner started.”
“Of course.” He holds out my wallet. Our fingers brush, and I freeze. Spencer closes his other hand around mine, cupping and holding it. I bet we make a weird tableau, both of us frozen with my wallet clasped between our hands, staring at each other.
Spencer’s searching gaze makes my resolve from earlier crack. I was ready to give up on him, move on, learn to be okay with being friends, but a man doesn’t look at you the way Spencer is looking at me right now if he doesn’t have genuine feelings.
We simultaneously draw in deep breaths and then speak at the same time.
“Maybe I could—”
“Spencer, I think you—”
We both shake our heads and laugh. His is a soft chuckle while mine sounds slightly crazed. He drops the hand cupping mine and I gently pull my wallet from his fingers.
“Go ahead,” he says.
“Are you sure you can’t come for dinner tonight? I’d really like you to be there, and I know Jordy and the others would too. You’re part of our group now, whether you like it or not, and we take that seriously.”
