“Nobody,” Clark told him at the same time. “All done? Someone’s got to go to Bly Supply.”
“Not it,” Lana said quickly.
“It’s your turn.”
“But I’mtired,” she protested.
Clark sighed. “We’re all tired. And I went yesterday.”
“The drive is so hot in the truck,” she added.
“Not if you roll down the windows.”
Lana thought for a second. “It’s really dusty there too. My allergies go nuts. Last time I was sneezing so much, I—”
“Fine.” Ben held up a hand. “I’ll go if you both shut up.”
“Deal.” Clark pushed himself up onto his palms, reaching into his pocket to pull out a ring of keys. “Have them text me the balance on the account once you check out. We’ve got to make a payment this week.”
“Will do.” Ben took the keys. “Anybody need anything?”
Silence. But I was thinking back to my toiletry need from earlier. “You’re going to a store?” I asked.
“It’s not just a store, it’s Bly Supply,” Lana said.
My confusion was apparently obvious. “Restaurant-specific market,” Clark explained. “Everything’s bulk or in multiples. What do you need?”
“Toothpaste.”
“I can grab some.” Ben was untying his apron now. “Or you can ride along, if you want.”
Bulk packaging. A long drive. Neither exactly appealing on their own. But then there was the company. “Sure,” I said. “Why not?”
At first, it had been a little uncomfortable with just the two of us, alone in the truck. Luckily, we had a topic.
“So,” he said, as we pulled onto the two-lane highway. “Are you a paste person or a gel person?”
“What?”
“Toothpaste,” he explained. “I’m low too. I’m thinking we could share a pack.”
This felt weirdly intimate. But I didn’t mind it. “Gel.”
“Me too!” He grinned at me, as if this was the best of luck. “I think we can make this work.”
I let out a big exhale. “Whew.”
“Right? Imagine the awkward drive home otherwise.”
“You can get awkward over oral hygiene?” I asked.
“I can get awkward over anything. It’s one of my strongest skills.”
Somehow I did not doubt this. Nor, actually, did it make him any less appealing.
We passed another church, of which there appeared to me to be an endless number. Lots of worship in these parts. Then he said, “The thing is, whatever we pick, we’ll probably each get, like, three of them, since it’s Bly Supply.”
“That’s a problem?” I asked.
