“Yes, sir, Eldon, and thank you. Have you been working here long?”
“Ever since I retired from being a lawyer four years ago. This is the best job I ever had,” Eldon answered. “My advice to anyone is to only work until you can hang up your hat, then do something that requires nothing but smiling at folks.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Knox said and hurried to catch up with Lottie.
“What took you so long?” she asked.
“I was getting some life hints from the greeter,” he answered.
“Did you learn something good?”
“Yep, I did, but I have to wait more than thirty years to use it.”
She headed toward the deli part of the store. “By then, whatever he told you will probably be obsolete. Are you stalking me or just going to the same place I am?”
“A boyfriend does not stalk his girlfriend,” Knox smarted off. “And a smile is never obsolete, darlin’.”
She fell in line behind two other people at the deli, and he parked his cart right behind her. “I still can’t believe that you didn’t think twice about keeping that kitten and rooster,” she said.
“They chose me, kind of like Prissy did you. They could have gone to any one of the six trailers on-site, but they came to mine. Must be a sign in that somewhere. And besides all that, I’ll be moving into my house with plenty of land after we finish this job for Jack, and the critters will be someone for me to talk to.”
“With all your family living around you, I don’t imagine you’ll be lonely,” Lottie said.
Knox thought he saw a glimmer of something in her expression, but it could have just been a figment of his imagination, fueled by what Bernie had said about Lottie being slightly interested in him.
If she was right, then damn it! I might have messed up what could have been a good thing.
“When we get through here, would you help me find the cat food?” he asked.
She moved her cart up a space. “Sure. You’ll need kitten food, but don’t buy a lot, because he or she will grow fast, and you don’t want to waste it. But then again, you could feed it to the rooster if there’s any left.”
“Chickens eat cat food?”
“Birds will eat anything, including eggshells, which are surprisingly good for them. But mostly they need balanced feed if you expect to keep them healthy,” she answered.
Knox eyed her carefully. “I didn’t read a thing about that when I was researching banty roosters. Are you serious or messing with me?”
“My grandparents lived on a small farm,” she answered. “I spent a few weeks every summer with them. They had chickens and pigs and even a milk cow. I fed the livestock and tended the garden with Grandpa and snapped green beans and canned the produce with Granny.”
“But she didn’t teach you to cook?” Knox asked.
She moved up in line, whipped out a list from her purse, and told the lady behind the counter what she wanted. While the woman worked on her order, she turned back to Knox. “She taught me how to make soup and sandwiches. You can tell by looking at me that I’ve never gone hungry.”
His eyes started at her toes and slowly moved upward until he reached her eyes.
“Want me to turn around so you can check out my backside, too?” she snapped.
“Nope, I was just thinking that you should come up with a food plan for all the women in the world.” He slid a slywink her way. “Your tagline could be: Eat soup, sandwiches, and dessert, work hard all day long, and you will look great.”
She put her order into the cart. “Is that a compliment?”
Knox moved to place his order. “Depends on how you take it.”
“Then thank you,” she said. “I’ll see you when you finish.”
While the lady filled his order, he watched Lottie walk away, and something stirred down deep in his heart. Not that a little flutter in his chest would do him a bit of good. The idea of something between them at this point had been ruined by a fake relationship.
* * *
