“You been going to Walmart, Piper? You’ve been here for a month.”
I shook my head. “I don’t go to the store very often, but I haven’t been there. It’s not my cup of tea.” It was my worst nightmare, actually.
Dale smiled. “A woman with taste. Welcome in. If you need help finding anything, just ask.”
I nodded. As I grabbed a cart and walked down the first aisle, I let out a breath. That hadn’t gone badly. That was almost a normal interaction.
The second I was surrounded by food, I knew I needed to focus. It had been years since I took myself to the store, and I didn’t want to forget anything. Each aisle was well-labeled, but I still had to go down a few of them multiple times. Getting everything I needed took more focus than I thought it would, and eventually, I was more interested in the task than who was around me.
Plus, I was finding new things I’d never heard of before. Theo had been right. There was an incredible selection here, and instead of getting the same items I usually did, I was inspired to find more.
Thankfully, the shop was slow. I heard the bell above the door jingle a few times, but I didn’t run into anyone in the aisles.
I only saw someone at the end of my journey, when I was going down the frozen aisle. Someone was in the same freezer door that I needed to go in. I waited patiently as they grabbed what they needed, hoping they wouldn’t try to talk to me.
But when the frosty door finally shut, I realized I recognized them.
Kelsey had four pints of Ben and Jerry’s stacked in her arms. I opened my mouth to ask if she’d gotten her heart broken, but realized I’d rather not.
“Oh hey,” she said when she saw me. “Need comfort ice cream too?”
“I keep a little around,” I said. My eyes cut from her pile to her. “Uh, having a good night?”
“A very good one. I finally got Dale to stock chunky monkey, and I’m here to stake my claim before my mom finds out it’s here. I need something that’s mine. What are you here for?”
“Everything,” I said, gesturing to my full cart. “I waited awhile to do this.”
“Been there. You need help getting that home?”
“I’m walking, and you have ice cream.”
“It won’t take too long for me to help you out. And besides, walking with a full load of groceries sucks, and Dale won’t let you take the cart. Not since Jade tried to hitch one to Hugh’s tractor.”
I hadn’t met Jade yet, though she’d been nice in the Facebook group. In her picture, she had brightly colored hair, which only added to my mental image of her shopping cart thievery. “That’s a joke, right?”
“No. Not at all. The people here are weird. And I’m no exception.” She looked at her pile of ice cream and then at me.
“I guess I won’t feel bad if I need to stock up then.” When Kelsey looked at my cart again, I had a feeling she wouldn’t let go of the idea of helping me. “I’ll seriously be fine getting this home.”
“Theo keeps stealing all the time with you when you stay late at the coffee shop. It’s so not fair.”
I paused. “You know aboutthat?”
“I do. But I’ll be keeping that to myself. I’m mostly jealous.”
I considered it. “Well, in that case, I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“Yes!” She hopped in place. She stopped when one of her tubs nearly toppled over. “Come on. I’ll help you with Dale.”
“Will I need help? He seemed nice when I talked to him.”
“He loves to ask questions when people are checking out.”
“Oh, yeah. Help would be great.”
She gave me a smile before leading me to the front.
Dale saw Kelsey and asked if she would be using her college degree anytime soon. She fired back that she’d gladly go to Walmart if he brought it up again.
