She looks down at the misshapen vegetable with contempt. “Nothing. I…” She stops mid-sentence, placing the cucumber in her small, black basket, glancing at the shelves once more. She grabs a package of celery before turning back to me.
“Since when do you cook with celery?” I ask, one corner of my lip tipped up.
She despises celery. Claims it lacks flavor and finds the crunchiness pointless. Nina gazes down at her hands, grimacing slightly before returning the package to the shelf. There’s a noticeable swallow, and I catch the subtle quiver of her bottom lip.
Lowering my voice even further, I edge a little closer. “Look at me. Take a deep breath.” She blinks repeatedly, then inhales and exhales, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. She appears calmer than she did just moments ago.
“What’s wrong?”
“Richard is contesting the divorce. My attorney just called.”
I see red, the need to throttle his smarmy ass so intense I’m practically choking on it.
“Can he do that?” I say a little too loud, drawing attention to us.
I’m sorry, I mouth to the elderly gentleman next to us. He offers a tight-lipped smile, going about his business.
“He can definitely draw it out and make the whole process miserable.” She shakes her head. “I’m not sure why I’m surprised.”
“While that’s not great news, it’s not the end of the world. We’ll fight this. I’ll be right by your side.”
She clears her throat, standing up straight and appearing morelike Nina. “You’re right. We’re not going to talk about that man and his bullshit. We’re here to find Ian.”
“Let’s go,” I say, wrapping my arm under hers and steering my cart with one hand.
“What are we cooking tonight?” I ask, to get her mind off Richard’s antics.
“I don’t even know,” she says. “I haven’t gotten half of the things on my list.”
“Not a big deal,” I say. “Let’s make some lasagna and garlic bread.” I glance at her out of the corner of my eye. “Comfort night like we used to have in college.”
She snorts. “That happened like one time.”
I shrug. “Still happened. You helped me get over a devastating breakup by way of food. Let me comfort you in the same way.”
She smiles. “I’m not devastated about my divorce.”
“Obviously,” I say, making a face. “Good riddance.”
Nina chuckles, shaking her head. “Dinner sounds perfect.” She slows her pace a little bit, and I follow her lead. “I think tonight is a wine night. What do you think?”
“Of course it’s a wine night.”
She squeezes my arm. “Thank you, Ally. You don’t know how much I appreciate you.”
I smile, her words warming my heart. “I’m going to grab the ingredients we need and a couple bottles of wine.”
“I’ll get dessert,” she offers.
I clap my hands together, drawing the attention of an elderly woman currently inspecting the back of a jar of peanut butter.
“Perfect. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Nina turns around to head in the opposite direction, bumping right into someone. She screeches and jumps back as though the lady electrocuted her.
“Nina?”
My eyes narrow in on the petite woman, decked out in a neon tennis skirt and white tank.
