Page 27 of Set It Right
“I don’t want you going out of your way for me.”
“Zara…you just said it yourself, Grocery Barn is on the way back. Plus, I was planning to go myself. I ate crumbs out of the pantry last night. You’re lucky you weren’t there to see it.Thatwas embarrassing.”
Her mouth tipped upward as she shook her head again. “Shut up. I absolutely refuse to believe that.”
“You don’t know my late-night habits. When I get hungry, I get a little feral.”
She flipped open the box and held it out to me. “Then you better eat a cookie before you start gnawing on the steering wheel.”
I picked out a chocolate chip cookie. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
When we got to the grocery store, we each got our own carts. Zara zoomed away from me with barely a backward glance, but I caught up to her in the snack aisle. She was holding two bags of pretzels, her brows knitted in concentration. I pulled up beside her, peering over her shoulder.
“What’s the decision-maker?”
She jumped, both bags flying out of her hands. I managed to snatch one out of the air while the other landed in her cart.
I laughed, putting the one in my hand back on the shelf. “I guess that was it—decision made.”
She poked my bicep twice. “Stop sneaking up on me. My heart can’t take it.”
I held up my hands. “All I did was walk up to you. There was no sneaking.”
“You’re too light on your feet for your own good.” She grabbed the bag from her cart and replaced it with the one I’d put back. “I like this brand better.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Does it taste like spite?”
She flipped her hair back, a smirk curving her mouth. “My favorite flavor! It fuels me.”
I grabbed the same pretzels and tossed them in my cart. “I’ve always heard spite’s a good motivator. Thanks for the suggestion.”
She laughed and tried to muffle it with her hand, but I didn’t miss it. “Shut up, Maccie. And don’t follow me. Grocery shopping is private.”
We met up again in the bread section, Zara once again weighing two options. I made sure to make a lot of noise as I approached, reaching around her for my usual brand. I still earned a frown, but nothing went flying this time.
“This store doesn’t carry my bread,” she muttered.
“I’m going to guess it doesn’t carry a lot of what you’re used to. People around here like keeping things simple. If you want to order something specific, let Pam know. She’ll get it for you.”
Her brow crinkled as she looked up at me. “Pam?”
“The manager. My grandmother has her order her favorite chardonnay by the case.”
“She does?” Just like that, her brow smoothed, and light glinted off her inky irises. “I haven’t even asked how your grandparents are.”
“Wily as ever.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I…uh, live with them.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. It’s a recent event. I was living in town and commuting to the ranch, but in the winter, that can get tricky. They have this big house, and it’s just the two of them, so when my grandmother suggested it, I thought, why not? It works well for us. They live on the main floor, and I have the upstairs to myself. Half the time, they’re traveling anyway, so—”
“Mac.” Zara laid her hand on my chest, and my heart jumped wildly behind it. “You don’t have to explain it to me. We lived with my grandfather when I was growing up, remember? If he were still alive, I’d move in with him in a heartbeat.”
I cleared the clog out of my throat. “I remember, yeah. A lot of people don’t really get it. I should have known you would.”
Victoria had been…well, repulsed wouldn’t have been too strong a word. I should have called it then. That was pretty much an irreconcilable difference. I’d kept trying, but the writing had been on the wall from the very start. I couldn’t say I was disappointed it hadn’t worked out. And the way she’d behaved at work this week had only cemented my decision. Ending our short-lived relationship had been the right move—along with my resolve to never date a coworker again.
Zara hit my cart with hers. “Anyway, I’m going to find Pam to ask her to order my bread. Meet you up front?”
