exactly what he was doing—plotting ways to get revenge.
I shivered with anticipation.
Kale yanked on my arm and pulled me down an aisle near the front. “Let’s grab some chips.” His tone was too cheery.
“What is it?” I glanced over my shoulder. My already-fading smile vanished completely and I nearly tripped when I saw Earl strolling by, eyes glued to me.
I turned away, gaze forward, hands gripping the handle of the cart until my fingers ached. He’s just here for groceries. He’s just here for groceries. There were only a few other places in town to buy them. This was just the one he lived closest to. That was all. There was a perfectly reasonable explanation. It didn’t mean anything that he was here.
“Tell me it’s a coincidence, Kale.” I whispered my plea.
He looked down at me. “It might be. It might not be. I don’t know, Ally.”
“I want to know.” I had to know. Once and for all, I had to know the truth. I had to know if I’d been overreacting this whole time, if I was overreacting now when I thought he was here for me, despite trying to convince myself otherwise.
“What are you thinking?”
“Go away for a few minutes.”
“Ally…”
I stared at him. “I have to know, Kale. This…this is the best way to find out, isn’t it? In public, with other people around. With you around. Even if he is…even if, he wouldn’t try anything with so many witnesses.” There. That sounded reasonable. Logical.
God, I hoped it was true.
His head shook slightly. He didn’t want me to do it. I didn’t want me to do it, but I had to. “Five minutes,” he said roughly. “I’ll be outside.”
He stormed away, back stiff, pace quick. And as he walked away, he took what little bit of courage I had and I almost bolted after him.
You can do this. You need to do this. Get it over with. Five minutes and you’ll be on your way home, with Kale. Five minutes and you’ll know the truth.
Did I want the truth?
No. But want and need weren’t mutually inclusive. They weren’t friends.
Taking a deep breath, I forced my white-knuckled hands to relax and pushed the cart forward. I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder. I resisted the urge to turn and go to the register. When I turned down the next aisle, I spotted Earl standing in the middle, looking my way. It reminded me of old horror movies, of seeing a man alone in the woods, standing ominously. Except there were no woods. This wasn’t a horror movie.
No, it was real life. It was worse. I couldn’t pause the movie if I got scared or turn it off.
I pushed the cart faster as my heart sped up and turned down the next aisle. I cursed myself, then forced my feet to move slower. I wouldn’t find out anything if I ran through the whole store, would I?
I stopped near the end and pretended to look at something. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Earl.
Coincidence. It could still be a coincidence.
I tried two more aisles and got the same results. Earl followed me. He never came near me, always standing at the far end, in front of the shelves like he was looking at something, but his eyes were watching me. Boldly staring at me.
My five minutes were nearly up. I went down one last row, the only one in the store I could be relatively certain no man in his right mind would follow a woman: the feminine product aisle. Don’t show up. Don’t show up.
Earl walked out in front of me and I nearly crashed into him. “So—sorry,” I said, mouth suddenly dry. My hands started to sweat as I waited for him to move. He didn’t. I turned the cart around and went back the way I came, taking the long way to the register. I almost abandoned the cart then and there. I almost abandoned it for Kale to take care of.
And that pissed me off. I’d been raised to take care of myself. I was living on my own now. I couldn’t depend on other people to take care of things for me. Even shopping.
Earl didn’t deserve that kind of power over me. I forced my pace
I shivered with anticipation.
Kale yanked on my arm and pulled me down an aisle near the front. “Let’s grab some chips.” His tone was too cheery.
“What is it?” I glanced over my shoulder. My already-fading smile vanished completely and I nearly tripped when I saw Earl strolling by, eyes glued to me.
I turned away, gaze forward, hands gripping the handle of the cart until my fingers ached. He’s just here for groceries. He’s just here for groceries. There were only a few other places in town to buy them. This was just the one he lived closest to. That was all. There was a perfectly reasonable explanation. It didn’t mean anything that he was here.
“Tell me it’s a coincidence, Kale.” I whispered my plea.
He looked down at me. “It might be. It might not be. I don’t know, Ally.”
“I want to know.” I had to know. Once and for all, I had to know the truth. I had to know if I’d been overreacting this whole time, if I was overreacting now when I thought he was here for me, despite trying to convince myself otherwise.
“What are you thinking?”
“Go away for a few minutes.”
“Ally…”
I stared at him. “I have to know, Kale. This…this is the best way to find out, isn’t it? In public, with other people around. With you around. Even if he is…even if, he wouldn’t try anything with so many witnesses.” There. That sounded reasonable. Logical.
God, I hoped it was true.
His head shook slightly. He didn’t want me to do it. I didn’t want me to do it, but I had to. “Five minutes,” he said roughly. “I’ll be outside.”
He stormed away, back stiff, pace quick. And as he walked away, he took what little bit of courage I had and I almost bolted after him.
You can do this. You need to do this. Get it over with. Five minutes and you’ll be on your way home, with Kale. Five minutes and you’ll know the truth.
Did I want the truth?
No. But want and need weren’t mutually inclusive. They weren’t friends.
Taking a deep breath, I forced my white-knuckled hands to relax and pushed the cart forward. I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder. I resisted the urge to turn and go to the register. When I turned down the next aisle, I spotted Earl standing in the middle, looking my way. It reminded me of old horror movies, of seeing a man alone in the woods, standing ominously. Except there were no woods. This wasn’t a horror movie.
No, it was real life. It was worse. I couldn’t pause the movie if I got scared or turn it off.
I pushed the cart faster as my heart sped up and turned down the next aisle. I cursed myself, then forced my feet to move slower. I wouldn’t find out anything if I ran through the whole store, would I?
I stopped near the end and pretended to look at something. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Earl.
Coincidence. It could still be a coincidence.
I tried two more aisles and got the same results. Earl followed me. He never came near me, always standing at the far end, in front of the shelves like he was looking at something, but his eyes were watching me. Boldly staring at me.
My five minutes were nearly up. I went down one last row, the only one in the store I could be relatively certain no man in his right mind would follow a woman: the feminine product aisle. Don’t show up. Don’t show up.
Earl walked out in front of me and I nearly crashed into him. “So—sorry,” I said, mouth suddenly dry. My hands started to sweat as I waited for him to move. He didn’t. I turned the cart around and went back the way I came, taking the long way to the register. I almost abandoned the cart then and there. I almost abandoned it for Kale to take care of.
And that pissed me off. I’d been raised to take care of myself. I was living on my own now. I couldn’t depend on other people to take care of things for me. Even shopping.
Earl didn’t deserve that kind of power over me. I forced my pace
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