He pulled into a parking lot that she recognized. Across the road was Downyflake with its big doughnut on the front. It was the first time she hadn’t felt lost.
“Know where you are?” he asked.
“Vaguely.”
He reached behind the bench seat, pulled out a big flannel shirt, and handed it to her.
“What’s this for?”
“You’ll see.”
The Stop and Shop grocery was the coldest one she’d ever been in and she quickly put on the shirt, which engulfed her.
“You’re beginning to look like a Nantucketer,” he said, grinning.
“Why do I feel like I’ve just been given a huge compliment? Right after being called a rum-drinking Kingsley sailor, that is.”
Jared laughed. “Speaking of which, there’s a liquor store next door. Think we should visit? Get a case of dark rum for you, maybe?”
“If I remember correctly, you drank as much as I did.”
“But, alas, neither of us got drunk.” He walked ahead to pick up a couple of bags of baby lettuce.
Alix held on to the cart, watching him. He’d just said his first almost flirty thing to her. Just minutes before she’d had to stop herself from drooling when she saw him in the mirror, but he’d continued to look at her the same way her father did.
“So tell me about this date I’m having on Saturday,” Alix said. They were at the coffee and tea shelves and he was reading the packages.
“Not much to tell. There are millions of daffodils on the island. There’s some story about a lawn mower nearly wiping them out, but they’re still here. There’s a parade of antique cars and a picnic out in ’Sconset.” He put two bags of coffee in the cart.
“I take it you don’t participate.”
“I did when I was a kid. My parents took me to it every year. My mom used to cover me in daffodils, then she’d put me in the back of an old pickup with my cousins. But when I got older I was too cool for any of that.”
He was leaning on the cart handle and watching Alix put things in. They stopped at the big glass counter that held an assortment of meats and salads. Jared greeted everyone who worked behind it by name.
“What do you want to get?” she asked without thinking, then said, “Sorry. It’s not like we’ll be sharing a lot of meals.”
“Chicken salad,” he said, “and get me some of the ham for sandwiches. We forgot tomatoes. I’ll go back and get them. Oh! And get me some of that smoked turkey.” Turning, he went back to the produce section.
Alix couldn’t help smiling. It looked like she wouldn’t be eating every meal alone after all.
The rest of the grocery shopping was fun, but by the time they got to the frozen foods, Alix’s teeth were chattering. Jared put his hands on her upper arms and rubbed briskly. “If you’re going to live here, you need to toughen up.”
They headed to the checkout, but Alix stopped at the magazines. She got a Nantucket Today and hesitated over an issue of a remodeling magazine. Jared picked it up and put it in the cart.
“Later, you can tell me everything they’ve done wrong,” she said, smiling.
“Didn’t you learn anything at school? You tell me.”
They were unloading the cart onto the checkout belt.
“Right. I’m going to tell an American Living—” His look cut her off. “What does a Kingsley sailor know about remodeling?”
He gave her a smile of such sweetness that Alix’s knees began to give way.
“You learn quickly, don’t you?”
“I do when it’s in my own best interest. Did you get any eggs?” she asked.