“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not kidding. That guy is a legend. And now you’re totally going to start dating the hottie.”
Callie seems disappointed or sad or something. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
“You’ve just scored the sexiest guy to ever come through those doors,” Callie taunts, nodding toward the automatic doors at the front of the supermarket. “But Adonis can’t be trusted.”
“Why can’t he be trusted?” I say, swiping my debit card.
“Insert, don’t swipe,” Callie says, correcting me.
“When did he come in last?” I ask.
“Just today,” she admits. “He was wearing a clean white shirt and jeans that hugged him in all the right places.”
I insert my debit card, and Callie starts to bag my items. “Yes, that’s him!”
“Men that look like that cannot be trusted. That’s a certified heart-breaker, Brianna. He’s probably living up there in his bachelor pad and luring tourists in on a frequent basis.”
“Callie, you’re ridiculous,” I say, removing my debit card and putting it back in my wallet. “Who is there to lure?” I say looking around. I meet eyes with the angry woman behind me and hope she isn’t one of Tate’s conquests. Callie’s absurd.
“My mom always taught me that a guy who looks like that couldn’t be trusted.”
“Well, clearly you have some baggage that I don’t have.” I pick up the plastic bags and move out of the way so that Callie can start swiping the impatient lady’s groceries.
“I’m just looking out for you, that’s all. But you better snag him before I do,” she jokes.
“I’m sure I won’t see him again,” I tell her, but I hope I’m not right.
“You need to go find Adonis and have amazingly hot sex and make beautiful babies,” Callie says matter-of-factly. Everyone in line has a different reaction to this statement. Some roll their eyes, some snicker, and others pretend like they didn’t hear her. And in her typical fashion, she’s being loud as hell and doesn’t care who hears her.
I roll my eyes at her and smile. “Whatever. Make sure to bring Pringles to my place tonight. They’re buy one get one free.”
“As if I didn’t know,” Callie says with a laugh. “I’ve already stocked up!”
I make my way out of the supermarket, and for a fleeting moment, I wish that ‘Adonis aisle 6’ would come over the loudspeaker. I would love to see him again, but outside of work, without all the interruptions. There were only a few questions that I could get in that afternoon, but there was no time to ask more. I want to unlock his secrets. I need to know everything about him.
I drive to my dad’s house. The sun is shining brightly, and Whitefish is alive with beauty. It’s days like this where I understand why I never left this town. I guess that Tate had a point. There is a ton of stuff to do. I probably don’t take advantage of it all enough. All that I do is work, and when I’m not working, I want to relax or run errands for dad. It seems like such a simple, boring life, but there’s so much magic around me that I should explore.
I pull up in front of dad’s house and take out one bag of groceries. Dad has very little energy and finds it difficult to cook, so he ends up eating a lot of frozen meals or stuff that I bring him from the café. Since I have the rest of the afternoon off, I’m going to make him some lasagna that he can eat for the week.
Walking up to the house, I cringe a little. It looks worse during the day.
“Dad,” I call out, wedging my way into the screen door. I hear nothing. “Dad,” I call out again, my heart begins to flutter, and I instantly start to worry.
“In here,” he finally replies. Dad’s in the living room, of course, in front of the TV. It seems like that’s all he has the energy to do these days.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, standing at the entrance to the living room, clutching the plastic bag.
“Fine. The usual.”
He prefers to not talk about his illness, or how he’s feeling. He’s the kind of man that likes to tough it out, or at the least, not show any weakness.
“Okay,” I reply with a small smile, not pushing him but wishing he’d say more. “I’m going to make you your favorite for dinner, and then you can have leftovers during the week.”
“Lasagna?”
I give him a big smile, and he knows the answer to that question.