"Daddy, I'm bored," Isabella said. She tossed the empty bag on the floor of the truck, the crumbs spilling out with it.
"I know, baby girl." I pulled up to the front of the big box hardware store and parked the truck before I helped Izzie out of her car seat and carried her on my hip. Together, the three of us headed inside and out of the cold.
"They sell refrigerators here?" Ariella asked, following beside me. I could tell she was hurrying to keep up.
"All major appliances," I said, leading her down an aisle and toward the back of the store. "It shouldn't take too long, and then we can grab lunch and head back home."
"You know your way around this place."
"We do enough shopping here to keep this location open," I joked, walking her toward the appliance section. It wasn't difficult to find the refrigerators, and we walked up and down the aisle twice. "See anything you like?"
She shuffled her feet, and every time we walked past one nicer than the next, her eyes widened as she balked at the sticker. "I could buy a new car at this price!"
I tried not to laugh. I understood her predicament. She was out of work and concerned about the financial aspect of buying a new household appliance. There was no way she could buy a decent vehicle that would get her up the mountain and safely around town for the cost of a refrigerator. I held my tongue, trying to think of another store, a different place that might be more affordable with fewer bells and whistles, so to speak.
She paced the aisle once, twice, and by the third time, she stopped in front of a mini fridge. "I can probably afford this one," she said. "If I put it on my credit card." She seemed to talk to herself, or she was talking to me, but her voice had dropped so much that I'd barely heard her remark, but I had heard it.
I came up beside her, Izzie growing restless on my hip. Reluctant to put her down, I didn't want her running off and tearing through the store, getting into trouble. She was fast and spritely. "Listen," I said to Ariella. "I offered to cover the cost of your refrigerator, and I meant it."
"You shouldn't have to do that," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "It's not your fault I fucked up."
"Fucked. Fucked. Fucked," Izzie repeated what Ariella said.
Ariella's olive eyes widened in horror. "Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry," she said, quick to apologize. It was clear she wasn't used to being around kids. "You shouldn't say that, Isabella." Ariella looked horrified, and for a good reason, but I let out a loud sigh.
"She's heard worse from the guys." However, I gave them hell when they cursed in front of my little girl. I didn't have it in me to do the same to her.
"That's no excuse," she said. "Again, I'm so sorry."
"Apology accepted." I didn't want her stressing over what she'd done. Mistakes happened. We'd all made them, and Izzie was bound to hear far worse things in her lifetime. "Back to the refrigerator," I said, nodding toward the appliances. "Do you want to pick one out, or should I do it for you?"
She chewed her bottom lip, her eyes filled with trepidation. What was she worried about? I had offered to pay and was intending on making good my promise. Mason may have sold her the cabin, but I hadn't been more careful in its listing. She should have realized there wasn't a fridge, but I had neglected to include details about electricity. Had the roles been reversed, I'd have flipped out too.
"Sure, if you want to buy me a fridge, you can buy me this one," she said, pointing at the mini fridge that couldn't even hold a case of water. It was cheap, certainly within my budget too, but it wouldn't do her any good at home to store her groceries.
Heading down the aisle, glancing at the appliances once more before stopping at the end cap and examining a floor model. Its bright yellow sticker was an affordable price and offered a 60-day warranty. Hopefully, that would be sufficient. "What about this one?" It was still more than her mini fridge, but she more than likely could afford it if she wouldn't let me pay. Though I fully intended on purchasing the fridge for her.
"That'll do." We found a cashier and had them ring up the item. I pulled out my credit card, handing it to the cashier before Ariella could offer her own form of payment. "Thank you," she said to me as we loaded it into the bed of the truck, tied it down, and then headed into town for lunch.
Izzie behaved incredibly well for the afternoon. I knew how bored she was, but she seemed quite mesmerized by Ariella. Izzie sat beside me at lunch in the booth. While we waited for our food to come, she climbed under the table and snuck over to sit next to Ariella.
"Hey there," Ariella said, smiling at Isabella. "Do you want to keep me company?"
Izzie shook her head, her eyes bright and wide. She climbed onto the seat, sitting on her knees, so she had a little extra height. Her hands reached out, playing with Izzie's long blonde hair, touching her.
"Izzie," I said, warning her to behave. Not everyone liked to be touched by a toddler.
"She's okay," Ariella said with a grin, glancing at me. She didn't seem to mind, or if she did, she pretended it didn't bother her. "How old are you?" she asked Izzie, although I'd already told her yesterday.
"Three," she said, holding out three fingers proudly to announce her age. "How old are you?"
"Izzie." I laughed, trying to scold her, but it was difficult when she had that adorable look in her eyes, that twinkle of both mischievous and delight that made her even more loveable. "We don't ask grownups their age."
"Okay," Izzie said and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, my gosh. She's already a teenager," I said. I couldn't believe the eye roll. She had to have learned it from someone, but I wasn't sure where she'd picked it up. She'd spent quite a bit of time with Declan, and he had a few nasty habits, but I hadn't witnessed that one previously.
Izzie scrunched her nose while smiling. "Do you have a boyfriend?" she asked Ariella.