“Take that back.” Clay starts to tickle her, making her giggle.
“No.” She giggles louder.
I laugh.
“I need to feed this munchkin and she refuses to eat pizza, corn dogs or anything a normal kid would eat.”
“That’s because it’s all over processed,” she tells him in her little voice.
“You’re not wrong.” I agree with her, and she smiles smugly at Clay as if to say, “I told you so”.
“Well, if you agree with her, you can help me make her a non-over-processed meal.”
“Wh—what?” I sputter and he grins.
“Unless you’re seeing your boyfriend tonight.”
“You have a boyfriend?” Winter asks me.
“No, I don’t.”
“Uncle Clay doesn’t have a girlfriend either. Daddy says he’s a player.” She looks adorably confused, then shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know what sport he plays though.”
“Your dad talks too much,” Clay mutters.
I bite my bottom lip to keep from laughing.
“I know.” She looks between Clay and me. “You can be Uncle Clay’s girlfriend.”
Oh lord
“That’s no—”
“That’s a great idea,” Clay tells her, cutting me off.
I swear it feels like my eyes are going to pop right out of my head.
“You can start your role as my new girlfriend by helping me make dinner tonight.”
What the hell is happening?
“And we can play with my new doll house.” Winter claps excitedly.
“Before you play, you need to study for your spelling test and do your reading.”
“It’s not fair that I have to work all day at school then have to work more when I get home.” She lets her head fall back on her shoulders with a groan.
“Sorry, kid, but I don’t make the rules.” Clay rubs the top of her head then looks at me. “So, what do you say, Mouse, are you up to helping me out tonight?”
Good lord no, and I totally plan on saying that even as Winter puts her hands together in prayer and says “please” over and over again, but when I open my mouth the word “yes” comes out. “I mean—”
“Come on.” He bends down and grabs the handle of a small red basket that has a few things in it off the ground and tosses it into my cart before taking command of it. As he begins pushing it through the produce section I stare at his back while listening as Winter tells him that she wants to have asparagus with the lasagna that I’m now apparently helping him make.
Seriously what the hell is going on?
“Willow?” Hearing my name, I turn and curse my luck when I spot Jayson standing near the salads display. Jayson, a guy I dated a few years ago, was someone I broke up with because he was flighty, then befriended because he might have sucked as a boyfriend but was super nice and always fun to hang out with.
“Ugh, hey Jay how’s it going?” I ask as Clay and Winter circle back to where I am.
“It’s funny seeing you here.” He smiles, walking toward me, shaking his shaggy blonde hair out of his face. “I was going to call you tonight to see if you were up for seeing a hockey game next weekend.”
“Oh, umm, I’m actually umm busy next weekend.” I tell him feeling highly uncomfortable as I feel Clay’s eyes bore into the side of my head. “Maybe another time?”
“Yeah, for sure.” He smiles, then looks over to where Clay is standing and lifts his chin. “What’s up dude?”
“Nothing much.” Clay says.
A small hand wraps around mine and I look down to my side at Winter.
“Can we finish shopping? I’m starving.”
“Ugh yeah.” I give her hand a squeeze then look at Jay. “I’ll see you around.”
“Totally, babe.” He grins.
I bite my bottom lip and allow Winter to drag me away.
“Another boyfriend?” Clay asks quietly when Winter basically drops me off at his side.
Of course, I pretend I don’t hear him and instead I walk past him and then, with Winter bouncing at my side, chatting up a storm, I hustle through the rest of the store tossing things into the cart that I need, along with stuff for lasagna, hoping like heck that I don’t run into anyone else I know.
Less than fifteen minutes later Clay pushes the cart full of his groceries out of the store, and I say his groceries because as I was trying to sort through what was mine and what was his at checkout, Winter, being helpful just started tossing everything on the conveyer belt together. Then when it came time to pay Clay maneuvered me out of the way and paid for it all. And since there’s no way I’m taking anything home he paid for, I’m once again stuck without groceries.
“I think—” I stop at the back of Clay’s jeep where he’s putting all the bags in his trunk, while Winter climbs into the back seat, “I should just—”
“Follow me to my place.” He cuts me off as he looks over and meets my gaze. “I was thinking the same thing, we can sort out the groceries there.”