Live to Tell (Live to Tell #1)(79)

Once he got on his health kick, Nick wasn’t a big fan of these gummy fruity treats, telling Lauren they’re probably full of chemicals.

“Or,” she tells Sadie, “how about if we get some water-melon and peaches on the produce aisle instead?”

“I want SpongeBob.”

About to remind her daughter that it’s silly to pay a dollar extra for a cartoon image—which is what she said in the previous aisle, where Sadie begged for Shrek toothpaste—Lauren thinks better of it. Whose fault is it that Sadie’s watched too much television this summer?

Poor kid—she has enough problems. Why not indulge her in SpongeBob, just this once?

Too bad you already said no.

Changing a no to a yes is something that Lauren and Nick vowed never to do as parents.

Then again, Nick’s not even here. And why is he the only one who gets to break vows?

Everything must be okay, Lauren tells herself, because I’m back to feeling annoyed with Nick, instead of worried about him.

Somehow, that thought seems rational enough to hold on to for the time being.

“Okay,” she decides, “we’ll get SpongeBob.”

“Thank you, Mommy!” Sadie rushes back to grab the box.

“You’re quite the pushover, aren’t you, Mommy?”

Hearing the male voice behind her, Lauren turns to see Sam Henning.

“Oh…hi!” She wants to ask him what he’s doing there, but that’s a silly question, considering that he’s holding a plastic shopping basket.

“How are you?” she asks instead—which also sounds like a silly question, considering she just saw him at the pool.

“I’m great. How are you?” Somehow, the question is less silly coming from him.

“I’m…you know. Wondering why I ended up with a cartful of groceries when I just came in to get a couple of things.”

“And I’m wondering,” he says in return, “what it means that we keep running into each other.”

“It means there’s only one supermarket and one public pool in town. Unless you’re following me around?”

Oh Lord, why did I have to say such a stupid thing? Does he know I was just kidding? Please let him know I was just kidding.

Lauren is relieved when he grins.

“Who knows? Maybe I am following you around. I can think of worse ways to spend a summer day.”

“Mommy, can I get these, too?” Sadie pops up again, carrying a bag of Chips Ahoy! “They’re irresistibly delicious.”

“You have quite the vocabulary there, Miss Sadie,” Sam comments.

“I’m pretty sure she’s quoting the commercial,” Lauren tells him. “Not that she isn’t brilliant, of course.”

“Of course. My son is also brilliant, mind you. Although he’s not quoting commercials yet. But he did find his feet.”

“Ah, the first sign of extraordinary intelligence.”

“So they say. Oops, there’s my cell.” Sam pulls his vibrating phone from his pocket and looks at it. “Excuse me for a second.”

“Sure.” Lauren fights the urge to smooth her hair as he steps away. Chlorine-stiff and air-dried after her swim, it hasn’t seen a brush in a few hours. She wishes she was wearing something other than a pair of shorts and T-shirt that have seen better days.

“Mommy, can we go?” Sadie asks impatiently.

“In a minute.”

Lauren sneaks a peek at Sam’s basket. It holds a loaf of white bread, a six-pack of beer, a box of Entenmann’s donuts. Bachelor food.

She hears him say, “I’m in a store, can I call you back?…Yeah, give me two minutes.”

He hangs up and covers the short distance back to her. “Sorry—that was work.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a consultant. I’ll tell you more next time I see you. Gotta take off now.”

“Sure. Take care.”

“You too. Hey, why don’t you give me your number so I can call you sometime?”

“Sure.” Her stomach flutters. “Um, do you have something to write with?”

“No. Do you?”

She searches through her bag, conscious that her hands are shaking. She can’t help it. It’s been years since a man asked her for her phone number.

That Sam Henning even requested it is an unexpected pleasure. That she finds herself wanting him to have it—and use it—is shocking.

“Sorry—I don’t have a pen,” she tells him.

“No worries. Just call me.”

“I… I don’t have your number.”

He grins. “No, I mean my cell. Right now. I’ll tell you the number and you dial it, and then you’ll have it in your phone and I’ll have yours in mine.”

“Mommy, can we buy these?” Sadie again, with a box of Cheez-Its.

“Hang on a second, sweetie. Okay, what’s the number?”

Lauren dials it in as Sam tells her, then hits send. His phone rings promptly.

He answers it—standing two feet away from her and smiling into her eyes. “Hello?”

“Hi, is Sam there, please?”

“Speaking.”

“Sam, it’s Lauren Walsh.”