If I Didn't Know Better (The Callaways #9)(28)

"Would you mind if we stopped at the market so I could pick up some groceries?" she asked, as they got into the car. "I promise to be quick."

"You don't have to rush; I need to pick up a few things as well."

"That would be great."

"I don't know about great, but happy to help."

"I'll feel better once I have food in the refrigerator. Then I can settle in and really get some things done."

"As long as you don't let your neighbor and his daughter derail you," he said lightly.

She smiled. "I'm not keeping a schedule. I've done that for all of my life. I'm going to take these few weeks to work at my own pace, however slow or fast that might be."

"I like to control the pace, but right now I don't have that luxury. Someone else is calling the shots."

"I bet you never thought your life would be in the hands of an eight-year-old."

"I definitely did not," he agreed.

"You're a soldier. Don't you sometimes have to retreat so you can fight another day?"

"I prefer to have a solid enough plan before I go into battle so that retreating isn't necessary."

"I have a feeling you're a good soldier."

"I was trained to be good."

She had a feeling his talents went way beyond his training, but Jeremy definitely didn't talk himself up, and she liked that about him.

A few minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of the market. They each grabbed a cart and split up to do their shopping. Of course, Ashlyn chose to stay with Mia. She decided to take one little minute to offer Ashlyn some advice.

"You know, honey, your dad is trying really hard to make you happy. You might want to think about letting him do that. Wouldn't it have been fun for him to push you on the swing?"

Ashlyn stared up at her, then shrugged.

Well, at least she hadn't said no or not reacted at all.

"Your dad loves you a lot. And he's not going anywhere, even if you try to push him away." It had occurred to her that Ashlyn might be consciously or subconsciously testing her father to see if he would get mad and leave. Ashlyn needed to know that her father was going to stay before she could trust him. "So maybe give him a break once in a while. You can do that, can't you?"

Ashlyn twirled a strand of her hair around on her finger as she considered the question. Then she pointed to the freezer section behind Mia. "Ice cream."

Mia smiled. "You can definitely talk when you want to." She opened the glass door. "Ice cream is actually a pretty good idea. There's nothing better than a hot summer night and a bowl of cherry vanilla ice cream."

"Chocolate," Ashlyn said, pulling out another container.

"Okay, chocolate isn't bad, either," she said, tossing it into her cart. "Now we need to get some vegetables so that I can justify eating the ice cream for dessert."

They met up with Jeremy ten minutes later by the checkout line.

"You stocked up," he said, eyeing her rather full cart.

"I had a little helper with me." She noted that he'd managed to get through the store with only a few items in his cart.

He laughed. "Ice cream?"

She nodded. "I had to say yes because she asked for it out loud."

His lips tightened. "Good. I'll pay you back."

"Don't be silly. You and Ashlyn just need to help me eat it later, or I'll be waddling out of Aunt Carly's house at the end of the summer."

"I seriously doubt that," he said dryly.

After checking out of the store, they headed back home, and Ashlyn reluctantly said good-bye to Mia after her father told her she needed to give Mia some time on her own.

Mia promised she'd see them soon, and then let herself into the house.

It felt good to fill the refrigerator and make herself a cup of tea. After the groceries were put away, she grabbed two large plastic trash bags and headed upstairs. While the studio was still her main focus, she did want to make the guest room more livable. It didn't feel as sad as her aunt's room, so it was much easier to start there.

She didn't know who the items in the guest room belonged to, but the drawers in the dresser were filled with an odd assortment of clothes, including a few men's shirts, which might possibly have belonged to one of Carly's lovers.

Mia smiled at that thought. She'd never actually met any of her aunt's male friends, but she'd heard some amazing stories. Carly had a way of making men fall at her feet and worship her. But no man had ever managed to get her down the aisle.

After debating for a few moments, Mia decided to put all of the gently used clothes in a bag for donation. Anything with a button missing or a stain, she put in the trash bag. She was about to tie off the second full donation bag when her cell phone rang. It was her sister Annie.

"Hey, Annie, hang on a sec." She put the phone on speaker and set it on the dresser as she knotted the ties of the trash bag and set it aside. "How's it going?"

"Good. I'm just leaving the hospital. Nicole and her beautiful daughter Amanda are doing very well. She's the sweetest baby with fuzzy blonde strands of hair on her head and the face of an angel."

"Thank goodness everyone is healthy." Nicole had still been in labor when she'd left San Francisco, and although she'd gotten several texts that baby and mother were fine, she felt better actually speaking to someone.