A Guide to Being Just Friends(22)

Six each of apples, oranges, and pears, and one bag of green grapes. As a kid, he’d play Mario Kart and then draw his own version of the worlds. He’d kept those tucked away in a sketchbook labeled BIG IDEAS. He smiled to himself now as he set back the bag of grapes he’d chosen and went with red instead. He was so na?ve when he was young. He’d actually asked his father if he could help him get his game ideas to Nintendo. He had all sorts of additions they could have made to make the games even cooler than they were.

His father had squashed that idea like a fire ant. With malice and purpose.

“Wes?”

He turned at the sound of his name and his smile escaped without warning. “Hey, Hailey.”

She was dressed in a pale blue hoodie and a pair of black pants that came just below her knees. Her flip flops revealed brightly painted toenails, which, for some reason, made him smile wider.

“Making fruit salad?” She gestured to his cart.

“Not exactly.” He eyed her basket.

She moved it behind her back, making him laugh too loud.

“That’s a lot of chocolate. I’m beginning to worry you might have a problem.” He arched his brows, waited her out.

“Buying for a friend.”

He laughed again. “Sure.”

“Whatever, Mr. Healthy. I hadn’t gotten to this section yet. I hit the important stuff first.” She picked up an orange and put it in her basket. He stared at her, amused, as she held his gaze, reached for an apple, and put that in her basket, too.

“To dip in my chocolate,” she said.

The wires in his brain crisscrossed for a nanosecond, heating his skin.

“Smart,” he said, his voice unexpectedly gruff.

She fell into step beside him, leaned in to check out his list. She smelled like fruit and soap, which, in his opinion, was nicer than expensive perfumes.

“A man on a mission. You’re very organized. Shoot. I actually need to grab some organic lettuce. I only order a small amount because most people order regular. My shipment doesn’t come until end of next week. Give me a sec.” She thrust her basket at him.

He watched as she hurried to the organic cooler. By the time she came back, several packs of lettuce in her arms, he’d sprayed down the handles of her basket and set it inside the lower part of his cart.

She leaned forward over her basket and let the lettuce fall. “Awesome. Thank you.”

He had no idea what she was thanking him for. “You’re welcome. Is that all you need?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. You have lots on your list. Mind if I keep you company?”

He stopped and stared at her. “You don’t know what you need?”

She grinned and pointed at her basket. “I got what I needed under the lettuce. How come you’re at the grocery store on a Saturday night?” She put her hands on her hips. “Is this what all the cool kids are doing?”

Pushing the cart forward, he bit back his smile. “You have no idea who the cool kids are if you’re looking my way.”

She was quiet as they turned down the pasta aisle. He chose spaghetti.

“So, still no dates?”

He glanced at her as they headed toward the sauces. “Definitely not. We talked about this. We’re lone wolves. Together.”

He’d been aiming to make her smile but her gaze lit up and she beamed at him. Like freaking sunshine. She lifted her arm, held out her fist. For a second, he just stared at it, then realized she was offering him a fist bump.

Wes gently connected his fist to hers, all the while shaking his head. “You are a strange woman, Hailey Sharp.”

“I have been called so much worse.”

She said it so casually, like it was a joke but one that was true. It bothered him. He was thinking of a way to bring it up, to ask who would call her anything negative at all, as he looked at jarred sauce.

“You’re not buying a premade sauce, are you?”

He looked down, startled by the brightness of her gaze. She had very pretty eyes. “I grew out of butter and parmesan at twelve, so yes.”

She smiled, patted his arm. “You never grow out of that but it’s so easy to make your own marinara. I’ll show you. It’ll be a thank-you for the invite tomorrow. Come on. You don’t need much at all. It’ll be healthier and taste so much better.”

Bubbles of happiness fizzed in his chest, confusing him. He did not want to date anyone. Particularly this woman as he hadn’t figured her out. But he’d really hoped she’d join them tomorrow. As a friend. Was he going to find it difficult to keep that straight in his head? Or worse, his heart? No.

“You’re coming?”

She placed two large cans of diced tomatoes in his cart. “If that’s still okay. I’m bringing a friend because my cousin is worried you might murder me and bury me in the sand.”

He might never figure her out. “We try not to get that aggressive during the volleyball. Noah can be a pretty bad sport but I don’t think he’d go that far.”

Her laughter surprised him. It rang out over the quiet music humming through the store. “I’m not very good at volleyball so it looks like I’ll be safe from finding out.”

“I’m glad you’re joining us. You’ve made another friend? That was fast.” He watched as she put olive oil and balsamic vinegar in his cart.