a little triggered, that dog is going to her house.”
I smiled. “I can’t believe it. A dog in our house.”
She chewed on the end of her pencil. “Your dad and I will take turns driving back and forth to help manage the store, but one of us will have to be with the twins full-time. They’re still children, after all...” As she rambled on about her list, I realized she barely saw me anymore. Her mind was on the millions of things she had to do to prepare.
“How can I help?” I asked.
She tucked the pencil behind her ear and flipped through the pages (I’d been wrong earlier—there were five) and filled in a check box. “Can you go get more dog food since you already know where the co-op is?”
My heart clenched at the reminder of Ray, but I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “Sure.”
He had plenty to be doing on a Sunday. It wasn’t like he would be in the same place as me at the same time anyway.
I got the card from Mom, grabbed my purse, and went out to my car. After hooking up my latest murder mystery podcast obsession to the Bluetooth speakers, I began the drive. Now, it was like going down memory lane. The drive to Heywood reminded me of going to Ray’s. Just as if it were that first day, I could feel the anger in my chest at having to drive to Ray’s for the project, my first impression of him fueling my frustration.
I’d known two sides of him. The rough one that shoved everyone and everything away, and then the real side that cared deeply for others and felt a real sense of responsibility for what happened in the world around him. I shook my head and turned the radio louder. These kinds of thoughts weren’t productive. I needed something to help drown them out.
Eventually, I reached the co-op and turned off the car. Something kept me from going inside, though. Maybe it was the memories or maybe it was fear. What would I do if I saw Ray outside of school, where we constantly had schedules to adhere to and people we knew surrounding us?
This was crazy. Nothing said Ray would be here except my overactive imagination. I pulled my keys, opened the door, and got out of my car. The gravel parking lot crunched under my feet as I walked inside, and the clanging bell over the door announced my arrival.
A few older men browsing items on the shelf turned their heads, but I kept going toward the big carts meant to carry bags upon bags of animal feed.
Keeping my eyes ahead, I pushed the cart to the spot where I knew the dog food was. I grabbed several bags—like my mom had asked—and piled them on top. How much food could one dog eat? Surely it would take Rosie’s at least a year to get through this.
“Ginger?” a woman’s voice said.
I looked up, my eyes widening at the sight of Mrs. Sadler and Laura.
Immediately, my eyes scanned the room, fearing Ray would be somewhere near.
“He’s not here,” Mrs. Sadler said. “We just started a girl’s day and thought we’d run a few errands first.”
My shoulders relaxed as I smiled at them. “That sounds fun. What are the plans?”
Laura grinned. “A walk on the beach, pedicures, and a movie.”
I let out a dreamy sigh. “That sounds amazing.”
“My daughter has great ideas,” Mrs. Sadler beamed, putting an arm around Laura.
They seemed so happy, and it made me realize that I would miss them too. I had hardly gotten to know them, and I lamented the fact that I would never get to. I looked over my shoulder, trying to blink away tears.
“Laura, why don’t you go get the medicine?” Mrs. Sadler said.
With a concerned look, Laura nodded and walked away. Mrs. Sadler came closer and patted my shoulder. “How are you doing, honey?” Maybe it was the gentleness of her tone or the way her blue eyes looked just like Ray’s, but moisture consumed my eyes.
I took a shaky breath, but the tears came anyway. I wiped at them, barely doing anything to stem the flow that had started. “I feel bad about what happened, and I miss him.”
“Oh honey.” Her eyes dripped with concern as she hugged me. “It wasn’t your fault. Accidents happen sometimes, and there’s nothing we can do to stop them.”
“But I—”
“Made a simple mistake in an unprecedented circumstance,” she finished for