of their shopping trips circa several years ago. Trippy the way it was easy to fall back into an old pattern.
“Hmm.” Simone surveyed the options and produced a carton.
“Just like that, huh?”
She gestured to the display. “Just have to take your time and find the right one.”
“Right,” Joey said. “You would know.” What the hell? The snarky comment had flown from her lips before she’d had a moment to censor it. It wasn’t like Joey to jab like that. The look on Simone’s face and the way she drew back said she was appropriately surprised, as well. Joey shrugged. “No idea where that just came from. Ignore me.” She pushed her cart farther down the aisle and fled the scene.
Simone’s cart pulled alongside hers and kept up. “I don’t want to ignore you,” Simone said. “I feel like we’ve been ignoring each other for years.”
“Well, yeah. So?” Joey pushed ahead, making a break for the banana section. Simone, who was the least aggressive person on the planet, was apparently not messing around. She kept pace with Joey as they nearly jogged down the aisle.
“Stop that,” Joey told her.
“No.” Simone nudged Joey’s cart with hers.
“Hey, that’s gotta be against store rules.” She butted Simone’s cart right back, which pulled a glare and seemed to fire her up more. “I will call a manager over here.”
“You will not.”
Joey made a break for it.
Simone pulled ahead and turned her cart sideways in front of Joey’s, blocking her path like a police car maneuver on a high-speed chase. “Well, that seems unnecessary and dangerous.”
“It’s absolutely necessary,” Simone said, exasperated. “We haven’t had a real conversation in years and now…”
Joey banged Simone’s cart with hers. “And now you’re getting married. So what?”
“So…everything!” Simone gave Joey’s cart a little kick. “I want to make sure that you’re okay. Because I care.”
She kicked Simone’s cart right back. “No. You want to make sure that you’re guilt free, and you are. Live your life. Have babies. I have my own stuff going.”
Simone sighed. “Can we sit down together? Put an end to grocery cart wars. I have things to say.” She inclined her head toward the front of the store and the small deli with a coffee bar attached, sadly named The Grocery Store Café. It was almost as if they hadn’t cared to try.
Joey sighed in indecision. “Really?”
Simone blinked at her, unwavering. “Really.”
“I’ll meet you there in half an hour. Let me finish my shopping without your Andretti-style maneuverings. You’re a menace.”
“You have a deal,” Simone said, extracting her cart from Joey’s path.
“Take it easy,” Joey said over her shoulder as she headed off down the aisle. “And don’t kill anyone in the meantime. There are children around here.”
“No promises,” Simone said with a smile as she wheeled away.
Joey did her shopping, taking an extra few minutes just because she was avoiding what had to be a strange and uncomfortable conversation ahead. When it was impossible to delay any longer, she deposited her groceries in the car, grateful for the colder temperatures that would keep them cool, and made her way to the café. When she found Simone, she also found a caramel latte in a mug, completed with a foam swirl. Simone, to her chagrin, knew her too well.
“I took the liberty. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Joey said and slid into her chair with a smile. “What do I owe you?”
“Stop that.”
“What?”
Simone’s eyes flashed rare exasperation, and she sat forward in her chair. “That impersonal thing you do when you act like we didn’t spend half our lives inseparable. I’m allowed to buy you a cup of coffee without us having to settle up.” The passion with which Simone said the words was new.
“Okay,” Joey said, holding up a conciliatory hand. “Coffee’s on you today.”
“Thank you,” Simone said, sitting back in her chair again. “Now I want to talk about you.”
“Oh. Because of the engagement? I’m fine with it. You and Constance were destined. Written in the stars. All that. Are we done?”
“No. This has nothing to do with my life, and everything to do with you and yours. I’m about to get a little nosy here. Fair warning.”
Joey hadn’t seen this coming. She’d assumed this meeting was about Simone assuaging her getting-married guilt, checking a box to make sure Joey was okay. She squinted. “Why are we talking about me, exactly?”
“Because you’re ruining your life, and I can’t stand it anymore.”
Joey looked around the café in confusion as if searching for something.