to ask about them. Of course he’d remember the basics of my relationship with them. Or at least, he had an idea of how they had always been, which was fine with leaving their daughters with their abuelita while they went off and did their own thing. “They’re in Nicaragua right now on a missionary trip. My mom sent me an email a couple days ago and said she thinks they’ll be down there at least another two or three months.”
His fingers drummed across the handle of the cart, and I could only begin to imagine what he was thinking. “I wasn’t sure if they were still travelin’ all the time or not” was all he said… in a tight voice that lifted my heart just a little.
“Yeah, they are,” I replied. I’d gotten used to them being gone all the time. Then again, I’d gotten used to it by the time I was six.
Well, for the most part.
I didn’t want to talk about them anymore, and I was sure he probably didn’t either. “I’m done here, old fart, do you need anything else? Want to split up?” I offered in a voice a lot cheerier than I was genuinely feeling.
“I’ll follow you.”
Okay. “I’m getting some shrimp next.”
Zac nodded back and followed after me. I spotted the familiar man behind the counter and waved at him when we made eye contact.
“Hi,” the employee greeted me back, coming around the bar behind the coolers lined up with fresh fish and meats. “How’s it goin’? What you need today?”
“Two pounds of that peeled shrimp, please,” I told the employee, flashing him a smile. “No Anthony today?”
The older man grinned at me as he slid the cooler door open and reached in. “Nah, it’s his day off. It’ll make his whole week if I tell him you asked about him.”
I snorted as Zac came to stand beside me. “Aww. Leave him alone.”
The employee’s eyes slid to my companion, and he made a surprised face. He’d only asked me at least ten times over the last year if I was still single and usually followed that up by trying to offer his younger, but very cute coworker up as boyfriend material. “You went out and got a boyfriend?”
“No.” I forced the smile onto my face. “Zac, this is George. George, Zac.”
George’s eyes narrowed a little, and I had a feeling….
Zac slapped a hand down onto my shoulder. “How’s it goin’?”
I had one chance to change the subject, and I went for it. “George, how are your kids doing? Did your daughter get into that nursing school she was hoping for?”
That was enough of a distraction to get my friend at the grocery store to tell me all about his daughter’s latest school drama. People liked to tell me things, and I liked to listen. So thankfully, I managed to get Zac an order of ribeye too, undetected. I told George I’d see him later and pretty much dragged Zac out of there before the other man figured out why he might have thought he looked familiar.
“You sure nobody ever recognizes you?” I asked him when we were far enough away not to be overheard.
Zac picked up a package of spaghetti without really looking at the front. “Well… sometimes. Not often.” He arched an eyebrow. “You?”
“Nah. Six times including CJ.”
He nodded, and his mouth twitched to the side for a moment before he asked, “I never asked. You got a boyfriend?”
I shook my head. “Nah, I’m my own boyfriend.” And since we were on the subject… “Do you have a girlfriend? Was that blonde the day of your party thing your girlfriend?”
“The blonde the day of my party thing…?” he asked and glanced up at the ceiling, thoughtfully.
This fool had no idea who the hell I was talking about. Then he confirmed it by basically reading my mind.
“I don’t know who you’re talkin’ about,” he said after a moment, actually looking sheepish. “And no, no girlfriend. No nothin’. I don’t have time for that kind of commitment.”
I snorted. “’Have time,’ okay,” I said sarcastically.
His elbow nudged me, and he opened his mouth to tell me who knows what just as his phone started ringing. He pulled it out and read whatever was on the screen, cursing under his breath. Blue eyes flicked up to me right before he muttered, “It’s Trevor, my manager,” like I didn’t know who he was. “One second…. What’s up, Trev?.... He just called you?” Zac asked with a frown, making