AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ew, don’t be gross.”
She laughs. “Wait—are you out of your house?”
“I am. I have to go grab my grocery order and head to Costco to stock up on some things.”
“Ooo, is one of the items on your list a bulk-sized box of condoms? And more importantly, are they regular size or Magnums?”
“Um, no,” I scoff.
“Raw-dogging it?” Francesca twitters, alerting me I’m on speaker and they’re together.
“Also, no.”
“Why the hell not?” she barks.
“Not gonna happen.” They both start to talk over me, but I talk louder. “I’m not calling for an inquisition. I’m calling to tell you that Chloe, Aggie, and Danny are flying in today, and she asked me to go to the game with them.”
“Wait—so you’re not going to be at the game with us?” Fawna says dejectedly.
“They’re not here often and?—”
“We know,” Francesca says. “We totally get it, but we can still meet up at the stadium. Let us know where your seats are, and we’ll make it happen.”
“Okay.”
“Because we?—”
“Need you to help us judge Tall, Dark, and Filthy’s game,” Francesca cuts Fawna off.
“Gotcha. I’ll see you both then.”
“Mwah,” Fawna says.
“Arrivederci.” Francesca giggles.
I throw up two fingers even though they can’t see me. “Peace.”
* * *
With my vehicle loaded with groceries, I head to the big box store and find a perfect parking spot.
Inside, I don’t even pretend like I’m only going to need one of the large carts. I know I’ll have to get one of the giant flat ones that they use at the hardwood stores to move lumber. I intend to stock up on all the supplies I need for Wags and home to last me a good year—paper products, laundry soap, dish detergent, Nespresso pods, snacks, drinks, including Dr. Pepper, which I only allow myself to buy when Chloe comes to visit or that’s all I’ll drink.
As I’m heading down the first aisle, I eyeball the jumbo-sized containers of candies. Unable to stop myself, I grab a bag of chewy Nerds Clusters because they are everything that’s good in the world, and then I see a massive bag of assorted Lindt Lindor truffles and grab them, too—they’re Chloe’s favorite. I tap into my mental checklist. Danny’s a jerky and nut lover. I’ll grab them, too, when I see them.
Aggie’s favorite snack, Yo-Bites, must be around here, too, I think as I look around for them.
That’s when I spy with my little eye a white pup. I love that people are allowed to bring their puppies in places like this; it helps to socialize them. However, as the pup begins pulling a leash, I realize that I know that happy, white, wagging tail.
A deep laugh comes from behind the end of the aisle, and Hudson steps around it. “Elle, you’re making me look bad. You gotta behave, babe.”
I scan my surroundings to measure the difficulty in turning this massive cart around, but it’s too late.
“Howdy, neighbor,” he calls after me.
“Ugh,” I groan then look back in his direction as they continue to play tug-of-war.
He stands there in black warmup pants, a black long-sleeved shirt that hugs his body, and a backward hat with his hair peeking out from underneath it. Hudson’s hair is a bit longer, but he’s the same height as Roman. They’re both jacked, but Hudson has about fifteen pounds on him.
