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A display case full of Pretzel M&M packets, right on the shelf in front of me.
I open my mouth to call out to Olivia—but then I stop.
We’ve got plenty of time left. And I’m enjoying this silly little adventure with her way too much.
We can afford one more stop and still get back to the tutoring center with plenty of time to spare. I genuinely think my outline is really good, and there won’t be much for us to go over today, anyway.
The big grocery store on the other side of town will definitely have some in stock, too. Then Olivia and I will have more time hanging out together in my car. And we’ll get to wander around a grocery store together …
Man, what’s with me? Why does the thought of wandering around a grocery store with this girl make my heart sing like a hummingbird?
It does, though. And now that the thought’s been planted in my mind, it only grows more appealing.
“You find any?” Olivia asks as I walk out of the candy aisle towards her, empty-handed.
I should feel bad when I lie to her, “Nope. All out here, too.”
But I don’t.
At the end of the day, she’s still going to get her Pretzel M&M’s, just ten minutes later than she would have otherwise. And I’ll get to spend more time with her. Win-win.
“Darn it,” Olivia grumbles. “Now I’m even more in the mood for them.”
“Let’s go to Wambley’s,” I say. It’s the big grocery store on the other side of town. “They’re definitely going to have some in stock.”
She purses her lips thoughtfully for a beat. “I should say no so we can get back to our tutoring session. But I really want those M&M’s now …” Indecisiveness flashes across her face for a moment, but it doesn’t take long for her cravings to win out. “Alright, let’s go.”
The slight twinge of guilt I feel about my little white lie washes away when I’m back in my car next to her. There’s nothing wrong with a lie for the greater good, right? Because even though she won’t admit it, I know that Olivia is enjoying this little adventure, too.
Shit. How can they be out of Pretzel M&M’s here?
Wambley’s has a reputation for stocking everything. For as long as I’ve lived in Cedar Shade, I’ve literally never had something I was in the mood to eat, and not found it when I came here.
Until now.
Guilt pricks at the nape of my neck. Now it’s my fault that Olivia’s Pretzel M&M craving isn’t going to be satisfied.
Olivia lets out a disappointed sigh as we stand right in front of the display case where every flavor of M&M’s are stocked to the brim, except the pretzel kind.
“Oh, well,” she shrugs. “We tried our best.”
I offer to buy her as many of the other flavors as she wants, but she declines, saying that her craving is very specifically for the pretzel flavor, and she’s not in the mood for anything else.
My chest sinks as I sling my hands into my pockets. We walk disappointed back down the aisle. “How the hell did they have every other flavor in stock, but zero pretzel ones?”
But then, as we turn towards the front of the store where all the registers are, I spot the answer to my question.
One guy is holding a single shopping basket, which is piled high with bags of Pretzel M&Ms.
I nudge Olivia and direct her attention to him. “I’m not seeing things, right?”
“Holy shit!” she whisper-shouts. “Who needs that many Pretzel M&M’s?”
“For real. I know I shouldn’t judge, but I’m judging.”
Olivia shrugs. “Early bird catches the worm, I guess.”
Nah. I’m not ready to accept defeat that easily. I walk towards the guy, Olivia following behind me tentatively.
