“Yep, been here about a month,” he said and slipped on an apron before going over to the checkout counter and tidying it up. “And you?”
“I used to live here, and I just recently moved back. Still asking myself why,” I said as I pulled a cart out from where they were all packed in together.
“Let me know if you need anything,” he said and turned to ring someone up.
“Okay, now what should I take for lunch?” I asked myself and ignored it when one of the locals stared at me.Nosy fuckers.I walked over to the small deli and decided to get a variety of meats and cheeses. Then I’d have some extra not just for my lunch but for Isaac too. What was it with that guy? I knew he was interested from the first time we met, but I never expected him to be someone I looked forward to seeing every single day. “I am so fucked.”
“What was that?” And there he was like we’d made plans to meet here. Isaac spoke as he walked over to my cart and dumpedthe groceries he was holding in it. “Mind if I put my stuff in there? I got more than I expected to. What are you getting?” He was talking fast and acting a little more twitchy than usual, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he was nervous. Isaac never seemed nervous.
“Just talking to myself. I was getting stuff for sandwiches so I could treat you to lunch tomorrow. You know, to pay you back,” I said and hated that I was trying to make it sound like it was no big deal when it had in fact been a big deal to me. No one had ever been so sweet to surprise me like that. He met my eyes and tilted his head, and I would have sworn he was trying to read my mind or at least extract some bit of information out of me, but I was clueless.
“Tig, I didn’t do it thinking you had to pay me back. I just wanted to do something nice for you,” he said, and the way sweat broke out on his upper lip made me think he was just as clueless about this as I was. “I wanted us to eat lunch together.”
I reached for his hand, needing to touch him, and not giving a shit if we were in the only store in this small ass town and every gossip was most likely within earshot. “You have no idea how much it meant to me that you brought me lunch. I know it wasn’t much, but for me it really was special, and I want to make you feel just as special.”
“Okay,” Isaac said, and I tried not to notice how fucking cute he was in the middle of the old grocery store with the top button of his shirt unbuttoned and jeans slung low on his hips.
“Now, what kind of sandwich do you like?” I asked, and he led me through the store choosing chips and other snacks he liked to take.
“Do you have a small ice chest? I stopped using the refrigerator in the breakroom at work a few jobs back. There is always someone who will steal your lunch, or at least part of it,” Isaac said.
“No, I don’t. Does Hudson’s store have something that would work?”
“Yes, and they’ll be happy to see you go in and buy something. They’ve spent the past year making sure they have anything anyone in town might need but can’t buy anywhere else nearby.”
“I remember how the place was years ago. It always had a bunch of stuff but mostly for basic home repairs and fishing supplies,” I said as we got in line to check out.
“I think if Hudson hadn’t come back to town when he did, it would have closed. Did he tell you some guy was trying to buy up properties around here? He was pressuring Hudson’s dad to sell cheap,” Isaac said.
“No, I didn’t hear that. I knew there was a reason he moved back but I just thought his dad was ready to retire. I had no clue there was more to it.”
“I mean it worked out good for everyone. If he hadn’t come back, he’d never have met Jack. The store would have closed, and Jack would have been working somewhere else and been miserable.”
“Was he not happy?”
“Jack has always been old beyond his years, and he’s always been a grump, and I can say that because he’s my best friend. I don’t think he ever thought he could be as happy as he is with Hudson. He probably never thought he’d find someone here that would love him the way Hudson does.” Isaac had a faraway look in his eyes, and I wondered what was going through his mind at that moment.
“I’m glad I moved back,” I said just as it was our turn in line. A few months ago, I wouldn’t have thought that. When I first moved here, I was bored and lonely. But rekindling my friendship with Hudson changed that. If I was being honest with myself, I was happier now than I had been in years. Even happier than I’d been with Josiah. It was harder to rememberexactly what attracted me to him now, and I wasn’t upset about that. The sooner I forgot about him the better. And the more time I spent getting to know Isaac was definitely better.
“What are you doing now?” he asked as soon as we walked out of the store.
“I was going to take this stuff home. What are your plans tonight?” I asked.
“I’m going to your house. Tell me where you live and I’ll meet you there. I’ll even bring us some food, are you okay with Mexican?” he asked as he walked backwards away from me.
“Uh yeah sure. Isaac, wait. I live out in the middle of nowhere, are you sure?”
He looked me up and down in that way he had perfected that made me feel shy and exposed, and also so fucking hot for him I wanted to jump him right here in front of the grocery store. “Text me directions. I’ll be there in about an hour.”
I could only nod as he jumped into his truck and drove away leaving me standing there slack jawed, staring, and possibly a little aroused. “I am in so much trouble.” After taking a deep breath and loading the groceries into the truck. I texted him the directions and drove home.
Thirteen
Isaac
After sending a textto Hudson thanking him, I hurried home and packed a change of clothes and a few other things into a backpack before I looked at the text Tig had sent me. He wasn’t lying, he did live in the middle of nowhere. But I knewexactly where it was, and it wouldn’t be a problem for me to get there. After a quick shower and a double check that I’d packed everything I’d need for the night, I drove to the taqueria at the edge of town and ordered more tacos and chips and salsa than we’d ever be able to eat.
Hudson had said to do what Tig had asked and get to know him better while letting him get to know me, and to show him I cared because everyone wanted to know someone cared about them. His words, not mine, but after the way Tig reacted when I brought him lunch, Hudson seemed to be right.
