“Ready to shop?” Jeremy asked.
“Come on, Kallie. This is the only time I’ll make you socialize. Promise,” Eris said.
“Yeah, don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Kallie said.
She pushed out of the car as the three of them headed into the grocery store to pick up a few supplies. Jeremy went straight for the cleaning and hardware section while she and Eris walked up and down the food aisles. They tossed some things into the cart, loading it up with food. But Kallie didn’t have much of an appetite. Nothing looked appealing. Not the salad mixes or the cuts of steak. Not the chips or the desserts or the pudding. Eventually, Kallie broke off from Eris and began walking down the aisle that contained all the shitty paperback books that were discounted.
Her fingers started running over the covers. Trying to find something that could pass as beach-reading material. Not that she expected to read. But if she pretended, maybe Eris would leave her the fuck alone for the weekend.
She found a book that looked promising. Broken Hearts Abound. Appropriate for the state she was in. She plucked the book from the stand and flipped it over, reading the back cover. It seemed interesting enough, but it didn’t intrigue her. And Kallie never bought a book that didn’t give her goose bumps. She put it back and picked up another one, reading all of the back-cover synopses of the books to find one that Eris could believe she was reading.
But before she could find a suitable book, the bell above the front door rang out.
Kallie whipped her head over to see who was coming in. Was it a reporter? Someone snapping pictures? One of Ash’s friends? Her heart slammed against her chest as she tucked the book she was holding against her bosom. It would have to do as a misdirect for Eris. She was preparing herself to run. To duck and cover at the slightest hint of a microphone or a camera.
But it was worse.
It was so much worse.
Those hazel eyes panned over to her and she stopped breathing. That beautiful smattering of freckles that once gave her so much joy filled with a dread she couldn’t explain. It was like watching a train wreck. She couldn’t look away from him. Every single sound from the store faded into the background and there was nothing but the two of them.
Kallie, Ash, and the deep frown on his face.
Holy shit. Ash was in the Hamptons too.
Her eyes fell to the frown on his face and she felt her heart break. He used to smile in her presence. At the very thought of her. She felt her knees growing weak as she took a step back. She clung to the book against her chest for dear life as Ash’s eyes stayed connected with hers. And with every passing second, the disgust on his face grew. Like a mold. Or a nightmare. Or a terrible, horrible dream.
She couldn’t believe it.
Ash was in the Hamptons.
So much for escaping him for the weekend.
THE END