I rushed to the cart and started unloading. Curtains for the bedroom (denim). New curtain rods (awesome). New kitchen towels (bright and cheery). New bathroom towels (thick and lush). And one of those shelf things for the shower because Tate really needed one.
Our cart was so full because Tate had been distracted by brooding over his conversation with Stella. I wasn’t proud of my behavior but I couldn’t deny I took advantage.
“Girlfriend!” our cashier cried, I straightened and looked at her.
It was my cashier from when Wendy and I were there a few days before. Her eyes were fastened on Tate in a way it looked like it might cause bodily damage if she was forced to tear them away.
“Hey,” I greeted, her body jolted and her eyes came to me.
She asked with a tilt of her head to Tate, “This your hot guy?”
Tate looked at me.
I bit my lip. Then I said, “Yeah.”
The clerk’s head shot around and she shouted, “Hey, Maybelline! This is the sheet chick and her hot guy.”
A rotund, older black lady four registers down turned to us, gave Tate a once-over and shouted, “Oo doggies. That boy’s hot all right!”
Wow. Conversation in the staff room at Deluxe Home Stores must be relatively limited for my sheet purchases to make the agenda.
“Uh… Ace,” Tate called and my head swung in his direction to see his eyebrows were up but his mouth was twitching.
“Don’t,” I warned.
“What’d she get this time?” Maybelline called.
The clerk at our register was scanning as she called out our purchases across the register lanes, “Curtains! Kitchen towels! Bath towels! Rods! A shower shelf! Oo! And a teal and purple spoon bowl scraper.” She looked at me. “Good choice, I got the purple first and came back for the teal. These things are great! They don’t even melt. You can use them making cakes and cookin’ scrambled eggs. You got two, you can do both at the same time.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“Sounds to me like someone’s settin’ up house,” Maybelline remarked loudly.
“Me too,” our clerk called back.
Tate’s hand came to my hip and slid around to my belly as he pushed the cart through to the end and then his mouth was at my ear.
“Uh…Lauren, you wanna tell me why –”
I twisted my head to look at him.
“Don’t,” I whispered.
He grinned down at me. “Babe.”
I looked at the clerk and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Wanda,” she answered.
“I’m Lauren.”
“Hey Lauren.” Her eyes slid to Tate then back to me. “You gonna be in lots?”
“No,” I answered.
“Probably,” Tate answered at the same time.
Wanda leaned toward me. “Sorry, girlfriend, but I’m gonna go with his answer, you know, just ‘cause it gives me hope. We girls, we need hope, even if we’re hopin’ for someone else.”
“By all means,” I invited and she smiled and looked at Tate.
“Next week, we’re havin’ a sale,” she informed him.
“I’ll put that in my calendar,” he replied on a grin.
“You do that,” she muttered and gave us our total.
I dug in my purse and came out with my wallet just in time to see Tate hand Wanda his credit card.
“I thought I’d –” I started, Tate’s eyes came to me and I pressed my lips together and shoved my wallet back in my purse.
“Good call,” Wanda whispered to me and swiped Tate’s credit card.
We’d left Wanda and Maybelline behind with fond (loud) farewells and were walking through the parking lot to the Explorer, Tate guiding the loaded cart with one hand, his other arm around my shoulders, my arm curled around his waist when Tate spoke.
“You wanna explain about Wanda?”
“No,” I replied.
“You know her?”
“Not exactly, except she gave me a mini-counseling session when I came here with Wendy.”
“Come again?”
“Doesn’t matter,” I murmured.
Luckily, Tate let that go.
“You wanna tell me why you know everyone every place we go?” he asked.
“No,” I answered.
“How long you been in Colorado?” he went on.
“Um…”
“Babe,” he muttered and I knew he was smiling.
“I’m nice,” I explained and he didn’t respond so I continued. “And to be nice you have to be friendly so even if someone you don’t know butts into your conversation and gives you advice, you stay friendly. Wanda’s kind of nosy and somewhat inappropriate but she means well. And anyway, I’m nice and I’m friendly and I don’t know how else to be.”