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“Oh, right. No, yeah. I mean, I’m fine. I’m okay. I just… The cat scratched me. And I didn’t have a bandage in the house.”

Devon nodded, his eyes flicking to her cart.

“I also ran out of salt,” Paige said with a nervous grin, tossing her tote bag over the rest of the items.

“Well, I guess I should let you get back to your bandage selection and first aid.”

“Thanks,” she said, a grin spreading across her face.

“Oh, by the way, I think your cell phone was ringing. That’s what made me notice you. Well, not that I wouldn’t notice you otherwise.” He flashed his dimples again.

“Oh,” Paige said, recalling the odd noise she’d heard twice before. “Thanks!”

“No problem. Have a good night.”

“You, too. Oh, by the way, what brings you by the SmartMart at this time of night anyway?”

He waved a canister of coffee in the air. “Ran out of coffee. Couldn’t have that.”

Paige drew her lips back in a theatrical display of fear. “No, that’s a horror show.”

He cocked his head in agreement and winked as he spun and strode away. Paige blew out a shaky breath as she watched him. She shoved her glasses back up on her face when the ringing from her tote sounded again.

“Oh,” she exclaimed, pulling the tote open and digging around.

The communication device Dewey had given her buzzed and chirped, its lights flashing.

Paige glanced around, ensuring no one was near her before she pressed the answer button. With the device still concealed in her tote, she glanced at the screen.

“What?” she whispered.

Dewey’s pinched face stared back at her. “Where have you been?”

“At the SmartMart. Are you kidding me?”

“I’ve called thrice and received no answer. And here I am wondering are you maimed? Are you dead? Were you robbed? Did the beast kill you?”

“None of those things. I just–“

A random shopper wandered down the aisle next to Paige. She shoved the tote over the telecommunication device and offered them a sweet smile as she adjusted her glasses.

Dewey’s voice floated from within the tote. “Hello? Hello! Paige! Calling Paige Turner. Calling Paige Turner.”

Paige lifted the tote, her eyes wide and her jaw clenched as she spoke. “Will you stop that? I’m in the middle of a public place!”

One of Dewey’s thick scaly eyebrows shot upward. “So?”

“So? So! So, what am I supposed to tell people when I’m walking around with this device? Oh, don’t mind me, I’m just talking to my pet dragon?”

Dewey rolled his eyes. “Stop being so dramatic. No one will pay a bit of attention to you, Paige.”

Paige propped the device in her purse and pushed the cart to another aisle. “I’m not so sure that’s true.”

“What do you mean? You’re not that interesting.”

Paige set her face in an unimpressed expression. “That’s not what I meant.” She leaned closer to the tote and whispered, “I think someone was following me again.”

“Really? When? Where?”