Page 4

Chapter Four

Present Day

The day after the pool party, AJ went grocery shopping to grab a few things before her shift at the fire station early the next morning. With a basket on her arm, she wandered down the frozen-treats aisle. Oh how she wanted to eat away her sorrows. After the pool party, she had cried herself to sleep as she’d anticipated.

Zara had knocked on the door and asked if she was okay. She’d said she would be. It wasn’t a lie; Jesus held her and would sustain her like He always had. No matter how far she had wandered from time to time, He always accepted her back with open arms.

She picked some frozen fruit bars. Healthy and delicious, better than the cheap vanilla ice cream she loved so much.

After adding some yogurt to her basket, AJ headed to the cereal aisle for some granola. She turned down the aisle and halted. Logan stood in front of the granola.

She needed to suck it up and apologize for being a jerk at the party. With a deep breath, she walked toward him. “Hey.”

He glanced at her and stiffened. Snatching a package from the shelf, he appeared to read the back.

“About the other night …”

“Whatever.” He put the package in his basket and walked away.

She deflated. She sniffed back emotions that threatened, tossed her granola in the basket, then went the opposite direction.

Before she could leave the aisle, a tall man came around the corner heading toward her. Daryl.

“AJ! Hey, girl!”

Her insides quivered. She needed to run in the opposite direction but couldn’t. Be kind. And get away. “Hi.” She tried to walk around him, but he blocked her.

“I’ve missed you. We should hang out again.”

“No, Daryl. I’ll see you around.” She tried again to go around him.

“I think I can change your mind. Just give me a chance.” He moved into her space.

She took a step away.

He reached out to stroke her hair or face, but she side-stepped and darted around him. She was done with trying to be polite. She needed to leave the store. But she wanted her veggies.

Just shy of running, she hurried to the produce and snagged what she needed, being less picky than normal. Heading to the checkout, she groaned. Logan was in one of the open lines and Daryl was in another.

Daryl waved to her to join him.

Logan. As much as he hated her, he was a cop and would keep her safe even if he didn’t want to.

She jumped in line behind him.

He glared at her. “Why are you over here? Go by him.”

She shook her head.

Logan drew closer to her, putting his face less than two feet from hers. “If his bed is better than mine, wouldn’t his checkout line be too?”

She clenched her teeth together, willing the tears to stay put. As much as she feared Logan’s emotionally damaging words, she was more scared of Daryl trying something physical.

Logan finished checking out, and one glance at Daryl told AJ he’d be done about the same time she was.

“Logan, would you wait and walk out with me?”

“Why on earth would I do that?”

She looked toward Daryl and prayed Logan would see the terror in her eyes.

He must have because he made a big deal of sighing and said, “Fine.”

He waited while she checked out her items, and they exited the store. Logan seemed to keep a close eye on Daryl.

She spotted Logan’s motorcycle parked an aisle over from her car. “Grocery getting on a motorcycle. That’s got to be a challenge.”

“Eh. I always do it.”

“Just can’t get too much at a time.”

“Yep.”

“About the pool party—”

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what? Talk to you? Apologize for being mean?”

“Whatever. Just put your groceries in your car and get lost.”

She placed the bags in the trunk and turned to him. “Logan, when will you talk to me again?”

Without turning his stone-set face toward her, he said, “Never.”

The world crashed down on her, crushing her beneath its weight.

He stared across the parking lot, still not looking at her, missing how much that little word hurt her more than anything.

“Daryl’s gone. You’re fine.” Logan didn’t even glance back at her before he walked away.

She had to fight to stay upright. Leaning heavily on the side of her car, she made it to her seat before the grief overwhelmed her.