Page 17 of Hate Me Like You Mean It

“You’ll figure it out, I’m sure.”

It wasn’t until I was messaging Amber about adding salmon to my order that I remembered the shrimp I’d left in my bag. I waited for Dominic to pour his coffee and leave, but instead, he leaned against the sauce-smeared counter, slipped a hand into his pocket, and settled in for the show.

Fuck it.

The shrimp had already gone bad, and I really didn’t want it stinking up my purse. I’d pop it in the freezer, save the grinding and insole smearing for another day.

“What’s that?” Dominic asked curiously when I pulled the bag out.

“Lunch,” I said.

The mug froze against his lips, his brows arching. “And it’s been sitting in your purse all morning?”

“Yup.”

His eyes thinned. “If you think you’re going to get out of this by giving yourself food poisoning, don’t bother. Calling in sick counts as forfeiture. I don’t care how hospitalized you are.”

I looked at him like he was stupid. “Shrimp doesn’t go bad unless you leave it out for, like, a week. It’s like the apple of seafood.”

His face was priceless.

Awe. Disgust. Confusion. Suspicion. Mild concern.

I had to turn away before I lost my composure and burst into a laugh. Striding toward the fridge with all the confidence in the world, I threw open the freezer… and paused. There was no light. No chilled air wafting over my skin.

Frowning, I tried the fridge instead. The protective film covering all the shelves was the first thing I noticed; the sealed user manual taped to the inside of the door was the second.

It hadn’t been set up yet.

A tingle ran over the back of my neck. I couldfeelDominic smiling into his mug as he watched the scene unfold. Keeping my movements measured, calm, and entirely unbothered, I reached for the manual and sliced the seal open with my nail.

On the first page, printed in large, bold letters, were the following instructions:Once the unit has been plugged in and setup has been completed (see page 2), please allow it to run for at least twenty-four hours, or until it reaches the recommended temperatures of 37°F (3°C) for the fridge and 0°F (-18°C) for the freezer, before putting anything inside. Please keep all doors closed during this time. Please note that storing food too early will block airflow and increase the workload on the compressor, which will significantly slow down the cooling process.

I sucked in a deep, quiet breath.

This was a minor setback. Nothing I couldn’t handle.

I’d simply message Amber, ask her to put back most of the perishables, pick up bok choy and salmon instead, then swear on my life this wasn’t a prank, so if she could please just bear with me and not report my account, that would be swell, because this was the only app that supported this specific store, and if I were to get banned, I’d lose a bet.

…Fuck.

I chewed on my lower lip, thinking.

Me

Hi! Me again! Can we please add 3 large coolers and 3 bags of ice to the cart?

Amber

I don’t think they sell coolers here girl…

Champagne/ wine ones mayyybe? This place is super boujee, which is not something I ever thought I’d be able to say about a grocery store.

Me

That probably wouldn’t work

The boss forgot to set up his new fridge. I’ll do it now, but we won’t be able to use it for 24 hours. All the perishables are going to go bad