22.
C OURTNEY
I looked down at the list in my hand and sighed when I realized we weren’t going to be able to get everything on it right here.
Since Dawson and Dayton were older now, they needed special calculators and other things that weren’t in the back-to-school section.
I decided to take a chance on delivery times and order the calculators online, which left us with only a couple of things to get from other areas of the store.
I moved things around in the cart until I found my purse and then dug around in it for my lip balm.
As I rubbed it over my dry lips, I had a flashback to Zane’s goodbye kiss this morning before the kids woke up and smiled to myself.
So far, that had been the best part of my day because the rest had been filled with school shopping and cranky children who didn’t want to be contained.
I put my purse on my shoulder as Beau bumped into my leg while he was running from Leo, and I wondered for the hundredth time why I hadn’t all of this shit online and just had it delivered straight to our house.
That was a lesson for next year and one I would definitely remember.
“If you don’t stop running around, I’m gonna tie your legs together and hang you upside down from the end of the cart,” Dayton warned.
I glanced up from my list and said, “Don’t say that shit too loud. With my luck, there’s some old biddy nearby who thinks you’re being serious.”
I intentionally directed that at the woman a few feet away who had been eyeing us for the last ten minutes. Dayton looked at her as he added, “Then maybe I’ll hang an old biddy upside down too.”
“I want the pink glittery folders.”
I shook my head at Alana and said, “You need the ones that have brads.”
“But I want them!”
“Sweetie, I’m going to warn you that I’m on the edge of losing my ever-loving mind. There are too many people here, the lights are too bright, it’s too loud, and your little brothers are doing the running man on my last freaking nerve. Don’t push me.”
“Other than the calculators for me and Dawson, what else do we need that’s not right here?” Dayton asked.
“Six boxes of tissue and a roll of clear tape.”
“I know where to get those. Start checking out, and I’ll meet you up front.” I put my fist out, and he bumped it with his before he took off to get the last of the items we needed. Alana took off after him, and Dayton called out over his shoulder, “I’ve got her, Court!”
It was amazing how much Dayton had changed in the last few months, and I attributed a lot of that to the time he’d spent with Zane and his friends.
I knew his sessions with Emerald had also done a world of good.
There was no way I would ever be able to repay her for the help she’d given to all of us through the chaos of the last few months.
“Mama, can we have McDonalds for dinner?” Leo asked.
“Not tonight, babe. Grandma requested barbecue.”
“Is Zane going to come with us?” Beau asked.
“He’s on call, so he’s going to meet us there,” I answered as I shuffled a few steps closer to the self-checkout.
“I can’t wait for the party this weekend,” Beau said cheerfully.
There was a get-together scheduled to celebrate a few birthdays in Zane’s family and friend group that had morphed into a blowout end-of-summer bash. I wasn’t nearly as hesitant to let the kids go to the clubhouse now that I’d been, and they’d had so much fun after that poker run we’d gone on.
It was almost laughable how different the clubhouse was compared to how they were portrayed on TV and in the movies.
When I’d mentioned that to Zane, he assured me that there were plenty like that out there, but he’d never be taking me or the kids near them.
The parties that the Texas Knights threw were family-friendly, at least until dark when most parents took their kids home or sent them to spend the night with a family member who wasn’t at the party.
That was when the real fun started. I had loved every minute of the ones I’d been to so far.
The kids enjoyed them, too, and looked forward to them even more than the adults.
I thought that said a lot about the kind of people that Zane surrounded himself with.
It was wild and crazy with food, music, and more fun than a kid could even imagine.
And then, when the kids left, there was even more fun that included free-flowing beer and even more music.
I’d heard some stories from Zane and his friends about how wild his childhood had been, and before I met everyone, I wasn’t sure I was ready to deal with my kids living like that.
Although, I had to admit that a little part deep inside of me was envious of the carefree life he’d lived, and I was happy to let my children do the same.
When Beau and Leo started arguing over the candy selection in line at the register, I picked Leo up and put him in the cart to separate them.
By the time they’d picked out what they wanted, it was my turn to start checking out.
With Beau and Leo’s help, it was taking me twice as long as it would have otherwise, but then again, I wasn’t in a big rush since I was still waiting for Dayton and Alana to come back with the tissue and tape we needed to finish out their lists.
Suddenly, Beau stopped what he was doing and asked, “Who’s that lady, Mama?”
“Just a customer, I’m sure,” I said without looking up.
“She’s waving at me,” Beau said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him wave back before he said, “She looks nice.”
“She’s a stranger,” I reminded him. Since Leo was in the cart, I decided to use him to help me gather up the odds and ends that were out of my reach. “Hand me those pencils, buddy.”
I heard Alana ask me, “Instead of getting candy, can I get one glittery folder?”
“She was doing her thing, so I suggested that,” Dayton announced. When I glanced over at him, he rolled his eyes and complained, “She wouldn’t stop!”
“Honey, she never stops. That’s part of her charm,” I said sarcastically.
Now I had to make a decision. Should I go with my original answer and stick to my guns or compromise and let her get a folder she’d never use rather than candy she didn’t need?
It was an easy decision.
“Yes to the folder, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll always compromise, got it?” I asked without looking at Alana.
“Got it!” I could sense Alana bouncing up and down nearby, and I laughed when she squealed. “It’s beautiful, Mom! Thank you!“
She held a glittery pink folder with an adorable kitten on the front less than an inch from my nose, so I pulled back and gave my eyes a second to uncross before I said, “That’s so you, Alana Banana.”
“Where’s Beau?” Dayton asked.
My heart stopped as I stood up and looked around, terrified that he’d gotten away from me while I was distracted. I turned slowly, my eyes scanning the area around me before I yelled his name.
Dayton took off to look for him, and I spun around and pointed at Leo and Alana. “Leo, don’t get out of this cart. Alana, stay right next to him and don’t move! Yell if you need me or if Beau shows up.”
“Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.
I sprinted toward the first person I saw wearing an employee vest and rushed to say, “My son is gone. I need help finding him.”
The woman immediately keyed the mic on her radio and announced a lost child, and within seconds, a code came over the overhead speakers that alerted the other staff.
“His name is Beau. He’s four years old with blond hair and brown eyes.”
“What’s he wearing?”
I froze for a second, trying my hardest to remember what he had on today. I looked over at Leo and saw what he was wearing and remembered their argument over who was going to wear which shirt this morning. “He’s wearing a red and blue shirt with Spider-Man on it, black shorts, and black Crocs.”
The employee spoke into her radio, giving out Beau’s description, and I watched as every checker stepped away from their register to look for my son.
The store was quieter than I’d ever heard it.
The beeps and constant noise of the registers at the front of the store had been silenced, and everyone seemed to be looking at me instead of looking for Beau.
I didn’t know what to do or where to go. Where should I even begin to look? There were so many people, and he was so small. What if he was afraid? What if . . .
“Beau!” I screamed as loud as I could as I hurried in the opposite direction that Dayton had gone.
I heard him yelling for Beau, too, but he sounded far away.
I assumed he was on the other side of the store near the exit.
I yelled Beau’s name again just as I spotted a towheaded boy in a red shirt.
I was almost to him when he turned and I saw it wasn’t my son, so I veered off and kept looking. “Beau!”
All of a sudden, Beau appeared about twenty feet in front of me and stared in shock when he saw me sprinting toward him.
He looked over his shoulder at the sliding glass doors he’d just come through to get back into the store and started running my way.
My purse hit the ground as I dropped to my knees and pulled him into my arms for a tight hug as he cried against my neck.
“I thought I’d lost you, baby! You can’t run off like that!”
“I didn’t run away!” Beau insisted.
“You can’t leave my side when we’re in a store, Beau. You know that!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Beau said before I yanked him back in for another hug.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to find the employee who had helped me when I realized Beau was gone. I smiled from ear to ear and said, “I found him!”
I stood up just as the announcement went out over the PA system that the lost child had been found and held Beau tightly as I walked back toward the cart where I’d left the other children. Dayton rounded an aisle ahead of us, and I saw the relief on his face at the sight of Beau in my arms.