Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Hazel held the sides of the basket in her hands tightly, a smile of excitement on her face. She was on her lunch break and had stepped away from the doctor’s office to go to the grocery store, with the intention of shopping for the items she wanted to put into Jacob’s gift basket.
She had been thinking about what to get him ever since she and Samantha had decided that she would give Jacob a basket of things he liked before inviting him out to dinner. She’d found herself eagerly staring into space at work, thinking about all of the different items that she could purchase for him. She would randomly remember things he’d told her that he liked or needed all throughout her day, when she was brushing her teeth, or cooking dinner, or climbing into bed at night.
She heaved a sigh of satisfaction as she made her way down the grocery store aisle. She’d already gathered a few items, but she wanted to get more. She traced over her many conversations with him in her mind, trying to remember what he’d said he liked. She thought about all of the times he’d stood in her house, chatting with her while he made repairs on things. She smiled to herself, hoping that everything he’d done to help her was a sign that he was going out of his way because he cared for her.
She looked inside the basket and took stock of everything she’d already gathered. She’d gotten Columbian Coffee, which she knew was his favorite, a small-name brand of cinnamon gum that she’d seen him take out of his pocket a few different times, a pair of small scissors—since once he’d joked with her that he owned every tool under the sun but could never find a pair of scissors when he needed them on the go—and all of the ingredients he would need to make the macadamia nut cookies she’d given to him once when he was fixing the fan in her kitchen. He’d said they were the best cookies he’d ever had, and she’d promised at the time to give him the recipe. She intended to write it out nicely on a card and include that in the gift basket as well.
She turned down another aisle and started walking back toward the front of the grocery store. She saw a man step through the front doors of the store, and her heart caught in her throat. It was Jacob.
She squeaked and looked down at her basket. Then she looked up and saw that Jacob had disappeared down one of the other aisles.
Oh, no, she thought. I don’t think he saw me, but I can’t risk him seeing this basket if he does run into me before I can get to the register.
She looked around frantically for a hiding place, and then saw an empty spot on one of the bottom shelves. She shoved the basket into the space and pulled a couple of bags of flour in front of it to hide it. Then she stepped back, her heart fluttering, and pretended to peruse the items in front of her.
She was just in time. At that moment, Jacob started to walk down the aisle she was in.
“Hazel!” he exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. “Fancy running into you.”
“Hi.” She grinned back at him, feeling breathless and thrilled about how happy he was to see her. He gave her a quick hug, and her heart skipped a beat. “I’m on my lunch break. Just picking up a few items before I need to go back to work.”
“I’m on a kind of lunch break myself. Actually, I’m here to pick up some superglue and some lunch from the deli.” He paused for a moment and then said, “Have you eaten? You want to come pick something out at the deli with me?”
Her heart warmed over his thoughtful invitation, and she wondered with a rush of happiness if it was almost like asking her out. “Oh, I’d love to, but Alexis packed me a lunch today. I hope you find something great at the deli, though.”
“I’m sure I will.” He smiled. “I’m thinking potato salad and fried chicken.”
“That sounds delicious.” She grinned at him.
“I know, right? The food here is always amazing. It’s so convenient for a guy like me, always on the run.”
“You’re still keeping busy, huh?”
“Oh, yeah.” He sighed, but he was smiling. “I’ve got a bunch of odd jobs today and Tuesday, and then on Wednesday I’m making a day trip to Whale Harbor to visit some friends. Then on Thursday I’m back to my usual schedule.”
She nodded, feeling a surge of hope over the fact that he was telling her all that. She felt as though he was letting her know when she would be able to find him so that they could have more interactions. “Sounds like a good week. I can relate to feeling busy. I’m working every day this week, and some evenings I’m planning on stopping by the pub to help out with the dinner rush.”
“Sounds like you’re just as busy as I am.”
“Maybe.” She laughed. “But Samantha and Alexis and I are planning a picnic for tomorrow’s lunch break, so that will make it feel almost like a day off.”
He nodded, smiling, and then he glanced at his watch. “Well, I guess I shouldn’t keep you. I hope you enjoy your lunch.” His eyes held something that looked a lot like fondness as he looked at her. “It was so nice running into you, Hazel.”
“You too.”
She found herself wanting to stay and talk with him longer, but she did need to get back to work. Besides, the deli was in the back of the grocery store, so when he went there she would have plenty of time to retrieve her basket and pay for the items without him seeing her.
“See you around.” He smiled, seeming to linger for a moment, and then kept walking.
“Bye!”
She watched him walk away for a few moments, butterflies flapping in her stomach. His kind words had seemed like a reassurance that he was interested in her as well, and she thought with a grin of the basket that was tucked just out of sight.
The moment he disappeared around the end of the aisle, she grabbed her basket out of its hiding spot and went up to the front of the store. As she hurriedly paid for her items, she felt her excitement building. She was looking forward to her big moment when she would declare her feelings for him, and she knew that soon, she would choose the exact moment for it.