“Sure thing,” the driver said. “Hop in.”
I pulled up the notes app on my phone and made a list of everything we’d need as we made the short drive to the store. The driver dropped us off at the front, instructing us to text him when we were finished so he could pick us up at the door. We walked through the automatic doors, and Cash grabbed a cart.
I took in a deep breath through my nose. “I love the smell of Target. Smells like everything I never knew I needed.”
Cash laughed as he pushed the cart beyond the dollar section and the cash registers.
“Let’s start over in housewares,” I said as he steered the cart down the aisle, past the greeting cards and office supplies. “We need a few things to cook with, starting with something to actually put the chili in.”
Cash looked around as we strolled through the store. “This was Carrie’s favorite thing to do on date night. We’d go out to dinner, and she didn’t care about going to the movies or to a concert or anything. She wanted to come to Target.”
I smiled over at him. “Sounds like my kind of girl.”
“I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat, and I noticed his eyes looked misty. “I just realized this is the first time I’ve even been inside a Target since she died.”
“I didn’t realize…” I placed a hand on his arm. “We can leave. I’ll find another store.”
He shook his head and laughed softly. “No, it’s okay. Really. Grief is just weird like that. It sneaks up on you and makes you do weird stuff, like cry in the middle of Target.”
“That’s not weird,” I assured him.
He followed me down an aisle with cookware, and I started putting the few items I needed into the cart. “You’re too sweet to tell me the truth.”
I laughed softly. “No, I mean it. After Ella’s husband Craig died, she couldn’t go into a grocery store for six months. That was their thing. They went to the store together every Sunday morning. Then when Grace was born, she went with them too. But after Craig passed, she couldn’t do it. She tried a couple of times, but the closest she got was the parking lot. So, I took over her grocery shopping for a while. I told her that when she was ready, we’d go together. It was about six months later when she decided she was ready to give it a try. She ended up breaking down in the middle of the frozen food aisle over a DiGiorno pizza because those were Craig’s favorite.”
Cash furrowed his brow. “Poor Ella.”
“I’ve never lost a spouse, but I lost my parents. The thing I remember being so painful about grief was that for so long, it felt like my entire world stopped, but everyone around me kept going on as though nothing even happened. Holidays still came and went, and the days passed like normal when it was anything but.”
He pushed the cart around the corner toward the grocery portion of the store. “I know that feeling well. I’ve tried to stay busy because if I keep going, I won’t have time to feel it. Now, I’m coming up on the one year anniversary, and the holidays and Thanksgiving were her favorite. I could go back home to her family’s house because that’s what we always did for Thanksgiving, but the idea of being there without Carrie on her favorite holiday makes me feel… overwhelmingly sad.” He swallowed hard. “But the idea of being alone makes me even sadder.”
“So, don’t be alone.” I grabbed his arm and stopped in the middle of the canned goods aisle. “Come to Thanksgiving at my house this year.”
He looked down at his feet a moment, his cheeks flushed. “You really don’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I want to. I was already planning to invite all of y’all. And listen, there’s no pressure. It doesn’t have to be the start of a new tradition. It can just be a day with people who care about you. Jax will be there, and Ella and Grace will be there because we always spend Thanksgiving together. I know they’d love to see you too. Grace adores you, you know.”
A smile spread across his face. “I really like her too. And Ella… she’s great.”
“Good. Then it’s settled. You’ll be spending Thanksgiving with us.” I nodded emphatically before moving down the aisle and plucking a few cans of chili beans from the shelf.
“Jax is lucky to have you, Liv.” Cash said, catching my eye as I dropped the cans into the cart. “Hell, we all are. I mean, who else would make these jokers dinner on a tour bus?”
I nudged him as we fell into step beside each other and continued toward the produce section. “I’m not here alone, am I? Besides, somebody had to do something. We could not let Antoni eat another Filet-O-Fish.”
Cash grimaced. “Truly, it was our civic duty to make this dinner.”
I laughed as I pulled some pre-cut onions from one of the refrigerated shelves.
“And Antoni was right. Beans and onions on a tiny bus with a bunch of dudes? Brave.”
I laughed. “Maybe we should swing by the pharmacy for some Pepto on the way out.”
“Iknowwe should. And some Beano and Imodium. There’s a reason Dallas isn’t allowed to eat at Taco Bell when we’re on the road. I’m just saying.”
We giggled as we forged ahead through the paper products, retrieving some bowls, flatware, and napkins. “Okay, I think we’ve got just about everything. Let’s hit up the pharmacy on the way out.”
“Roger that,” Cash said, stopping with one finger held up. “Actually, maybe I should go grab a plunger. You know, just as an insurance policy.” He broke into a big grin, and even hundreds of miles away from Nashville, I felt at home.
