“Not a bad breakfast. It’s how I survived flight school.”
“We have plenty of peanut butter at home but we’re almost out of bread. I can show you the kind Mom always gets.”
“Sounds good.”
They headed in the direction of the bakery. She shoved herphone in her pocket and focused on helping him with the shopping. As they worked their way through the store, Audrey was full of funny commentary about items she liked and didn’t like, something she ate a friend’s house, a brand of cookies she wanted to try.
He had discovered since he arrived in Shelter Springs that he liked being with his niece, much to his surprise. She was funny and insightful, with a unique way of looking at the world.
Ryan had always told himself having a family of his own wasn’t in the cards. He wasn’t cut out to be a husband, a partner, a father. Besides the poor example his own father had set for him, Ryan had been in a few relationships with women earlier in his adult life who had basically told him he was closed off emotionally.
They complained he was too focused on his military career and didn’t make enough room in his life for softness and connection.
Spending all this time with Audrey, seeing her sense of humor and her compassion and her kindness, was almost enough to make him wonder about all the what-ifs he had closed the door to a long time ago.
They were nearly finished shopping after making their way through nearly every section of the store when a woman with wavy blond hair and familiar features turned into their aisle. Holly’s twin sister. Hannah, he remembered.
She moved in their direction, focusing on the shelves. When her attention shifted to them, she froze, blue eyes going wide as if they were the last people she expected to find in the store.
“Hi, Hannah,” Audrey said.
She smiled at his niece. “Audrey. Hello. And Ryan, isn’t it?”
“Hello.”
“Uncle Ry, you remember Hannah Goodwin, right? Holly’s twin sister. I think you met her the other day.”
“Yes. I remember.”
“It’s great to bump into you. If I didn’t know better, I might almost call it fate.”
Hannah looked delighted and something in her expression immediately set him on edge. He didn’t believe in fate or kismet or anything of the sort, but somehow he still had a premonition of impending danger.
She scanned their cart. “How’s the shopping going?”
“Good,” Audrey answered. “We’re almost done. We only have to grab some, um, feminine hygiene products for me. I had my first period last month and Mom and I were going to pick up some other stuff before the next one but didn’t have the chance before she had to go.”
Holly’s sister gave him an amused look, as if expecting him to be uncomfortable. He raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed. Menstruation was a normal part of life, right? Okay, he hadn’t much experience in shopping for supplies but he was always willing to learn.
“Do you know what you’re looking for?” Hannah asked her.
“Not really. Mom bought everything last time.”
The older woman studied her. “Would you like me to go with you to that particular aisle and help you choose?”
Audrey looked relieved. “Yeah, actually. That would be great. Thanks a lot.”
Ryan followed them to the feminine hygiene aisle and was instantly overwhelmed at all the options.
To his relief, Hannah took charge, discussing the pros and cons with Audrey of the various products.
After they finally made a couple different selections and added them to the cart, Audrey looked down the aisle and her features lit up.
“Hey! There’s Jenny Hernandez. We’re working on a project for our English class together. Can I go talk to her for a minute?”
“Yeah. That’s fine. I’ll take this stuff to the checkout. Come find me when you’re done talking to your friend.”
“Okay.”
