When Wendy stood up, two of her four apples fell to the floor again.
I placed my basket next to the display case and started loading the apples into it.
I’d needed several anyway.
An apple a day kept the doctor away.
Or, more importantly, it kept me healthy so I didn’t have to go to any doctors ever fucking again.
If I never saw another, it’d be too soon.
Even last month when I’d caught my arm on a rusty nail and ripped it open, I’d sewn it shut myself. The thought of having to go to a doctor literally made me want to puke.
“Oh, good idea,” Wendy said. “This is a perfect solution.”
My lips quirked as we loaded my basket up with way more than I ever intended to buy.
“You’ll have to wash these now, though.”
“Baby,” Constance said warily. “I’m sure the man isn’t getting all of those. He’s probably just using the basket to get them off the floor and put them back on the stack.”
“I’m getting some,” I admitted. “But not thirty. I can’t go through them that fast.”
“You look like you could eat thirty, Mr. Big Guy,” Wendy admitted.
“Wendy,” Constance growled.
I started placing the apples in the basket back onto the display case.
“It’s Odin,” I shared.
“Okay, Mr. Odin.” She placed both of her hands on her hips. “How many of these bad boys do you want?”
Constance quietly stacked the apples that’d fallen a little farther out, keeping an eye on me and her child like she was ready to throw herself between her child and danger.
“I’ll take seven,” I said.
We worked in silence for a few minutes until the apples were once again stacked high.
“This is a stupid idea.” Wendy shook her head as she looked at the tower.
“Agreed,” I said as I stood up with my eight apples instead of seven. “Nice to meet you, Wendy.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mr. Odin.”
I winked at her, then stepped back.
Constance glared at me.
Her gaze went from my face to my cut to her child, and she stepped in between us.
“If I was going to hurt her,” I said quietly, “I’d have done it already.”
Constance’s jaw firmed and her chin raised.
I wondered if it really was the club vest.
That was the only thing that changed in between her talking my ear off and her silence.
