Page 57 of Chasing Clouds

“Really?”

I raise my eyebrows. “You think I’m making this up?”

A loud laugh bursts out and his eyes crinkle as he smiles. “Fine. Deal.”

We arrive at the store midmorning. It’s Monday, so it isn’t that crowded, which I’m grateful for.

“So, how do you want to do this? Shop together or divide and conquer?” I ask him.

He rubs his chin as he looks around, and then his eyes jump with excitement.

“I think we make a wager.” He smirks down at me then moves to get two shopping carts. There’s an older lady at the door checking receipts for return items, and her eyes track him. When he nods at her, she smiles hugely. Can’t say I blame you, lady. I smile at him too.

“On what?” I ask as he pushes one in front of me.

“Who can find the best disguise,” he states as if this is the best idea ever.

“You’re joking, right?”

“No, it’ll be fun.” The way his face is lit up at the idea, he looks like a little kid in a grown man’s body.

“Okay,” I say, placing my hands on my hips. “What do I get when I win?” I tease.

“You mean what do I get when I win—you’ll cook me dinner, of course.” He swats me on the butt and takes off. “I’ll find you in fifteen.” And then he’s gone.

Of course he makes this a game; the man lives to play games. It’s in his nature to be competitive, and I find this endearing about him—really endearing.

Racing around the store, I zip between the racks and start throwing random things into my cart, like pullover muumuu dresses, big sunglasses, and a beach chair with an umbrella. I’m not really sure how much of a disguise I can find given that we’re going to be sitting on the beach, but I grab two more large sun hats, two new bikinis, and some sunblock.

Ten minutes later, I spot him in the men’s department, and I can’t help but laugh. He’s got on a massive straw fisherman hat, a really ugly Hawaiian print shirt, a T-shirt for a rival football team underneath, sunglasses with multicolored tinted lenses, and a large donut floatie around his waist.

“You look ridiculous.”

Hearing my voice, he turns and gives me his megawatt smile.

“And you look gorgeous, as always.” All my items are in the cart; I’m wearing my normal attire of shorts and a tank top. His eyes linger on my chest before his lips slowly curve up and his eyes climb to mine.

“You know, now that I think about it, I’m not sure you’re disguisable. I don’t think it matters what you wear—you were born to stand out.”

He pulls the sunglasses off and tucks them in the collar of his shirt. The expression on his face is calm, his eyes tender as he looks down at me. Without saying anything, he reaches for my waist, pulls me against him, and dips his head to kiss me on the corner of my mouth. It’s just a ghost of a kiss, but it shoots rockets off in my heart and I grab his arms to steady myself.

“What was that for?” I ask him.

“Sometimes I just feel the urge to kiss you, so I’ve decided I’m going to from now on. That okay with you?” He pulls back, the lines around his eyes and mouth happy.

“Yes.” I’m lost in the adoration I feel for him.

“Good.” He steps back, looking pleased under that big hat on his head. “How about you move your stuff to my cart and we’ll use one?”

“Okay.” I move to grab my things and toss them in then freeze. “What’s that?” I point at the lone item in his cart.

“Those are for you.” He grins, and I think my heart doubles in size. There in the middle of his cart is a giant bag of gummy bears. “Well, don’t just stand there—put your things in.”

I toss my items in, and he does the same, shedding all the new items he’s acquired, and then he looks from me to them to me. “Actually, why don’t you get your tiny ass in the cart and let me push you around, too.”

Push me around? I don’t think I’ve ever ridden in a cart, not even when I was a kid, and excitement blooms in my chest. It’s silly. It’s carefree. It’s something I would have never done before, and it sounds like lots of fun.

“Okay, but you have to promise to be careful and not tip it over.” I move to climb on the end and then swing my leg over. He helps me in so I don’t fall, and the cart stays still.