Page 16 of When a Soul Cries

I even grabbed Kai’s cereal.

Not because he asked.

Because if I didn’t, he would complain to Sugga, and she would somehow turn it into a speech about me mistreating her youngest child.

I was heading toward the breakfast aisle when I damn near ran my cart into a cereal display.

“Shit.”

I caught the handle just before the front wheel clipped the corner and sent the whole damn thing tumbling into the aisle.

A woman was stocking coffee on the endcap with her back partially turned toward me. She wore an oversized white T-shirt beneath a red work vest and black leggings that hugged every curve the shirt was trying to hide.

The clothes were simple, but there wasn’t a damn thing simple about the woman wearing them.

Her skin was a warm shade of brown that glowed beneath the harsh store lights. Thick, dark curls were pulled into a messy bun at the back of her head, with several loose pieces framing her face. She had wide brown eyes beneath long lashes, a small nose, and full lips pressed into a tired line.

Then my eyes traveled lower.

That oversized shirt didn’t stand a chance.

Her waist was small, and the black leggings hugged a pair of thick thighs and full hips that immediately caught my attention. A slight pudge rested at the bottom of her stomach, and every few seconds, she tugged the front of her shirt down as if she were trying to conceal it.

She didn’t need to.

That little bit of softness looked good on her.

Real.

She wasn’t wearing dramatic makeup, displaying surgically created curves, or trying to draw anyone’s attention.

She wasn’t trying to be noticed at all.

Meanwhile, I had nearly taken out an entire cereal display looking at her.

I glanced around, searching for a reason to speak.

“Excuse me. Where’s the coffee?”

She slowly looked up, then glanced at the shelves directly behind my shoulder.

“Right there.”

I turned around.

Several rows of coffee were stacked at eye level.

Damn.

When I faced her again, amusement flickered in her eyes.

“I walked right past it.”

A small smile touched her lips. “It happens.”

“Not usually.”

“Maybe you were distracted.”