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“What for?”
He handed her a pair of fat pink lips from the pack and pulled out his phone. “For our photo shoot.”
She pointed the plastic lips at him like a sword. “I do not feel like taking pictures right now.”
“You do, I can tell by the way you’re smiling.”
Rylie pursed her lips. “I’m not smiling.”
He came up alongside her and held his phone up in proper selfie position. “If you don’t play along, I am going to take awful random pictures and post them all over social media.”
“You monster,” she deadpanned.
“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s called me today.” He held up his mustache and leaned toward her. “Ready?”
She sighed heavily, but he felt her arm press against his, and the sweet scent of her hair engulfed him as he took the picture.
Dustin checked the photo and showed it to her. “See! Perfect!”
“Nuh uh, my eyes look like they are bugging out of my head! Another.”
It took three shots to get the perfect one, but when they did, Dustin’s mission had been accomplished. Rylie was smiling, the stiffness in her shoulders completely gone.
For some reason, he wanted to continue this, and he found himself acting the fool the whole time they shopped. When he started juggling oranges, she wrestled them away from him, wheezing with laughter.
“You’re going to bruise them, you idiot.”
Dustin trapped her between his body and the orange display, putting the fruit back on the pile slowly. She stilled against him, her laughter dying as he stepped a little closer. When her face tilted up and her bright eyes met his, he leaned down, those lush lips calling for him to—
“Hey! You two stop that right now!”
Rylie jumped and Dustin stepped back, glaring to their left at Mrs. Needermyer. The nosy old woman’s wrinkled mouth was pinched with disapproval.
“Rylie Templeton, you should be ashamed of yourself! You have a boyfriend.”
Rylie’s whole face was flushed scarlet as she addressed her. “We broke up, Mrs. Needermyer. And besides, Dustin and I were just playing around. We’re friends.”
Mrs. Needermyer looked as though she wanted to say more, but Dustin picked up an apple and bit into it, giving her a feral smile. Mrs. Needermyer drew herself up and pointed a finger at him.
“I’m going to tell your mother you’re stealing food. I know you think you’re above it all, but money does not make you untouchable.”
He chewed slowly, and added a large gulp as he swallowed. “I never said I was and I’m not stealing. It’s called sampling. I’ve got an idea though. How about you mind your own business you uppity, self-righteous curmudgeon?”
Both women gasped and Mrs. Needermyer turned her cart around with a huff, heading to the front of the store as fast as she could move.
When
Rylie hit him on the arm, he glared at her. “What was that for?”
“You cannot talk to people like that!”
“Yes, I can. She deserved it, sticking her nose—”
“It doesn’t matter what she was doing. I was handling it; insulting her was uncalled for. Didn’t your mom teach you to be respectful of your elders?”
Dustin’s temper snapped like a rubber band. He didn’t need her sanctimonious lecture.
“It doesn’t matter how old she is, she was out of line. If you want to let everyone walk all over you and run your life, then go right ahead.” He picked up his prop kit and took a vicious bite of his apple. “I’m not so desperate for people to like me that I’ll take their shit.”
