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“I love planning holiday meals,” Aisling said, deciding to be up front. It was too difficult to hide spontaneous feelings. She and Devon were just friends. They could plan a holiday meal and shop for it as well as any two friends could.
“Let’s go,” Devon said. “I want pumpkin pie. What’s your favorite?”
“You don’t know that? I’m stunned,” she said, laughing. “I like all pie, all the time. Pumpkin is fine. As a matter of fact, I don’t want to wait until Friday to eat pie.”
“We’ll get a pie for today,” he said.
They reached the crossroads. Go east and they’d shop in Escondido, with the risk of running into people they knew, or go west toward the ocean.
“Which way?” he said, looking at her.
“Del Mar. I love one store there in particular.”
It was known for its prepared foods and was a popular destination at the beach. He turned left, driving west. The sun shined in the deep, brilliant blue California sky that didn’t have a cloud marring it. The windows were down, and hints of summer washed over them, warm sun and salt air.
“This is almost too nice,” Aisling said, fighting tears again. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should be happy. I’m out with my best friend on the most beautiful day we’ve had in weeks.”
“It is beautiful,” Devon said, glancing over at her. “Just go with the flow. You know I’m not going to care if you cry. I might join you. We’re getting better, aren’t we? Or do you only get sad when you’re with me?”
“No, not just. I think it’s because it’s so nice out and he’s not here. I’d feel sad if I were alone.”
“You’re not alone,” he replied, reaching over to squeeze her hand.
His touch took her by surprise. They hadn’t hugged or touched hands or kissed cheeks because of his burns. His hand felt good; it was warm and dry. Mike’s hands were big, and he had a problem with sweating and was always apologizing for his sweaty hands. She giggled, immediately in a good mood. “I’m psychotic.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I just thought of Mike’s sweaty hands,” she said, laughing. “He tried everything. Baby powder, baking soda, you name it. Nothing worked. Then one day I was in the bathroom when he was getting ready for work, and he picked up a can of body spray and read the label before spraying his hands with it. And it worked!”
“We used to tease him when we were kids throwing a ball around. Football, basketball, you name it, no one wanted to catch it from Mike. ‘Saint, your hands are gross,’ the coach would scream. ‘Wipe them on your pants before you touch the damn ball.’”
“Aw, poor guy. No wonder he was so self-conscious.”
She leaned her head back on the seat, listening to Devon reminisce about his school days with Mike.
“When we started high school, everyone thought Mike was a ladies’ man. He was really an innocent. Girls scared him. I think that’s why meeting you made such a difference in his life. He wasn’t afraid of you.”
“He really was a little boy in a brave man’s body,” she said, flicking a tear away.
The subject wasn’t something that she’d share with Devon, at least not yet. When they’d met, Mike had been inexperienced with women. One of the things that drove her to the altar was the care he poured upon her, like he’d never done any of the things they’d done together and he couldn’t get enough. A woman could get used to that kind of attention. She suspected she was his first, although he wouldn’t admit it, teasing her instead. It was the frequent, sustained romance that she was starting to really miss. Mike was always ready for her.
“Oh well, life goes on,” she said. “We’re spending our first Thanksgiving without Mike. Will we survive it?”
“I think so,” Devon said, pulling into the parking lot. “We might not survive this chaos, however.”
“Gosh, it’s awfully busy for being four days before Thanksgiving,” Aisling said. “Maybe we should rethink this.”
“Let’s do it,” he said. “We won’t have time to make all the food I plan on eating, and you said yourself they have the best ready-made food.”
“Okay, you’re right,” she said. “I’ll follow you.”
They had to wait for a shopping cart, that was how busy it was. They stuck close together, in awe at the bounty. They ended up filling their cart with enough food for way more than two people.
After loading the car, they got in and looked at each other and laughed out loud. “We’re nuts. Who’s going to eat all that stuff?”
“I’m eating some of it tonight,” Aisling said. “You’d better take some of it to work.”
“So what you’re saying is that we’re going to have a Thanksgiving meal tonight instead of Friday.”
