Page 16 of Breaking the Ice

My super articulate response is, “Because, well … you just can’t.”

Zach stands up. “Are you ready to head back to your house now or do you mind if we stop so I can get some groceries on the way?”

Getting out of the booth, I tell him, “We can stop. I need to pick up my mom’s pain medication. The pharmacy is right next door to the market.”

“I hope she’s okay,” he says while leading the way out to the car.

“She’s got osteoarthritis,” I tell him. “She’s in a lot of pain.”

Opening the car door for me, he asks, “Do you have her on a turmeric supplement? It’s great for inflammation.”

“I don’t,” I tell him. “Her doctor never mentioned that.”

“Most western medicine practitioners push prescriptions, not natural remedies.” Once he gets inside, he adds, “I think both have their place.”

“Do you take turmeric?”

“Ever since my injury in college,” he tells me. “I don’t like the fuzzy-headedness I get from pain meds.”

This is the last conversation I thought I’d be having with Zachary Hart. “Maybe I’ll look for it at the pharmacy.”

“I’ll give you some when we get back to the cottage. That way your mom can try it for a couple of weeks to see if it works for her.”

If I were in the mood to think nice things about Zach, I might think he was trying to save me money. Either way, it makes a small dent in my irritation toward him. “That would be nice, thank you.”

Zach takes the first right turn and circles around the block until we’re at the store. Once again, he walks around the car to open the door for me. This time I let him. “I’ll meet you in the market after you’re done at the pharmacy,” he says before striding away.

I stand still and watch him, wondering what kind of man he really is. He’s been decent to me, but he might be a different animal entirely with a woman he’s romantically interested in.

I ponder that while I stroll over to the pharmacy. “Hey, Jamie. How are you?” I spot Jamie Feinberg, who was in my graduating class in high school. She left town to get her college degree and then came back and went into business with her dad as co-owner of the pharmacy. She’s married to Mitch Hanks, another of our classmates, as well as being the town veterinarian.

“Ellie, how are you? How’s your mom?”

“She’s in a lot of pain. I’m here for her prescription.”

Jamie turns around and looks through the filing cabinet until she finds my mom’s medicine. “There’s a twenty-dollar co-pay,” she tells me.

While twenty bucks isn’t a lot to ease my mom’s discomfort, these things add up. “That’s twice what it was last month,” I tell her.

“The cost of everything is skyrocketing,” she commiserates. “Do you know my kid’s favorite cereal is almost eight dollars a box? It was under four last year.”

“I don’t know how folks are making it,” I tell her. Handing over a twenty, I wonder how much longer my mom and I are going to make it. If she goes into a home, it’s going to cost a fortune. And the sale of the house won’t cover her care indefinitely.

I chit chat for a couple more minutes before heading over to Higgens’. I promised my mom I’d make some chicken and potato soup. I might even bake a fresh loaf of bread if I’m feeling ambitious.

Grabbing a cart, I push it over to produce where I pick up some onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and fresh ginger. I pass by Emmy Roberts who works at the local bookstore, Falling for Books. Like me, she’s a caretaker. But in her case, she takes care of her grandmother, which seems way more normal at our age. I’d stop to say hello, but Emmy appears to be totally engrossed by her shopping list.

I veer my cart around to the back of the store to get a whole chicken. I’ll roast the bones before adding it to the broth, not only for the extra flavor but extra vitamins that will leach out. That’s where I run into Zach. He’s talking to Bennet, the butcher.

He asks, “Do you have any Prime steaks?” Bennet looks at him like he’s off his meds.

“I don’t even have Choice,” he tells Zach. “If you’re looking for Prime, you’ve got quite a drive ahead of you.” When Zach doesn’t respond right away, Bennet offers, “But if you want something delicious, I’ve got some amazing Chinook. It just came in this morning.”

Zach nods his head. “I do love salmon. I’ll take four pounds.”

“Four pounds of salmon?” I demand from behind him. He practically jumps out of his skin.

“Is that a problem?”

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