Page 49 of Shoot Your Shot

“We still need lunch though,” I say thoughtfully. “I’ll get stuff for grilled cheese.”

“Perfect,” he utters, continuing to push the cart farther into the grocery store.

Prior to curbside pickups, we always went shopping together. He’d pick out things I knew he’d never eat, but he thought they looked cool. I’d sneak them back when he wasn’t looking because, unlike Kolt, I was frugal. Even something as simple as grocery shopping was fun because we did it together.

And then I got lazy and wanted to quickly pull up, pop my trunk, and have someone else load my shit inside. Looking back,I wish we had kept the tradition of going together. Little things are always big things. I just didn’t see it then.

The sound of a child wailing assaults my eardrums, and when we round the corner, I see a toddler on the floor, pounding their fists against the tiles with their father standing over them, trying to talk them down, while the mother looks embarrassed, a tiny baby in a carrier against her chest.

“Henry,” the woman says, keeping her voice calm, looking up at us as her cheeks grow red, “there are other people trying to shop. Your sister is asleep. Please use your words, okay?”

Scooping the boy up, the dad attempts to slide him into the front of the cart, but the child begins kicking.

“No!” he screams, flailing around like an animal.

I glance at Kolt, and we both try not to stare as we sneak by.

“Excuse me,” Kolt mutters, steering the cart around the absolute chaos.

“Sorry,” the dad huffs out. “Missed naptime. And now … well, you see it.”

I flash them a sympathetic smile and shake my head. “No need to apologize. I feel the same way about being in the grocery store right now. I’m just not as cute as him, so I can’t get away with showing it. But trust me, I want to.” I let my eyes float to the baby, who stirs gently against her mom’s chest. “You guys have a beautiful family.”

“Thank you,” she says, attempting to smile, but there’s no missing the look of defeat on her face. “We promise to wait in this aisle for a few minutes to give you two a head start so that you won’t have to listen to meltdown paradise anymore during your shopping.” It’s meant to be lightheaded, but there’s a certain strain in her tone.

“Holy shit,” the dad suddenly whispers once he finally gets the crying kid strapped into the seat. “You’re Kolt Kolburne. I’m a huge Sharks fan.”

From the corner of my eye, I can see Kolt’s body tense, but he gives the man a slight nod. “Awesome, man.”

Even the two words don’t sound like the Kolt I know. It’s obvious he wants to make this dad’s night better, but deep down, he hates the attention.

“Good to see you out and about, Kolt.” He stands in complete shock, staring at him. “Any idea when you’ll be returning?” He cringes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to go there. I’m just, uh—”

“Fangirling?” the wife deadpans before patting her husband’s shoulder. “It’s okay, babe. I’m sure he’s used to it.”

Kolt claps his hands together and shifts around on his feet. “No big deal.” He chuckles. “I’m not sure yet. We’ll see how the next few weeks go.” He turns to me, jerking his chin toward the other end of the aisle. “Ready to get going?”

“Yep,” I say, smiling at the adorable family, even the very loud one. “Have a great night.”

As we take a few steps, the guy calls behind us, “Good luck on your recovery! It was an honor to meet you, even if my kid is being a Tasmanian devil.”

Pushing the cart, Kolt glances over his shoulder and chuckles. “No worries, man.”

As we get around the corner, my heart does that thing that it always used to when I came into a grocery store and saw all the people with their kids. I guess, subconsciously, maybe that’s why I stopped coming into places like this. Because it made me bitter and angry.

“Cute baby,” Kolt murmurs, glancing over at me.

I nod. “Crazy brother though.” I force myself to see the humor through the pain. “I think he was part animal, for sure.”

The corner of Kolt’s mouth turns up, but his eyes look lost in thought. “Definitely,” he says softly, and we carry on in mere silence.

Small waves ripple on top of the lake, proving there is a storm coming, just like we heard at the grocery store. One that’s due to bring strong winds and even more rain. I’m beginning to think Paige’s parents knew that too. Because if the power goes out, with no generator and only a woodstove to keep us warm, we will really be forced to face each other.

When I asked her dad if I could bring her here to get away from all the distractions, he immediately said yes. In his eyes, the only memories she and I have here are those he was present for. He doesn’t know about all the times we snuck out here alone. Or the time we took his fishing boat out, and the thing broke down in the middle of the lake, and we had to get towed in. And he certainly doesn’t know that I took his daughter’s virginity in this cabin on Thanksgiving night. We’d told them we were going to see friends, and instead, we’d snuck here.

I told her I loved her that same night, and I meant it back then too. But I had loved her before I said the words. I had just been too fucking scared to say it out loud.

“It’s cold in there,” she says from behind me. “Even colder out here.”

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