Page 5 of Finding Her Strength

“Great. How’s your week been?”

“Pretty good. The store has been busy, which has been nice.”

“How far were you able to make it on the homework I gave you?”

“Um, I gave it a lot of thought. I even tried to talk to Claire. Open up a little more. I told her about my grandmother's flower garden.”

“How was it to talk with her about your grandmother?”

“Hard.” Emotions start rising up my chest.

“Let’s talk about that.”

The Mango Martis surprisingly quiet this evening as I shop. This is one of the worst errands I have to do as an adult. Grocery shopping. I don’t have any real reason to not like the task. I just don’t. The worst part is I love cooking. There’s something special about being able to create foods however you like them. You can travel the world with a few special ingredients, all while staying in your kitchen. But having to take the time to find said ingredients is annoying.

I walk down the aisles, crossing things off my list as I go. Making a snap decision to check out the ice cream section, I start perusing the flavors. As I do, a man steps into the same aisle. My body goes on high alert as it always does, and I take him in out of the corner of my eye, doing my best to keep from being noticed.

His jeans are tight around his thighs, and his work bootsare covered in paint. His navy blue ball cap is covering his face, so I can’t see much of it, but the way he fills out his T-shirt is… really nice.

My thoughts stop me short.

I don’t notice men or how they fill out clothes. I normally make sure I’m not in their vicinity at all.

This guy, though… I noticed him.

It’s probably because of what Joy brought up today during our session. She’d asked if I had thought any more about dating, and I vehemently denied the idea.

I do not need a man in my life. I’m perfectly content with the way things are. There’s no reason to bring in some random person who could disrupt everything.

I turn, making sure my back stays toward the man, and run through the rest of my grocery list. After I grab the last few items I need, I head up to the checkout lane.

The man with the blue hat is a couple of people in front of me, and, for a moment, I let my eyes roam over his shoulders since I can’t see his face. I didn’t know guys actually worked out enough to make their shoulders that large. I’ve read about muscles like his in my books but have never seen them in person.

Fascinating.

“You’re up, sweetheart,” a lady says from behind me, startling me into motion. I’d been so distracted I didn’t even realize it was my turn to check out.

“Sorry about that.” I sheepishly smile at her.

“Oh, don’t you worry. I was just as entranced. It would have been a shame not to stare at those fine muscles.” She winks, making me laugh.

I set my groceries on the belt, then finish checking out, waving goodbye to the woman behind me. When I’m home, I put everything away, turning on some music to fill the silence of my apartment.

Most of the time, my little space feels cozy, comfortable. Tonight, it feels a little empty. My conversation with Joy swirls in my head. She’s been encouraging me to start making friends, and for the first time since I moved here, I’m wondering if I might be ready.

4

LEVI

“What’s your poison tonight, Levi?” Cheryl asks from the other side of the bar. She’s got her silver-streaked blonde hair clipped back instead of in her normal ponytail. She’s been the bartender at Donna’s since before I can remember.

“Three of whatever’s on tap.” I smile.

She winks at me before turning to pour my drinks. When Cheryl slides the glasses across the bar, I head back to the table the guys scored. Finding a place to sit on a Friday night is always a gamble since this is the only place in town to grab a drink.

“There’s no way!” Max shouts as I sit down, passing out beer to everyone but Cooper, who is on call tonight.

“I’m telling you, it’s the truth.” Todd grins at him.

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