Page 49 of Zane

She let go of Kelsey’s hand and turned back to Zane. “Do you think you’ll be staying here long term?”

Zane hadn’t looked much beyond twenty-four hours into the future since the accident. At that moment, he couldn’t see how he could stay in Serenity. But only time would tell which direction his life would take.

Theirlife together would take.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Kelsey watched as Alice Kennedy walked away, then said, “She seems really sweet.”

“She is,” Zane agreed. “That whole family is, really. Well, except for Reese. She’s more like kettle corn.”

“Kettle corn?” Kelsey asked as they made their way to the registers at the front.

“Shecanbe sweet, but often, she’s salty. You never know which one you’re going to get, and it drives her brothers bonkers.”

Thankfully, they didn’t have to stand in line too long, and soon she was able to unload her items onto the conveyor belt. After all of her stuff was out of the cart, she set the divider down and started to work on Zane’s.

It pained her a bit to have their items separate, but he probably wouldn’t even think to pay for her things too. Even though they had kept most of their finances separate, whenever they went shopping together, he would pay for whatever they got. He’d also pay whenever they went out to eat. And that didn’t even include thejust becauseitems he’d buy for her like a new candle or a new set of cozy pajamas.

But that had been when she’d been first his girlfriend, and then his wife. However, he no longer viewed her as someone important to him.

That thought hurt her to her very core.

She shouldn’t have bought half of what she had. But it was that time of the month, so her emotions—which werealready battered and bruised—were in upheaval. Ice cream and chocolate held a lot of appeal that day.

Once her items were through, she paid the bill, then transferred the bags to the cart. Zane took her place at the till, then paid for his stuff.

After it was all bagged and loaded into the cart, they left the store.

“Was there anywhere else you wanted to go before we head home?” Kelsey asked as she lifted the bags into the trunk of her car.

“Well, we can’t dawdle too much, or your ice cream will melt,” Zane said.

“Yeah. It is a bit warm for it to sit for too long in the car.”

“Let’s just head home.” Zane moved to the passenger door and opened it.

Kelsey took the cart to the cart return, then went back to the car and got in.

Though a part of her had enjoyed spending time with Zane, she was ready for a little bit of space. The toll it took on her to spend time with Zane when he didn’t have any emotional connection to her was intense.

“Thanks for letting me tag along,” Zane said after they were home and Kelsey had put away her groceries. “It was nice to get out of the house for a bit.”

“You’re welcome.” She picked up his bags. “I’ll carry these up for you.”

“It feels wrong to let you do that, but I don’t have much choice.”

“It’s fine. I’m going upstairs, anyway.”

They went up to the second floor, and Kelsey set the bags down just inside Zane’s door, then went to her own room. She’d left the ice cream for later, but she’d grabbed her favorite candy bar at the till, and it was in the bag with her shampoo and conditioner.

It had been awhile since she’d eaten her feelings the way she wanted to right then. But she figured that she was entitled to it.

Her life was anything but the happy and stable place it had been not that long ago.

Her husband had feeling for his ex, who he’d woken up thinking was still his girlfriend.

She still had no job, and her money was running out.

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