Page 33 of Check Me Out

Dakota met Seth’s gaze. Seth’s eyes were a striking green that shifted in the light. With great effort, Dakota looked away. “I got the sense that what they had was special, to still feel that way after all these years.”

Seth straightened. “I can tell you one thing. If I met the right man, I wouldn’t let anything as trivial as a job get in the way.”

“Where do you work?”

Seth’s posture slumped a bit. “I’m in tech, so I can work from anywhere. But still, love has to be more important than employment, right?”

“I think so,” whispered Dakota, his gaze lingering for a moment on Seth’s mouth.

A harsh voice cut through the moment. “I don’t care, Mother. Just pick what you want, and we can get out of here.”

A tall woman loomed over an older, smaller version of herself. The older woman ignored her and kept peering at the steaks while an elderly man looked on from a distance. Dakota started forward, hoping to diffuse a volatile situation.

“Oh Jesus, Mom. I give up. I’ll be waiting up front whenever you’re finished.” She glared at Dakota, “Gay nineties night. You should be ashamed of yourself for preying on old people like this. Look at her, mooning after some geezer when everyone knows at her age all she’ll be is a nurse or a purse.”

Seth said quietly, “It looks like she’s picking out a steak.”

“What if she is interested in someone?” Dakota said, wondering where he’d left his bland, professional demeanor. “Love is love, and everyone deserves a shot.”

“It’ll just end in tears,” she muttered, pushing past him.

Dakota turned to Seth, who was looking at him with unexpected tenderness.

“What?” Dakota asked.

Seth shrugged. “Nothing. That was just nice, what you said.”

From by the steaks, the woman’s mother said, “Don’t mind her. She’s going through a divorce.” She turned and smiled at the man behind her. “Life is too short to be angry, don’t you think?”

He smiled and stepped forward. “You’re absolutely right. What kind of steak do you recommend?”

Dakota nudged Seth. “I think that’s our exit line.”

5

Seth

Seth liked watching Dakota with the old people. Of course, dealing with them was part of his job, but he did it with an unusual amount of grace and kindness. How long had it been since Seth met someone with those traits?

“How did Gay Nineties start?” he asked Dakota as they moved away from the meat counter.

“A few years ago. My boss met the man she calls her favorite husband in the store. And I guess picking up dates in a grocery store was a thing in the eighties. So, she decided to bring it back as a store promo. She did a big Valentine’s night oldies festival, and it was such a hit that it became a weekly thing.”

“It’s weird to think of people my grandmother’s age looking for dates.”

Dakota shrugged. “Everybody gets lonely.”

They were standing by the frozen foods. Seth put his hand on Dakota’s arm and stopped him. “How about you? Are you lonely?”

Dakota’s eyes were deep pools that Seth thought he might be able to lose himself in forever. After holding Seth’s gaze for a long moment, Dakota nodded and whispered, “Sometimes.”

Seth cupped his face, rubbing his thumb along Dakota’s jaw. “I know we haven’t known each other long but I have an overwhelming desire to kiss you.” He was interrupted by a loud crash from across the store.

Dakota jerked away and ran toward the sound. Seth followed, feeling foolish. Why would Dakota want to kiss someone he barely knew? It’s just that the connection seemed so powerful, it felt like he’d drunk a philter of love. Which was stupid because those didn’t exist in real life.

They rounded the end of the aisle only to see the couple from earlier who had been interested in cocktail peanuts clutching each other while cans rolled around their feet. The man’s motorized cart stood a few feet away.

“I hardly touched the tower of cans, and suddenly, it tilted precipitously and disassembled itself,” the woman said as Dakota arrived.

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