Page 31 of Bound By Fate
It still didn’t stop the tears.
10
KATIE
Wasn’t therea song about working all week long I’d heard somewhere? Work… Work … punching the clock… I shook my head; didn’t matter. Only had a half hour left, and my shift would be over for the day.
Ever since Dryerson rubbed my feet a while back, I’d craved for him to do it again. I’d craved a lot of things from him, but it was only in my dreams and fantasies. And that was where they’d forever be.
I’d thought about him often and how he was healing.
Maybe I should’ve called him, but I knew if I did it would lead to more talking.
“Hey, Katie,” the bagger, Danny said from the end of my lane as I ran a canned food item over the scanner, hearing that wonderful beeping sound.
“Yeah?” I asked, not steering away from my task, continuing to get the order through. The woman, Mrs. Donaldson, had two growing boys who, as it appeared, were eating her out of house and home.
She always seemed in a hurry and there was no reason for her to stand in this line any longer than necessary.
“Katie,” Danny called again.
This time I glanced his way, but didn’t stop ringing up the groceries. “Hi.” He smiled wide.
“Uhh … hi.” Why he needed my direct attention for ahiboggled my mind. Not to mention he’d been bagging for at least half my shift, and we’d greeted each other then.
“Would you want to go grab something to eat after shift?” he asked.
My hand paused on the box of mac n’ cheese briefly. Danny was asking me out? On a date? In the middle of ringing up someone’s order and him bagging said order… Maybe I’d completely lost my marbles, but wasn’t that weird?
I looked up to the woman who raised her brows, waiting for me to answer. Was someone pulling a joke on me? Danny wasn’t bad looking. He had a dimple in his right cheek, brown eyes, and brown hair. His build was average. Nothing wrong with him, but … he wasn’t Dryerson.
“I … can’t tonight. I’m taking care of my niece.” God, please do not strike me down for lying. I already had Dryerson on my mind every minute of every day. I didn’t need another man even entering my thoughts.
Not to mention, I didn’t feel that way toward Danny at all.
He was someone I considered an acquaintance or co-worker. Not someone I’d go out on a date with. He obviously saw it a different way.
“That’s cool. How about tomorrow?” he threw at me as I went back to scanning, focusing on the canned goods a bit more than was necessary.
Please, Lord, please make him stop.
“Sorry, I have to work.”
“The next day.” He pushed, and I actually felt my temper spike a bit. I was trying to be nice here.
Without really thinking, I blurted out another lie. “I’m sorry, Danny, but I’m seeing someone.”
Lightning was seriously going to strike me down for these lies. He paused momentarily, then started bagging again.
“Never heard you talk about anyone.”
These words took me aback. Danny and I weren’t friends. We didn’t sit and gossip about our lives. We didn’t spend time together at all. And he was saying I’d never talked to him about anyone.
That creepy feeling ran up my spine and all the way to my fingertips. Before I could say anything, Mrs. Donaldson stepped in. “Danny, can you bring these out to my car for me?”
I could feel Danny’s eyes on me, but I cashed out her order and handed her the receipt.”
“Of course, Mrs. Donaldson,” Danny answered back in his polite tone.
