Page 27 of Bidding on a Second Chance
Bryce hefted a sigh. “I know.”
But he hadn’t looked. At ten, he should know better, but they’d been at this long enough that Piper knew he was sensitive to correction. He’d remember what she’d said, and he’d shut down if she pushed for an apology.
She went back to the topic of the candy bars. “After you thank them, tell them we’ll pick up the money in a couple of weeks, unless they call and ask us to come sooner or later, okay?”
“Mm-hm.” Bryce’s eyes followed a sporty car as it passed in front of them.
They navigated the intersection. The first store waited another half block ahead. This was as good of a time as any for the other topic she needed to discuss. “You know how Pastor has been saying we should invite people to our tables for the holidays? People who have no one to celebrate with?”
Bryce’s shoulders shrugged under his winter coat. He stuck out his tongue in effort as he wiggled the cart over an uneven sidewalk crack.
“I invited one of your coaches to Thanksgiving. He doesn’t have anyone else to spend time with.”
His eyebrows drew together as he worked that one out. Since Kent and his family of five attended their church, that left Graham. Bryce huffed, a firm scowl taking root. “So you like him?”
A memory of how close he’d been in the stockroom earlier stole her breath. Her feelings for him were irrelevant. She’d never act on them. “He’s a friend, and he had no one else to celebrate with. Plus, he’s a really good cook. And he can give you some basketball pointers after we eat. Grandma and Grandpa still have a hoop on the garage.”
“I don’t want help from him.” His eyes darted to the sign above one of the storefronts.
They’d reached JoJo’s Scrapbooking and Yarn, their first stop.
“Okay, it was just an idea.” Piper rolled her scooter past the window, which featured a giant ball of yarn and three-foot-long knitting needles. “He is your coach, after all.”
Bryce skewed his mouth and waited silently while she situated herself to hold the door for him and the cart.
Inside, she took a breath of air scented by yarn and paper products. She didn’t knit or crochet, but the cute pens and journals always tempted her. She glanced at the displays as they crossed to meet JoJo at the sales counter.
The tall woman was in her sixties. Her hair was pulled up high on her head, and her cardigan draped to mid-thigh. “Oh, the goodies have arrived. Hi, Bryce. Piper.”
“Hi.” Bryce stacked three of the boxes on the counter. “We’ll be back for the money next month.”
JoJo’s amused smile meant she didn’t take offense at Bryce’s gruff manners, but Piper nudged his shoulder.
He glanced at the shop owner. “Thank you for helping my team.”
“You’re very welcome, Bryce.” JoJo winked at Piper.
“Thanks, Jo. See you.” Piper met Bryce at the door and once again used her scooter as a doorstop so he could maneuver the cart back outside.
They hadn’t made it three steps before Bryce said, “I don’t have to talk to him, right?”
“To Graham? You have to talk to him, because you must be polite. Understand?”
A horn honked, and Bryce looked to the street, but even Piper couldn’t pick out which vehicle had sounded the alarm or why.
“Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. And while we’re at it, we’re going to be extra nice to the shopkeepers today too. Make sure you smile and ask them how they are.”
“How am I going to remember everything?”
“Focus on being nice. If you forget some of the other parts, I’ll help you.”
“Okay.” He trudged on as if she’d asked him to do chores for each of the stores. Was he stressed about getting it all right or disappointed about Graham joining them for Thanksgiving?
She fit her arm around his shoulders. “You’re a good kid, you know that? I’m proud of you for being willing to help your team like this.” Because of the scooter, she couldn’t manage the posture more than a few steps, so she released him again.
