Page 29 of An Investigator For Ivy

Epic Fail

The following week, Ivy ran out to the store to pick up some ice cream and hot fudge.

Dahlia planned on watching a movie later tonight that Ivy had no interest in. She was trying not to be depressed that on a Saturday night she’d be playing games on her iPad. Why not stuff her face with her favorite treat while she was at it?

Since she’d only been doing chores around the house and pestering her sister, she was dressed in comfy clothes. As much as she liked to look sexy, sometimes just having her gray joggers on, a black tank with a white cropped hoodie and her black ankle UGGS were the way to go.

If the outfit made her look like a college kid, she didn’t care. Too many times in her life she remembered that she didn’t have the childhood that she wanted and sometimes she reverted back to it. It didn’t hurt anyone and she didn’t see the harm in it.

She parked her car and got out. The wind was blowing, but it was about fifty out. Pretty good for December and she’d gotten used to the cooler weather.

Once she got in the store, her phone went off with Dahlia asking her to pick up some water and tea bags.

So much for having a basket, as she couldn’t carry a case of bottled water in it. She turned and went to get a small cart and started to walk around.

When she turned into the aisle for the water she saw a tall, dark and broody man picking up the same thing her sister needed.

Might as well have some fun. She moved her cart right into his. “Oops, sorry. Are you going to give me a ticket for not yielding the right of way?”

Brooks lifted an eyebrow at her. Other than that, he barely flinched at the noise the carts made or reacted much at all. Though his eyes did roam over her, and boy, she wished now that she didn’t rush out the door dressed as she was.

At least she looked cute if not young.

“Not my job anymore,” he said.

“That’s right,” she said. Her eyes landed on his cart. There wasn’t much in there but bread, pre-made burgers, deli meat and a few bags of chips. Of course they were only halfway through the store in this aisle. “You investigate things. Do you know which one of these waters is better for you?”

He picked up the store brand case and stuck it in his cart. “It’s water,” he said. “Pretty much all the same and the only difference is the cost.”

“That’s what I think too.”

She grabbed the same one he did and stuck it on the bottom of the little cart. Too bad it didn’t fit and started to roll away from her. Now she was in a squat and almost grunted to fit it in there. Talk about looking sexy. What an epic fail this was.

“Need some help?” he asked.

“I got it,” she said. Or maybe not when the cart moved on her some more. She just stood up with the case and plopped it on the top sideways and tilted. “It’s only getting ice cream on it anyway. That’s all I wanted. Dahlia needed the water and some tea.”

“Ice cream?” he asked. “It’s December.”

“So? They still sell it so that means we eat it. It’s my favorite thing. My siblings and I all have one thing we couldn’t stop eating once we moved to America.”

“Huh? I thought you were from Texas?”

“Nope. That’s just where I moved from before here.” She could see the interest in his eyes. Maybe she could use this to her advantage. “You said you’ve always lived here?”

“Pretty much,” he said. He started to move his cart away from her. Dang it. This was like at the casino. She wasn’t about to let this opportunity go and stalked him through the aisles.

“Yes, I’m still here,” she said when he turned to look at her. “See, you wanted to know.”

He snorted. “Good detective work,” he said. “Always check to see if you’re being followed.”

“Guess it applies to the grocery store too. Doesn’t seem too busy in here right now. I expected more people.”

“Most have more important things to do on a Saturday afternoon,” he said.

“Other than the two of us. Two pathetic souls in the grocery store.”

There was a snort from someone else in the aisle and she wanted to add three people but figured that might be too much.

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