Never Say Sorry

CHAPTER ONE-2

TWENTY MINUTES LATER she was meandering down the cookies and chips aisle of her local supermarket and willing herself not to fill her cart with junk.

Grand circle of irony, she mused. Shouldn’t come to the grocery store when you’re hungry, but you can’t eat beforehand when there’s nothing at home to eat.

She sighed and picked up her pace, determined to outrun the high carb and sugar temptations all around her, and heaved another sigh once she’d successfully run that gauntlet.

Vegetables, Trix. Make a stir-fry, even though you’d kill for a potato chip right now.

Resolutely, she worked her way toward the produce section, and was stopped dead in her tracks.

At seven-twenty-two on a Tuesday night, high traffic in the aisles wasn’t the problem.

Nope. Not by a long shot.

The incredibly built, gorgeous man currently occupying space in front of the bagged salads was what had stopped her cold.

Trixie could feel her jaw hanging open as she stared at him. He was wearing shorts and a form-fitting muscle shirt, and even with his back to her she was plainly able to see his physique was cut, all the way down to tanned calves. Dark black hair grazed the collar of his blue top and looked so thick her fingers ached to run through it.

Then he turned around, and she barely managed to shut her mouth even as her pulse went into overdrive. Emerald green eyes glanced her direction, and a lopsided grin appeared, causing a deep dimple in the man’s right cheek to appear.

Oh, sweet Lord, Trixie thought, grateful the shopping cart was in front of her to hold on to when her knees went weak.

She’d just about regained her wits when the sculpted perfection in front of her– whom she dubbed ‘Super-Hot Guy’ in her mind - spoke.

“Sorry, am I in your way? There’s just... so many different kinds to choose from,” the vision admitted in a rich baritone, and Trixie blinked rapidly.

Say something, you dork! her brain screamed at her.

“I know, right?” she managed after a lengthy pause. “I mean, it’s lettuce. How many choices do we really need?”

Super-Hot Guy’s smile deepened, causing an equally sexy dimple to materialize in his left cheek.

I can’t take much more of this...

He walked toward her, his every move graceful – like a jungle cat, she thought to herself – and said, “Exactly. I myself am good with regular old romaine.”

Trixie’s brain sputtered to a stop when she caught his scent.

Woodsy, with a hint of oh-my-God-he’s-gorgeous... Walk away, Trix. Anything you say right now will just sound stupid...

“Question is,” Super-Hot Guy murmured as he got closer, “what to put with the romaine to liven it up a bit?”

“Tomatoes,” she managed, and was immensely proud she’d remembered a vegetable that belonged in salad.

Oh, wait... isn’t a tomato technically fruit?

Shut up, brain!

“Avocado, purple onion. Maybe some yellow or orange bell pepper slices. Then...”

“Yes?” he leaned closer.

“If you want to live dangerously? Steak.”

“What kind?”

“I prefer filets, myself,” Trixie heard herself say. “A little pricey, but worth it. They’re so tender.”

Now he laughed. “Nice! Pretty much what I was considering when I walked in here. What about blue cheese?”

“Crumbles?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Classic choice, of course,” she answered. “And a vinaigrette dressing.”

“Of course,” he agreed, dangerously close now. “But that seems like a lot to buy to feed just one person; after all, they don’t sell single portions of avocado. So maybe we could have the salad together sometime.”

Her mouth went dry.

Wow, he’s gorgeous and clever...

“I... I’m flattered, mister....”

“Drew,” he offered. “And you are?”

“Trixie,” she answered before she could stop herself. She took a deep breath and continued.

“Drew,” she echoed, “I really am flattered, but I can’t share salad with you. I don’t know you, and even if I did, I’m in a committed relationship, so...”

Her voice trailed off as she gazed into his eyes.

To his credit – and her sudden and unexpected regret – he nodded and stepped back immediately.

“That was kind of creepy of me, wasn’t it? I’m so sorry if I made you uncomfortable,” Super-Hot Drew said, sincerity in both his voice and his eyes. “I think you’re beautiful, and I didn’t see a ring, so...”

He thinks I’m beautiful? she thought, and barely resisted the impulse to look behind her to see whom he was actually speaking to.

Something on her face must have relayed her thoughts, because he smiled again. “You are, in fact, beautiful. Has no one ever told you that?”

She shrugged, unsure what to say.

“Well you are,” he finished. “And if the guy you’re seeing hasn’t ever told you that, than he’s an i***t, plain and simple.”

She flushed scarlet and looked down at her cart.

“Anyway, I guess I’d better be going,” he said. “It was nice to meet you. Have a good night, Trixie.”

And with that, Super-Hot Drew walked back over to the bagged salads, made his selection, and continued on his way.

That was surreal, Trixie acknowledged as she stood there for a few minutes to regain her composure.

And suddenly she knew what she had to do; the craving had been set in motion and there was no escaping it.

She pushed her cart around the produce section to grab lettuce, tomatoes, avocados and bell peppers before heading to the meat counter to select the smallest filet mignon she could find. After that she located a package of blue cheese crumbles and a bottle of vinaigrette. Her last stop was the wine aisle to pick up a bottle of Moscato before moving to the checkout line.

Forty minutes later she was sitting on her couch, her plated salad in one hand, and a glass of wine in the other.

“I hope you’re enjoying your salad, wherever you are, Super-Hot Drew,” she said aloud, raising her glass in the air.

***

* * * *

“YOU’RE kidding me,” Meghan gushed the next morning as she set a mug of freshly brewed coffee on her kitchen table in front of Trixie. “And you said no to Super-Hot Drew? Why?”

“Hell yes, I said no,” Trixie retorted as she added creamer to her mug. “First of all, I have no clue who he is. He could be an axe murderer for all I know. Besides, I’m with Grant.”

Meghan huffed. “I have to tell you, girl, Grant creeps me out. I don’t like him, and I don’t trust him.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know, Trix. I can’t really put my finger on it,” Meghan admitted. “I just... don’t. Please, please be careful with him.”

“He’s a good guy, Meghan, and he loves me. I really think we have something special,” Trixie replied, not knowing how badly her defense of Grant would bite her squarely in the a*s later on.