Page 7 of The Scout
“It’s not Thor. It’s Hannah.”
“There’s a chick here? I thought you just said—”
“No. Hannah. My high school girlfriend.”
“Ahh, the one who got away.”
“That’s the one. Although I don’t know if I’d classify her as that.”
He scoffed. “Brother, if you’re still thinking about her after all this time, I think that’s exactly how you’d classify her.”
As much as I hated to admit it, Cal was right. “Heard she moved on.”
“Heard and did are two very different things. Go to Blueberry Hill and check for yourself.”
“Blossom Berry Falls.”
“Whatever. Thor and I will hold down the fort while you’re gone. Won’t we, Thor?”
The pint-size pup looked at him before letting out an exasperated sigh.I’m right there with you, Thor. Right there with you.
Chapter3
Hannah
Soft country music from the nineties played from the grocery store’s speakers. Per usual, one wheel on my cart spun independently from the other three as I did my best to steer it toward the produce department without crashing into anything. Mounds of fresh vegetables and fruits in baskets lined the wall and center aisle.
Lifting a cantaloupe, I did as my mom always told me and pressed the button on the bottom where the stem had once been attached. If it gave way a tad, then it was a good one. Since the first one didn’t, I moved on to the next. Grabbing a larger one, I was about to do the same when I heard, “So you saw Cash at Brew and Chew this morning? Not going to lie. He’s one of the reasons I decided to come back here. BBF is a far cry from Miami.”
They both giggled.
Using the cantaloupe to shield my face, I stood there eavesdropping.
“Sure did.” Then the woman sighed. “If I wasn’t madly in love with my husband, I would have bought that man a cup of coffee ...” She paused. “He’s single, you know.”
They both laughed again, and my eyes narrowed on their own volition. For the past twelve days, my hackles have been elevated thanks to the upcoming festivities. At home, Jimmy’s excitement overshadowed my horrible secret. At school, everyone clamored about what a great event it was going to be. I knew they weren’t wrong. Our committee had worked hard for months. Not to mention Janice’s iron fist.
“Girl, I saw a picture of him with no shirt on.Damn.I’d only seen bodies like that online. Even his tattoos are sexy. I can’t wait to go to the game on Friday. And want to know a secret?”
Her voice lowered, and I couldn’t help but lean back a little. I mean, who didn’t want to know a secret? At that point, I’d been invested in the entire conversation. Why stop, right? My fingers flexed on the netted skin of the melon as I angled my body in their direction.
Just then, the store’s intercom announced that the deli had a call on line two. In my head, I was trying to hush it, but that didn’t work. Once that silenced, I caught what I assumed was the tail end of the secret: “... renaming the school stadium to Cash Jameson Field.”
Unfortunately, that scrap of information caused me to suck in a harsh breath, and the bit of dust on the melon shot down my throat. A cough built up pressure like a balloon about to burst. I tried to hold it in, but it was no use. I let out the loudest, most bizarre-sounding combination of a cough and a snort that I’m pretty sure no human had ever made before.
“Oh my word, are you okay?” one of the women asked. When I looked up, I recognized her from my class, but I couldn’t put a name to her face.
Finally able to swallow and catch my breath, I nodded and put the melon in my cart. “Yes, thank you. Tried to sniff the melon to see if it was ripe and got more than my money’s worth.” I laughed, trying to play off what had really happened and hoping she didn’t see through my lie.
“Hannah? Hannah Hall?” When I smiled and nodded once more, she beamed. “I’m Sarah. Sarah Monahan?”
Right!I mentally snapped my fingers.
“Well, I used to be. Now I’m Sarah Pendleton. And this”—she pointed to the woman next to her—“is Patricia Jenkins, formerly Patricia Shelby. I can’t believe you’re here. We were just talking about Cash.”
Patricia chimed in, “Have you seen him? We were hoping he was staying at the inn, but Hank told us that he rented a house in town. Must be nice, right?”
Hank and his wife owned the inn. No doubt they were full, thanks to the reunion. Plus, it wasn’t as though Blossom Berry Falls had a plethora of hotels. There was the inn, and that was it. The next closest hotel was about forty miles away.