His hands sliding against her when he shifted his grip had her stomach starting to tighten. Starting to prod at feelings
inside her she'd never had to deal with before him. Things inside her that wanted to ask him to do that again. That
wanted to ask for more.
And the middle of a neighbor's yard wasn't the place to be thinking those things.
She exhaled an unconscious sound as she unwrapped her legs and slipped down him until her feet touched the
grass. Skin humming with the slide of his hands because of it. She didn't move away from him. Honestly, he likely had
no idea what he did to her with such small, simple things, she thought, raising her face with a smile to meet his eyes
as she commented:
"Given the state of your cupboards, I expect I should become quite familiar with the grocers."
"My cupboards are fine. Remember, I haven't been home in a year." He said with a chuckle as she slid down him back
to the ground, And in the most inappropriate place imaginable....Mrs Johnson's front yard....he was having some very
interesting thoughts....
Very very interesting thoughts. That she probably had no idea she had caused. God, what a situation!
He looked at her for a moment, and then grinned. "But I hate shopping. Period. So feel free to take over." He said,
sliding an arm around her shoulder as they started to walk.
Those dark eyes of his could swallow her whole... she thought before he grinned. Almost glad he had no idea where
her mind had been because he'd probably laugh at what a simple little thing like that had done to her. Lack of
experience meant she had no built up resistance to touch apparently. Or - more likely - it was just Hector's touch she
had not resistance to. In which case, she doubted she'd ever manage an immunity. She slipped an arm around his
waist, fitting comfortably against his side as they started walking.
Mrs. Johnson, listening to Paige getting down pans in the kitchen, hadn't left the door.
"Oh my." She murmured to herself, lifting a hand to rest it against one of her own cheeks. Oh my indeed...
"Seeing the selection in your kitchen, I was hoping you'd just surrender that to me." Andi commented cheerfully,
looking at the houses and yards as they passed. Noticing people on the porches or out in the yard that waved to
Hector as they walked past. "Otherwise I was going to start a devious plan of infiltration until I had achieved kitchen
domination."
"Devious plan of infiltration. That's a sign you've been hanging around the military too long." He said with a chuckle.
"Well I hand the kitchen over to you. Except for gumbo. Don't worry, I left the chicken feet and turkey necks out of this
batch." He teased as they turned the corner onto what was the town's main street. Didn't take long. One, the town was
as small as he promised, and even though they weren't walking fast, they still had long strides.
"I like hanging around the military." She commented, unconsciously resting her free hand on his stomach. Over the
hidden scar. "I've learned such creative swearing in American." She teased back and wrinkled her nose at his threats
of chicken feet and turkey necks. Then she was breaking attention from him long enough to look around the new
street they'd turned onto. It really was a small town. Which was - perfect, she thought with a relieved exhale.
The grocery store was a small shop but it was well stocked and with a great deal of fresh fruits and vegetables. Andi's
face went delighted and, when the man sitting on a stool behind the counter looked up from his newspaper to give a
surprised smile and greet Hector by name, she gave his hand a light squeeze and slipped out from under his arm to
go explore on her own.
"Got sick of take out and begging off neighbors already?" Mr Haskins, the owner of the shop said over his newspaper.
"I don't beg. It's willingly offered." Hector said with a laugh as he leaned on the counter and watched Andi take
inventory of the shop.
"Brought an experienced eye?"
"Absolutely no choice. She's commandeered my kitchen." Hector said with a mock frown.
"Well, it will definitely be better than the crud they feed you in the Army." Mr. Haskins said, speaking from experience
as a Vietnam veteran. "You look good though. Despite the food. Who's she?" He asked kindly, but bluntly.
"That...." Hector said. "Is my girlfriend." Mr Haskins put the paper away all together now.
"Really?" Mr Haskins said, pushing his glasses up on his nose with his forefinger. "Always full of surprises aren't you?"
"Surprised myself this time." Hector confessed.
Noone else was in the store so Andi indulged. Letting herself sniff the melons and test the weight of the peaches. So
much fresh food and all of it looked so good. It was like being let go in a mile wide toy store as a child. Half a dozen
dishes popped into mind that she hadn't been able to make in years. Brows starting to knit she went over things with a
more careful eye. Mentally cataloguing what was available and what wasn't so she'd have a better idea of how to plan
the meals. She hadn't cooked regularly for anyone since... since Grandda... Silly to realize how much she missed it.
"Gonna be a lot of broken hearts 'round here." Mr. Haskins unknowingly repeated Widow Johnson's comment. Then
he looked over at the young man in front of him. Watching him watch the woman.
"Pretty thing." He commented, old enough to be able to state the obvious without being considered the slightest
threat. "How'd you trick her into taking up with the likes of you?"
"Southern charm? Irresistible charisma?" Hector offered with a laugh. "No idea. But, hey, I ain't arguing."
"I wouldn't neither." Mr Haskins said with a nod. "So you're actually going to use your grandma's oven."
"I'm doing no such thing." Hector said. "It’s all her idea. Somehow she doesn't think gumbo and twinkies is a balanced
meal."
"That's why God invented women. To nag." Mr Haskins said with a smile. "And stripped us men of all common sense
when he added testosterone, so that we liked being nagged. I see her not going near the frozen food section."
In all truth, Andi hadn't even thought of the frozen food section. Freezers were for ice. And ice cream. And maybe, if
there wasn't a butcher near, for meat. But there was a grocer just down the road from where she was staying. It was
surprising how much she had missed that and she realized how truly awful her last few years of meals had been. It
was surprising she hadn't realized it before now.
She brought her first armful of goodies up and set them on the counter. Giving the older man behind it a bright,
slightly distracted smile and slipping a pleased kiss against Hector's cheek before heading back into the dry goods
aisles.
Mr. Haskins looked over her choices.
"Not bad." He commented. "She's nailed everything that I got in fresh today from Millie's farm. Where's she from?" He
asked in addition. Sure didn't shop like a city girl.
"Africa." Hector said as he started to bag everything up as Mr Haskins rang it up. Like all small town stores, Mr
Haskins kept a tab for regulars, and Hector counted as a regular.
"Certainly went out of your way to bring home someone completely not like the proverbial girl next door." Mr Haskins
said. "I mean that in a good way." Hector chuckled. "Does she have a name?" Mr Haskins asked leadingly.
"Last time I checked." Hector said with a grin. "Andi, Mr Haskins. Mr Haskins, Andi."
Andi, back with another, slightly smaller armful that included noodles and several oddly named herbs as well as black
beans and the like gave the man she was introduced to a smile that fully registered his presence and the old man
started to chuckle.
"Pleased to meet you." She told him.
"Oh, you're a dangerous girl." He chided good-naturedly, taking the goods from her to punch them into the register.
"Thank you." She sounded pleased with that pleasant, proper accent of hers and he chuckled again.
"You keep an eye on this one." He told Hector sternly as he threw in an automatic pair of chocolate bars without
charging for them. "Gladys will be over with a casserole tomorrow after I tell her about this." He warned, looking at the
younger man over the top of his glasses. Deeply in love with his wife as indulgent as he was about her obsessive
need for gossip as he apparently was.
Hector laughed. "Just remind her to go easy on the peas this time." He said with a nod, knowing that his wife, then her
friends...and god no...their daughters would come over to make sure Mr Haskins hadn't fallen off the wagon and was
imagining the whole thing. "Hey, Jolanda still work over at the bakery?"
"Bet she does." Mr Haskins said. "She'll be mighty pleased to see her, you, not so much." Then he peered over his
glasses at Andi. "She doesn't swing his way in the breeze if you get my drift." He said in a stage whisper. "But she
makes good cakes."
Andi blinked and it took her a minute to understand the connotations. Not because she was unfamiliar with the
concept but because she hadn't understood the way he'd phrased it at first. Thinking it was some American
phraseology she wasn't understanding. Then she started to quietly laugh and, listening to it, Mr. Haskins decided she
really was the best kind of nothing but trouble.
"So there's one female in a hundred mile radius I don't have to worry about? And she bakes? Grand." She smiled as
she took one of the bags. "I'd almost forgotten what not getting the evil eye from other women felt like." She was
teasing and flashed Mr. Haskins a wink, linking her free arm through Hector's. "Thank you!" She added to the older
man and he shrugged with a smile.
"Just come back from time to time. You'll be good for business."
Hector chuckled as they walked out and across the street to the bakery. "Mrs. Johnson did not give you the evil eye."
He said as they walked through the propped open door. And Hector barely managed to get the grocery bag on one of
the tables before a slim woman with skin the color of coffee and eyes darker than Hector's made an Olympic worthy
vault over the counter.
"Good to see you too, Jo." Hector said, laughing, as he caught the baker.