We turned to the last aisle—the produce department—and Ava stopped, cursing under her breath.
“What?” I asked.
“Turn around,” she hissed. “Just turn around.”
I attempted to, but the cart hit the display, and some cans tilted, then toppled, rolling over and hitting the cart, then the floor, making a loud noise.
“Shit, damn, and blast,” she muttered. “What are the odds?”
“Odds of what?” I asked again, picking up the cans.
“That.”
I looked up and saw a familiar-looking man headed our way. There was a little girl with him, and he was frowning as he approached. For a moment, I thought it was Ronan, then realized it was actually another brother. It had to be, given the resemblance.
I stifled a groan at the thought of meeting yet another family member. They were bloody everywhere. Ava was right—what were the odds?
Her brother stopped, not speaking but staring. He glanced between us, then at the cart. The little girl looked excited, smiling widely.
“Auntie Ava! I told Daddy that was you!”
Ava bent and hugged the little girl. Her brother continued to stare. I cleared my throat and held out my hand. It felt as if I were doing that a lot lately. “Hello. I’m Hunter.”
He shook my hand, his grip firm. A little too firm. “Liam Callaghan.”
I withdrew my hand, resisting the urge to flex my fingers and get some feeling back in them.
“Hi! I’m Lucy!”
“Hi, Lucy.” I grinned at her since she was hard to resist. “It’s nice to meet you.”
She beamed at me. She was adorable, with the biggest smile I had ever seen. I noticed she had a prosthesis on her arm and wondered what had happened. I would have to ask Ava later.
“What are you doing here, Liam?” Ava asked. “You usually don’t shop this time of the day.”
“Mommy had a headache. Daddy and I were making supper, but he burned the grilled cheese. So we had to come get something else,” Lucy informed her.
Liam grinned, his expression loosening. “I ordered one of their deli pizzas. Paige and Lucy love them. I decided to get a few other things while we were here waiting. The grilled cheese is a lost cause.”
Ava laughed.
Liam lifted one eyebrow. “I was wondering what you were doing here, to be honest.” He eyed the cart. “Shopping for two?”
Before I could protest, Ava spoke.
“No. Hunter is Mr. Owens’s grandson. He just moved here, so I’m showing him the best places to shop. I had to get some groceries, so we came together.”
He rubbed his chin. “Jack’s grandson. Hmm. Interesting. Ronan said he met you earlier—at Ava’s house. And here you are now, together again.” He nodded slowly, his eyes gleaming. “Yep. Interesting.”
Ava’s cheeks colored. “Just being neighborly.”
“Ava helped me with my dog earlier,” I interjected. “She mentioned she had to go grocery shopping. I asked her for another favor.”
“Right.”
“It’s just groceries,” I added.
“I’m not saying anything.” Liam smirked.
“We both had to come. Saved taking two vehicles.”
“Very responsible of you.”
I waved at the cart. “We have two different orders.”
“I see. Very circumspect.” He winked. “I’ll let you get on with your neighborly grocery shopping.” He tapped the wine and flowers in my basket. “Enjoy your evening. I’ll see you tomorrow at brunch, Ava.” He began to laugh. “Or not.” Then he met my eyes. “I’ll see you around, Hunter.”
“Not if I see you first,” I muttered.
Then just like his brother, he smiled. “Count on it.”
Why the hell did they keep saying that?
I could still hear his amusement as he turned down the aisle, Lucy waving as they disappeared.
Ava hung her head. “I am cursed,” she muttered. “I’ve been coming here for years at this time and never once run into a family member until today. Ronan rarely drops over to check up on me.” She peered up at me. “I’m sorry.”
I could only shake my head. “It’s fine. Let’s finish up before your parents make an appearance. I don’t think I could handle that today.”
She sighed, and I slipped my hand over hers. “It’s fine, Little Dragon. So, I saw your brothers, and they saw me with you. In your house, grocery shopping together. They can draw whatever conclusions they want. We know the truth, and that’s all that matters.”
She looked as if she wanted to ask something, then changed her mind. “Okay. Let’s finish up.”
I meant what I said. It was no one’s business but ours. We knew what was going on between us, and that was enough. We were scratching an itch. Filling a void for each other for a short period of time. This was no different from any other relationship I had ever had in my adult life.
I tamped down the little voice in my head that asked if I really believed my own bullshit. It needed to shut up and mind its own business.
* * *
Ava was quiet in the truck. It wasn’t unusual—I had noticed she wasn’t given to idle chatter, a gift I appreciated. But this seemed different, as if the silence had a heaviness to it. She stared out the window, her arms crossed.