Leave Me Breathless

‘Hey, Mr Chaps,’ I say as I reach up to grab a bottle of wine.

He doesn’t look away from stacking one of the freezers, looking at a tub in his hand. ‘Phish Food,’ he mutters, placing a tub on top of another on the shelf. ‘Never heard of fish eating ice cream.’ He takes another tub, and I make my way over, smiling to myself. ‘Chunky Monkey? What is it, monkey-flavoured?’

When I reach him, I pluck the tub from his hand. Wine and ice cream. That’s my night sorted. ‘It’s delicious. You should try it.’

He snorts and goes back to stacking the shelf. ‘Karamel Sutra? My, my, what is the world coming to?’

‘You more of a vanilla kind of guy?’ I ask with a poorly concealed grin that seems to go way over Mr Chaps’s head, along with my question.

‘Nothing wrong with vanilla.’ He creaks up to standing with the help of his walking stick. ‘It’s my favourite.’ He wobbles past me on his way to the checkout, and I turn to follow, but come to an abrupt halt when I find someone blocking my path.

Alex’s eyes are on my hands, and I look down, quickly remembering what I’m holding. ‘Delicious, huh?’ she asks, making me shrink on the spot.

I don’t try to talk my way out of it. Alex is intelligent, and I shouldn’t treat her otherwise. I look past her, searching for Ryan, my tummy fluttering with the onset of butterflies.

‘He’s not here,’ she says, opening the freezer door. She then proceeds to load her basket with all the tubs of Chunky Monkey.

‘Stocking up?’

‘Well . . .’ The door swings shut and Alex swings around. ‘Someone ate my last tub.’ She lifts the full basket with both hands, her smile sweet.

I feel my cheeks burning furiously. What do I say? Did Ryan talk to her yet? And if so, what did he tell her? Does she approve? Does she hate me? Have Ryan and I come to an end before we’ve really begun?

She nods at the tub I’m holding. ‘I’ll let you have that one.’

‘Thanks,’ I mumble meekly as Alex slinks past me, her face unreadable. ‘Does your dad know you’re here on your own?’ I ask like an idiot, for what reason I couldn’t tell you. Maybe to remind her that she’s a kid and I am not.

‘Seriously, Hannah? I’m ten. I can go to the shop without a babysitter.’ She dumps her basket on the counter. ‘How was Monopoly?’

‘Sorry, what?’

‘Monopoly. Dad said you played Monopoly the other night, right before you ate my Chunky Monkey in the morning. Did you win?’

I’m in actual physical pain. ‘Yes.’ I cough, and she chuckles, the little minx. I straighten my back, just catching Mr Chaps wiping the grin from his face.

‘Cool it, Hannah,’ Alex says on a sigh. ‘I’m a woman of the world.’

Oh, the dear thing. I join her at the counter and place my wine and ice cream down as she loads her shopping bag. ‘A woman of the world, eh?’

‘Yep.’

‘Good for you.’

She pays for her lifetime supply of ice cream with a credit card, and Mr Chaps doesn’t bat an eyelid.

‘Your dad’s?’ I ask as Alex pulls the card from the machine and slips it into the pocket of her dungarees.

She tugs the bag off the counter. ‘Considering I’m too young for a credit card, that would be a yes.’

‘Oh, you woman of the world, you,’ I tease on a smirk that’s returned by her.

‘I’m glad I ran into you.’ She drops her shopping to the floor and hops up onto the counter, kicking her legs. Once again, Mr Chaps doesn’t bat an eyelid, just gets on with ringing my buys through the till.

‘Why, so you can get a sick thrill out of making me blush?’

Her grin turns impish. ‘I’m sorry. I think it’s hilarious watching you and Dad pretending you don’t fancy each other.’

This kid. ‘Was it that obvious?’ I ask, deciding not to beat around the bush any longer. Besides, I’m curious as to what she’s making of her dad fancying the pants off me.

‘It’s a good job you’re into painting and not acting, because you’re rubbish at it.’

She’s wrong. I was an amazing actress for years. I even fooled myself for a time. I blink hard, fighting to keep the impending flashback at bay.

‘Hannah, are you okay?’

Alex is looking at me with concern, and I scan my surroundings, reminding myself that I’m not in that world anymore. That woman is dead. ‘Yes, sorry, I’m fine.’ I swallow and force a smile as I pay and collect my things, picking up Alex’s bag and handing it over. ‘You’d better be going before your dad starts to worry.’

Slipping down, she takes her ice cream and we walk out of the shop together. ‘I’ll walk you to the end of the street,’ I tell her, leading the way. I need some fresh air, anyway, something to clear my mind. I slip the bottle of wine under my arm and take off the lid of my Chunky Monkey, diving in as we stroll. ‘I was thinking . . .’ I offer Alex the tub and plastic scoop, and she takes it, helping herself. I owe her, I suppose. ‘You know the town fete?’