Bittersweet: Can she rebuild her life? by Lyz Kelley

Author:Lyz Kelley [Kelley, Lyz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Belvitri Services, LLC
Published: 2018-08-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

“Leza!”

A high pitched shriek stung her ears. Shoes slapped against the linoleum moments before little arms wrapped around her legs.

She rocked back and placed a hand on Ellie’s back, and let the child's warmth ease into her core while she waited for Heath to appear, her heart fluttering. A few seconds later he whipped around the corner, then slowed his pace. He strolled past the stacks of dog food while the tension in his shoulders dissipated.

“El. We talked about running through the store, right?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I saw Leza, and I had to say hi. Are you here to buy Truman’s dinner?”

The look on Heath's face made her take a moment to reflect on parenthood. He did the best he could, and frankly she couldn’t have adapted to his circumstances any better.

“How did you know?” She pressed Ellie’s button nose with her fingertip. “I can't decide what type he might like.” The intimidating eight-foot shelf stuffed with a multitude of colorful packets and tins made her pause. “Do you think he would like tuna or chicken better?”

“Everyone knows cats like fish.” The seven-year-old’s exaggerated eye roll reminded her of Judge Judy when some plaintiff responded with comical ignorance.

“Good point.” She reached for a couple of cans of flaked tuna in sauce.

Ellie tipped her head back to look at Heath. “Can Leza come to dinner?”

Leza opened her mouth, but Heath hugged his niece into him to muffle her enthusiasm. “I’m sure Leza has other plans. Besides,” Heath lowered his voice, “she already knows how well I cook Kraft macaroni dinner.”

The remembered smell of burned food churned her stomach. “Did you manage to clean your pan?”

“Nope. I had to trash it and buy a new one.”

She tried to smother the chuckle insistent on breaking free, and moved to the side of the aisle to allow another shopper to pass. Ellie escaped from Heath’s grasp to tug on her arm. “Come to dinner. Pretty please. We’re watching a movie tonight, after I do my math.”

“El!” Heath’s cheeks heated to the most robust shade of red.

“Oh, yeah?” Leza gave Heath a wink to ease his uneasiness. “Which movie did you pick?”

Ellie scrunched her nose, her arms pumping to bring the title to the surface. “That dog one. A dog’s…”

“A Dog’s Purpose?”

“Yep.” She clapped her hands and danced on her toes. “That’s the one.”

“Tell you what.” Leza ran her fingers through the strands of Ellie’s pigtails, untangling knots as she went. “I’ll come, but only on one condition.”

Ellie's shoulders dropped. “Oh, boy. Adults only say that when it’ll be something bad. What is your commission?”

A puff of laughter escaped. “The word is ‘condition,’ and I bet you’ll like this one. I’d like to make my secret mac and cheese recipe, with a salad on the side.”

“The gooey kind?”

“Yep.”

Ellie’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously? Bonus.” Ellie cocked her head back further. “How about it, Heath?”

Leza hated spending nights alone with her thoughts, and that’s all she’d been doing lately. Debating with herself was long past boring and well into snoozeworthy.

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