Stranger in Town (Dundee, Idaho #5)(40)
Author: Brenda Novak

Regretting her decision to let Russ take the boys, she stepped forward to stop him. But he acted as if he didn’t hear her calling his name. Blasting his stereo, he peeled out of the drive.

Hannah was tempted to get in her car and chase him down. But she’d tried that once, and paid a heavy price for it.

They stayed with their father every other weekend, she told herself. Certainly one extra day wasn’t going to matter. It was just a car show, and Brent was excited to go. They’d be back tonight.

She managed to let them drive away. But no amount of self-talk could shake her worry over Kenny. Kenny hadn’t been himself for more than a week, and she was fairly certain Russ had something to do with it.

WHEN GABE WENT into town for groceries and dog food, it usually didn’t take long to get what he needed. He bought a side of beef once a year, which he had the butcher cut up and package for his freezer. He grew most of his own fruits and vegetables in his garden, and he didn’t eat a lot of processed foods. But Hannah had asked for some items that weren’t easy to come by. Like caviar.

He doubted she’d ever tasted caviar. He was willing to bet she wouldn’t like it when she did—it certainly wasn’t a personal favorite of his—but he still thought it’d be fun to call her bluff. Again.

Because he didn’t know where to look for the caviar, he went to the champagne section at Finley’s Grocery, and began studying the labels. He had plenty of wine at the cabin. Wine seemed to be his friends’ gifts of choice at Christmas. But no one had ever sent him a bottle of champagne. Considering what had happened to him, he supposed they thought it’d be in bad taste—and they were probably right.

“Can I find something for you?” Marge Finley asked amid small puffs for air. She’d been trotting after him ever since he’d entered the store, but she was significantly overweight and had a difficult time keeping up with his chair. He’d been hoping to lose her. She’d already asked, repeatedly, if she could help him, but he wanted to shop by himself.

“No, thanks.” Selecting a bottle of the best champagne there, he put it in the basket he carried on his lap. Then he pivoted away from her and started down the aisle to search for the caviar.

“Nice choice,” she said, at his elbow once again.

He turned the corner and gathered speed, but she continued to follow. When she began to hum along with the Celine Dion song being piped through the store’s sound system, Gabe finally admitted to himself that he’d be smarter to let her help him. At least then she’d have to leave his side. “Actually…”

When he stopped, she nearly ran into the back of him. “Oops, I guess you need some brake lights on that thing, huh?” She laughed, knocking into a display while trying to stop her forward motion.

Gabe eyed the teetering soup cans to be sure they weren’t going to fall, then forced a smile. Marge was trying to be nice; she wasn’t intending to drive him crazy. “Could you tell me if you carry Beluga caviar?”

She quickly stabilized the display she’d nearly demolished. “We don’t have any, but we can order some, if you like. It won’t take more than a few days to come in. Would you like me to check the price?”

“No, I need it today. What about chocolate-covered strawberries? Could you get me some of those?”

Marge didn’t bother hiding her surprise. She propped her hands on her wide hips. “Gee, what’s the occasion? You generally buy nuts and trail mix.”

“I’ve got a sweet tooth.”

She tucked the wisps of hair coming loose from her long braid behind her ears. “Well, I’m afraid we don’t have any chocolate-covered strawberries, either. They go bad too fast.”

At this point, he was grateful he had the steaks in his freezer. “No problem. Thanks, anyway.”

“You could always make them yourself,” she said, coming after him again.

“How?”

She motioned with her arms as she explained. “Wash and dry your berries first. Then melt a bag of milk-chocolate chips with a dab of Crisco—maybe a tablespoon or so—in the microwave. Don’t leave it in too long, mind you, or your chocolate’s gonna burn. After that, stir the chocolate until it’s smooth, then go ahead and dip. Remember to put the covered berries on greased waxed paper when you’re done. And if you’re gonna add anything fancy, do it before they set up.”

“Fancy, like what?” he asked.

“Oh, you could sprinkle them with nuts or coconut or crushed candy, or drizzle white chocolate over the top. Anything, really.”

Marge looked like a woman who knew what she was talking about when it came to desserts. And, considering the level of difficulty involved in some of the furniture he made, Gabe thought he could handle a few chocolate-dipped strawberries. “Do you have the big kind of berries?”

“Not the ones with the stems, like they sell in those expensive boutiques and such. But we can certainly round up a few baskets of berries that’ll work nicely.”

“Sounds good.” He started down the aisle toward the produce section, but she surprised him with a burst of speed.

“I’ll get everything for you.”

If people didn’t stand back and stare as if they were afraid his wheelchair might bite them, they tried to do too much for him. But at least she couldn’t be in two places at one time. Instead of rejecting her offer yet again, he waited at the front register, nodding and smiling at everyone who turned to gawk at him as they passed by.

When she returned, she was breathing as if she’d run a mile, but she was smiling broadly. “This should do it.”

“Thanks,” he said, hoping he was the only one who heard the dry note to his voice.

As she headed behind the register to ring him up, Gabe glanced at the small cooler of flowers he’d noticed while waiting. He wondered how long it had been since anyone had bought Hannah flowers, doubted Russ had been the type. But he wasn’t sure he wanted to add a bouquet to his purchases. He was only trying to help Hannah get past the accident, not set the entire town abuzz with gossip.

“Will there be anything else?” Marge asked as she scanned his items.

A package of condoms caught his eye. Most stores sold birth control from a regular, easily accessible shelf. But a couple of years ago, Finley’s had taken to locking it in a case behind the counter. They were trying to protect the morals of Dundee’s youth, but teen pregnancies had soared ever since—and Gabe found it quite curious that no one seemed to be able to figure out why.