Summer Fling (Players of Marycliff University Book 1) by Jerica MacMillan Page B

run in and grab it." Abby let her seatbelt retract with a slap against the side of the car and was out the door before Lance could respond.  

    When Abby got back out to the car a few minutes later, Lance had the car running again. She buckled her seatbelt and looked at Lance, checking to see if he was annoyed. His face didn't give much away, but he didn't look angry or irritated.  

    He pulled out of the parking spot. "I saw a grocery store not too far from here on the way. Is that where you want to go?"

    "Yeah, that's fine." Abby played with her lower lip while Lance drove. Dealing with her mom always made her crazy, and she felt bad dragging Lance into all of this. He must have a million questions.  

    She could feel his eyes on her at the stop light and occasional glances while he was driving. She didn't acknowledge it, though. She appreciated that he wasn't trying to pry past his initial attempts at conversation on the way to her mom's. He'd picked up on her cues that she didn't want to talk and left her alone. He was still leaving her alone, but he was becoming more watchful the longer they were together. Abby didn't know how much longer Lance would be able to contain his curiosity, but she hoped he'd last until she got home.  

    "You don't have to go in the grocery store with me if you'd rather wait in the car." Lance had just parked and was unbuckling his seatbelt. Abby had stopped playing with her lip long enough to get that out, and resumed as soon as she'd finished talking.

    Lance stared at her for a moment like she'd spoken a foreign language. "Abby, waiting in the car is really not that exciting. I don't mind going grocery shopping for your mom with you."

    "Right. Of course."  

    Lance grabbed a shopping cart once they got inside. Abby pulled the detailed shopping list out of her pocket. Her mom needed groceries. She couldn't manage to get out of the house to get them herself, and she only wanted specific brands of specific foods. Nothing else would do. Going shopping with her mom had always been difficult, but doing her shopping for her made Abby feel almost as anxious as her mom.  

    Lance trailed along after her. He didn't complain or say much of anything. He just watched her. Abby could feel his eyes on her back. Occasionally she would turn toward him and he was looking at her, not trying to hide it. He was just there, pushing the cart for her. Not demanding to know what was going on, not trying to distract her with jokes, and not hitting on her. He hadn't even pushed her about the fact that she'd called him.  

    Abby knew it couldn't last. She could feel his curiosity along with his gaze. It was just a matter of time before he started asking questions that she didn't want to answer. Questions about her mom and her family and what was wrong. That's why she'd deliberately steered all of the conversations away from her, away from her history, and away from her family.

    But he didn't. Not yet, at least. He waited patiently and silently while she selected all the perfect items. He helped her load them into the car. He drove her back to her mom's house and helped her bring everything inside. Then he went back outside without being asked, leaving her to put her mom's groceries away.

    "It's just me, Mom." Abby pitched her voice loud enough to carry from the kitchen across the house through the closed bedroom door. It wasn't that loud. The house was small and the doors were cheap. They provided a sense of boundaries and blocked prying eyes, but they did next to nothing to block sound.

    A moment later Diane poked her head out of the bedroom door, like a mouse checking to make sure that no predators lurked nearby. When she only saw Abby, she came the rest of the way into the living room. "Where is he?"

    "He went outside to wait for me." Abby thought about saying something in Lance's defense, but didn't. It wouldn't make any difference. Instead she put the last few things in the pantry and picked up the