A blast of heat blew her hood back as soon as they stepped through the automatic doors and into the grocery store. Bypassing the carts, Margot paused in front of the bank of registers. “I’m going to head to the freezer section. Meet you by the self-check?”
Olivia nodded, already shuffling in the direction of the aisle marked pet care. “Sounds good.”
Margot meandered toward the ice cream, stopping to snag a bag of Reese’s off the endcap of an aisle, grabbing a box of Sour Patch Kids, too, because Olivia had an affinity for things that were sour and sweet and—huh. A snort escaped her, earning her a sideways look from a woman wearing a fur coat pushing a cart full of mayonnaise. Thirteen jars of Kraft mayonnaise and not a single other item in her cart, though it looked like she was seriously considering the bag of Pop Rocks in her hand.
Capitol Hill after dark was an interesting place, that was for sure. Margot loved it here.
Ooh, Ben & Jerry’s had a new flavor featuring peanut butter cups and peanut butter swirls. Margot cracked open the freezer, a chilly blast of air nipping at her face as she bypassed the closest pint and grabbed the second out of habit. She was still bitter that they’d discontinued her favorite flavor, sending it to the flavor graveyard, because apparently some people had no taste and couldn’t appreciate a good thing. This was a small concession, one she was eager to try.
“Hey.” Olivia ducked her head around the aisle, arms laden with sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and several cans of Friskies cat food in delightful flavors like—Margot squinted—chicken griller and cheesy ocean feast. Yikes. Margot would stick with peanut butter swirl, thanks. She smiled ruefully. “I forgot a basket.” A smile played at the edges of Olivia’s mouth when she spotted the Sour Patch Kids in Margot’s other hand. “Are those for me?”
“These?” She wrinkled her nose. “Oh, I was about to put these back on the—”
“Shut up.” Olivia laughed and stepped closer, crowding Margot up against the glass door of the freezer, earning a glare from the woman with the cart full of mayo and, now, Pop Rocks, who was perusing the Magic Shell fudge sauce at the end of the aisle.
Margot pressed her lips together, muffling a snicker. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Look at her cart. Think she has big plans for tonight?”
Olivia’s eyes darted to the left, doing a double take at the contents of the cart. “Holy—okay, I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum, but some things aren’t okay.”
“Right?” Margot muffled another laugh when the woman grabbed every single jar of fudge sauce, easily six, off the shelf and added them to her cart.
“I mean, Kraft?” Olivia tutted. “Hellmann’s or bust.”
Laughter bubbled up Margot’s throat and past her lips. “Liv.”
Olivia beamed at her, hazel eyes crinkling. She leaned closer, breath warm against Margot’s mouth. The very tip of her nose brushed Margot’s once, twice, three times before she pressed a kiss to the corner of Margot’s mouth.
“Tease,” Margot muttered, breathless, practically vibrating from holding still, letting Olivia come to her.
“Not if I follow . . .” Olivia frowned. “I’m buzzing.”
Margot chuckled. “You give me tingles, too, Liv.”
Olivia burst out laughing. “No. I mean, yes, but I meant my butt’s buzzing.” She stepped back and turned, looking at Margot over her shoulder. “Could you grab my phone? My hands are full.”
Oh. Margot wiggled her fingers into the tight back pocket of Olivia’s jeans, prying her phone free. The name on the screen caught her eye. “Why the hell is Brad calling you?”
Saying his name put a funny taste in Margot’s mouth, bitter like she’d drunk coffee that had gone cold and stale. Admittedly, she’d never been Brad’s biggest fan, and not only because he’d dated Olivia. When he hadn’t ignored Margot, he’d called her Cargo, a childish taunt that had butchered her name and implied she was Olivia’s sidekick, her baggage, all in one fell swoop. Of course, he’d only called her that when Olivia wasn’t around because he was also a coward of the highest order, but whatever. The past was the past, and that was the whole point.
Olivia’s eyes widened. “Um. I don’t know.” She juggled the cans in her arms, dropping one. It clattered against the floor, rolling down the aisle and under the freezer. Olivia frowned at it. “He just . . . does sometimes.”