Page 90 of River Wild

What the fudge is he doing here? And why is he working behind the counter?

I really want to leave. But that would look weird, and if I just walked out, he’d know that I was bothered by seeing him.

Also, I came all this way for some fresh produce, and goddamn it, I’m getting my fresh produce!

As I move through the aisles, I start grabbing things off the shelves at random, dropping them in the basket.

When I stop and look down, I see I’ve got a jar of pickled green tomatoes, a jar of hot pickled radishes, a green pepper, a bunch of asparagus, a jar of applesauce, a tray of cherry tomatoes, a bag of pumpkin bread, and a jar of sweet potato butter.

Huh. Calm down there, Rachael Ray.

Well, I can’t put the stuff back because I’ll look like a complete tool, so I’ll have to just buy it. And the pumpkin bread and sweet potato butter look yummy.

Calming down, I start actually looking at the items I’m getting, focusing on them and not in the direction of where I know River is still standing at the counter.

I hate that I’m so aware of him.

Ugh.

I stop by the gala apples and look down at them, picking out ones that look the best, dropping them into my basket.

I feel movement to my right. Followed by the scent of cigar smoke.

River.

“Red.”

The sound of his voice is like welcome rain on a hot day. I hate that, too. I hate the way it intensifies the ache in my chest.

Why is he talking to me?

He made it perfectly clear that talking to me was the last thing he wanted to do.

So, I do the only thing I can do.

I walk away from him.

I hear him mutter, “Fuck.”

I walk to the far side of the store until there’s nowhere else to go, and I find myself standing among glass ornaments on display.

Momentarily forgetting River and the hurt I feel, I look at the shimmering glass items on the shelves.

Vases of all different colors, shapes, and sizes. There’s one that looks like a hanging basket, complete with a handle. So pretty.

There’s a bright red glass apple. It makes me think of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

And Grumpy, the giant dwarf, is right over there.

My eyes follow over to some balloons hanging down from the ceiling.

They’re made from glass. They have a light inside them.

Oh, they’re a light shade.

So beautiful.

I especially love the blue one. It’s iridescent.