Cam came up behind her. “Need some help?”
“Um …” Mia opened her mouth to answer, but his sudden nearness threw her off balance. She could feel the heat of his body, and the spicy clean scent of his aftershave made her long to lean back against him. “It’s stuck,” she finally managed to say in a breathless tone that she hoped didn’t give her away. She was supposed to be a professional. This was strictly business, not a date, she reminded herself.
“Oh, the problem is the baby seat belt,” he said so very close to her ear. “Pop it out.”
If Mia had been thinking clearly, she would have figured out that the baby seat belt was those two straps connected to the little seat where she had placed her purse. The plastic buckle was caught between the metal bars. But all her brain was registering was Cam’s nearness. So instead, she simply stood there staring at the cart and thinking that he smelled delicious. What was he wearing anyway? It should be outlawed.
“Mia?”
“Hmm?”
“Slide the buckle out,” he instructed, and of course she remained clueless.
“Buckle?” She wondered if he would notice if she leaned against him. She could pretend it was part of the tugging process, she was thinking, and she almost purred when he reached forward, bringing his chest against her shoulder blades.
“Here.” Cam reached forward and unhooked something and then took an unfortunate step backward just when Mia decided tugging and leaning was a grand idea. She slammed against his chest but somehow thought that hanging on to the cart was a necessity. The force sent them and the cart careening backward, barely missing a teenager, who jumped out of the way with a startled, “Dude!” They brushed up against the ancient greeter, who stepped sideways as if line dancing, and knocked over a poster for a Disney movie out on DVD.
“Dude!” yelled the teenager, who had to dodge the cart again. He felt the need to give it an angry shove with his foot, sending Mia and Cam tumbling into a machine with a big claw and a pile of stuffed animals and other various items. The force of their crash landing started the hook slowly moving downward while opening its jaws. Mia righted herself and watched with odd fascination when the hook snagged a domed plastic container with a toy treasure inside.
Cam noticed as well and pressed a red button that brought the captured dome over to the edge and dropped it into an opening. He reached down, came up with a prize, and handed it to Mia. “Here,” he said with a lopsided grin. “I’ve been trying to win that game for years. My competitive nature would have me emptying all of the change in my pockets before giving up.”
“But we didn’t pay for it,” Mia protested, but the shaken greeter waved them on, obviously fearing for what remained of his life. Mia dropped the prize in her purse, but when she reached for her cart, Cam nudged her to the side. “I thought we needed two.”
“Um, I’ve rethought that decision. We’ll make do,” he said with a shake of his head, but Mia was relieved when he grinned. “And I’m pushing.”
“Here you go.” Mia gladly gave over the reins and then fell into step beside him.
“Okay, accomplished shopper, where to?” Cam asked.
“Um …” Mia nibbled on the inside of her cheek, wanting to direct him, but this type of store was a new experience for her. In fact, she looked around at, well, everything and didn’t know where to begin.
Cam pulled up short and gave her a sideways look. “Are you okay? You look lost.”
“Just getting my bearings,” Mia replied, using one of her father’s tricks of not telling a lie by stating a fact. She had been in countless department stores and boutiques, even a grocery store now and then, but never a huge store piled full of, well, everything, including some very interesting people, many of whom needed to be on What Not to Wear. Stacy and Clinton would have had a field day.
Cam gave her a long look as if he were going to dispute her claim but shrugged and started pushing the cart. A couple of minutes later they were in a section labeled HOUSEWARES. Mia, who had been deprived of shopping for the past few days, felt her adrenaline flow and went to work. Very soon the cart was overflowing with Martha Stewart items that were so very cute! And so cheap!
“We need another cart,” she announced brightly.
Cam arched one eyebrow. “Ya think?”
“Yes!” Mia nodded, too happy to take his comment as sarcasm. “Would you get one, please?”
Cam sighed but then shot her a grin. “Okay, I’ll be back, but two carts is your limit.”
“Okay, I promise,” she said but all of this under one roof was shopping heaven! Well, not the same kind of high-end shopping she was used to, but fun. She turned the corner and … Shoes! Rows and rows of shoes. Surely she could find something more comfortable than what she had brought along in her hasty departure. After spotting the size eights, Mia started trying on different styles. She slipped on a plaid canvas flat that was perfect for summer and checked out the edge of the shoebox. “Look at these prices!” she exclaimed to no one in particular, but then again she had grown up talking to herself.
“Yeah, the doggone price tags keep goin’ up and up. Roll back, my sweet hiney.”
Mia turned around, hopping on one foot to keep her balance. A tired-looking woman wearing worn tennis shoes looked up from her stooped position. Mia noticed a clearance price of six dollars and ninety-nine cents on the pair of shoes she held. The woman sighed and shoved the shoes back into the vacant slot. She sat down heavily on the stool provided for trying on shoes. Mia felt a pang of compassion. “What are you looking for? Maybe I can help.”
The woman gave Mia a sideways once-over. “Well, now, sugar, why is someone like you shopping in a place like Willy World?”
Mia frowned. “Willy World?”
The woman chuckled. “That’s what we fondly call Wilson’s around these parts. It’s family owned and refuses to bow down to the big chains. You never know what you’re goin’ to find here one day to the next, but you’ll always find a bargain that’s hard to pass up. Last week they had ground chuck for a dollar ninety-eight a pound. You can’t beat that with a stick!”
“Sure can’t,” Mia agreed, even though she didn’t have a clue what ground chuck was or why you would beat it with a stick.
“But you have high maintenance written all over your pretty face and fancy clothes.” She glanced down and pointed to Mia’s discarded Jimmy Choos. “And would you look at those shoes! Day-um, looks like something Carrie would wear on Sex and the City.”
“Oh, I loved that show! I hated to see it end.”
“Well, I only get to see the reruns that leave out all the dirty parts,” the woman said with a laugh. She wiggled her finger at the shoes. “Just how does one walk in those things anyway?”
Mia grinned. “Very carefully.” She leaned over and extended her hand. “I’m Mia, by the way.”
“Sunny Collins.” She gave Mia’s hand a firm shake. “Pleased to meet ya.”
“So what was it that you’re looking for?” She thought that the perky name didn’t suit tired-looking Sunny and felt the need to assist her.
“Well, two things. Something nice for my son’s graduation and that can also be worn on job interviews.” She sighed again. “I got laid off, so things are tight right now.” She managed a grin. “Well, make that tighter.”
Mia felt her gaze drift to the worn tennis shoes and her heart constricted in her chest. “So your son graduated from college?”
“Naw … high school, but he done me proud. Daniel is a straight-A student, and he is a member of the National Honor Society. He’s got some nice scholarships for college, thank the Lord. Going to go to the University of Kentucky!” She puffed out her chest and gave Mia a firm nod. “How do you like them apples?”
“Congratulations!” Mia exclaimed, but she was secretly shocked. With her wan-looking salt-and-pepper shoulder-length hair, Sunny Collins appeared much older than someone with a teenager. “You must have been a very good mom.”
“
Done my best,” she said with a shrug. “I just want to look nice at the ceremony,” she said, but then she rubbed the heel of her hand over her eyes. “I’m so proud of my boy.”
The gesture had Mia swallowing hard, and she was hit with sudden inspiration. “Hey, does Daniel know how to sell things on eBay or Craigslist?”
“I imagine so.”
Mia pointed to her shoes. “Those things hurt my feet but are practically brand-new.”
“I expect they do. Purty, though …”
Mia cleared her throat. “I want you to have them.”
“What?” Sunny looked at the shoes and then back at Mia.
Mia scooped them up and handed them to her. “Tell Daniel that they go for over six hundred dollars new and are hard to find, so I’m thinking he should get several hundred for them, but he can do the research.”
Sunny’s eyes widened. “Get outta town …” She took the shoes from Mia but then shook her head and shoved them back. “I can’t take them from you!”
“They hurt my feet.”
“Then you sell them.”
Mia waved her hands at the shoes. “I started a new job and don’t have time.”
Sunny swallowed, clearly torn. “I—”
“Take them, Sunny. Please.” She wiggled her toes at Sunny. “My feet already thank you.”
At that comment Sunny grinned, but then her cornflower blue eyes filled with tears. “Nobody’s ever done something like this for me.” She glanced around and sniffed. “Am I on TV or something? Are you that girl from Ellen that goes around and gives people stuff?”
“No,” Mia replied with a laugh, but then another thought hit her. “Hey, have you ever waited tables?”
“Yeah, I’ve done everything under the sun.”
“Do you know where Wine and Diner is back in town?”
“Sure do. Good food even though they’ve gotten kinda fancy-pants.”
“Well, I happen to know they’re looking for a waitress. Head over there and ask for Myra. Tell her I sent you. Do it right away before they have a chance to advertise.”
Sunny nodded and quickly stood up. The clunky shoes dangled from her fingertips. “I surely don’t know how to express my thanks.”
“No need.”
“Give me a hug,” Sunny requested and opened her arms. The husky emotion in her voice had Mia tearing up as well. Mia thought she felt frail and bony, and she hoped that Jessica’s cooking would put some meat on Sunny’s bones.
Mia pulled back and gave her a smile. “Oh, and hey, if Daniel needs a summer job, tell him to come over to the Cougars’ baseball stadium. I work there. I’ll put in a good word for him.”
“Why, thank you, Mia. I will surely do that.” Her eyes filled with tears again, but she smiled. “Okay, I’m on my way! Wish me luck!”
“Good luck, Sunny!”
“Thanks, Mia. Apparently Lady Luck is finally shining down upon me, but I have to admit that I’m thinking this is a dream and I might just wake up!” Her bright smile made her suddenly appear years younger. “I’d surely be really pissed if I do.”
Mia laughed. “Sunny, this isn’t a dream, just a stroke of luck that you deserve. Embrace it.”
“Well, I guess every dog has its day. All I can say is that it’s about damned time.”
“I agree,” Mia said, even though she wasn’t sure just what it meant. She really needed to brush up on the local lingo. She watched Sunny walk away and then sat down on one of the stools with a thump and a sigh. The price of the Jimmy Choos had never, ever fazed her but suddenly seemed obscene. In fact, she had never really thought about money or considered the cost of anything. “Wow.” Mia had to shake her head at the irony of the last name she had chosen for herself. “Really …” She snorted. She wondered for a second where Cam had wandered off to and then thought perhaps he had gotten distracted by shopping as well. After another thoughtful moment, she lost herself in trying on shoes.
*
After waiting a good ten minutes for a vacant cart, Cam finally found a discarded one near the checkout line. While maneuvering his way past the long lines, he found himself stuck next to a display of magazines and pulled up short. On the cover of one of those rich-and-famous gossip publications was a picture of several women sunbathing on the deck of a yacht. “No way … ,” Cam whispered. He picked up the magazine and peered at the picture. One of the blond-haired, bikini-clad women looked like Mia. The picture was just grainy enough to not be certain, so he gave it a closer look. The picture was actually of Cat Carson, and the other three women weren’t named. He stared at the photograph but then shrugged. Surely he was wrong. Then again, there was something about the smile that felt familiar. Could it be? Nah … , he thought, and put the magazine back on the rack.
Thinking Mia would be wondering where he had wandered off to, Cam hurried back to the bedding aisle, but she was nowhere to be found. He started going up and down aisles and finally spotted her bright blond head bent over some shoes. Boxes were scattered all around her, and to her left was a small stack that must have been the keeper pile. Cam didn’t really think that Noah meant for shoes to be on Mia’s list of condo essentials, but she seemed to be having such a great time trying them on that he decided that he would use his own credit card to pay for them. She would never know the difference.
“Well, there you are,” he announced, startling her so much that she nearly toppled from the small stool. He told himself to steel himself against his growing attraction, but when she giggled as she righted herself he found himself smiling back. “Find anything?” he asked, even though the answer was obvious.
“Yes! Dozens of cute little flats and summer sandals!” She pointed to the ones on her feet. “Aren’t they just darling? I know it’s corny, but I just love the floppy red flower on top. And only thirteen dollars. Isn’t it just amazing?”
Not really, he thought, but he didn’t want to dampen her spirit so he nodded his agreement. She pointed to the rows of shoes—well, the ones left on the rack—and said, “The boxes with the green dot are buy one, get one free.”
“Good to know.” He eyed the array and shook his head.
“I know we need to move on. I’ll narrow it down to just a few. Maybe you can help?” She gave him a hopeful look.
He seriously doubted it. “Sure.”
“Okay.” She held up a pair of canvas shoes. “I’m torn between the plain blue and the plaid. What do you think?”
Cam tilted his head. “The plaid.”
“But the plain blue will go with more outfits.”
“True,” he conceded, but when she frowned he heard himself say, “but at that price, why don’t you get both?”
“Well, because I don’t know if Noah meant for me to get shoes or clothes,” she said in a near whisper, as if Noah might be listening. “But I have to have them to work in. My own shoes just won’t do.”
Cam looked around. “Um, Mia, where are your shoes?”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “I … uh, gave them away.”
“Gave them away?” he repeated slowly. “Why?”
Mia hesitated. “They sort of pinched my toes,” she replied, as if that explained everything.
“And so you just … gave them away?” Cam looked at her expectantly, but when she offered no other explanation, he dropped the subject, even though something in her soft expression led him to believe there was much more to the story, and he didn’t just mean shoes. “Okay, well, you need to wrap it up here because we need to head over to the groceries so you can stock up on some basic staples.” When she gave him a blank look, he said, “You know, like sugar, milk, coffee … that kind of thing.”
“Oh, right. I’ll be done here in a few minutes.”
“Of course you will.” Cam didn’t believe her for a minute and sat down on one of the stools. The few minutes stretched into almost thirty, until she narrowed her selection down to six pairs, all of which for some reason needed his approval before she added th
em to the cart.
“Okay, let’s go.” Mia dusted her hands together as if finishing a hard day’s work and stood up. After leaving on a pair of new shoes that best matched her outfit, she finally said, “Are you ready?”
“Yep, right after I try on those red heels …”
“Ha, very funny.”
“I try,” he said with a grin. Cam had a sneaking suspicion that grocery shopping was going to take a lot longer than needed.
Can was right. Mia found a reason to stop in just about every section of the store on the way to the grocery side. The exception was sporting goods and toys, but even then, she paused. “Mia, are you in the market for a Barbie doll?”
“No … but it’s all so much fun to look at,” she admitted. At his fake scowl she laughed. “Oh … okay!” When she pushed her cart in front of him, Cam tried very hard not to look at her cute ass.
She wasn’t nearly as interested in groceries, and Cam had to fill the cart with things he knew she would need, including laundry detergent. “You’re lucky that the units are equipped with a washer and dryer.”
“Oh, I know, and the little stacked thing is so cute.”
Having never heard a washer and dryer referred to as cute, Cam had to laugh. He had a sneaking suspicion that Mia Money had never washed her own clothes.
“I’m wearing the shoes,” Mia announced to the cashier and then reached into the cart for the empty shoebox. She glanced at Cam. “I’ll pay Noah back for the clothes and shoes,” Mia promised. “So give me the receipt when we’re done.”
“Okay,” Cam said, even though he was already prepared to pay for her extras himself. “I’ll let him know when I return the credit card.”
Pitch Perfect Page 18