Annnnd, that didn’t work, because the woman gave her a disgusted look and rolled away without a word.

O-kay.

Chase headed over to the vegetable section, reading the signs above, like she should have done in the first place. That whole depending on the kindness of strangers obviously wasn’t for people in Redmond. Finally, she found something that sort of looked like celery but the sign indicated was a leek. She shrugged and plopped it into the cart. Maybe one was enough?

Next . . . onions.

Not hard. She got a yellow, white, and red to make sure she covered her bases.

Slowly, she worked her way through the produce aisle, keeping an eye out for the mean woman on the motorized cart just in case.

Before Chase left produce and headed into the bowels of the store, she pulled out her cell phone to check the time. She’d managed to get all the fruits and vegetables on the list in under ten minutes.

“Not bad,” she said to herself.

Then she checked to see if she could get service on her phone. Nope. Damn Olivia.

She could make a phone call, she supposed, but to who? Lorna?

No way. She was still angry AF at her mother for turning her in. What kind of mother did that? But she knew. Lorna had to make sure Chase got her shit together so she could get a job to afford her mother the life to which she’d grown accustomed. A few months ago, she’d discovered her mother selling off some of Chase’s clothes and shoes on some resale app. Lorna hadn’t even asked if it was okay to do that. So call Lorna? The woman could make her scrambled eggs every morning served to her on a tray with fresh flowers for the rest of her life, and Chase still wouldn’t call her mother on purpose.

She clicked the text app and saw none of her friends had messaged her. Except for Spencer.

Checking on my boo. Hope that cute therapist worked out. You got this, Golden Girl.

Aww! The dude had used correct grammar and everything. Like Chase was worth spelling things out and using commas. That made her smile.

And he’d called Olivia cute? Hmm.

She texted back. I’m cool. Just in Bumfuck, California. Come rescue me. You can distract the “cute” prison guard while I escape. 

Five minutes had gone by while she piddled on her phone. She wasn’t going to get this list accomplished in the allotted time if she didn’t get her ass in gear. Pushing the cart toward Aisle 2, Chase nearly jumped out of her skin when someone standing near the endcap asked, “Care to sample a pizza bite?”

“What?” Chase asked, halting her cart.