The man looked up at her, startled. “Oh!” he said. “Hey, it’s you. The sugar lady.”

“It’s me,” she said. She gestured toward her cart. “But don’t worry, I bought sugar.”

“Leonard Puckett,” said the man thoughtfully, massaging the cover. He chewed on the side of his lip and finally said, “I’ve heard he’s overrated.” He looked for a long time at the book and then he turned it over in his hands and studied the author’s photo, which took up much of the back cover. The photo was of an older man with a head of white hair and eyebrows that were full and stern and foreboding.

“I mean, I guess you could say that,” Lu conceded. “Those kinds of books do start to blend together after a while. But they’re pretty reliable entertainment if you just want to sit on the beach and read.”

“You’re probably right,” said the man. He smiled; he had a very nice smile, which almost disguised the fact that his eyes drooped down at the corners in a way that made him look either sad or tired. He put the book back, then picked it up again. “I apologize for being rude the other day. I—I wasn’t myself. I should have been friendlier. I usually am friendlier. I didn’t even introduce myself. I’m Anthony.”

“Lu Trusdale. And this is Chase, and this is Sebastian.” Chase and Sebastian were engaged in a thumb war, so she said, “Boys!” until they looked up and smiled. “Do you have a last name, Anthony?” Lu asked. She always liked to get the full story.

He looked down at the book again and then back up at Lu. “Anthony Jones. I’m Anthony Jones.” He slipped the book back inside the rack. “I’m not going to get this. I don’t really even like to read!”

“Oh, too bad,” said Lu. “I love to read. I’m pretty undiscriminating—mysteries, literary, biography. Cookbooks!” Her new neighbor seemed nice enough, but she’d never understood people who didn’t like to read. When Lu was in college she thought she might go to graduate school for English literature, until her favorite disgruntled professor told her there was neither money nor glory in that path. The law, if pursued correctly, promised both.

Sebastian was starting to move around impatiently inside the shopping cart, making it rock dangerously.

“Hey, buddy,” said Lu’s new acquaintance. “Careful in there. I wouldn’t want to have to send the PAW Patrol out.” Sebastian grinned and stopped moving around.

“You know your way around four-year-old boys,” said Lu. This guy didn’t present like a dad. Maybe he was an uncle.

“Lucky guess,” he said. “See you around the hood.” And he was gone as quickly as he’d appeared.

In the grocery’s small parking lot, Lu watched Anthony as he hesitated, then crossed the street and entered a place called Poor People’s Pub. A surprising feeling of envy washed over her. When she worked at the law firm, every Friday she and the other young attorneys would step across the street after a long day to sip martinis and unwind. She had loved the camaraderie of those evenings, the fatigue that came after a day worked to its fullest. If the boys weren’t with her she might have called to her neighbor to see if he wanted company. It would be nice to have a new friend.