The Edge of Never, Wait For You, Rule: Scorching Summer Reads 3 Books in 1. J. Lynn

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      I smirk over at him. “I guess since I didn’t know where I was going I didn’t want to lug a bunch of crap around.”

      “Makes sense.”

      The sun is shining in Tennessee and we’re heading south now. The other side of the freeway is grid-locked because of road construction and we both express how glad we are that we’re not on ‘that side of the road’. Eventually, the daylight fades behind the landscape and dusk bathes the rice and cotton fields in a purplish haze; there’s always some kind of massive field on either side of the freeway, stretching far off in the distance.

      We make it to Birmingham, Alabama, a little after 7 p.m.

      “Where do you wanna stop for clothes?” he asks, creeping along a city street lined by stoplights and gas stations.

      I rise up from the seat and look around, trying to glimpse the lighted signs for someplace suitable.

      Andrew points out ahead. “There’s a Walmart.”

      “I guess it’s as good as any,” I say and he makes a left at the stoplight and we pull into the parking lot.

      We get out and the first thing I do is pull my panties out of the crack of my butt.

      “Need some help?”

      “No!” I laugh.

      We walk together through the sea of cars in the parking lot, my flip-flops snapping against my heels. Instantly, I recoil into myself, knowing I look like hell with a dirty, matted braid over my shoulder and dressed in these skimpy shorts that keep crawling up my ass. No makeup anymore, since my becoming-one-with-the-rain washed it all off. I keep my eyes on the bright white floor as we walk through the store and avoid eye contact with anyone.

      We head to the women’s clothes first and I grab a few simple things: two more pairs of cotton shorts that are still short but not up-my-crotch short like the ones I’m wearing, and a couple of cute v-neck graphic tees with random stuff on them. I hold out on my desire to visit the panties and bras section. I think for now I’ll make do with what I have.

      Then I follow Andrew over to the area by the pharmacy where all of the vitamins and cold medicines and toothpaste and stuff are.

      We go straight into the aisle with the razors and shaving cream.

      “I haven’t shaved in a week,” he says, rubbing the stubble that has been growing on his face for the past few days.

      I think it’s sexy, but with or without it, it’s still sexy so I don’t complain.

      Why would I anyway?

      I grab a pack of razors, too, as well as some Olay shaving cream in a gold can. Then in the next aisle, I pick up a small bottle of mouthwash because one can never have enough mouthwash. I adjust my purse on the opposite shoulder as the items start to fill up in the other arm. We go into the next aisle and I pluck a set of shampoo and conditioner from the shelf, trying to balance them in my hands with the other stuff, but Andrew takes it from me and carries it instead. He takes the mouthwash, too.

      We head over to the medicines and there’s a middle-aged couple standing in front of the cough syrup, reading the labels.

      Andrew says casually, without lowering his voice, “Babe, did you find that yeast infection stuff?”

      My eyes spring open and I freeze in front of the Tylenol.

      He removes a small box of Advil from the shelf.

      The couple pretends not to have heard what he said, but I know they heard him.

      “I mean are you even sure that’s what’s causing the itch?” he goes on and I’m literally melting from the heat in my face.

      The couple does glance over this time, covertly.

      Andrew is grinning his ass off at me from the side, pretending to be reading labels.

      I want to smack him, but instead, I play him at his own game.

      “Yeah, baby, I found it,” I say as casually as he had. “What about you? Did you see if they have extra-small-sized condoms?”

      The woman turns her head and looks right at him, up and down, and then she eyes me before going back to reading labels.

      Andrew doesn’t break; somehow I knew he wouldn’t. He just smiles over at me, enjoying every second of this.

      “One size fits all, baby,” he says. “I told you they fill out better when you can actually make it hard.”

      A spitting noise bursts from between my lips followed by laughter.

      The couple leaves the aisle.

      “You are so bad!” I hiss at him, still laughing. The can of shaving cream clanks against the floor after it falls from my arm and I bend over to pick it up.

      “You’re not so innocent yourself.”

      Andrew grabs a tube of antibiotic ointment and holds it in the same hand with the Advil and we head to the register. He tosses two packages of beef jerky on the moving belt and a pack of Tic Tacs. I get a travel-sized bottle of hand sanitizer, a tube of ChapStick and a package of beef jerky for myself.

      “Gettin’ brave aren’t yah?” he says about the beef jerky.

      I smirk at him and put the plastic gray item divider in between his stuff and mine. “Nope,” I say. “I love jerky. If it contained radioactive material I’d still eat it.”

      He just smiles, but then tries to tell the cashier that his and my stuff is ‘together’ as he pulls his credit card from his wallet.

      “No, not this time,” I argue, laying my arm on the belt next to the item divider. I look right at the cashier and shake my head, daring her to ring my stuff up with his. “I’ll pay for mine.” She looks between me and Andrew briefly, as if waiting for his turn.

      When he starts to argue back I turn my chin at a stern angle and say, “I’m paying for my stuff and that’s that. Deal with it.”

      He sort of rolls his eyes and gives in, sliding his card through the machine.

      When we get back in the car, Andrew rips the top strip off one of his beef jerky bags and pops a jagged piece into his mouth.

      “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive some?” I ask.

      He shakes his head, his jaws working hard on that stiff piece of jerky.

      “We’ll get another motel and crash for the night.”

      He swallows and pops another piece in his mouth and puts the car in drive and we pull away.

      We find a motel a few miles out and grab everything and take it up to our side-by-side king rooms. Green checkered carpet in this one with matching dark green, heavy curtains and a dark green flowery bedspread. I turn the television on immediately, just to give some light and animation to the dark and gloomy atmosphere.

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