Lana's coworker Rosie was already at Trader Joe's when Lana sprinted in the next morning. "Well, well, well, someone looks like they had a good time last night. Did you do anything fun?" Rosie said as she clipped on her name tag.

"It was an interesting night, let's just say that. And I may-or-may-not have gone out with Mustard Boy," Lana replied, trying to act cool.

"I knew it! Girl, you be glowing!"

"Oh my God, Rosie! I didn't have sex with him last night if that's what you're thinking. We just went out on a date. Also, he's not my type, so I think we're just going to be friends."

"How is he not your type? Didn't you see his face? And his body? Girl, he's everyone's type."

Lana shrugged. "I don't know... I'm just... not into him I guess."

Rosie eyed Lana suspiciously. "You're seeing him again, aren't you?"

Lana laughed. "Okay maybe... but it's just in a friendly sort of situation. He's helping me out with something." Lana really didn't want to go into the details that said boy turned out to be the main act in last week's Goodwill fiasco.

Rosie smiled. "Mhmm, sure it is." She grabbed the cardboard box she had just unloaded and walked toward the back room.

Lana was on inventory duty that day. As she was checking away on the sheet attached to her clipboard, her phone vibrated. Jack texted me! She quickly fumbled to unlock it to read what he said.

Jack: What time should I pick you up for the party?

Lana: You can pick us up at 3:30. Same spot you dropped me off at last night.

Jack: Us?

Lana: Oh yeah. Chloe's coming

Jack: Sounds good, see you both at 3:30 then

Lana paused before sending her next text. She could've just let the conversation be done, but what's the harm in a little chat?

Lana: So, any surprises I should be aware of beforehand this time?

Jack: We're all taking a field trip to Goodwill afterward. I didn't mention that already?

Lana smirked and bit the inside of her cheek.

Lana: Are we going to say hi to the other hostages that were with me?

Jack: Hostages? Oh God, it sounds so awful reading it. Forget I even brought it up. I guess we'll have to just stick to the party, with me on my best behavior.

Lana: Good! I will be there to crack the whip, so no naughty Jack!

Lana's mouth dropped as she realized what she just texted. Her fingers moved ferociously trying to get out her next one.

Lana: OMG that sounded so dirty!!

Lana: Please ignore. Ugh

Lana was in full panic mode when she didn't see the three dots speech bubble. Please respond! Her heart leaped when her phone vibrated with a text... but it was her mom.

Mom: Hi dear. Remember Grayson?

Lana stared at her phone for a second. What the heck is Mom texting me?

Lana: Who?

Mom: Sheila's grandson.

Lana: Mom who the heck is Sheila? I don't know your friends.

Mom: My neighbor. We play poker together.

Lana: What about her?

Mom: Remember her grandson Grayson?

Lana: Lol. No Mom I don't know who that is.

Mom: He's your age. Very handsome.

Before Lana could respond, a text from Jack came in. Her heart was pounding as she clicked into that thread.

Jack: Wow. Whips?! LOL. Now there's an image I don't mind tbh

Lana: OMG! Jack! Stop!

Jack: What? You started it

Lana chuckled and just sent an eye roll emoji.

Jack: BTW make sure you dress nicely for this party.

Lana: How nice? What are you going to wear?

Jack: I'll be rocking my leather S&M suit. So bring that whip of yours.

Lana laughed out loud and then paused to take a moment to come up with a funny response.

Mom: So will you go on a date with Grayson? He's very nice.

Lana: Alright. I'll bring my whip. Gotta keep all the naughty boys in their place.

Oh my God. Lana almost had a heart attack when she realized she accidentally sent her last text to her mom.

In a panic, she quickly rushed outside the store to the parking lot and called her mom.

"Oh, hi dear," her mom said over the phone.

"Mom! Oh my gosh. That text was not meant for you! I was, uh... texting my friend as a joke and—"

Lana was cut off by her mom's friend Sheila, who evidently was right next to her. "You know my grandson Grayson is very open-minded! Whatever you're into, dear, I'm sure he'll play along. He watched Fifty Shades of Grey, so I think—"

"No," Lana said quickly. "It was a joke!"

"So will you go out with him then, dear?" her mom asked.

"Who, Grayson?" Lana asked, surprising herself by seriously considering it. "Actually, Mom... Go ahead and give him my number. If Sheila thinks we'll hit it off, then who knows? Maybe we will." Lana knew she needed to move on from Jack, and what better way was there to do it than meeting someone new?

Lana's mom gasped. "Wow, honey! I didn't think I'd ever hear those words come out of your mouth. Also, generally speaking, Sheila shouldn't be the standard for decisions. The woman still thinks Kombucha tea has drugs in it."

"I drank it once, and I swear to you I hallucinated!" Sheila yelled. "You stay away from that!"

Lana laughed. "Listen, I have to get back to work," Lana said quickly as she remembered she was still on the clock. "Love you, Mom! Bye, Sheila!"

Right before Lana hung up, she heard Sheila say, "I'm telling you, Kombucha was brought in by the Mexican cartel in the early 1900s..."

As Lana walked back toward her store, she stared at Jack's last text.

Jack: I'll be rocking my leather S&M suit. So bring that whip of yours.

In retrospect, thank God I accidentally texted my mom my response and not Jack.

Lana just "liked" Jack's text and headed into Trader Joe's while a woman let her pass first through the sliding doors. "Thank you!" Lana said genuinely. But as soon as she saw the woman's face, they locked eyes.

They both stared at each other for a moment when the woman finally broke the trance. "I know you."

"Oh my God, hi! Yes! How are you?" Realization dawned on Lana.

"I'm doing good. How are you doing?" The woman stepped inside the store with Lana.

"Good, thanks. How has everything been, since you know... the incident?" Lana thought back to the night when she and this woman were standing next to each other at the register during the unforgettable night.

The woman laughed. "Oh, I was about to ask you the same thing! I'm surprisingly fine. I get shaken up easily, but that was just so weird I don't even really comprehend it, so my mind thinks it was just a strange dream."

"Yeah, totally same!"

"So, has he texted you?"

"Who?"

"You know, the guy?"

Lana's eyebrows lifted. She couldn't decide what to tell this woman but ended up settling for the truth. "Yeah, he did actually."

"Oh my goodness!" The woman brought her hand to her chest. "I didn't think he would, but that man is gutsy!"

"You have no idea," Lana said quietly.

"So..." The woman hesitated for a moment. "Did he end up giving you your things back?"

"No, he didn't actually."

"Well, men will be men. If you ever do meet up with him, please be careful. My girls are about your age, and they sometimes get themselves into trouble with the guys at their school."

Lana didn't want to tell the woman that she already met Jack and was also well past her school years, so she simply nodded and smiled. "Thank you. Yeah, I'm generally a super careful person, but it's always good to get a reminder."

The woman grabbed her cart. "I'm Martha, by the way. Martha Stewart."

Lana's eyes grew wide. "Your name is Martha Stewart? Are your parents big fans?"

Martha laughed. "They didn't even know who she was, so it was just a coincidence. But I love her, so I'm very proud of my name and didn't even change it when I married."

Lana laughed. "Well, I have to say, she does have amazing baking recipes I use sometimes. I'm Lana, Lana Asfoor."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Lana. I'm glad we were able to make it out alive. And nice to know if I shop here again, I'll see a familiar face." Martha smiled and began her shopping.

The rest of Lana's shift went by quickly. While it was nice to see the regular customers' faces, she kept thinking about Jack. What would he think about her potentially going on a date with someone else? She shook the thought from her mind.

Well, I can't just be holed up in a cave and be antisocial forever. I need to get out there and just forget about him romantically. It's only a matter of time before he's going to do something reckless and hurt me again.

She sighed and pictured him lounging around his beautiful apartment that Sunday morning. Or maybe he was going to the gym? Whatever he was doing, Lana didn't want to admit she was hoping he was thinking about her too.

***

Any thoughts on the chapter? Thanks for reading and your votes & comments! ❤️