Troy: Victoria’s Secret.
Aspyn: Cut the shit.
Troy: LOL. I’m serious. That just came to me. He could have gone there.
Aspyn: Why in God’s name would he be in a lingerie store?
Troy: My grandmother used to wear this body spray from there.
Oh. My heart clenched.
Aspyn: He still buys it?
Troy: Sprays it on his sheets.
Aspyn: Oh my God. That’s the fruity scent I always smell in his room.
Troy: Yep.
I stopped at the mall directory to check where Victoria’s Secret was located.
Aspyn: That’s on my side of the mall. Heading over there now.
Troy: Okay. I’ll keep looking on this end.
As I entered the store, I accidentally sideswiped a pile of colorful, clearance underwear, causing them to fall to the ground. I picked them up and dropped them on the table in a messy pile before rushing to the register.
“Excuse me. Can you tell me if an elderly man in a wheelchair was in here by any chance?” I asked the cashier.
To my surprise, she nodded. “Yes, actually. He left about a minute ago. He bought a bottle of Love Spell body mist.”
“Did you happen to catch which direction he went?”
“No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching.”
Damn it.
I texted Troy as I walked out of the store.
Aspyn: They said your grandfather was in here buying the spray! He left just before I got here. I’m still looking.
Troy: Did you leave with any new underwear?
Aspyn: Very funny.
Troy: Because your panties have been in a bunch all day. You could use some new ones.
Aspyn: Don’t text me again until you’ve found your grandfather.
Swearing under my breath, I shoved my phone in my clutch.
After wandering my side of the mall for another twenty minutes, I came up empty-handed.
Suddenly, I noticed Troy walking toward me. Looking frustrated, he held his hands up in defeat.
He stopped when he reached me and ran his hand through his hair. “I need to get him a damn phone.”
“He doesn’t have one?”
“He’s got an old flip phone, but he never takes it with him.”
“We’ll find him.” I sighed, noticing genuine concern in his eyes.
This is all my fault.
I swallowed. “I mean, he’s got to be somewhere in here, right? He wouldn’t have left.” Then a lightbulb went off in my head. “Let’s ask mall security to page him.”
He snapped his fingers. “That’s a fucking great idea. Why the hell didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you’re not very bright?”
He glared, and we took off together in search of help. But before we had a chance to find anyone, Troy tapped my arm and stopped walking. He pointed to a flower shop.
Through the glass, I spotted Mr. Serrano, sniffing a large bouquet of flowers the attendant had just handed him.
Troy rushed through the doors as I followed.
“Why the hell did you take off?” he yelled. “We’ve been worried sick.”
Mr. Serrano didn’t even flinch as he continued to smell the yellow roses. “I figured I’d leave you two to go on with your arguing.”
Troy tightened his jaw. “You could’ve told us you were leaving.”
“Did my leaving help you two stop bickering?”
Troy sighed. “Well, yeah, but…”
“Then mission accomplished.”
“You nearly gave us a heart attack in the process, Mr. Serrano.”
“How far do you think I could’ve possibly traveled in this chair?”
“Anything can happen in a place like this,” I said. “You could’ve been robbed or taken advantage of very easily.”
His expression softened. “I’m sorry to upset you, pretty lady.”
“Why are you buying flowers anyway?” Troy asked.
“These were your grandmother’s favorite—yellow roses. But they’re not for me. They’re for you.”
Troy’s eyes narrowed. “For me?”
“Yeah. For you to give to Aspyn and apologize for being such a knucklehead.”
I held up my palm. “That’s really not necessary.”
“Sure, it is,” Mr. Serrano insisted before handing the bouquet to his grandson.
Troy reluctantly took the roses before offering them to me. “Goofy, will you accept these roses?” He flashed an impish grin as he batted his lashes, which seemed insanely long for a man.
“While I’d love to throw them back in your face, I’ll accept them on behalf of your sweet grandfather who meant well.” I took them and turned to the old man. “Thank you, Mr. Serrano.”
The three of us left the flower shop, and I thought we might be leaving the mall until Troy stopped in front of the mattress store.
“Hey, can we go in here for a second?” Troy went inside without waiting for a response.
“I’m in no rush to head back,” Mr. Serrano said as we followed.
Troy began walking around, pushing on various mattresses.
“Is it really necessary for you to go mattress shopping today?” I asked.
“Actually, it is, because I’ve been sleeping like crap,” he said as he bounced on one of them. “The bed my dad put in the room I sleep in at his house is hard as a rock. Pretty sure it’s his old mattress. I want to get a nice memory foam one.”
“Memory foam!” Mr. Serrano shouted. “I could use some of that. Will it help me remember shit?”
I laughed and sat down on the bed across from Troy.
He lay all the way back and spread his arms out. “Ahh, this one is nice. So damn comfortable.” His shirt rode up a little, and I pretended not to notice the glimpse of his rock-hard abs.
I got up and sat down on the edge of the one he was raving about. It was firmer than I like. “This one is nothing compared to the one I was just sitting on.”
Troy lifted himself off the bed and moved over to the other one. After bouncing a few times, he said, “Oh, no way. The other one is better.”
“I disagree.”
A sales rep walked over. “You know you’re not gonna win this argument, right?” she said to him. “The wife always gets her way in the end.”
Troy snorted. “Goofy? She’s not my wife. She’s just a girl who tried to poison me in high school.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. Can I help you with anything?”
“I’ll let you know.”
“He’s noncommittal. Don’t waste your time,” I chided.
Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, Troy walked out without placing a mattress order.
The rest of my afternoon with the Serrano men was pretty uneventful. Before leaving the mall, we accompanied Mr. Serrano to the smoke shop, where he purchased a cigar, which Troy promised to let him enjoy when he had more time during the next outing, seeing as though Horizons didn’t allow smoking on the premises. When we passed the Disney Store on the way out, Troy had a field day, of course, suggesting I go in and buy something on his dime—like a stuffed Goofy. I ignored him, despite being tempted to take advantage of his offer and get something for my niece. No way I’d give him that satisfaction, though.