Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Grabbing my phone and keys, I head out to my truck. I’m driving through town when I realize that I forgot a blanket. I plan on taking them to Sunflower Park. The food trucks are going to be there all weekend, and she mentioned she’d like to take Ada there.
Knowing I have lots of time, I head to Harris. It doesn’t matter that I’ll be driving the twenty minutes back to Willow River, and then another twenty back to Harris. I have three hours to kill and sitting at home is just making me stir-crazy. So, I crank up the radio and get lost in the music as I head toward the Walmart in Harris to buy a blanket.
By the time I pull into the parking lot, my nerves are less frayed, and I’m smiling freely. It’s nice not to have to worry about my brother seeing more in my mood than what’s truly there. It’s a nice summer day. The sun is shining, and there were good tunes on the radio all the way here. That’s definitely worth a smile.
There’s a cart out in the middle of the parking lot, which makes me roll my eyes. Five more feet and the asshole could have pushed it into the cart corral. Instead, they leave it out in the middle of a parking spot. Not only is it lazy, but that’s an open invitation for a door ding. All it takes is a little wind, and the cart could go crashing into someone’s car. I’d be pissed if it were my truck.
Inside, I head to the home goods section. I push the cart up and down the aisles, looking for a blanket. I finally find a black and gray quilt. Not very girly, but then again, what am I going to do with a girly blanket? I toss the quilt inside and move to the end of the aisle. I turn left, and on an end cap, there are bubbles.
I wonder if Ada likes bubbles? Who am I kidding? She’s a kid; of course she likes bubbles. I grab a green bottle and toss it into the cart. Turning down the aisle, I see all the toys. She’s just turned one, so half of these things are a choking hazard for her. Until I reach the end of the aisle and find rubber alphabet blocks, that’s something she would play with or chew on while we eat. I toss that into the cart too.
I need some bottled water for work next week, so I might as well get it while I’m here. I head to the other side of the store and stop in the middle. There’s a sign for a digital camera on clearance. I take a quick picture and text Palmer and Scarlett.
Me: Is this a good camera?
Palmer: It’s 20 MP, so yeah, that’s a good one.
Scarlett: Are you planning on coming to work with us at Captured Moments?
Me: I’m at Walmart, and it’s on sale.
Palmer: And you’re in the market for a camera?
Me: Yep.
Me: What else do I need for this thing?
Palmer: A memory card. How many pictures do you plan on taking?
Me: Just a few here and there.
Scarlett: 32GB memory card will get you around 1100 images for reference.
Me: You two are the best sisters ever!
Palmer: There’s more to this story. What do you think, Scar?
Scarlett: Definitely.
Me: Can’t a guy want to take some pictures?
Palmer: What’s wrong with your phone?
Me: Nothing, I just wanted something different, and it’s on sale.
Palmer: Sure thing, Mav.
Scarlett: Tell Stella and baby Ada we said hello.
Palmer: Let me know when I can add her to the family chat.
Shit. Nosy, gossipy brothers and sisters.
I don’t reply. That’s not a conversation I want to get into with them. Besides, I bet my savings that they’re already texting my other sisters-in-law and talking about me. They have a group text. My brothers and I have the same, and then we have a family one with all of us, minus our parents. There are times when we make a special chat to include Mom and Dad, but for the most part, we keep them out of it so we don’t have to worry about cleaning up our mouths for Mom.
Shoving my phone into my pocket, I wave over the clerk and purchase the camera. He upsells me a memory card and a case. Fine, whatever. It’s under two hundred bucks for all of it. It will be worth it to see the smile on Stella’s face when we get to take some pictures of Ada in the sunflower field.
Camera purchased and the receipt stapled to the bag, I move on to finish my shopping. That is until I pass the baby section. I glance over. One quick glance has me stopping in my tracks. It’s a little sundress with a hat that has sunflowers all over them. She has to have that, right? I mean, this is a Sunflower Park photoshoot, after all.