There was too much confusion, too many people waiting. And the customer was doing absolutely nothing to control her kids. A cantaloupe rolled down, and Jeremy stuffed it into the last bag.
“Do you need help out to your car, ma’am?” he asked politely.
“No, I do not.” The woman snapped her fingers, and the two kids ran like furies out the door while the one in the cart screeched at an earsplitting volume.
Not wanting to blow Jeremy’s concentration, Will was about to back off and let him finish his shift. Until he heard the checker say, “You put that cantaloupe on top of her eggs. Can’t you do anything right?”
“I’m sorry,” Jeremy said. “I didn’t mean to mess up.”
“I don’t know why they hire people like you. You’re so slow. You and your pea-sized brain. Idiot.”
“I’m really sorry,” Jeremy said again, his face now completely red.
“If she complains, I’m gonna tell the management it’s your fault for being the worst bagger we’ve ever had.”
Rage welled up in Will. His hands fisted until his knuckles turned stark white. If Jeremy hadn’t been there as witness…if the clerk had so much as laid a hand on him…if Will hadn’t damn near annihilated the Road Warrior inside him…
Will reached Jeremy’s side just as she issued the last threat. He flayed the woman with a look that could shred flesh. “Don’t ever talk to Jeremy that way again. Apologize to him. Now.”
The checker’s hands stopped moving over the scanner, where she was holding a can of green beans. She stared at Will, openmouthed. Finally, she muttered, “I’m sorry.”
“Say his name when you apologize to him.” Will hadn’t raised his voice, but his intent to tear her apart with his bare hands if she didn’t fix things was crystal clear nonetheless.
“His name?” Her face screwed up. “I don’t know.”
“Didn’t you just say you work with him all the time? How can you not know his name?”
Fixing her stare on Jeremy, she opened her mouth, and by her narrowed eyes, Will was sure something merciless was about to spew out. Until she looked back at him, took in the steely set of his mouth—and the silent threat in his eyes—and swallowed hard. “I think it’s Jeremy.”
“Apologize again. Properly.”“I’m sorry, Jeremy.”
“It’s okay.” Jeremy’s face was still beet red.
Will gave her one last look that personified the expression if looks could kill. And the clerk clearly recognized it. “There are no idiots here.” Except her. “And I will know if you use that word to speak to anyone here again. Ever.” He turned to Jeremy. “Ten minutes left on your shift, buddy. I’ll wait for you over there.” He crooked his chin toward the door, where the checker would be in his sights.
“Okay, Will,” Jeremy said, his voice too quiet.
Watching from his spot over by the doorway, Will was afraid he’d make Jeremy nervous. On the other hand, there was no way he’d let anyone have another crack at Harper’s brother. But Jeremy did well, with no more cantaloupe-versus-eggs incidents. He even helped an old lady out with her groceries. She winked as she passed Will. “You did good, sonny. That woman’s always been a nasty piece of work.”
Of course, the checker was as sweet as apple pie for the rest of the time that Will watched. Then it was five, and Jeremy ran to clock out. When he returned, Will slung an arm around his shoulder as he removed his store apron. “You did real good in there.”
“I didn’t. I put the melon on the eggs.”
“They probably didn’t break. And even if they did, it was just a mistake. We all make mistakes sometimes.” As Jeremy climbed into the BMW, Will wished he’d had one of his fun cars for the kid to enjoy. “Is it always like that in there?”
“Like what?”
“Busy. Crazy.” With nasty women calling him nasty names. Will’s jaw tensed again thinking about the madness that had almost taken over when he’d seen Jeremy being bullied.
“Just at the end,” Jeremy confessed. “Most of the time it’s fine. But around five, it’s really busy.”
Will didn’t like it. The boy had to put up with that every single damn day. How many times had someone called him an idiot? Will’s hands were fists on the steering wheel. For so many reasons, nothing bothered him more than watching people being bullied. “That woman shouldn’t be working there.” His voice was a growl.
Jeremy fluttered his hands in the air. “Sadie didn’t mean it. It’s just that her mom’s sick and she’s going to die soon.”
He wanted to say that was no excuse for being a total jerk. Sometimes, he knew, there were reasons why a person lost control. Not an excuse, just a reason. But he still couldn’t quite squash the desire to flatten the woman with a cast iron skillet versus a fly swatter.
Will had tried to tell himself he didn’t solve things with his fists anymore, but in that grocery store, he’d been ready to run down anything in his path. It was the part of himself he still feared lurked inside him, even after all the years since he’d ditched the gang.
“Jeremy—”
“Are you going to get her fired, Will? ’Cause I’d feel really bad if you did.” The plea appeared as two big furrows across Jeremy’s brow and a moist sheen in his eyes.