The girl was sitting on a stool behind the counter, apparently doing schoolwork of some sort. "Excuse me," I interrupted, "Is there a grocery store ar...ound here? Oh, and maybe a bookstore?"She had a pretty smile. "You're in luck on both accounts. Around the corner to the right and a block down the street there's a shopping center with a grocery and a bookstore. Anything else I can help you with?" Not unless you're into animal rights." I joked and headed for the door."I am."I looked back. "You. J. had been working on a deal with the State to convert their entire fleet of passenger and utility vehicles to the new fuel cell technology, in exchange for the State's assistance with the permitting process and pre-approval of over 500 locations for recharging stations. Our local State legislators were falling all over themselves in Sacramento championing our cause, and who could blame them. We were already employing 250 workers in our Stockton plant, and as recharging stations and retrofit. As I was waiting, I saw Tammy walk toward the bus stop.She too had a few bags of groceries that she got from the supermarket. "Hi Tammy." I said as she approached."Hi Jim." She said with that nice southern accent. "You did some shopping too?"Yeah. Picked up a few things. Stuff for breakfast and lunch." I see you got soda. What kind?" Black cherry. My favorite." Mine too!" She said laughing."I still can't believe how much you resemble my ex husband." She said. He became an abusive asshole. Perhaps she had undressed back to that when she saw the request was from him, perhaps she had been searching for someone else to tease and possibly hook up with.”Hey,” he said and smiled.”I … umm ...”She smiled back at him and without letting him finish his hesitant sentence told him again that she was sorry about before and that she still did want to meet him.”I can come to you if you don't have any way of coming to me,” she added.”Or we could meet at a motel. I think that might perhaps be.