She didn’t stop walking.
She went straight to register four.
Caleb was there again.
For a split second, he didn’t recognize her.
Then he did.
And in that moment, Lauren saw something different from the first day—not just stress, but fear. The kind that comes from realizing something bigger is happening and not knowing whether it will help you or hurt you.
“Can you step away for a moment?” she asked him gently.
He hesitated—just barely—before nodding.
Ryan stepped in quickly. “If there’s an issue, I can—”
“There is,” Lauren said, turning to face him fully for the first time. “But I’m not discussing it at the register.”
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