While the story can be enjoyed as a standalone, it’s a continuation of the novel Flirting with a New Life. 

If you haven’t read that yet, I suggest holding off on this story until you have. 

Enjoy! – Jill 

“The BOGO”

by Jill Cullen

“Hey.” I heard someone say as I was pulling a box of spaghetti off the grocery store shelf. “Hey, Kelly. I thought that was you.” 

I turned toward the voice, and my mouth dropped open before landing on a smile. “Hi, Jack.”

“Hey, there,” he said and hugged me.

“Oh…” I hugged him back. It was our first hug. Were we at the hug-hello phase? I guess he was. “How are you?” I said as we stepped apart.

He looked at me for a couple beats. “I just have to ask. Why didn’t you ever call me back?” He shrugged.

He was right. I hadn’t called him back, but I’d forgotten about that until, well, now. There’d been so many reasons at the time—the woman I’d seen him with at the diner, the connection I’d felt with that guy from the wedding the day Jack was calling, but mostly it had been my deadline. So, I went with that answer. 

“You know what,” I said. “I’ve basically blown off everyone for the past five months. It’s this whole thing…” I gestured with my hand then put my hands on my hips. “I had a huge deadline that I needed to meet. Like, I needed,” I bent my knees for emphasis, “to meet.”

“Oh,” he said. “Did you?”

I looked at him. “Did I…” I echoed, waiting for him to finish.

“What?” he said.

“No, that’s what I’m asking you?”

Jack laughed. “Why do I feel like we need an interpreter?”

I rolled my eyes, leaned toward him, and put my hand on his forearm for a second. “So, what were you asking?”

Jack shook his head and shrugged. “I can’t remember,” he said. “Wait. The deadline. You said you had a huge deadline to meet. Did you meet it?”

I laughed. “Oh, did I meet it?” I shook my head. “It seems like that’d been a fairly clear question. I must need some caffeine or some sleep or something…” I inhaled. “Yes.” I nodded then shook my fists by my head in a victory dance of sorts. “Yay!”

Jack laughed. “Well, congratulations.” He shifted his weight from foot to foot and sort of smiled.

“Thanks. Yeah, I probably never told you,” I started. But I knew I’d never told him. We’d literally had two conversations. One of them had been at the zoo when we’d met and I’d immediately pretended he was my boyfriend because we ran into my ex-husband. And one had been, well, here… at the grocery store. Oh, and there’d also been the third time at the diner when he was with that mystery woman. “I’m a writer, Jack,” I continued. “I was finishing a novel. I needed to focus.” I typed on a pretend keyboard then shook my head. “It wasn’t just you. I blew everyone off.”

He nodded once then smiled. “Oh,” he said. “So, you’re going with the whole it’s not you, it’s me?” He laughed.

I laughed too. “Yeah, it sounds like it. Doesn’t it?” I grabbed another box of spaghetti and put it in my shopping cart. “It’s buy one, get one.” I pointed to the sign.

“So, you’re finished then?” he said.

I looked at the contents of my cart. “Umm, no. I have a few more things to pick up.” I shrugged.

“No, I mean with the book.” 

“Oh, the book… I was wondering why you were all up in my grocery business.” He laughed, and I continued, “Yeah, the book is sorta done.” I gestured with my hand from left to right then tilted my head from side to side. “Done for now, I guess. It’s with the editor. I’ll get her notes and revise it from there.” I shrugged. “It’s a whole process.” I looked at my shopping cart. I wasn’t going to ask him about that woman, but I couldn’t let it go. “Hey, who was that woman, Jack?”

He squinted his eyes at me then laughed. “What?” He looked at me for a couple beats. “What woman, Kelly?”

This was turning into such a bizarre conversation, but most of my conversations with Jack had been a little odd at best. I guess when you start an acquaintanceship with someone by asking him to be your pretend boyfriend for a few minutes to trick your ex, well… you end up on a track toward bizarrity, so I continued because I needed to know. “The blond woman,” I said then added, “who sorta looked like a young me.” I opened my eyes wider and thrust my face forward like he ought to know who I meant. “You know, when I ran into you and Michael at the diner.”

His eyes scanned the ceiling. Was he trying to figure out who the woman was or when I was talking about? Or maybe he was trying to come up with a cover story? But seriously cover for what? He and I were essentially strangers. 

He didn’t say anything, so I prompted. “Jack, we’ve literally seen each other on three occasions! Is your memory that bad or are you actually married? You said you weren’t.” I went there. I was trying not to go there, but I usually end up there eventually anyway, so… I took a shortcut, I guess. 

“I didn’t lie about that. I was trying to figure out when I was with someone who looked like a young you.” He gestured at me. “I mean, you’re a young you.” He laughed.

“Jack!” I said, laughing. I grabbed both his shoulders and mock shook him. “Why are you evading my question?”

Jack laughed. “I’m not trying to. I just have a bad memory.”

“Okay, let me walk you through it.” I held up my hand and counted off my points on my fingers. “It was a Sunday morning. I was with my entire family…” I stared at him for a beat waiting for something to register then continued, “We were counting to thirty with my adorable niece. How could you not remember us? The entire restaurant applauded.” He laughed. “You were waiting for a table by the hostess thingy, and I ran into you and Michael and a blond woman.” I laughed. “You seriously don’t remember any of this?”

He laughed. “I was lost at first but then was just sorta enjoying how much emphasis you kept placing on each additional word you said.”

“Jack!” I laughed. “Okay, so who was she?”

“Yeah, that was my wife,” he deadpanned, sort of like my dad does.

I stared at him and opened my mouth. I was about to shout I knew it!

But then he added, “Ex wife.” He shrugged. “She’s allowed supervised visits with Michael. I like to be the chaperone.” He put his hands in his pockets. “Makes it easier on him if I’m there.”

I nodded, wanting to ask for more details, but, again, he and I don’t know each other from Adam, so I let it go. “Okay, well… I’m gonna finish shopping.” I said and put my hands on my cart.

“So that’s it?” he said.

I nodded, then said, “It might be. I mean, what else is there?” I shrugged then added, “Jack, you seem very nice. I mean, we have conversations that even I have trouble following, and I’m part of them. But the truth of the matter is I’m in the middle of finishing up a really big project, and I probably just don’t have time for anything right now other than work and my son.”

He nodded. “I understand.”

We looked at each other for a second before I said, “Well, I’m sure I’ll see you around.” I paused then added, “Since we’re neighbors.”

“Yep,” he said. “You will.”

I laughed. “Bye, Jack.” I pushed my cart around to the next aisle where I started to pull some juice boxes off the shelf.

“Kelly?”

“Good lord, no,” I mumbled and turned to see who else was calling my name. I laughed. “Wow, hey, Tom,” I said. It was a man I’d briefly dated several months back. In fact, he was my first first date after my separation. And now that I was thinking about it, running into Jack at the zoo was what prompted me to flirt with Tom outside of Gabes a few days later.

“I thought that was you!” He walked over and hugged me.

“It’s nice to see you,” I said, giving him a quick squeeze. It was… albeit weird that I was running into all the men who I briefly connected with half a year ago on the same day at the grocery store. 

I felt like maybe I should look over my shoulder and see who was next in line to greet me.

“How’ve you been?” he said. “You look great, by the way,” he gestured his hand at me.

“Thank you.” I rolled my eyes and shook my head then added, “And so do you.” I laughed, remembering the Gabes incident. “Still getting hit on by customers?” I said.

“Oh, that’s right. You don’t know.” He shook his head.

“Know what?” I was hoping this conversation wasn’t about to drift into the Twilight Zone like my last had. 

“I’m a teacher now,” he said.

“Tom!” I smacked him on the stomach with the back of my hand. “Since when? That’s great news!” I paused. “Wait… It is great news, right?”

“Yes,” he said and laughed.

I wiped the back of my hand on my forehead. “Phew,” I said. “Wanted to make sure when you said teacher you didn’t mean some sort of mandatory community service or something.”

“What? No,” he laughed. “Kelly, I forgot how random thoughts just fly outta your mouth.” 

Well, that cleared up whether or not he’d been eavesdropping on my last conversation. I laughed at the thought.  

“Plus,” he added, “I don’t think anyone’s mandatory community service would involve supervising children. Just sayin’.”

I looked at him for a beat. “I’m really happy for you, Tom. Are you happy?”

“I am,” he paused. “Kelly, I have to thank you.”

“Aw, for what?” I grabbed his forearm and squeezed. 

“I think you inspired me with the whole teaching thing. After we hung out, I asked myself, ‘Why did you just give that up?’ And so then I stopped.”

“Stopped what?” I motioned with my hand. 

“Giving it up,” he said. 

“Tom!” I said and hugged him again because clearly I needed a third hug on this shopping trip. “I’m really proud of you.” I pulled away from the hug. “And hearing that just made my day.”

Tom smiled then shrugged. He had such a great smile. “I miss you, Kelly.”

“You do?” I said.

“Yeah, I didn’t realize it until now. I’m glad I ran into you. I’ve been wanting to tell you my news.” Then he added, “I’ve been wanting to thank you too.”

Jack walked by me and raised his eyebrows. I slowly shook my head as I said to Tom, “Well, you’re welcome. I’m glad you followed your dream.”

Tom smiled at me. “Well, I need to get going. I’m taking some pastries and coffee over to my mom’s for a visit.”

I forgot what a sweetheart he was. “Okay, well, it was good running into you.” I nodded at him.

As we walked away from each other, I felt my phone buzz, so I pulled it out of my pocket. 

I had a text from Jack from the zoo. It said, Hey, I just have to ask. Who was that man, Kelly? Is that your husband? And he put three laughy-face emojis.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes then replied, What? What man, Jack?

Next in the Flirting series... 

Flirting with Celebrity: a novel

Flirting with Secrets: a novella with heart, humor... and a bit of intrigue (coming November 11, 2025)

As always... if you've read and enjoyed any of my books, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever you review books! Thank you so much!