Home The Hard Way *Single Dad! Eddie Munson X Steve Harrington Steddie Series*

Part Three

Steve kept coming into the truck stop after that first day. Two or three days a week he'd show up and sit at the bar towards the end of Eddie's shift. He'd slink out of his jacket and set it on the barstool beside him while Eddie or the waitress poured his coffee. The pair would catch up on the last few days while Eddie finished up his tasks for the day. If he had time, he'd sit and have lunch with Steve before heading home. It became a new part of Eddie's routine.

Steve hadn't come in today. Or yesterday. But Eddie didn't pay much mind. Today was Friday. Payday. Grocery day. He took his small paycheck to Hawkins State Bank and cashed it, making small talk with Janet behind the desk as she prepared his cash. He'd been back in town for just over two months and once again found himself surprised by how easily he was assimilating back into life in Hawkins. A life that had seemed so difficult when he was younger.

The grocery store on Main was busy. That was to be expected on a Friday afternoon, given that this was one of two grocery stores in town. Eddie grabbed a cart from the front of the store and pulled his list from his pocket.

Diapers. Wipeys. Formula. Milk. Bread. Paper towels. Dinners for the weekend.

He groaned quietly and rolled his eyes at his own lack of planning. The hell kind of list is 'dinners for the weekend?' He mentally thought of every dish he'd learned to make while on his own. It was a short list. Pasta with whatever kind of sauce was on sale, and anything frozen with instructions on the box. Maybe Wayne could teach him to cook now that he was home. Did Wayne even know how to cook?

Eddie strolled down the aisle that held baby essentials. Soccer moms and bored looking fathers all gave him side eyes and questioning glances as he picked up what he needed. A pack of diapers, two packs of wipes. He considered adding a third as they had become his go-to method of cleaning over the last few months. But he decided against it, they were more expensive than paper towels and he was trying to save.

As he got towards the end of the aisle he picked up two cans of instant formula. Jars of mushed up baby food sat on the shelf beside the formula. Peas and carrots. Turkey and apples. Blueberry and banana. He picked up a jar with a smiling baby on the label. Chicken and broccoli. He wondered if Lucy was supposed to be eating these instead of formula all the time. He really had no idea. He set the jar back on the shelf, deciding to ask Wayne when he got home.

He tried to mentally keep track of his costs. But the baby food had thrown him off, and he was never great at math if he were being honest. He pushed his cart into the back corner of the store, searching his pockets for a pen. When he found one he began to jot down numbers on the bottom half of the paper that held his shopping list, using his thigh as a makeshift table. His long hair fell over his face, guarding his view.

Until a pair of white Adidas came into his field of vision, just inches from the toes of his own tennis shoes. He looked up, following Steve's body upward until he was looking at his eyes. He was still hunched over, his hands still pressing the wrinkled paper to his thigh. He paused for a moment. The way the fluorescent lights inside the grocery store framed Steve's face caught him off guard. 

"Hey," Steve smiled, offering a small, almost shy wave.

"Uh, yeah," Eddie mumbled as he stood up straight. "Hi."

Steve quickly glanced over Eddie's cart. Eddie flinched, but didn't say anything as he watched Steve eyes trail over the diapers and formula. Steve didn't skip a beat. "I'm actually glad I ran into you," he said quickly. "You still looking for a car?"

"Definitely," Eddie answered as he took hold off the cart once more. The wheels squeeked as the two men made their ways down another aisle.

"I know a guy selling one. It's a beater, it'll definitely need work done. But it's cheap and I know a guy who'll fix it up for ya cheap, too."