V. Lost 

Jim closed his eyes briefly, just to enjoy the feeling of Pam so close to him, and to revel in her words. After a deep breath, he looked down at her and they shared a smile of contentment.

"You about ready to go?" Pam asked.

"Yeah…I lost my shopping list somewhere after the produce department anyway," Jim replied.

Pam rolled her eyes and sighed in exaggerated exasperation. "What am I going to do with you?"

Jim leaned toward her. "Do you really want me to answer that?" he asked, his tone husky and suggestive. They laughed as they headed toward the check-out lanes.

As Jim finished putting their things onto the conveyer belt (after their normal bickering about who was paying for what), Pam looked idly through the "last minute" items featured there along with the candy and tabloids. He heard her laugh, and turned to see her grabbing a can of lock de-icer. He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Even this!" she said by way of explanation. "See, this would totally have reminded me of you, because if anyone had had any, we wouldn’t have gotten stuck out at Slocum Park the night Michael made us all go sled riding. And then everyone wouldn’t have left without us, and you wouldn’t have gotten us lost on the way home." Jim felt himself flush, and he bit his lip as he debated whether or not he should actually say what had just popped into his mind.

Unfortunately, Pam had noticed his change in expression. "What?" Her eyes had narrowed in suspicion.

"Um. OK." Jim put the final package of paper towels on the belt before turning to face her. "I’ve been going to Frances Slocum park my whole life. We were never actually lost."

"Excuse me?" Somehow, Pam managed to give him a skeptical glare and still smile politely at the cashier as she paid for their groceries. She signed her receipt and walked out of the lane, waiting for Jim to catch up with the cart before she repeated herself. "Excuse me, what were you saying about us driving around in the dark for an hour not actually lost?"

"I liked having you all to myself for a while," Jim said, his body language and his tone clearly expressing embarrassment. He shrugged. "It was an adventure, and I could pretend…" he trailed off, avoiding her gaze.

"Hey," Pam’s voice had lost all trace of even the mildest reprimand. She placed her hand lightly on his arm. "It’s OK. I know. I mean, I know what it was like to pretend." He looked up into her eyes and was surprised to see a glint of amusement and even of embarrassment there. "And, um, I also know exactly how to get home from Frances Slocum Park. I wasn’t lost either."