Read Online You're the One by Angela Verdenius - Free Book Online

in through your door. Your
closed door. While I’m watching, sweetie, that lady is looking at
her watch.”
    Del glanced
her watch. Ten minutes past opening time. “Crap! Thanks!”
    Practically
throwing the phone into the cradle, she ran out into the store,
unlocking and throwing the door open.
    The woman in
question looked startled.
    “Sorry.” Del
smiled. “Little late this morning.”
    “Must be these
country times.” The woman smiled back. “Laid back style.”
    “That’d be
it.” Del stood aside. “Can I help you with anything?”
    “Just
browsing.”
    And buying,
Del hoped. She had locks to pay for.
    As luck would
have it, the woman found quite a few things she liked. God bless
holidays and the thirst for buying things from different places
that came with it, even if those same things could probably be
bought from where one lived.
    Del was
perched on the high stool behind the counter flicking through a
fashion catalogue and making notes on a piece of paper when Ryder
walked into the shop.
    “All done,” he
announced. “Locks in place, you’re all safe.”
    Placing the
pen down, she looked at him.
    Ryder held up
one hand. “Don’t start with me, Del.”
    “I’m not.”
    “You getting
pissy won’t work. It’s done.”
    “I’m not. I
just want to thank you.”
    That had his
eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. “You what?”
    “Thank
you.”
    “You’re
thanking me?”
    “I was. Right
now I’m thinking something else not very favourable.”
    “That’d be
more like it.”
    Reaching
across the counter, she punched his arm. “Don’t be an arse. I’m
trying to be nice.”
    “You?” He
leaned his elbow on the counter. “I don’t believe it. Since when do
you thank me after I’ve reamed you?”
    “I’m not
thanking you for that. For reaming me, you’re a jerk.”
    “You deserved
it.”
    “Just take the
thanks for putting in the locks, okay?”
    He squinted at
her. “Seriously?”
    Del
frowned.
    Ryder grinned.
“Okay. No worries.”
    “How much did
the locks cost?”
    “Don’t worry
about it.”
    “How
much?”
    Ryder flapped
his hand. “We’ll sort it out later.”
    “Jesus, Ryder,
where’s the receipt?”
    “You’re touchy
this morning. Is it that time of the month?”
    The man was a
dickhead sometimes, no doubt about it. Jumping down off the stool,
Del walked around the counter.
    Ryder didn’t
even straighten up, just watched her with amusement.
    Del held her
hand out to him. “Last warning. Give it to me.”
    “Or what?”
    She slid her
hand into his top pocket. No receipt. His back pocket. No receipt.
She dug in his side pocket and came up with the rumpled paper.
    “I hope Dee
didn’t see you groping me,” Ryder said. “She’s kind of possessive
about her hot man.”
    Ignoring him,
Del walked back around the counter, using the motion to check the
cost while her back was to him . Ouch . Opening the cash
register, she took out the money and handed it to him.
    Ryder looked
at the money. “There’s no hurry for this, you know.”
    “I know, but
I’ve got the money, so here.”
    Pulling his
wallet from his shirt pocket, he put the notes inside. “When are
you getting that new roof you’ve been talking about?”
    “When I’m good
and ready. When are you and Dee going to buy a house?”
    Ryder
shrugged. “We talk about it, but we’re happy as is for now.”
    “Most normal
people have an ‘our’ house. You have your house, Dee has her flat.
You both go to either one. How is that normal?”
    “How normal is
it to sit on your roof?”
    “Normal for
me.”
    “Normal for
us.”
    “There you
go.”
    “For us, yes.
But you.” He pointed at her. “If I ever have to come out there in
the ambulance to pick up your sorry, broken hide off the ground
because you fell off the bloody roof, your hide won’t just be
broken, it’ll be sore.”
    “It’ll be sore
anyway from landing on it.”
    “It won’t be
just from you landing on it.”
    Well used to
his