Taking a deep breath, he ground out, “I’ll be back.”
“Famous last words.”
“Oh, babe, trust me, I will be back.”
A strange expression crossed her face briefly before she suddenly shrugged. “Whatever.”
Oh boy, the indifferent way she said that was enough to spike his blood pressure. Unfortunately there was nothing he could do about it with an audience, so he stalked out the door, glaring at the grinning farmers and ignoring his grinning friends.
Once outside, he sucked in a deep breath of fresh, early morning air and walked to the bench, propping his foot up against it while he stretched.
His mind was moving fast. Damn it, she was probably right. As usual, he’d acted without thought when it came to her. How the hell did she manage to tie him up in knots? The woman was an adult, could make her own decisions. He hated her interfering in his love life, and she apparently hated him interfering in her love life. Of which he’d not previously known.
Okay, he was being a hypocrite, but Goddamn, she was his friend, she had not much experience in dating men…that he knew of, because apparently she had, and did, and sounded like she’d… He couldn’t even think the word.
Oh crap. Was she kidding him? No, she’d seemed dead serious. For some reason, that made him feel-
“You all right?” Kirk asked from behind him.
“Yeah.” He swapped legs, stretched.
“Heard about Dee and Jason last night.” Pause. “Heard about you ringing Simon.”
“Did that bastard put it in the local rag or something? Was it announced on the radio this morning?”
“Nope. He called in to the station for a cuppa and told me.”
Annoyed, Ryder dropped his foot to the pavement and faced Kirk. “He has a loose mouth. Maybe I better fix it for him.”
Scott was standing beside Kirk, both of them watching him with varying degrees of interest. Well, Scott watched him with interest, Kirk had his usual stoic, calm expression, so God knew what he was thinking.
“Look,” he felt compelled to explain, “I was worried about her. I mean, Jesus, a Dawson? She had to get a Dawson to walk her home?”
“Not her wisest decision,” Kirk agreed.
“Wise? It was bloody stupid. What on earth would possess the woman to do such a bloody idiotic thing?”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Poor dumb bastard,” Scott muttered.
What the hell…? “Who? Jason? Why are you feeling sorry for him?”
Kirk cast Scott an inscrutable look.
“Not him,” Scott replied. “You.”
“What?” Ryder was startled. “You feel sorry for me?”
“No, I…” Scott rolled his eyes. “Forget I said anything.”
Knowing he was missing something but unable to fathom what, Ryder glared at his friend. He’d known Scott since they were kids, hell, he, Dee and Scott had grown up together, which meant that he knew Scott wouldn’t say another word until he chose. The fact that he was clamming up was not a good sign.
Kirk had a mouth like a steel trap, he wouldn’t comment unless he thought it warranted. But he probably knew things…
Ryder glanced at the shop. “So, either of you know who she’s dating?”
“You think she’s dating?” Scott asked incredulously.
“She said so.”
“Are we talking about the same conversation?”
Ryder cut his eyes to Kirk. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“Who is it?”
“No idea.”
“Come on, if anyone knows anything in this town it has to be you.”
“Nope.”
“So you’re not telling.”
“I’m saying I have no idea who or if she’s dating. Maybe you should stop jumping to conclusions.”
“So you don’t think she’s dating.”
“No idea.”
“What do you care, anyway?” Scott asked. “You date, why shouldn’t she?”
Ryder rolled his shoulders, cracked his knuckles. They were right. “Just… You know… Dee’s a sweet girl, don’t want her messed up.”
“Dee? Sweet?” Scott’s eyebrows shot up.
“Yeah, sweet. Okay, a little sour at times. Sharp. But she’s a nice girl, not some loose woman.”
“You don’t even know who she’s dating.”
“Look, forget about it.” Ryder started jogging on the spot, warming up. “If she’s dating, I’ll find out.”
“Why would you find out?” Kirk asked. “Don’t you think Dee can take care of herself?”
“I’m thinking if she’s seeing someone in secret, then he might not be desirable.”
“You think he’s ugly? Dee wouldn’t care.”
“I mean of character, numb nuts!”
“Maybe you should just mind your business,” Scott suggested. “Let her get on with her life.”
“I’m not interfering. I’m just watching out for her.”
“Like she watches out for you?”
“No. I do it with finesse.” He glared as Scott gave a bark of laughter and Kirk just grinned. “Look, I’m not going to stand around here gossiping. I’ve got to go to work.”
“Me, too.” Scott saluted Kirk. “Say g’day to Molly and the bump.”
“Will do.” Swinging on his heel, Kirk strode to his ute.
Feeling unusually irritable, Ryder blanked his mind of all troubling thoughts of Dee and her unknown suitor and started jogging back the way they’d come, going faster as he warmed up. Scott kept pace easily, not saying a word. By the time they’d come to the turn onto his street, they were both sweating from the run.
Scott gave him a wave and kept going.
Turning into his street, Ryder slowed down, allowing thoughts to start flowing again.
Okay, the blokes were right. He was overreacting. He wasn’t Dee’s father, he wasn’t her brother. She had every right to date, if she hadn’t seen fit to let everyone know then - wait a minute. He scowled as he slowed to a walk. Did Del know? No, there was something fishy going on, that was for sure. If Dee was seeing someone she’d have told her friends, introduced the bloke, which meant that she was trying to hide the affair. Which meant that no one would approve of who she dated.
So who the hell was she dating? And what was so bad that she didn’t want anyone to know? Was it Jason Dawson? It looked possible.
Damn it, now he was worried.
Going up the veranda steps, he coughed, grimacing at the slight soreness in his throat. Great, now to top it all off he was getting a cold.
~*~
The clock had just gone twelve when Del came barrelling in with Molly and Ash on her heels.
“Right,” Del barked, “what’s this about you and Jason?”
That hadn’t taken long to get out. “He walked me home, end of story.”
“That’s not an end to a story,” Molly replied, one hand on her swelling belly. “There’s more to it than that. Spill.”
Dee led the way to the kitchenette. “Nothing to spill.”
“How about the fact that Ryder came out looking for you and found you and Dawson in a hot clinch?”
“Jesus. As if.” Shaking her head at the gossip, Dee crossed to the little ‘fridge and drew out the plate of salad she’d brought down earlier.
Molly and Del sat down, placing their lunches on the table while Ash plugged in the little kettle before taking the fourth chair.
“So why’d he walk you home?” Ash asked. “Are you two-”
“We’re not anything.” Dee pointed a fork at her. “So don’t even start that shit.”
“Hey, I’m just saying what everyone is saying.”
“Everyone as in whom?”
“Everyone as in who was at the pub last night and saw Ryder charging out the door as soon as he saw you and Jason sharing a bench.”
“Cripes.” Shaking her head, Dee peeled the plastic wrap off the plate and stabbed the ham with t
he fork.
“Not to mention you two butting heads this morning,” Molly added.
“Me and Jason?”
“No, you and Ryder, as you very well know.”
“Kirk been telling tales?”
“Amongst others.”
“Oh for…”
“So spill the beans,” Del ordered. “What happened and why? And don’t forget the mystery man you’re shagging.” She paused in unwrapping her Vegemite roll. “Which, I have to say, I’m royally pissed that you didn’t tell me.”
“Are you kidding me? Why would I tell anyone that I’m having deviant sex with Bigfoot?”
“That is seriously disturbing,” Molly said.
“He’s been my mystery lover for the last six years. Every night he climbs up to my window, comes in and - you know what they say about a man’s feet and the size of his wanger?”
“That is also seriously wrong,” Ash said.
Del looked at her. “Scott’s isn’t big?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Ash’s cheeks reddened. “His is just fine.”
“I hear it’s really fine,” Dee leered. “All the girls used to say so.”
“They don’t say so now because he’s taken.”
“His wanger is all yours.”
“If you put it like that, yes.”
“Glad we got that cleared up.”
Del rapped her knuckles on the little table. “Back to the situation at hand, ladies.”
“There is no situation,” Dee stated.
“There is according to the grapevine. Spill.”
Rolling her eyes, she took a mouthful of salad, chewed and swallowed. “Look-”
Del’s finger was centimetres from Dee’s nose. “I’m not forgetting that you lied to me about Simon. He didn’t take you home, Jason did. Now why was that?”
“Simple. I lied.”
“You devious bitch.”
“Absolutely.”
Ash got up to turn the kettle off. “Tea? Coffee?”
“Not for me, thanks.” Molly waved the can of Diet Coke.
“Tea,” Del replied.
“Tea,” Dee agreed.
“So…?” Molly popped the tab on the can.
Dee lowered the fork with a sigh. “It’s simple. I was outside contemplating going home, Jason asked if I was all right, Ryder came out and I was already annoyed with him so I kind of let it slip that Jason was walking me home and we left.”
“Wait. What?” Ash looked around from where she was jiggling the tea bags in the mugs. “Back up a bit. Jason asked if you were alright?”
“Yeah.” Dee forked up a piece of tomato. “Isn’t that odd?”
“We are talking Jason Dawson?”
“Yep.”
“Not the first time, either,” Del added. “He spoke to her in the pub as well.”
“Maybe he was being nice,” Molly said.
“Doubt it.”
“He did bring me fruit cake from his Mum, remember?”
“Oh right, so that makes him a nice bloke.” Del narrowed her eyes at Dee. “Did he try anything?”
“No.”
“Try to force his way in?”
“No.”
“Try to force himself on you?”
“The man’s walking around with uncrushed nuts, so that would be a no as well.”
“So what did he do?”
Dee paused thoughtfully. “Actually, he didn’t say much and he just left once I walked in here.”
There was silence for several seconds as they each thought about it, then Del broke the silence. “Holy crap, does he have a crush on you?”
“Doubt it,” Dee replied dryly.
“Maybe he wants to forage in your panties.”
“Yeah, doubt that, too.”
“He’s being nice. Nice blokes always have a motive.”
“Simon doesn’t.”
“Well-”
“Or Kirk,” Molly added.
“Or Scott.” Ash set the mugs on the table. “Or Ben. Or Will. Or Vic or Bill or-”
“Right. Okay. Sure. Whatever. Geez.” Del took a bite of her roll.
Molly looked at Dee. “So who are you dating if not Jason?”
“No one. I’m dating no one at all, not even Bigfoot, my dream ape.”
“So how did Ryder get the idea that you are?”
“I may have led him on a bit.”
“A bit?” Ash’s eyebrows rose.
“Okay, a lot. Wait a minute.” Dee tapped the table with the back of the fork. “Nope, a little. It was Ryder jumping to conclusions that made it a lot.”
“I don’t understand,” Del said.
“He was sprouting off this morning about being experienced and dating and I said I was, too.”
Molly and Ash just waited, not knowing her past that well, but Del looked at her with a mixture of concern and surprise.
“You what?” her cousin asked.
“Told him I was experienced and kind of hinted at dating and it wasn’t any of his business.”
“Ahhh.” Molly nodded knowingly. “This has to do with the dry rot in the morning wood.”
“Now it all makes sense,” Del agreed. “He told you to butt out and when he thought you and Jason were seeing each other, you told him to butt out.”
“Got it in a nutshell.”
“Good grief,” Ash murmured.
They all sat and ate in silence for several minutes.
Dee caught Del’s eye and knew she hadn’t heard the last of lying to her, but what the heck, it wasn’t like anything more disastrous could happen. Besides, she had the dubious pleasure of later having Ryder chasing her down breathing fire.
Face it, she liked the idea of him chasing her, but it was rather pathetic that he only seemed to do it when he was mad at her, which, come to think of it, was probably why she baited him.
Man, she was pathetic. Maybe it was well overdue to stop.
Molly sighed. “Look, Dee, really, why don’t you just tell Ryder that-” She came to a crashing halt when Dee’s head snapped up.
“What?” Dee demanded. “Tell him what?” Damn it, don’t say anything. Don’t say it!
Whatever was on her face must have been warning enough, because Molly gave a little cough. “You’re your own woman, he can’t tell you what to do.”
Del cast Dee a sidelong glance, while Ash looked up at her from the top of her eyes as she hunched just a little lower in her chair.
They might suspect but no way were they game to say anything to her, and that was just the way Dee wanted it. It was bad enough she knew how she felt but to have someone else voice it, no way in hell. They might all suspect but none of them could be certain.
And it was her bloody business.
However, nor did she want to upset them, so she managed a smile. “Like dumb arse would listen.”
“Could always stamp it on his forehead,” Del drawled. “We’ll hold him down, you hit him with the stamp.”
The shop bell rang. Putting down her fork, Dee pushed upright. “As tantalising as the thought is, you’ll have to hold it until I get back.”
Moving out through the doorway, she groaned at the two men standing at the counter.
“Hey,” Vic greeted her with a big grin. “So, who’ve you been shagging on the sly?”
“Yeah,” Bill added. “And what’s this about you seeing the Dawson prick?”
“Tell me you’re not shagging him,” Vic said.
They both sniggered.
Bastards, the pair of them. Her brothers knew she’d never shag anyone for whom she didn’t have feelings.
Dee strode down the aisle. “Aren’t you two supposed to be working?”
“Lunch break,” Vic informed her.
“So, no dunnies to unblock?”
“Every dunny in and around town is behaving itself.”
“Bad luck.” She looked at Bill. “No one needing a sparky?”
“Actually there is, but I came over here first to h
ear your confession.”
“Nothing to confess.”
Bill leaned forward, eyes gleaming. “Aw, come on, sis. Tell your big brothers the secret.”
“It’s no secret you’re a pair of wankers.”
“Ooohhhh,” Del called out admiringly. “Score!”
Bill flipped her the bird.
“Nothing to tell and even if there was I wouldn’t be spilling it to you two,” Dee informed them. “So either buy something or leave, you’re making my shop look messy.”
“My my.” Vic nudged Bill. “She’s a little touchy.”
“Must be all that lovin’ with her man,” Bill returned. “Tender parts from being with a touchy lover?”
“Very possibly. Should we ask her?”
They both grinned widely at her.
“Ha ha. Now there’s the door. Need a hand getting out of it?”
“Aw, come on, Dee, give us something to tell the women waiting at home for us.”
“You want gossip.”
“Yep.”
“Give them that gossip.”
“They know that gossip, who do you think told us?” Vic replied. “Now we’ve been sent to find the truth.”
“Crap you have.” Turning away, she started back towards the kitchenette. “I’m going to finish my lunch.”
Vic started following. “That’s okay, we can talk to you as easily at the back as up the front.”
“Lovely!” Molly appeared in the doorway. “We were just discussing menstruating and how men feel about it.”
“Yeah.” Del gave the men a ‘come on’ gesture. “Tell us how you feel when we PMS.”
“I feel bloody awful,” Bill replied. “You have no idea.”
“How do you feel about bloated bellies?”
“Well, now that you mention it, I do get a bit bloated.”
Ash blinked.
“Tampons or pads, what do you prefer?” Del queried.
“Hmmm. I have nowhere to put one, but if I had to, I guess a tampon would fit better than one of those surf boards.”
“Jesus,” said Vic, “I don’t believe I’m hearing this.”
“Hey, have you ever seen how big some of those surf boards are? Imagine if you had to insert one of them.”
“We’re men, we don’t insert - what the hell am I saying?” Grabbing Bill’s arm, Vic yanked him back towards the door. “Time to get back to men and manly conversation.”
Lie to Me Page 8
