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He tapped his watch and pointed to Del, then lifted the beautiful potted succulent from the counter. “Tick tock, girlie. Time for you to bust out of this joint so you can make your date with the Dr. Seuss gang.”
She glanced down to find it was quarter after five. How had she been texting all afternoon and managed not to notice the time? “Shoot, you’re right, it is getting late. Are you sure you’ll be okay locking up without me?”
“I don’t know. How do I lock the front door again without setting off the alarm?”
She looked at him through narrowed eyes. “Smartass. And here I was going to offer to bring in donuts tomorrow.”
“Donuts? I take back whatever sarcasm I just threw at you. Also, if you do that, I’ll bring in my special coffee.”
Del’s mouth began to water. Chase had a coffee-of-the-month subscription, and his latest delivery had included an amazing one neither of them could pronounce. Something with chocolate and spices and a few hundred extra mgs of caffeine—it was Heaven in a cup.
“Deal. See you in the morning.”
She texted Isaac back from the cab of her truck, thanking him for the offer but letting him know it’d have to be another time.
How about tomorrow? Pizza delivery, my treat.
She grinned, then caught a glimpse of her reflection in the review mirror. Yep, giddy as a schoolgirl. And for once, not a bit ashamed about it.
You’re on. I’ll text after the meeting to let you know how it went.
Donuts and special coffee in the morning, and pizza with her handsome hermit in the evening? She could hardly wait for Friday to arrive.
One quick shower, change of clothes, and inhaled sandwich later, she was walking in the back door of Brooks Books, right on time. And, yes, still giddy. The others were already there, their voices carrying from the back meeting room as Del paused to silence her phone before joining them.
“Well, I for one, think it’s fantastic,” Gina was saying. “Who cares if the guy never leaves his house? At least we know this one isn’t running off with other women every other weekend.”
“But how do we really know what he does?” Mia replied. “Maybe he sleeps all day and goes clubbing all night? I don’t want her running into any more surprises.”
Great, it seemed she and Isaac were the topic of tonight’s pre-meeting conversation. Del felt her cheeks warm. So who had blabbed—Mia or Brooklyn?
“Sweetheart, we know you love your sister, but she’s a grown woman able to make her own decisions,” Robyn said. “And have you seen how happy she is lately? Don’t let your worries steal that from her.”
Mia sighed. “I know, I know. It’s just—”
“Hard. We know,” Faye said. “But sometimes you just need to have a little faith.”
“Uh, you know she’s standing in the hall, don’t you?”
Del grimaced. Leave it to Brooklyn to be blunt and blow her cover. She mouthed “thanks a lot” to her niece as she walked into the room. Brooklyn offered her a devilish smirk and angled for the front of the store.
“Don’t worry,” Del said as she took her seat at the table, “there’s no engagement party planned yet.”
“Of course not,” Nan said. “You’ll be the sister to elope. That’s what the cards keep telling me, anyway.”
Margaret frowned. “Then put your Pokémon cards away, you nut. Del’s not eloping.”
“Nor is she getting married or even dating anyone,” Del added, throwing a warning look at them all. “I don’t need the gossip mill churning.”
“Of course, of course,” Barb said. She leaned closer to Del and asked not so quietly, “But are you using protection?”
“Whoa—we are not having this conversation right now. Or ever.” Del shook her head with a laugh. “Besides, if we don’t get this meeting started, I’ll never get out of here and even have the chance to get laid.”
“Delaney.” Faye looked to the ceiling for heavenly guidance.
“The girl has a point,” Margaret said. “And goodness knows this town has a shortage of babies right now. It’s our duty to hurry this meeting along so we can all improve our odds.”
Del dropped her head into her hands on a groan. Thankfully, Mia stepped in and took control of the meeting, shifting focus back to the bookstore they were there to rescue. Soon everyone was taking turns giving updates on their assigned tasks.
