You're the One (13 page)

“One at my
home. Nothing happened, they got the dog, they went away, and I
have to find Missy’s home.” When they all opened their mouths, Del
narrowed her eyes. “Enough. I mean it.”

Leaning
forward, Ash placed her hand atop Del’s. “We’re just concerned
about you, Del. You’re a good friend.”

“There’s no
need to be, I’m fine. Always have been, always will be.”

Now they were
all watching her with varying degrees of concern.

About to give
them a cutting remark, Del caught the compassion on Ash’s face and,
as always when faced with Ash’s sweetness, she felt her irritation
ebb. With Dee and Molly she could remain irritated without fear of
hurting their feelings, but Ash? Nope.

Feeling a
little stupid, she relaxed back against the chair with a sigh.
“Sorry, I’m just a little sensitive right now. I’ve had a couple of
people on my case about things lately, I guess I over-reacted a
little.”

“It’s okay,”
Elissa said soothingly.

“I promise if
I have problems I’ll call the cops, but I’m certain nothing more is
going to happen.”

“If it does,”
Dee said, having to push the issue like always, “call me.”

“And just what
are you going to do? Ryder will rip your arse if you come clomping
over to my place at night to face a group of blokes.”

“Ryder can
kiss my fat arse.”

“I’m sure he
does that anyway.”

“Yeah, but
this time I’ll present it with attitude.”

“So how’s that
different?”

“Look, sister,
don’t try to change the subject. You need me, I’m there.”

Del looked at
her cousin. Cripes, she loved her. Dee Miller, cousin and best
friend. How many times had they stood back-to-back against the
world? Well, probably not that much, the world wasn’t exactly
against anyone in Gully’s Fall, but when something did go wrong, no
matter how small or big, they’d always had each other’s backs.

“You’re such a
twat,” she said affectionately.

“Best in town,
sister.” Dee nodded calmly.

After several
seconds of silence, Molly offered, “I’ll come and help. I’d love
for Sergeant Kirk to go all domineering and spank me hard for going
out in the dead of night to help save my friend’s honour.”

Elissa choked
on her Diet Coke, coughing and spluttering.

Ash grabbed a
paper serviette and handed it to her. “I’ve told you before, it’s
always dangerous to eat and drink around these three.”

Coughing and
wiping her eyes, Elissa couldn’t answer.

“It’s just way
too easy.” Molly shook her head.

“That’s
because you’re such a twisted chick,” Del said.

“Well, I do
try.” Molly modestly brushed a crumb off her blouse.

Ash glanced at
her wrist watch. “As entertaining as this has been, I have to get
back to work.”

Elissa, still
wiping her eyes, nodded. “Tish is covering for me, I need to get
back to the clinic.” She looked at Ash. “Is my face too red?”

“Feel free to
go upstairs and wash it in the bathroom.” Dee stood. “I don’t want
people commenting on you leaving my shop with a red face and
tears.”

“You’ll
embarrass us,” Del added.

Elissa flipped
her the bird.

“Cripes,”
Molly said. “That didn’t take her long to learn. I always thought
she was such a sweet girl, too.”

Elissa started
gathering the disposable utensils. “I wonder how Lily is going to
turn out, I really do.”

“Don’t worry,
Kirk’s her father.” Del winked as she placed the last of the
savoury twist back into the bag. “He’ll make sure she grows up
proper.”

“He’s a big
softie around her.” Molly grinned. “That baby has him wrapped
around her finger.”

“Spoils her,
huh?”

Molly’s face
softened. “He loves her to pieces, he’s so cute with her.” Her eyes
crinkled at the corners. “But even she knows that unnervingly
steady look he gets when she does something wrong.”

“The same look
you get?” Del smiled.

“Yep.”

“And does she
react like you?”

“Well, she
behaves herself if that’s what you mean.”

“So not like
you, then.”

“There’s just
something about that look that makes me horny and want to be a bad
girl.”

Del looked at
Dee. “This sheila is seriously twisted.”

“Oh, come on,”
Molly scoffed. “Like Dee doesn’t just love it when she stirs Ryder
up until he almost loses it and tells her - hang on, let me see if
I can imitate it.” Taking a deep breath, she lowered her voice and
scowled. “Babe, you are in so much trouble.”

They all
stared at her for several seconds.

“Holy cow.”
Del’s eyebrows rose. “That’s so close it’s uncanny.”

“I’m
impressed,” Elissa added.

“I’m a little
horny,” Dee said.

They all
laughed, Del walking in the midst of her friends as they left Dee’s
newsagency and went their separate ways.

The rest of
the afternoon slipped past quickly. Locking the shop door, Del had
to admit she was glad that no one had rung or approached her about
the kitten. Hopefully no one would. One night with Missy and she
had to admit that she wanted to keep her.

It made her
wonder why she had waited so long to get another cat. When she’d
first moved out to the old house she’d inherited the original
owner’s old cat and loved it. When it had passed away in its sleep
on the foot of her bed one night, she’d thought about getting
another cat but caught up in work and fixing the old house, time
had slipped past and she’d never done so. But now Missy had
appeared and Del admitted that she’d already fallen a little in
love with the little black scrap.

When she
walked into her parent’s home she found her father sprawled out in
an armchair watching the news, Missy sitting on his lap watching
the screen with wide eyes.

“You look
comfortable.” Del reached over and rubbed Missy’s head.

The kitten
sniffed her fingers and then, with a delighted little meow, she
climbed up Mr Miller and into Del’s waiting arms.

Mr Miller
glanced up. “She knows you.”

“Ah, but did
she miss me?” Del cuddled her close.

“For awhile.
Until your Mum went for a nanna nap, then she curled up with her
and that was the end of everything.”

“Where is
Mum?”

“Right here.”
Her mother appeared in the doorway holding a plastic tray and a bag
of litter. “Now, dear, I know you’re trying to find Missy’s home,
but meanwhile she can’t use an old cardboard box with sand. This
girl needs litter and a proper tray.”

Del eyed the
tray. “That looks new. Have you been shopping?”

“No. When we
had Fluffy I bought several trays in case she took short while
finding her way around the house. This tray has never been used. I
dug it and some bags of litter out of the shed.”

“Thanks,
Mum.”

Pushing out of
the armchair, her father rubbed Missy’s ears. “Having this little
scrap around has made us realise that it’s time we got another
cat.”

“I met Elissa
in the grocery store,” Mrs Miller added. “She said that Grant, the
vet, had a young stray in the back of the clinic that needs a home.
We’re going to have a look tomorrow.”

“That’s
great.” Del smiled as Missy grabbed a pawful of her hair.

“Missy can
still come here.” Her mother stroked Missy’s little head with a
fingertip. “They can stay separate for awhile and then I’ll
introduce them. They’ll be good friends.”

“If you’re
sure.”

“We’re
sure.”

“Okay. Thanks
so much.”

“Now, dear,
are you staying for dinner?”

Hmm, it was
tempting.

“Then I’ll
take you home,” her father said.

Del blinked at
this unexpected offer. “What?”

“Take you
home,” he repeated.

“Why would you
do that?”

“Why wouldn’t
I?”

“You never
have before.” She eyed him suspiciously.

“No real
reason.” He smiled. “I feel like a drive out your way.”

Uh oh. “Is
this because of last night?”

“Of course
not, sweetie.” He said it with all the earnestness of a man
speaking the truth, even though he was lying through his eye
teeth.

“Dad, nothing
is going to happen to me.”

“Why didn’t
you remind me that you needed those window locks put in?”

The unexpected
switch of topic caught her unaware. “Huh?”

“Ryder had to
put new locks in.” Mr Miller was starting to look increasingly
disgruntled. “That was my job.”

“Well, Dad, it
just kind of happened. It wasn’t planned or-”

“I’m your
father, it’s my duty to make sure you’re safe.”

Oh shit. This
wasn’t going to happen. If she gave in now her father, in his own
sweet and slightly absentminded way, would drive her nuts.

“Dad,” she
said calmly, “I was going to ask you when Ryder went all gonzo like
he does and got it into his head that he was going to do it, and
before I could even try to tell him no, he’d gone and done it.”
Unlike her father, Del could lie with a straight face and a steady
gaze. “I definitely didn’t plan for anyone apart from you to do
it.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Her father
studied her while she met his gaze unflinchingly.

The slight
tension eased from him. “Okay.” Reaching out, he gathered her in
for a hug. “You know I’m here for you, sweetie. We both are.”

“Thanks Dad.”
She couldn’t hug him back, not with Missy wriggling in her
hands.

He might be
mollified, but she recognised the signs that he was worried about
her and was determined to nip any overbearing ways in the bud
before they had a chance to bloom properly. Part of that meant
forgoing a yummy dinner cooked by her mother so she could go home
in the daylight, which would satisfy her parents that she’d get
home safely. “I can’t stay for dinner, Mum, I have a lot of
bookwork to do for the shop that I want to get done tonight.”
Sheesh, and dinner smelled so good, too.

“You work so
hard.” Mrs Miller patted her cheek. “I made plenty of food, dear,
so I’ll dish you up a portion and you can reheat it at home.”

Whoo
hoo!
“Only if you have enough.”

“Of course I
do.”

While Del
wrestled Missy into the cardboard box, Mrs Miller put a serving of
Spaghetti Bolognaise with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top into a
plastic container, covering it with silver foil.

Carrying it
out to the car, her mother held up the plastic bag of kitten food
that Del had bought that morning. “You take this home, I’ve bought
some more kitten food for Missy while she stays here, so you don’t
have to bring food and litter backwards and forwards between the
houses.”

Del looked at
her out the car window. “You bought a new litter tray and kitty
litter, didn’t you?”

“Well, dear,
it pays to have an extra tray for our new cat when it comes,
too.”

She really did
love her soft-hearted parents. “Thanks, Mum.”

“You’re
welcome.” Mrs Miller frowned a little anxiously. “Are you sure you
don’t want Dad to see you home?”

Time to go.
“It’s all good. If I need you, I’ll ring.”

On the drive
home Del couldn’t help but smile. She had good friends and family,
even if at times they all got a bit over-protective. She had to
learn not to get so defensive.

An hour later
she was sitting on the sofa eating her mother’s spaghetti and
watching TV, the ceiling fan turning slowly to create some breeze
on the warm summer night, Missy bouncing on the sofa with a ping
pong ball, when the phone rang.

Del picked up
the receiver. “Hello?”

“I hear you
got a black kitten,” a gruff voice stated.

Oh no. Del’s
heart sank as she watched Missy kick the ping pong ball with her
back feet, little ears flattening on her head. “I…um…yes.”

“White mark on
its nose?”

“Yes.”

“Female, ’bout
eight weeks old?”

She swallowed
the lump in her throat. “Yes.”

“Do you want
to keep it?”

Del blinked.
“I beg your pardon?”

The sound of a
throat clearing came through clear, then a more recognizable voice.
“Del?’

Puzzled, she
frowned. “Who is this?”

“It’s David
Linley from behind you.”

“David? I
didn’t recognise your voice at first.”

“Got a cold
that’s playing hell with my throat and voice. Anyway, look, that
kitten, do you want to keep her?”

Her heart
picked up pace. “Um - yes, I do. I’d love to keep her.”

“Then she’s
yours.”

“Well, I’m
really happy, but what-”

“She was given
to my granddaughter. Unfortunately, turns out she’s allergic to
cats so we took it. But truthfully, Del, we have four cats already
and really don’t want another one. You want her, she’s yours.”

Del’s smile
was so wide she thought she’d eat her own ears off. “David, thank
you so much.”

“Trust me, the
pleasure is all mine. Anyway, gotta go. Catch you later.” With that
he hung up.

Placing the
phone down, Del looked at Missy. Her kitten. Reaching out, she
batted the ball a little, making Missy flip and grab for it. “Well,
this is it, Missy. You and me, together forever.”

Best day
ever.

Leaning back
against the sofa, she took a huge mouthful of spaghetti and chewed
while watching the news with lazy contentedness.

The sound of a
car cut through the quiet, headlights flashing behind the curtains
at the window. Almost at the same time came the sound of a dog
barking in the distance. Slowly lowering the plate, she angled her
head, listening. She wasn’t expecting any of her friends, and that
engine didn’t sound like her father’s car.

A car door
shutting, followed seconds later by heavy footsteps on the veranda.
The knock on the door was measured, definite.