Free Lie to Me by Angela Verdenius Page B

let a Dawson walk her home.  At night.  On a quiet street.  A Dawson , for Christ’s sake.
    Looking through the window at the grey rock dove perched on the veranda rail, he shook his head.  She’d actually walked home with one of the Dawson brothers.
    Pouring hot water into the cup, he dipped the tea bag up and down before discarding it into the sink and going out onto the veranda to breath in the early morning air.  He coughed, his throat feeling a little scratchy.
    Dee had lost her mind.  For some weird-arsed reason she’d… He still couldn’t get over it.
    In fact, it’d stuffed up his whole evening.  He’d been unable to get rid of the thought of Jason and Dee together.  That had messed with him something chronic, so much so that Rachel had finally accused him of not paying her any attention - okay, she was probably right - and had finally stormed off.  No sweet body to cuddle up to, no nooky.  It wasn’t often he had a date and didn’t end up rocking the bed - or car or table or sofa or veranda post or anywhere else that took his fancy right then and there.
    Dee had messed him up.  So concerned for her his date had messed up. He was going to have it out with her today, come hell or high water, doing such a stupid thing as keeping company with one of the town troublemakers.
    Jezebel came wandering around the corner of the veranda, meowing.
    “Not my fault you’re hungry,” he informed her.  “You slept on the spare bed all night and went out as soon as I got up.  Now you want breakfast.”
    He could swear she fluttered her eyelashes at him.  For sure she was casting him coy glances as she wound around his legs.
    “Don’t try to get around me, you hussy.”
    After several minutes of her pestering him, he gave up the notion of finishing his cuppa in peace and went back inside, cracking open a tin of salmon and filling her bowl.  Ensuring she had plenty of fresh water and a litter tray in the laundry - he really had to get a cat flap installed - he grabbed his keys and slid them into his pocket after he locked the front door.
    After a few stretches and warm ups, he jogged down the driveway and turned onto the road.  Meeting Scott at the corner, he fell into step with him.
    “Heard about Dee and Jason?” Scott queried.
    “Jesus, that didn’t take long.  Who told you?”
    “Simon.”
    “Big mouth.”  Disgruntled, Ryder scowled.
    “Hey, you rang him when Dee walked off and asked him to watch her.”
    “I said , if he hadn’t already left the pub, could he track them home and make sure she got there safely.”
    “Oh, ‘cause there’s a difference in what you said and what you meant.”
    “Listen, numb nuts, I was trying to protect her.”
    “You could’ve walked her home.”
    “I had a date.”  Ryder coughed.
    “Really?”  Scott grinned.  “And how did Rachel take you stranding her in the pub while you had Dee followed?”
    “I don’t understand women.”
    Scott gave a snort of laughter.
    “Seriously,” Ryder said.  “All I did was ring Simon, he did me the favour.  Can you believe Rachel accused me of not having my attention solely on her?”
    “Well, it wasn’t.”
    “I was making sure a friend was safe.  Is that so wrong?”
    Scott slid him a sideways look.
    Scowling, Ryder fastened the pace.  Scott didn’t say anything further, just kept pace, but there was a grin still on his mug that Ryder would have liked to knock off.  Luckily they were friends or he’d do it.  He might do it anyway.
    They jogged onto the street leading to the main street and Ryder continued past the usual route they took onto another side street, instead veering onto the main street itself.
    “We going somewhere?” Scott asked mildly.
    As if the smug bastard didn’t know.  “Nothing wrong with a change.”
    “Oh, sure.”
    Ignoring him, Ryder’s gaze fastened on the pile of newspapers just outside the newsagency doors.  Every other shop was still shut in the early morning,