Free You're the One by Angela Verdenius

sorry.”
He stepped back, not even seeming to notice her hand falling from
his chest to her side. “Del, I didn’t mean - I didn’t - I’m
sorry.”
    “It’s um…”
Reality came crashing back in a very unwelcome swell. She could
feel the redness of embarrassment bloom in her cheeks. “It’s…” It’s what? Every glib comment she’d normally give, her
sometimes biting wit, vanished. She stood there staring up at him
like the giddiest of women.
    “I should go.”
Turning, he strode back through the racks of clothes.
    Before she
could do more than take one step forward - didn’t know why, it
wasn’t as though she knew what to do or say - Cheryl from the café
walked into the shop.
    “Yoo hoo,
Del!” she called. Noticing Moz approaching, she smiled. “Hi. Have
you seen Del?”
    “I think she’s
sorting through some - uh - clothes.”
    The man had to
have good control of his features, because Cheryl didn’t seem to
notice anything unusual. Looking around, she spotted Del. “Honey, I
came to see if those aprons arrived.”
    “Aprons?”
    “The full bib
ones. Those little frilly half aprons are cute, but they’re not
good for the working in the kitchen.”
    Del blinked,
drew in a deep breath. Okay, she could do this. This was her job.
No matter what had just happened, she didn’t have time to sit and
analyse. Plus if she didn’t act normal Cheryl would smell a
rat.
    Briskly she
walked between the racks. At least her knees didn’t give out. “Oh,
right.”
    She couldn’t
help but sneak a glance at Moz as he passed the window. The man was
control personified. Face calm, eyes forward, he strode out of
sight.
    Cheryl glanced
out the door. “Everything all right?”
    “Fine.”
    Her gaze cut
back to Del. “Everything all right with Moz?”
    “I presume so.
He didn’t say anything.” Kissed me, but didn’t say much. Except
sorry. Mentally berating herself, Del said, “The aprons did
arrive this morning, I put them in the store room. Sorry, Cheryl, I
was going to call you but got side tracked.”
    “No
worries.”
    The privacy of
the storeroom could have been a chance for Del to regroup, but no
way was she going to stop and think now. That’d be dangerous. No
losing the game face, keep going.
    Steadfastly
refusing to think about the kiss , she took the folded aprons
from the shelf on which she’d put them that morning while unpacking
and returned to the front of the shop. Moving behind the counter,
she took out a bag and placed the aprons inside.
    She winked.
“Two really pretty aprons for you, and two manly ones for
Eric.”
    “You do spoil
us.” Cheryl flourished her bank card. “How much, honey?”
    “Hmmm, let’s
see.” Pursing her lips, Del stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. “I
need a new roof, the veranda has to be fixed…hmmm.”
    “I need a new
man; it wouldn’t take me that long to decide the cost.”
    “You wouldn’t
trade in Eric.”
    “Trade, no.
Sell? Don’t tempt me. Sometimes that man has me pulling out my
hair.”
    “Male peri
menopause?”
    “You got
it.”
    Laughing,
Cheryl paid the bill and walked out.
    Del didn’t
have much time after that, for several customers came in to collect
their orders, some tourists bobbed in to browse, and the mayor’s
wife came in to put in an order for several new outfits.
    Penelope was
tall and extremely thin, and finding clothes that suited her tastes
wasn’t always easy.
    “I’d be fine
if I didn’t mind wearing boob tubes and hipsters,” Penelope
grumbled, “but a woman of fifty shouldn’t be sporting that
look.”
    “Oh, I don’t
know.” Del took out the pad containing Penelope’s measurements.
“You could set the new fashion trend.”
    “I’m the wife
of the mayor, I need to look the part.”
    “He might like
you in hipsters.”
    “He says my
hips are like bone now.”
    “That’s rather
insensitive of him.”
    Penelope
shrugged. “I tell him he’s like a small, round,