Page 14 of The Edge of Summer
“Caught? It was anaccident!”
Gordon raises a finger to shake in her direction, but when he spots me, he straightens. A smug look settles on his face, and he crosses his arms over his chest. Somehow, my presence bolsters him. I want to wipe the expression right off him.
Don’t get involved. Just get what’s on your list and get the hell out of here.
“The police should be on their way,” he says.
“Seriously?” Delilah looks incredulous. “You called thecopsfor this?”
Ah, hell.
My feet are moving before I even register what I’mabout to do. I sidle up beside Delilah, effectively inserting myself into the situation.Goddamnit, Bowman. This is none of my business. I really should turn around and walk away.
“Causing trouble already, Ms. Delacroix?” I ask. “You’ve only been in town…what, twenty-four hours?”
I shouldn’t be needling her—riling her up—but she is an enigma I seem to be hardwired to unravel. Aside from my general suspicion of people I don’t know, there is something about Delilah that tugs at me.
She whirls, her eyes sparking with anger. When they settle on me, the blaze intensifies. This only endears me to her more. That fire should make me want to get as far away as possible. Instead, I choose to risk the third-degree burns. My lips threaten to quirk in amusement, but I force them into a neutral frown.
With a shake of her head, Delilah turns back to Gordon. “This is all being blownwayout of proportion!”
“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” I ask.
Gordon adjusts his tie. “She?—”
I hold a hand up, silencing him. “I’d like to hear it from her, Gordon.”
His expression sours, though he backs down. He may act like he’s tough shit, but deep down, he’s just a coward who likes to take his anger out on those he deems lesser than him. Delilah looks surprised, like my not automatically siding with Gordon is the opposite of what she expected. Still, she tightens her hold on the girl at her side and then tips her chin up.
“Sophia and I were shopping, and she got hungry,”Delilah begins. “While I was looking at the apples, she took a banana from the display and started eating it.”
Gordon scoffs. I cut him a hard look.
“She’s five years old.” Delilah turns her glare on Gordon. “She’s never been grocery shopping before. When I noticed, I explained that we had to pay first. I wasabout tograb a bunch of bananas, so I could pay for the one she ate, but then Paul Blart over here started yelling at me.”
It’s silent for a minute as her words settle. As the jab at Gordon registers. The crowd, though thinner, is still gathered around, and I watch as everyone tries to bite back a smile. The urge to laugh hits me like a ton of bricks. I clamp down on it, keeping my cool mask of professionalism in place.
I turn to Gordon. “Did Ms. Delacroix try to head for the door without paying for her groceries?”
“Well, no,” he sputters, “but?—”
I point to the sign above the tiered table of bananas. “That price accurate?”
Gordon eyes me warily. “Yes, of course.”
I dig in the pocket of my pants, pulling loose a few coins. I find a quarter and toss it toward him. He fumbles but ultimately manages to catch it. “That should cover it,” I say. Then I turn to Delilah. “Do you have more shopping to do?”
Her cheeks are now a dusty pink colour. I try not to let it distract me.
She shakes her head. “No, I think we’re done here.”
I gesture for her to walk ahead of me, toward the registers. Now that explanations have been made, the crowd disperses, the gossip not as juicy as they once thought.Gordon’s mouth opens and closes like a fish looking for food as Delilah takes hold of her shopping cart and marches forward.
“Next time you’re in the mood for drama,” I say to Gordon, leaning close so my voice doesn’t carry, “turn on a goddamn soap opera. Don’t waste people’s time embarrassing a little girl over something that costs less than twenty-five cents.”
The older man’s face turns a violent shade of crimson. I swivel on my heel, following in Delilah’s wake. Her groceries are all piled on the belt and she’s making idle chitchat with the teenage cashier. But my focus is on Sophia.
The little girl has a finger tucked in one of the belt loops on Delilah’s shorts. She clings, looking like she could, at any moment, burst into tears. I’m annoyed at Gordon for wasting everyone’s time, but I’mpissedthat he used Sophia to do it.
