Page 41 of From Best Friend to Bride
“Only if you arrange a shared burial plot.”
“Is that permission to haunt you after death, Freddie?”
I grinned, meeting her gaze. “We’ll be together forever.”
She threw a biscuit at me.
Mel looked between us in disbelief. “I can’t believe you two are getting married.”
Deli sighed. “That’s whatIkeep saying.”
“What colour flowers would you like, wife?”
If looks could kill, Delilah would be guilty of murder right about now. “Call me that one more time.”
I grinned. “Mywife.”
She threw the wedding magazine at me. “Will youstopthis?”
“If I could, I would, but tormenting you is just too much fun.” I pulled my keys from my pocket and dangled them from my finger. “Are you ready for work?”
“No. Do you know how many people asked me if it was true we were together last night? Twenty-eight people, Fred. They were coming in and buying a drink just to ask me. Si had to send me to the staff room three times so I could calm down.” She closed the magazine and stood up. “Where do you think all these flyers came from? Heather at the flower shop on the cobble street brought me a whole-arse magazine on her wedding spreads. I think some were even from her grandma when she owned the shop. Nobody even knows we’re getting married yet. This is exhausting.”
I patted her on the head, then steered her towards the hallway. “Yes, yes, I feel very sorry for you.”
“At least try to put some oomph into your acting.”
“Why would I do that? You won’t feel better either way.”
“Ugh. It really pisses me off when you’re right.” She checked her wrist and pulled off a hairband. “Why are you even taking me to work? My car is here.”
“You have a flat tyre,” I explained.
Deli frowned. “A flat? How is that possible? It was fine on the way over here.”
“Uh…” I coughed into my fist.
“Fred.” She grabbed my arm and tugged me to a stop, holding her hair in a ponytail with her other hand. She had her hairband trapped between her teeth, and the way she glared at me told me there was a good chance she was preparing to flick me with the elastic if I didn’t speak up right now.
“Nana might have been here earlier… It seems she’s not best pleased with our secret relationship and is trying to make it public.”
“So she flattened my tyre?” Deli released my sleeve with a groan, letting her hair drop without tying it up. “Is it not public enough? Everyone knows. What does she want, a newspaper article? Front page ofThe Sunor something?”
“Maybe a poster on the door of the newsagents?” I suggested.
“That’s not helpful,” she replied. “And do not say that around her, lest she make it bloody well happen.”
I laughed at her obvious disgruntlement, but she had a point. I wouldn’t put it past our grandmothers to hire a blimp or one of those sky-writing planes just to tell everyone what was going on.
The worst part was that my grandmother knew the truth.
The longer this went on, the more I wondered what the hell we’d gotten ourselves into.
And we were only at the fucking beginning of this soap opera.
Deli was going to be repaying this favour for life.
Probably in the next life, too.
