SEALED with a Kiss (Midnight Delta #4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

wife who adored her husband.
    “I know exactly where this needs to go,” Tony protested.
    “And you can supervise, when Jack takes it there.  I’m assuming you’re Jack, right?”
    “Yes, ma’am.  I’m great at taking direction.”
    “Good to know.  I’m great at bossing good looking men around.” She winked at him.  “Isn’t that right Billy?”  She put her arm around the young man and headed him into the building.
    “I’m happy to have you lift and carry.  But tell Frannie I made a big deal about protesting.  I like her to think I’m still a stud, okay?”  Jack laughed.
    “You got it, Mr. D.”  He followed the man in, maneuvering the dolly.  They made quick work of unloading all of the food onto the appropriate shelves.  Next came the pallets of fruit.  Tony looked at them in disgust.
    “Seriously, they send more of this crap every week.”
    “What?” Jack asked as they unloaded crate after crate of bananas.
    “Rotten fruit.  There is no way we can set out this stuff for the people.  I’d say more than two thirds will have to be thrown out.  They’re using us for a tax write off.”
    “Tony, don’t get so upset, remember your blood pressure.”  Tony pulled over a large green trash can, and sorted through the produce.
    “To hell with my blood pressure.”  Tony threw the fruit forcefully into the can, and Billy winced.  He looked at Jack.
    “Hey Mr. D, I meant to ask you something,” he whispered, after Frannie walked away muttering about stubborn men.
    “What is it kid?”  He threw two bunches of bananas into the container.
    “Jack was telling me girls gave off signals if they liked you.  Is that true?”  Tony paused with the next batch in his hands, looked over at Jack, and then back at Billy.
    “You like some girl?  A lot?”
    “I want to ask her out.”
    “That’s a lot,” Tony said, as he sat down on one of the pallets, the rotten fruit forgotten.  “So Mr. Navy SEAL, what was your advice?”
    “I had some generic advice, but I really need to know more about the girl.”
    “She’s been hurt I think.  She’s in foster care.  I think she’s been abandoned, but she hasn’t told me.  Sometimes I see she’s really sad.”
    “That’s a special kind of girl, who will probably need to be treated delicately.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “Yes you do,” Tony interrupted.  “Think of your sister after those thugs hurt her.  Mason had to be very cautious with her.”
    “He did?”
    “Ah damn kid, you were still with the Bards, weren’t you?”  Tony remembered.
    “My fiancé, Beth, had been hurt, and she needed to know she was safe.  I didn’t have to do anything I didn’t want to do, so it was no hardship.  But, I did have to make sure she knew she was valued and cared for more often than I would have with a woman who hadn’t been hurt.  Does that make sense?”
    Jack saw Billy’s perplexed look.
    “I needed to give her more outward signs of affection and care, I couldn’t assume she knew what I was thinking and feeling, even when it made me more vulnerable.”
    “Oh.”  Billy nodded.  Then he grimaced.  “That must have been kind of hard.”
    “Not when you really care.  I loved Beth.  I’d have done anything for her.”  Jack thought back to those early days with her, and he couldn’t help but smile.

Chapter Seven
    ––––––––
    D rake Avery
    It had taken Drake two days to find the perfect opening.  He knew Mason would often pick up Billy after school and drive him to his sister’s diner to do his homework.  Then she would drive him back home at night.  This just required a little bit of planning.  Step one was arranging it so his lieutenant had to stay late at work, which he had done.
    “Mason, bummer about you having to redo the training manual.  I don’t know how it could have gotten corrupted.”  Mason looked up from the computer and gave Drake a hard look.
    “Yeah, pretty weird.”
    “Good