Things Good Girls Don't Do

by Gary, Codi

  Buzz gave him a look. “What’d you do?”

  Chase smiled sheepishly. “I thought she was too good for me. That I didn’t deserve her. And I took off without giving her a good explanation.”

  Buzz chuckled. “Guess you’re more like your mother than you thought.”

  Chase looked at Buzz, taking a second to get his meaning. His mother had treated him shabbily because she thought she didn’t deserve him. And she’d been wrong.

  “Think she’ll forgive me?” Chase asked.

  “Can’t tell you that, son, but if you don’t try, you’re gonna miss out. ’Cause when you meet that one person that you’re meant for, it’s one hell of a ride.”

  Chase hesitated before asking, “Was that my mother for you?”

  Buzz smiled. “I married my best friend when we were eighteen and I had twenty-five great years with her before she died. When I met your mother, I was lonely and scared, and she made me feel alive again. Mary was my best friend, I loved her, but Lorie was . . . Lorie was my match. She was my passion. Yeah, your mother was meant for me and me for her. And if that’s what this girl is for you, then you gotta make it right.”

  Buzz was really a great guy and his mother had been lucky to have him. When the lawyer had announced their dual ownership of the diner, Chase had felt guilty accepting it. It was Buzz’s livelihood and he didn’t feel right taking that away.

  After a long pause, weighing his options, Chase blurted out, “If you want me to sign over my half of the diner to you, I will.”

  Buzz shook his head as he pulled out of the parking lot. “Your mama wanted you to have it, and when I’m gone the whole thing will go to you. Mary and I never were blessed with children.”

  Chase looked over at the older man and said sincerely, “Thanks for making her happy, Buzz.”

  Buzz grinned. “It was my pleasure, son. I was a lucky man for a little while.”

  Those words haunted him as he packed his bags to head back to Rock Canyon the next morning. He didn’t want to be lucky for just a little while. He didn’t want just a few weeks with Katie.

  He wanted a lifetime.

  At five in the morning, he got up and showered, leaving his scruff in case it helped him win Katie back. He walked out the door with a hug from Buzz and a warning not to be a stranger. He hugged him back, accepting a back slap. Then he pulled away and walked down the driveway to his Blazer. After loading up his bag, Chase climbed into the driver’s seat and settled in for the long drive. If he hurried, he could be back in Idaho before Katie got home from work.

  “KATIE, YOU HAVE a phone call!” Kitty called from the front of the salon.

  “I’ll get it in the back,” Katie said, trying to be heard over the blow-dryers and laughter. She headed to the office in back and picked up the phone. “This is Katie.”

  “Katie, don’t hang up,” Jimmy’s voice pleaded on the line.

  Katie wanted to bang her head against something. “Seriously, what could you possibly have to say to me besides ‘I’m suing you’?”

  “I’m sorry. About the things I said and for coming at Chase like that. I just went a little crazy seeing you together and I realized that I was jealous,” he said.

  Oh hell no . . . “Honestly, this is just getting weird. You dumped me eight months ago. You are getting married. This has to stop.”

  “I’m not getting married. She called off the wedding,” he said.

  Of course, no wonder he’s all apologetic. Nothing like having a safety net. “That’s too bad, Jimmy, but it has nothing to do with me anymore.”

  “Katie, wait . . .”

  She hung up. No, she’d been waiting too long for a lot of things. Waiting to start a life. Waiting to get married and have kids. Waiting to meet the right guy.

  She was done waiting. She wasn’t going to mess around with jerks and commitment-phobes anymore. The next guy she dated was going to be solid and dependable. Someone who wouldn’t take off when things got heavy.

  Katie’s mind was made up. Until she walked back up front and saw a familiar Blazer roar by the shop window.

  Chase was back.

  Part of her was happy he was back, glad he was okay, but the other part, the new, no-filter Katie who busted headlights and back talked her elders, wanted nothing more to do with him.

  But the other part, the girl who was still in love with him, wanted to go to him and hold him. And beg him to never leave again.

  KATIE FINISHED GETTING ready that night, her stomach feeling tight and churny. A group of them were heading to Buck’s to celebrate Justin’s birthday, and Katie had put on her slinky new halter dress for the occasion. Not because she thought she would see Chase. She could care less if he showed up on her doorstep with flowers; she was done with him.

  So over him you’ve been looking out the window all afternoon, hoping he’ll show up?

  She grabbed her keys and purse, ignoring the taunting voice. She opened up the front door to find Chase at the end of her driveway, hands in his pockets.

  “Hi,” he said.

  Turning away to close and lock the door, she tried to think of something clever to say, but all she came up with when she faced him again was “Hi.”

  His mouth tilted up into a small smile, making her heart skip a beat of its own volition. Drat the man and his ability to make her melt.

  “Guess I caught you at a bad time,” he said.

  Fiddling with her keys, she said, “I’m heading out to Buck’s. It’s Justin’s birthday and we’re meeting up for drinks.”

  Chase lost his smile. “So are you two dating now?”

  She realized he’d taken that to mean just the two of them, but she didn’t correct him. “After two weeks without a word, do you really think you have the right to ask?”

  “I deserve that. I did leave you a note, explaining,” he said.

  Melty smile or not, that was the wrong answer. “Oh yes, the note that said you had a family emergency and we’d talk when you got back. Not an ‘I’ll call you tonight’ or even an ‘I’ll text you when I get there.’ And then nothing for two weeks. Were you abducted by aliens and couldn’t get cell service? How is it okay that one minute you’re talking about wanting more and the next you are taking off with no word?”

  “My mother was sick and when I got her husband’s message, I just panicked,” he said softly.

  She took a step toward him, hearing the pain in his voice. “Chase, is she okay?”

  Chase shook his head. “She died. I couldn’t do anything to help her and she just . . .”

  Katie came all the way down the step and wrapped her arms around him. He buried his face in her hair and his shoulders shook with sobs. Her own eyes teared up sympathetically as she said, “I’m so sorry, Chase.”

  She rubbed his back as he clung to her, and she felt a bit of her resolve to not forgive him chip away.

  After long minutes of her just talking softly, he pulled away and said, “I’m sorry for breaking down on you. I don’t deserve your sympathy or your kindness after the way I treated you.”

  Being this close to him, gazing into his eyes, she’d almost forgotten. “I thought you were gone for good.”

  “No, I just handled things badly.” He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Would you give me a chance to make it up to you, Firecracker?”

  No. No way! Absolutely not! “I don’t know, Chase.”

  “What do I need to do to prove to you that I’m in this? I’ll do anything you want,” he said.

  She pulled back from him and said. “I’ll think about it.” Walking around him to her car, feeling his gaze following her, she got an idea. Reaching her door and unlocking it, she looked up at him over the hood and said, “Chase?”

  “Yeah?”

  Smiling, she said, “Maybe you should make a list.”

  He looked confused. “What kind of list?” he asked.

  “Surprise me,” she said, opening the door and climbing inside.

  CHASE
DROVE HOME from Katie’s house, resisting the urge to go to Buck’s to make sure Justin kept his hands to himself, but the last thing Katie wanted was him making a jealous scene.

  He pulled into his driveway and turned off the car, flopping his head back as he tried to think. Maybe he’d make Katie a list of his good and bad qualities. She had asked about those when they first met.

  Sitting up again, he opened the Blazer door and hopped out. He walked toward the house, trying to think of some other ideas. As he climbed the porch, he thought about a list of reasons he fell in love with her. That was romantic.

  Come on, man, get creative. You can do better.

  Two hours later, the idea came to him. And it was perfect.

  KATIE GOT OUT of her car on Monday morning and walked toward the salon door. Opening it with a smile, she called, “Kitty, for the record, I usually don’t like to take clients this . . . early.” She stared at the flower arrangements set up around her station, various colors and shapes exploding from vases and pots. They could have opened a florist shop, there were so many bouquets. “Kitty!”

  Kitty peeked her head out from the supply closet. “Yeah, boss?”

  “Where did all of these flowers come from?”

  Kitty shrugged. “I’m sure there’s a card somewhere. Delivery guy brought them by twenty minutes ago.”

  Flabbergasted, Katie walked over to the first vase of beautiful yellow roses mixed with sprigs of small flowers and greens, and started the search. It wasn’t until she made it to the brightly painted vase of gerbera daisies that she found a small card. She opened it impatiently and read:

  One. I have never given a woman flowers. Ever.

  Tears filled her eyes as she looked around at the flowery apology. As far as lists went, it was a very good start.

  Chapter Seventeen

  * * *

  FOR THE NEXT week, Katie was surprised with another item checked off Chase’s list every day. On Tuesday morning she found a CD on her windshield that read “Katie’s Mix.” She’d put it into the CD player of her car and smiled as The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two” came on first. It was the song they’d first danced to at Buck’s, and she was beyond giddy that he’d remembered.

  The rest of the CD had been a mix of country and pop, all songs she had mentioned. Except for two of them: “T.N.T” by AC/DC was one of Chase’s favorites, and The Backstreet Boys’s “If You Want to Be a Good Girl (Get Yourself a Bad Boy),” which had her laughing hysterically. Josh Turner’s “Firecracker” was the last song and was a favorite of hers, not just because she loved his voice but because it featured Chase’s nickname for her. She used to think it was silly, but now . . .

  She had missed hearing him say it.

  The note attached to the CD read: “Two. I’ve never made a mix CD for a girl. A classic romantic gesture, right?” Funny, she’d watched Pretty in Pink a thousand times and never fantasized about someone making her a mix tape.

  On Wednesday he’d shown up at the salon with takeout from Jensen’s Diner and asked her to have lunch with him. Bacon burgers in hand, they had headed over to the park, and Chase had pulled out a blanket and a cooler. After the blanket had been spread and their burgers consumed, Chase handed her a small card and grabbed the ice chest. She read the card, which had a simple pink rose on the front, and smiled. Three. I have never fed a woman chocolate-covered strawberries.

  Chocolate-covered strawberries were her favorite dessert. She’d almost grabbed the ice chest from him as he slowly lifted the lid and pulled out a plate of perfectly dipped, red strawberries. He’d held one out for her and when she tried to take it, he’d shaken his head.

  “Ah, ah, ah, it doesn’t count if I don’t feed them to you,” he’d said teasingly.

  “What if I don’t like to be fed?” she said.

  He started to put the strawberries away and she’d almost cried. “Fine! Okay, you can feed them to me.”

  “Close your eyes.” His tone was soft and sinfully sexy. Katie did what he’d asked and felt something hard and cool against her lips. “Open your mouth.”

  She did, and the strawberry slid into her mouth. She bit into the sweet, juicy fruit and moaned. She protested when he pulled it back, but seconds later his warm mouth replaced the strawberry, his tongue sweeping inside. The kiss had taken her breath and made her heart thump, but before she could decide whether she wanted the kiss to continue or not, he was gone.

  Opening her eyes to find his dark gray ones searching her face, as if looking for something, had been frustrating. She’d waited for him to try again, wanted him to just do it, not ask her if it was okay. Because if he asked, then she would have to think about it, and what he had done. Katie leaned forward, giving him permission, but he had just held the half-eaten strawberry out to her and grabbed one for himself. He’d started talking about how good they were, and said that when he’d seen the chocolate at Hall’s Market, he knew she would love them.

  She had finished off a half a plate of strawberries before she realized he’d done it on purpose. He’d teased her into a confused, wanting state, and unless she made a move, he would just sit back and blabber about whatever. Well, she wasn’t going to be manipulated, and he was just going to have to try a little harder.

  Her resolve not to be so easily seduced was almost forgotten on Thursday when he’d stood outside her house with the Rock Canyon High School Glee Club and band and sang “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” by Chicago. If she hadn’t been standing in her monkey-see-monkey-do pajamas and the neighbors hadn’t started screaming, it would have been the most romantic moment of her life. As it was, her neighbor, Mr. Jefferies, had fired a warning shot in the air that sent the kids running.

  Chase had merely ambled up to the porch with a smile. “Nice pajamas.”

  “Katie Connors, what’s the meaning of all that racket in the middle of the night? I ought to call the chief!” Mr. Jefferies yelled.

  “I apologize, it won’t happen again,” she said.

  The older man gave Chase a disapproving look and pointed his finger. “As for you, all that caterwauling ain’t gonna make up for the fact that you broke this poor girl’s heart.”

  “Mr. Jefferies!” Katie cried, horror and humiliation making her face flush in the dark.

  Chase had taken it all in stride and said, “I know, sir, but I have to start somewhere.”

  “Hmmm . . . well, you just keep the shenanigans to a minimum from now on, you got me, young man?” he said.

  “Yes sir,” Chase said, and the crotchety old guy went grumbling back into his house, carrying his shotgun by the strap.

  “I am so sorry about that,” Katie had said, glad he couldn’t tell how deep her blush was in the dimness of the porch light.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Chase said, handing her a little pink card. “This is for you.”

  Opening the card, she read, “‘Four. I have never serenaded a woman by moonlight.’” She looked up in the sky and said, “Not much of a moon out tonight.”

  “I think it’s the thought that counts.” He’d stepped up on the porch, inches away from her, and her heart skipped and jumped.

  “It does,” she said, unable to look away from his lips.

  “So, did you like it?” he asked, leaning his mouth down near hers.

  She licked her lips and whispered, “Hmmm, I don’t know. Making fun of my pajamas and pissing off my neighbors. Plus, you probably just traumatized a bunch of high-school kids.”

  “But you liked it?” She could feel the warmth of his breath against her lips.

  “Yes. I loved it,” she said.

  Chase had dropped his head the last fraction of an inch and kissed her, placing his hands on her waist. She reached up to run her hands over the back of his neck and pressed her body into his. Her nipples hardened as they rubbed against the fabric of her shirt and his hard chest.

  He pulled back slowly and she’d protested. “Where are you going?”

  Kissing her again softly, he
said, “Home.”

  “What? Why?”

  He’d reached up and taken her hands down from his neck. “Because it’s late and you need to get up for work in the morning.”

  Kissing her cheek and turning to walk back to his chopper, he’d started whistling. Katie had scowled and said, “Seriously, I am inviting you inside and you aren’t going to come?”

  “Nope. Good night.” He swung his leg over the chopper and started it up. He’d given her one last wave before pulling into the street and flipping around.

  She’d stomped into the house and gone to bed grumbling.

  Now it was Friday morning, and as she walked out to her car, Katie found a little pink card that read: Five. I have never told a woman no when she asked me to come inside.

  Was that supposed to make her feel special? Chase gave in to everybody else, but with her, it was so much easier to resist?

  Katie got into her car with a mission. She was done with this game. He had apologized, he had romanced, and he had teased, but when it came down to it, he was toying with her.

  Something had to be done.

  DRIVING OUT AND making a left onto Main Street, Katie headed to The Local Bean. She parked in the lot beside the big brick building and got out of the car, walking toward the coffee house with a determined gait. Opening the door, she walked inside to find Gracie McAllister talking to Ryan Ashton over a pile of magazines.

  Katie almost turned around and walked back out the door. The last thing she needed when she was feeling so agitated was to run into Chase’s previous crush.

  But she was caught by Gracie, who looked up and said, “Katie! Carmel mocha?”

  Drat, too late. She walked to the counter and said, “Sure, that sounds amazing.” Her eyes shifted to Ryan, and she asked, “How are you, Ryan? Getting excited for the wedding?”

  Holding up the stack of magazines, which appeared to be all wedding related, Ryan laughed. “Can you tell? I never knew how many things were on a bride’s to-do list.”

  “I can imagine,” Katie said a little bitterly.