Good Girls Don't Kiss and Tell

by Codi Gary

  He got the silent message. It was up to him to fix it.

  He climbed out of the pool and pulled his boxers, clothes, and boots on. He figured that he had minutes before Melvin came out to investigate why his dog was having a meltdown.

  Getting on his jacket, he faced Gracie, keeping his voice low. “I’m going to distract them, and while I’m doing that, you run back to the car.”

  “What? That’s stupid. We should just open the door and holler at Melvin. He might just make us pay for the use of the tub—”

  “Or, he’s pissed enough to call the cops and they call your parents to bail you out, thus proving your mother right.”

  She paused, her cheeks draining of color. “Yeah, you better get your ass running, Skip.”

  He walked over and grabbed her around the waist and kissed her hard. “For luck.”

  “You’re not going to war, idiot! You’re outrunning a dog.”

  “Hey, it’s a big fucking dog.”

  She pushed him away, laughing. “God, I wish I had a video camera with a night vision. I so want to record this and put it on YouTube.”

  “You’ll pay for that.”

  Eric took a deep breath as he went to the door. “Okay, flick off the light.”

  She did as he asked, and the room went pitch-black. As if sensing he was ready to run, the dog started growling again.

  Eric gripped the doorknob, and with a quick jerk, he threw the door open, pushing the dog out of the way.

  And he took off, his boots clomping against the crunchy snow. He could hear the dog behind him, panting. Melvin shouted something, but Eric kept running.

  Suddenly, a heavy weight crashed against his back, and he hit the cold, hard ground with a curse.

  He didn’t move as the dog stood above him, growling. The hot air of its breath tickled his bare head and he realized he’d left his hat in the shed.

  This was a bad fucking idea.

  Suddenly, he heard the slam of a door, and Gracie’s cry: “Hey, puppy, puppy!”

  The dog’s weight was suddenly gone, and he looked up in time to watch her running her ass off toward the fence, the huge beast hot on her heels.

  “Move, you idiot, move!” she hollered.

  Eric climbed to his feet and did what she said. The dog seemed to have a hard time deciding who to chase, since every time he started after one, the other would whistle or yell.

  Melvin was coming down the hill, huffing and puffing in the dark.

  “Who the hell is out there? We shoot trespassers, you know!”

  Gracie was climbing up the chain link, which left only Eric on the ground. He dived for the opening in the fence and had managed to squeeze in past his ass before the dog grabbed a hold of his pant leg with his teeth.

  Eric clawed at the ground, trying to pull himself through as the dog played tug-of-war.

  Gracie landed on the ground by his shoulder, and he had to hand it to her. For being such a girly girl, she could sure climb a fence.

  Gracie grabbed something off the ground and threw it over the fence. “Get the stick, doggie.”

  Brutus released Eric long enough to investigate, and Gracie grabbed the chain link and lifted it. “Hurry.”

  Eric made it just before Brutus came back, barking and jumping, his big tail swinging. Eric laughed, realizing that the dog had thought it was a big game and wasn’t actually trying to eat him.

  Gracie helped him to his feet, and they ran through the trees. Melvin called for Brutus several times in the distance, and by the time they made it back to the car, Eric was sure the old man had given up the chase.

  They leaned over the hood, breathing hard, and when their eyes locked in the light of the moon, they both started laughing.

  “God, that was crazy.”

  “You’re crazy,” she said. “Next time, I’m picking the activity, and there will be no trespassing or giant dogs!”

  “Deal.” Eric reached for her hand and pulled her against him. “It was still fun, though, right?”

  She shrugged against him. “I guess. You know, the five minutes in the pool were pretty fantastic.”

  “Five minutes? That was way longer than five minutes!”

  She acted bored. “Fine, six minutes.”

  He growled at her and slid his hands down her thighs, then lifted her up against his body. An owl hooted in the distance, and he carried her to the passenger side of the car as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She ran her hands over his shoulders and rubbed them into his muscles as he pressed her into the car. He held her with one arm and wrapped the other in her hair, bringing her mouth down to his. He rubbed his already hardening cock against the juncture of her thighs, and when she hungrily kissed him back, he almost ripped her pants off and fucked her again.

  But he noticed the almost crisp texture of her wet hair and realized it was so cold, her hair was freezing. The last thing he wanted was her getting sick.

  Their kiss broke, leaving them both panting heavily in the night. She leaned her head on his shoulder, her mouth right next to his ear. “Okay, we’ll say seven.”

  He laughed roughly, shaking his head. “Let’s get the hell out of here before the cops show up.”

  Eric let her slide down his body, almost groaning at the sensation, and helped her inside. He got in and turned the heat up, waiting for the car to warm.

  “As nice as latent teenage rebellion is, I am ready to curl up in a nice, comfy bed.”

  “Good thing you’re staying at my place, then,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. “It’s less froufrou than yours, and it’s bigger.”

  She pinched his arm. “Froufrou? It’s whimsical, and my bed is very comfortable.”

  “I’m sure it is, but it’s still girly and tiny.”

  “I love my room.”

  “Yeah, but you can’t have a real man stay over. My feet hang off the end of it by a foot!” She leaned over and slid her hand down his body. “If your legs were bent spooning me, you wouldn’t have had that issue.”

  Eric shook his head. “All I can say is I am so glad your parents are in town. I want you so bad, but if I had to origami myself into that doll bed again, I might never stretch back out.”

  Gracie laughed, moving back to her side of the car. “Such a drama queen. Who says I’m up for anymore sexcapades tonight, anyway?”

  He pretended to pout. “You don’t want to play with me anymore?”

  “I guess I could be convinced.”

  Eric backed the car down the road and was just about to pull out when Gracie laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked.

  “I was just thinking Miss Know-It-All would have had a field day with this.”

  Eric heard the edge of bitterness in her voice and reached for her hand. “I meant what I said, Gracie Lou. No one needs to know our business but us.”

  “Which is probably why we shouldn’t trespass and skinny dip, huh?”

  Her lighter tone made him relax. He knew that the column would be a sore spot with her for a while, but was hoping with time, she could move past it and realize it wasn’t about hurting her. It was his voice, his release, and he wouldn’t have changed where it had brought him.

  Sitting next to Gracie Lou McAllister in his car, reaching across to close the distance between them and kissing her in the moonlight.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Blessings and miracles occur all the time. Some just take longer than others.” - Miss Know-It-All’s Gossip Column.

  On Friday, Gracie got off work and climbed into her car, barely able to keep her eyes open. When they’d gotten back to Eric’s house after their adventure, she should have been prepared for being dumped over his shoulder and carried back into his bedroom like he was a Viking warrior and she was his bounty. However, he’d more than made up for it with a long, hot shower, twenty-two minutes of toe-curling foreplay that he’d actually timed, and the best seven minutes of her life afterward. She didn’t even regret the lack of sleep, it had bee
n that good.

  She set her third cup of coffee in her cup holder as her cell started ringing. She figured it was her mom wondering when she was going to get there, but when she checked out the screen, it was a number she didn’t recognize. She slid her thumb over the green phone icon and held it to her ear.

  “Hello, this is Gracie.”

  “Hello?” a high, raspy voice said.

  “Hi, who is this?”

  “This is Margaret Lincoln. Are you Miss McAllister?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You had my great-granddaughter, Jocelyn, with you?”

  Gracie’s heart hammered against her breast bone, and she pressed the phone harder to the side of her head, as if that would help her hear better. “Yes, yeah, I did. How is she?”

  “Oh, she’s doing okay. Quiet little thing. Hardly says a word.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “Her case worker mentioned you would like to see her?”

  Gracie caught her breath, allowing it to whoosh out slowly. “I would, very much.”

  “Well, I’d like to meet you first, if that’s all right. Have a little sit-down.”

  Gracie’s stomach flipped with excitement. “I would be happy to do that. When is it convenient for you?”

  “I was thinking Tuesday. I need to go into town for something, and my eldest daughter, Jocelyn’s grandmother, will be watching her.”

  Gracie was disappointed she wouldn’t get to see Pip, but she understood Margaret’s instinct to protect her. And boy, did she want to learn more about the family dynamic.

  “Of course, would two be all right? We could meet at the Starbucks in Twin, near the mall?”

  “That would be fine.”

  “Great, I’ll see you then. Thank you for calling, Margaret.”

  “Of course, honey.” Margaret’s voice had warmed considerably during their conversation. “See you Tuesday.”

  “Bye.” Gracie ended the call with a tap, and her chest warmed with excitement. If Pip’s great-grandma wanted to talk to her, did it mean she might get some kind of visitation?

  Gracie put her phone in the cup holder and grabbed her Bluetooth ear piece. Once she was set up with hands-free, she called Eric.

  “Hey you,” he said, his deep voice making her insides tighten.

  “Hey, guess what?”

  “What?”

  “Pip’s great-grandmother, the woman she is staying with, wants to meet me! I think she might let me see her if this goes well!”

  “That’s great, babe! I’m really happy for you both.”

  His warm enthusiasm made Gracie’s smile widen. “Me too. I just hope she likes me.”

  “She will. I guarantee it.”

  Gracie pulled out onto the main road, practically humming with happiness. “Thank you. That really means a lot.”

  “You gonna come back over tonight?” he asked.

  “Hmmm, I don’t know. Hard, lumpy couch or sleeping with you…decisions…”

  “If you’re looking for pros, my bed is big, comfy, and I’m in it.”

  “And so is your snoring…plus you fart in your sleep.”

  Eric burst out laughing, and she liked the way the sound made her heart beat fast.

  “I hate to break it to you, babe, but everyone farts in their sleep.”

  “I do not.”

  “Um, yeah, you do. It’s cute, really, ’cause they’re kind of quiet and high-pitched—”

  “Oh my God, new topic!” she said, laughing. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

  “Hey, you brought it up. I was just defending my honor.”

  “Ha, an honorable man would not have described my flatulating practices.”

  She could tell Eric was having a hard time catching his breath, and she giggled at his mirth.

  “Okay, okay, enough. Are you coming over or what?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I think I’ll be there.”

  “Good. I’ll see you after work. The door will be open.”

  “Thanks. See you later.”

  “Later.”

  Gracie shook her head as she ended the call. Never in her life had she talked about farting with a guy. Well, Mike, but he didn’t count. They’d never bumped uglies.

  She pulled into her driveway, still musing about the ease with which they’d fallen into bed together, and things hadn’t gotten weird. Maybe because with everything that had happened between them over the years, it was bound to happen? It didn’t mean anything; it would actually be nice to have a little something something while they were pulling off this charade.

  Gracie walked through the door of her home to find her mother cleaning her kitchen. She was wearing one of Gracie’s “dirty” aprons as she scrubbed the counter aggressively. Across her boobs, the words I Like Sweet Treats and I Cannot Lie was embroidered in pink, and the straps and skirt of the apron was a mix of baked good fabric. Gracie had one of the women in town make them for her, to help out a fellow small business and because they were a conversation starter at The Local Bean.

  Seeing her mother wearing it, though, was a little disturbing. She doubted her mom had ever heard the Sir Mix-a-Lot song.

  “Hey, where’s Dad?”

  Her mother glanced up, then went back to scrubbing. “Out with friends at the lodge.”

  Uh-oh. Something was not right in Wonderland.

  Gracie warily set her purse and jacket down on the couch. “Did you two have a fight or something?”

  Her mother slapped her rag against the counter and scowled at her. “Yes, Gracie, we had a fight.”

  “Well, geez, why are you biting my head off?”

  “Because according to you and your father, I am this horrible person who makes everyone miserable.”

  “Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch. I know I didn’t say that—”

  “You and your boyfriend think that I don’t respect you and all that you’ve done, but I do. I am very proud of you!” Gracie’s jaw dropped as her mother’s eyes welled up with tears and her voice got choky. “Can’t I also want you to have a plan B? Something stable to fall back on if the market crashes?”

  “Mom, come on. I get that you worry, but your backup plan is a husband.”

  Her mother dropped the rag to cross her arms over her chest. “Well, don’t you want a husband?”

  “Yeah, I do, eventually, but I also want him to be the right guy. You and Dad got married and lived with your parents until Dad was able to get a full-time job, but you were crazy about each other. That’s what I want. I’ve held out too long to settle for anything less than the all-consuming, love-each-other-even-when-we-want-to-kill-each-other kind of love.”

  “I want that for you, too, Gracie, believe me I do…but the men you usually date are…”

  Gracie grinned. “Douche nozzles?”

  Her mother laughed. “I wouldn’t have worded it that way.”

  “It’s okay, I know my track record sucks. But Eric isn’t like that. He’s a little rough around the edges, but he’d a good guy.”

  She caught her mother’s skeptical expression and insisted, “He is. He came over after Pip went to live with her great-grandmother, and he just helped me, Mom. He comforted me when I needed him.”

  Gracie realized that for a man she was only pretending to be involved with, her defense of him was pretty honest and passionate.

  Her mother sighed, a small smile tilting the corner of her mouth. “Fine, I’ll give him a chance. I hate his beard, though.”

  Gracie laughed. “Oh, I know. I told him he needs to get rid of it, but full disclosure, it is kind of hot. Especially when he—”

  “For the sake of our relationship, I will ask you to remember that I am your mother and you will always be a sweet, innocent child in my eyes,” her mother deadpanned.

  “Fair enough. So, what was with Dad?”

  “He’s just such an ass sometimes,” her mother grumbled.

  “That’s helpful.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Tell me mor
e about your day.”

  Gracie debated telling her mom about the call from Pip’s great-grandmother and finally caved because she was so happy. “Pip’s great-grandmother, who has custody, called me and asked to meet next week. I think she’d going to be okay with me seeing Pip.”

  “Is that what you want? Won’t that be hard on you?” her mom asked.

  “Actually, it’s harder not seeing her. I can’t explain it, but she was like this light that came into my life. I can’t believe that I found her, only to lose her completely.”

  Her mother came around and hugged her tight. “You’re wonderful. Have I told you that?”

  Gracie sniffled as she started to cry. “Not lately.”

  “Then I’m sorry for that. Do you have pictures of Pip? I’d like to see her.”

  Gracie eagerly grabbed her phone and as she settled in next to her mother on the couch, scrolling through pictures. She was glad it was just the two of them, because she flashed back on all the times her mother had been there for her, supporting her, teaching her. Sure, she might be overbearing and makes Gracie nuts, but there was always love there. She was really lucky.

  She laid her head on her mom’s shoulder. “I love you, Mommy.”

  “What brought that about?”

  “I just do.”

  “Well, I love you too.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “I love seeing people about town with their pets…although, it’s a little disturbing when a guy admits he borrowed the dog to pick up chicks. Does that even work?” - Miss Know-It-All’s Gossip Column.

  Eric woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of loud music blaring from the direction of his kitchen. Bleary eyed, he stumbled out of bed and down the hallway, stopping in the doorway. Gracie was in one of his T-shirts and a pair of boxers, her little bare feet kicking up a storm as she mixed something in a bowl. She was singing loudly, and he could tell from the back of her hair that she’d only run her fingers through it. He looked at the oven clock and saw it was a little after nine.

  Normally when someone woke him before eleven, he’d be ready to throw their asses out the door, but he couldn’t even dredge up an ounce of irritation. She was just too damn adorable to stay mad at.