Page 54 of Things Good Girls Don't Do

Katie stopped behind Gemma, breathing hard, and said, “I’m sorry about that. Are you ready to get started?”

She barely heard Gemma’s answer, she was so focused on why Jimmy was acting so bizarre. He almost seemed jealous of Chase, but that made no sense. He had cheated onher, dumpedher, and was currentlyengagedto someone else. So why was he coming around trying to give her dating advice?

“Men are moronic,” she grumbled.

Gemma let out a quiet chuckle. “Yeah, it’s tough. Can’t live with them, can’t shoot them. Unless you’ve got a real good place to hide the body.”

Katie laughed, feeling a little bit better. “Well what do you say we swap man troubles over some bleach and a Coke?”

CHASE WOKE UPalone in Katie’s room and looked at the clock. 9:36. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he picked his boxers off the floor, sliding them up over his hips. Padding out to the kitchen, he saw the bag of bagels and the slip of paper.

Morning, Hotstuff,

I didn’t want to wake you, you looked so peaceful. There’s cream cheese in the fridge and I’ll call you later.

Have a good day,

Katie

Chase plugged in the toaster and grabbed the cream cheese, whistling with a grin. Last night had been incredible, but at one point he’d had an epiphany so wild, it was like being kicked in the gut.

He wanted Katie to be his only, and he was having a hard time figuring out how to put that into words.

Tonight was his late night, and he probably wouldn’t see her. The idea of not being with her was a major mood killer. He finished his bagel and headed back to her bedroom to grab his clothes. He saw Katie’s evil-looking cat sitting on top of his jeans, glaring at him.

“What’s your problem, cat?”

The black animal hissed and scrambled past him down the hallway, his belly to the floor.

Chase shook his head, picked up his jeans to pull them on, and jerked his hand back.

They were wet.

He sniffed his hand and gagged.

“You’re dead, cat!”

A hiss came from somewhere, as if the creature was saying, “Screw you, asshole.”

Chase left Katie’s house slamming the door and texted her,Your cat pissed on my jeans.

Stuffing his phone into his pocket, he swung into his seat to drive home and shower. Would it ruin the jeans to bleach them?

He’d risk the bleach, and remember to pick them up off the floor next time.

Smiling in spite of his wet, pungent leg, he tried not to dwell on the fact that he was already looking forward to seeing Katie again.

KATIE WAS STILLlaughing as she left work that night. She felt bad that Slinks had peed on Chase’s jeans and she had texted him to say so. The cat was possessive and a little psycho, but he was her baby and didn’t like to share her. Chase had texted her back that they may have to limit their overnights at her house unless he bought another couple pairs of jeans. Katie had almost told him he was lucky all Slinks had done was pee, but she’d refrained. Chase would probably veto all overnights at her place if he knew Jimmy had gotten a number two in his work boots once.

The Rock Canyon Independence Day Extravaganza planning committee had arranged to meet today to reschedule the fireworks, and although she wasn’t looking forward to being in the same room as Mrs. Andrews, she’d made a commitment and she was going to honor it.

She parked her car and started walking toward the building.

“Katie, may I speak to you for a minute?”

Turning around, she tried to keep her voice mild as she faced Mrs. Andrews. “Sure, I was just heading inside to go over the rescheduling of the fireworks.”

“In light of what transpired between us at the pageant, I think it would be best if we not work together,” Mrs. Andrews blurted.

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