Page 10 of Good Girls Don't Kiss and Tell

He pulled out of the driveway and headed home. His younger brother, Grant, and the rest of the staff had everything under control at Buck’s Shot Bar tonight, and his dad had grabbed his mom from Gemma’s when he’d taken off with Gracie. He’d have to call them and let them know Gemma was going to be okay.

They had mentioned they’d be headed to Jackpot after the shower. His parents might be in their late sixties, early seventies, but they acted like a couple of kids together. Still in love after all this time. And best friends.

If he ever settled down, that was what he wanted. A friend he couldn’t wait to see every day, who, even if he was pissed at her, was still his favorite person.

He hadn’t found her yet, but he wasn’t in a hurry either. He was only thirty-six. His uncle didn’t get married and have kids until he was almost fifty.

Eric pulled into his driveway a few minutes later and parked his car in the garage. It was detached, since he’d bought his land first, then his twenty-year-old modular once the land and the utilities were installed. He’d paid cash for his home, and then updated it room by room. Hardwood floors. New sheet rock and insulation in the walls. His place had been his project, and he was proud of it.

The snow falling obscured the view of the Sawtooth Mountains and the Snake River Canyon. He’d financed the 5.7 acres when he was twenty-four, and he’d never regretted it. On top of having a fantastic view, it was secluded, away from the bustle of town. God knew he got enough of people at the bar; the last thing he wanted was close neighbors.

He stomped his boots on the welcome mat and walked inside. The first thing he did was start to call out to Bones, his Rottweiler-pit bull mix, but then he remembered that Bones was gone. He’d had to put him down the week before; he’d come home to find Bones on the floor, unable to move. He’d called Rock Canyon Veterinary Hospital, and they’d thought he’d probably had a stroke. Eric had petted his head and bawled like a baby as he’d said good-bye to his best friend.

Clearing his throat past the lump that had formed, Eric grabbed a beer from the fridge and settled in front of the TV, stopping on aSons of Anarchyrerun. In a little while, he’d make dinner, maybe call some of his friends and see if they were up for a game of poker.

Not much of a rockin’ Saturday night.

Chapter Four

“Nosy people are so irritating, don’t you think? Oh, wait…HA!” - Miss Know-It-All’s Gossip Column.

Gracie usually alternated Thanksgiving and Christmas with her parents, and since this Thanksgiving she was on her own, she volunteered to deliver meals to families in need in their community. Afterwards, she usually went to Travis and Gemma’s, but after a week of listening to Gemma bitch about being on bed rest, she needed a break. She’d bought a precooked meal at Hall’s Market yesterday and had made a couple of pies for her own enjoyment. Maybe it was overkill, but at least she could make the desserts she wanted to eat, instead of the ones her mother always chose.

She’d actually been a little relieved that Darrin hadn’t asked her to go to his parents’. He’d come over the night of Gemma’s baby shower, and they’d watched a movie on the couch. Well, she’d watched; he’d kept trying to stick his hands down her pants while he’d slobbered on her neck. She just hadn’t been feeling it and had finally said she was feeling sick to her stomach. He’d been out the door faster than she could say indigestion.

It was obvious she just wasn’t that into him, but she needed him, at least until her parents left. It might have been wrong to use the guy, but if it was between stringing him along another month or having to experience the weight of disappointment in her mother’s eyes, she’d play him like a fiddle.

She was down to her last meal delivery a little after two and walked up the steps to little duplex’s door. She knocked a couple of times, and nobody answered. She had just turned around to leave when the door creaked open behind her.

She looked down into the dirty face of a little girl, just a toddler. She was wearing a short-sleeved night dress with Ariel on the front, and her hair was a tangled mess around her head. Her thumb was shoved into her mouth, and her big blue eyes stared up at Gracie apprehensively.

“Hey, sweetie. Is your mom home?”

The little girl shook her head slowly, and Gracie’s stomach knotted up. “Are you sure?”

To her surprise, the child took Gracie’s empty hand, and Gracie hesitantly followed her inside. The first thing that hit her was the smell; her eyes immediately started watering, and as she looked around the living room and tiny kitchen, she saw dirty dishes piled up, soiled diapers thrown across the floor, and the trash was overflowing.

Gracie set the food boxes on the counter and knelt down. She touched the little girl’s feet with her free hand and said in a high, singsongy voice, “My, your feet are cold! Do you have socks and boots you can wear?”

She tugged Gracie’s hand again, and it occurred to her that she was too trusting of strangers. If she had answered the door for the wrong person…

Gracie walked into the child’s room and her stomach sank. A dirty mattress sat on the barren, filthy floor with only a single blanket and pillow. There was a plastic tub filled with clothes in the corner and more diapers thrown about.

Gracie pulled her phone out, smiling reassuringly into the thin face. She might be younger than Gracie originally thought, just skinny. “Can you find some socks and pants?”

The little girl went to the basket and Gracie stared at her bony arms and legs. After dialing the Rock Canyon Police Department, she waited for someone to answer.

“Rock Canyon Police Department, how may I assist you?”

Gracie recognized Sam’s deep voice and spoke softly, “Sam, this is Gracie McAllister.”

“Hey, Gracie, Happy Thanksgiving.”

“You too.” When the little girl handed her a pair of sweats, worn boots and mismatched socks, she knelt down to help. “Hey, I’m at 4113 Thistle, and I found a toddler home alone. The place is a mess, and she’s filthy. Can you send someone?”

“Yeah, I’ll call in backup and be there in two shakes.”

“Thanks.”

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