Page 72 of Good Girls Don't Kiss and Tell

“Hey, we’ve been tending bar a long time, sonny, and we deserve to take it easy in our golden years,” his dad said.

The night went by fast for a Tuesday; the same guys who always came in to wind down after work and the same girls trolling. He went to the back storeroom to grab another case of beer and heard a sound behind him. He turned and watched his mom come over to grab another case. She lifted it up and looked at him straight on as she said, “I like Gracie.”

An involuntary smile spread across his face. “Me too.”

His mother seemed to have something on her mind, so he set the case down with a sigh. “All right, Mom, spit it out.”

She set her case down too and touched his arm. “Are you sure she’s right for you? She’s kind of a flibbertigibbet.”

He laughed at the term. “She’s got a bad track record, yeah, but she’s a nice woman. She makes me happy.”

“But does she love you? I won’t stand for her hurting my baby, no matter how good her coffee is.”

Eric turned and grabbed the case again, avoiding the whole talk of feelings with his mother. “And on that note, it’s none of your business. But I do appreciate the sentiment.”

She pinched his cheek as he walked by, and he cursed. He didn’t know why mothers felt like they could reduce their grown-ass sons to grumbling children, but Connie Henderson had it down to a science.

About an hour before close, Eric handed off a lemon drop to Kirsten, and she gave him a pout he was sure she meant to be sexy but it just rubbed him wrong. “You haven’t called me, Eric. I thought maybe after Halloween, we could have made this a more permanent thing.”

Eric almost grimaced thinking about the night of the Halloween Ball. He’d been mad at Gracie for having a date with that tool Darrin, and when Kirsten had come on to him, he’d gone with it. Kirsten was nice enough, but she didn’t stir anything up inside him.

Not the way Gracie did.

“Sorry about that, Kirsten, but I’m actually seeing someone.”

His blunt answer must have surprised her, because her cheeks turned rosy and her eyes widened. “Wow, for how long?”

He shrugged. “A couple of weeks. I wasn’t trying to lead you on that night, and I don’t mean to hurt your feelings now, but—”

She interrupted him, her tone nonchalant and casual. “I get it, Eric, no need to explain. It was just a one-time thing. Who’s the lucky girl, though?”

“Gracie McAllister.”

Kirsten’s frown intensified. “I thought that was just a rumor. I always figured her and Mike Stevens would end up together.”

Eric felt that jealous worm creep toward the surface. “No, she’s dating me.”

“Oh, well, good for you. I hope it works out for you both. You know how that girl likes to get around.”

The dig wasn’t lost on him, but he let it go. “Appreciate the well wishes, Kirsten, and catching up, but I need to get back to it. That will be six for the drink.”

She handed him a five and several ones. She leaned over the bar, pushing up her breasts and fluttering her lashes. “I’ll see you around, Eric. You can always give me a call if things don’t work out with Gracie.”

Eric backed away from the predatory gleam in her eye and felt a bit like a cornered antelope when a hunter had it in their sights. “Thanks for the offer, but we’re pretty solid.”

As Kirsten walked away, shaking her ass for his benefit, he wondered what in the hell was up with the women around him. It was as though they could sense he was attached, even fake attached, and it made them crazy.

It almost made him regret the column he sent in. But he suspected that Gracie’s reaction would be worth the discomfort.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Self-preservation should always be standard in matters of the heart.” - Miss-Know-It-All’s Gossip Column.

Gracie wiped down the counter for what seemed like the fiftieth time, wishing she wasn’t so distracted this morning. She wanted to blame her lack of sleep on the late-night talk with her mother about Pip or the fact that Netflix had addedLeap Yearto it’s catalog. It was one of her favorite movies and she’d been up well past three in the morning watching it.

But in fact, her foggy brain was due to her lack of communication with Eric. She’d actually sent him a text this morning, asking him how he was, but she hadn’t heard a peep from him yet. Of course, he could be sleeping…

Or he’s avoiding me because I’m an asshole.

---