Page 29 of Things Good Girls Don't Do (Rock Canyon, Idaho 1)

The jingle of the front door pulled him back as two guys walked in with wide grins. “Hey, Chase, we were hoping to get a couple of tattoos, but if it’s a bad time . . .”

Chase didn’t like the Coulter brothers, and he especially didn’t like the leers they were giving Katie. Helping her pull her long skirt back down, he stepped out from between her legs and stood a bit in front of her. “If you boys will just wait over there, I’ll be with you in a bit.”

Katie let him go and slid off the counter. Seeing the red stain of her cheeks, he said, “Why don’t you head on home and I’ll text you when I leave?”

She nodded and didn’t even look at the other men as she left.

Wayne, the uglier and meaner of the two, sneered. “Well, I never thought I’d see sweet little Katie in such a position. What’s your secret, Trepasso?”

Chase still possessed some self-control because he didn’t punch the vile son of a bitch right there. “Did you guys come in for tattoos or not?”

KATIE PULLED UP to her house and laughed. Standing on her front porch were Becca and Steph, talking animatedly.

“Well gee, if I knew you girls were coming over, I’d have grabbed margarita mix,” Katie said as she climbed out of the 4Runner.

Steph held up a bag. “Got it. And since when are you fooling around with Chase Trepasso?”

Becca threw up her hands when Katie glared at her. “Don’t look at me; you’re the one who was making out with him on the dance floor last night.”

“Nobody told me, I read about it in the new gossip column! They even have a picture of you!” Steph said, holding up the paper.

Katie took it from her and read the headline: GOOD GIRL GONE BAD? Underneath was a picture of Chase and her with their faces close together. The first sentence read, “Could Katie Connors be shedding her golden-girl image to hook resident bad boy, Chase Trepasso?”

“What a load of crap,” she said, scowling.

Handing the paper back to Steph, she pulled out her house keys and walked past them to unlock the door. Becca and Steph followed her inside and closed the door behind them.

Tossing her keys on the kitchen counter, Katie walked over to the cupboard to pull out the blender, stretching onto her tiptoes to reach it.

“Are you going to answer me or not?” Steph insisted.

Katie shot Becca a grin over her shoulder. “Not without some tequila in me.”

Steph sighed loudly but handed her the mix and tequila. Katie put the blender on the counter and plugged it in. She poured in four shots, the mix, and ice before replacing the lid and pushing the power button. When there was a smooth mix of ice and alcohol, she got down her good margarita glasses and led them to the table.

Steph pointed at her hair. “Holy shit, your hair has purple in it.”

“Yep,” Katie said.

“What is up with you?” Steph looked at Becca accusingly.

Becca laughed and said, “Sorry, it wasn’t me. She walked into my shop with her hair already like that.”

“Don’t you like it?” Katie asked, a little upset Steph was acting like her mother and not her best friend. Steph had always been protective of her, but she had never been unsupportive.

Steph’s mouth dropped open. “Of course I love it! It is freaking awesome sauce! I just want to know what’s happened in the last two days to make you go all punk-rock princess on me.”

“I’m guessing that it had something to do with Chase,” Becca said mischievously.

Katie took a big gulp of her margarita and yelled, “Ahhh! Brain freeze.”

“Don’t change the subject! Tell me!” Steph got all shrieky when she was excited.

Katie knew there was no help for it except to tell the truth. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she said, “I was feeling a little low on Monday and I wrote a list. A list of things I’ve never done.”

“Okay, with you so far.”

Katie took a smaller drink and continued, “Well, Chase got a hold of it, and we’ve just been kind of . . . hanging out.”

---