Page 57 of Things Good Girls Don't Do (Rock Canyon, Idaho 1)

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 STILL laughing 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.

Katie was taken aback. She’d actually been expecting an apology from her, not a resignation. “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, Mrs. Andrews. I know we both said some things we didn’t mean, and I apologize for my inappropriateness, but you don’t have to quit the committee.”

“You misunderstand me, dear. I am here to tell you that it’s you who is no longer welcome on this committee,” she said.

How dare you try to undermine me? Katie thought as she tried to control the lump in her throat. Every time she got angry or upset, she felt like she had swallowed a jawbreaker. “You can’t kick me off the committee; I’m in charge.”

“I’ve spoken to the council and informed them you had some issues that you needed to work out before you could take on any more town projects. They were very understanding,” she said.

Katie said, “Was there something wrong with the way I organized the parade and the fair?”

Mrs. Andrews glared. “There were no major problems, no.”

“So this is personal. This is because you don’t like who I’m dating or the way I’m behav

ing?” Katie wanted to scream at the older woman, but she was managing to keep her voice just above a harsh whisper.

“You are not behaving like yourself. You’re usually so responsible and easy to work with, but the way you’ve been since . . .”

Katie interrupted. “Just because I don’t automatically agree with everything you say doesn’t mean that I can’t do my job. It just means I’m finally tired of people treating me like someone who should be seen and not heard. So with all due respect, Mrs. Andrews, you need to leave the committee until you can apologize for your lack of professionalism.”

Mrs. Andrews’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t . . .”

“Oh, you bet I can. You have done nothing but try to make me feel incompetent and small since this whole project started. I was trying to be nice before, but the way you spoke to me at the pageant was inappropriate and unacceptable. So you need to go home and think about the way you have been treating everyone in town who doesn’t follow your rigid view of what’s right. Once you’re willing to apologize, you may come back.”

Katie didn’t wait to listen to any more spluttering the older woman had in her. She felt good. She had said what she needed to and hadn’t been rude, only firm.

She walked into the community center with a weight off her shoulders and announced loudly, “Good afternoon, everyone! Mrs. Andrews will not be joining us for a few days, and if anyone else has a problem with the way I manage this committee or my personal life, they are welcome to leave now too.”

Several older women and one man stood up and left, but instead of feeling bad about it, she just said, “Anyone else? All right then, let’s get to planning.”

Chapter Eleven

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