Page 73 of Good Girls Don't Kiss and Tell (Rock Canyon, Idaho 7)

Eric hugged the dog to him. “He is now.”

He set the dog on his feet and held on to the leash as the volunteer handed him a packet full of his papers and his microchip and rabies tag. Since he had been neutered when they found him, they didn’t have to come back for surgery. The two of them headed outside without looking back, and when he opened the passenger door, the dog jumped in, turned twice on the seat, and sat down.

Eric closed the door with a laugh, and once he got in, he received several more enthusiastic kisses as he started the car.

“Hey, I like you too, buddy, but you are in serious need of a toothbrush.”

The dog snapped his mouth closed, as if his breath would scare Eric away. Eric headed out onto the road and back toward the main part of Twin. He figured they’d go to PetSmart, do a little shopping, and head to the McDonald’s drive-through for food.

By the time Eric and his new dog got home, it was well past three. He hadn’t even written his Small Town Scandals column yet, he’d been so busy.

He sat down at the kitchen table with his laptop, keeping an eye on the dog as he explored the place. Eric realized he didn’t even know if the dog was housebroken. Crap, he hoped he was.

As Eric waited for the machine to boot up, his mind kept straying to Gracie and he grew irritated. They were supposed to be partners in this, and for some reason, he’d spooked her. Had she somehow sensed his feelings were deeper than he’d let on?

Whatever was going on with them, she’d agreed to a bargain with him and he’d kept his end. She needed to keep hers.

He opened up a Word document and tapped away, his fingers flying faster the more his annoyance took hold. By the time he finished, he had a full page written up and he sent it to Jim without second-guessing himself. If Gracie got pissed about his underhanded tactics, she’d just have to get off her butt and tell him herself.

When it was time for him to head into work, he locked the dog into the kennel he’d bought him. He hated leaving him on their first day together, but hopefully, he’d be back early.

To his surprise, his parents were at the bar when he got there, and Grant was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, what are you guys doing here?”

“Your brother’s got the flu, and Jose had car trouble. So, we thought we’d come in and give you a hand.”

Eric was relieved he had the help. There was nothing worse than dealing with a bunch of drunks alone. “That sucks for Grant, but it’s good to see you two behind the bar. I forgot what that looks like.”

“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 Conn

ie 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?”

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