Page 279 of S is for SEX

He opened the lid to the grill and looked inside.

“Ripp, don’t!” I screamed and I started to stand up from the lounge.

“Well fuck, it won’t fit. Come here and look at this. Little fucker’s too small to cook on here. It’ll fall between the little metal bars. Shit. I was just gonna cook it as a joke,” he said as he turned and gave me a disgruntled look.

Still holding the finger in his hand, he closed the lid to the grill. We both turned to the left side of the deck as we heard the gate open. Kace walked through the gate wearing a floral print sun dress. Our eyes widened as we turned and stared at each other.

“Hey,” Kace said as she stepped toward the deck.

We both simultaneously turned toward the open gate. A tall blonde wearing jean shorts and a sleeveless black shirt followed Kace into the yard. They couldn’t have shown up at a worse time, considering the fact we hadn’t resolved the finger issue yet. I looked at Ripp and scrunched my brow.

“Do something with it,” I whispered.

As he noticed the other girl, he quickly shoved the finger into the pocket of his Khaki cargo shorts.

“Hope you don’t mind. I brought my friend,” Kace asked as she stepped onto the deck.

“Not at all. I’m glad you did,” I responded as I turned and looked at Ripp.

As they both stepped onto the deck, Ripp raised his eyebrows and wiped his hands on his shorts.

“Hi. I’m Mike. Mike Ripton. You can call me Ripp, everyone else does,” he said as he walked toward her with his hand held out in front of him.

“I’m Olivia. You can call me Liv. Everyone else does,” she chuckled as she shook Ripp’s hand.

I hugged Kace as Ripp shook her hand. As I kissed her, Liv turned our direction. I reached around Kace’s side and held my hand out.

“Hi, I’m Shane,” I said.

“Yeah, Kace told me about you,” she said as she shook my hand.

“Hope you like chicken,” Ripp said.

“Love it,” Liv responded as she walked toward the grill.

“Uhhm. Want an Ultra?” Ripp asked as he pointed to the beer cooler.

“Yeah, sure. I mean, as long as you have enough,” she responded.

“I always have enough,” he laughed as he leaned toward the cooler and opened the lid.

Kace squeezed me tight and buried her face in my hoodie.

“Hey Shorty,” Ripp said as he waved at Kace.

Without looking, her face buried in my hoodie, Kace raised her hand from my back and waved at Ripp.

“She’s nice,” I whispered into Kace’s ear.

“I told her about Ripp on the way here. She’s the one I told you who works at the coffee shop by the deli,” Kace whispered.

“Aaahhh,” I responded as I turned toward Ripp. He and Liv were talking as he poked at the chicken with the tongs.

“Go grab a platter and stuff, Dekk,” Ripp said as he stood at the grill talking to Liv.

“C’mon, babe. Let’s go inside,” I said as I motioned toward the door.

“So, she’s the girl from the coffee shop on the corner?” I asked as I looked for a platter and plates.

---