Things Good Girls Don't Do (24 page)

Steph cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, “Come on, dinglings, let’s get this show on the road!”

Katie heard some returned curses and grinned at Steph. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to upset men lighting explosives?”

“I doubt Sam and the rest of them will kill me over a little heckling. I’m sure I’ve done worse to them. I think I actually spit my beer out on Sam once when he tried to kiss me.”

“What?” Jared growled, looking furious. Considering they had been together since high school and married right after, Katie could understand his reaction.

Steph waved him off, though. “It was back in high school, and to be fair, Cory Hammish did dare him. And remember, there was no kissing, only beer spitting. My lips belong to you only.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss that gave off steam.

Katie turned away and took another sip of her beer. It had been hard hanging with Steph and Jared the past year, when she’d been hurting so bad, but now it was better. She still didn’t want to see them examine each other’s tonsils, though. “Dude, gross.”

“Hey, hey, have no fear, Becca is here,” Becca said, flopping down next to Katie.

Katie scooted over to give Becca more room and said, “Hey, I thought you were going to ride over with me? I tried to call you.”

Becca lowered her voice. “I got a last-minute customer right as I started to close up, and you will never believe who it was.”

Steph leaned over Katie and hissed, “Who?”

“Hey, nosy neighbor, personal space,” Katie said.

“Hush up, I want to be in on the gossip. So who was it?” Steph asked.

Becca looked around dramatically before whispering, “Mrs. Andrews.”

Katie scoffed. “Yeah right.”

“Ew, that’s gross. She’s in her fifties.” Steph made a face.

“People in their fifties still have sex,” Becca said.

“I can’t believe it,” Katie said, still skeptical. “What did she buy?”

“Now I can’t tell you that,” Becca said, waggling her eyebrows. “Let’s just say that I hope Mr. Andrews’s ticker is in good working order.”

C
HASE LOOKED AROUND
for Katie, spotting the back of her blond and purple head. She was sitting with Jared, Steph, and Becca, toward the front spread of people and blankets. He grabbed the sack of white cheddar popcorn from his passenger seat, knowing Katie was going to try to hog the bag since it was her favorite, but he didn’t care. He liked to watch her get that sparkly smile on her face when she was happy. Especially when it was because of something he did.

Trouble. That’s what he was in, but he couldn’t help the way he felt. Katie was the girl he’d always fantasized about. Kind, funny, loving. Someone who wouldn’t give up on the people she loved.

The first firework shot off too low, and everyone screamed, hollered, and a few even scrambled to their feet to run. He was a little afraid to sit with them now, as close as they were to the action. Maybe he would ask Katie to move back a bit. They could watch from a safe distance and be all alone . . .

Yeah, he liked that plan. He made his way through the people and came up toward their blanket.

Becca ask, “Where’s your boyfriend?”

Katie said, “He was going to try to make it, but I guess he couldn’t get out of the shop.”

Boyfriend? Part of him wanted to beat his chest like a caveman and crow. He felt honored, proud, happy, and . . .

Then there was the part of him that wanted to back away slowly, make no sudden movements, and make a run for it.

How could he explain it? He wanted to be with Katie, deep down he knew that. But the scared guy he’d always been heard the word
boyfriend
and freaked.

“You came!” Katie said excitedly when she turned around and spotted him. Jumping up, she wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him. “I’m so glad you’re here, they are still trying to . . . hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I brought you popcorn.” Another firework shot off, this one barely higher than the last.

She dropped her arms from his waist and watched him with concerned eyes as she reached out for the bag. “Thanks, but are you sure you’re okay? You seem weird.”

He needed to get away from her, compose himself. “You know, I’m gonna grab another blanket from the car. This one looks a little crowded.”

Turning to walk away, Chase told himself to stop being ridiculous. Katie probably thought it was easier not to correct Becca’s assumption. He was panicking for nothing. Reaching into the back of the Blazer for another blanket, a soft hand fell on his arm.

Katie stood next to him, looking worried. “Hey, there’s something up with you. Talk to me.”

“Nothing. Just thought I’d grab another blanket and maybe we’d sit a little farther back,” he said as several fireworks shot up in the air and exploded overhead.

Katie smiled and reached her arms up around his shoulders. “Aw, is a big, strong guy like you really afraid of a few little fireworks?”

Relief flooded his body as she teased him. They could stay like this, at least for a while. He could have Katie to himself without having to put a label on it. They could play and banter, and maybe down the road the thought of being called “boyfriend” wouldn’t scare the holy fuck out of him.

“Me? No, why would I be scared of potentially flammable, fast-moving rockets coming toward my head?” he said, before adding, “No, I was just thinking how my idea of having you come back here with me, away from the danger zone and prying eyes, and making out all through the show was a lousy plan, just a stupid . . .”

As another round of explosives went off over their heads, she kissed him, probably to shut him up, but he didn’t care. Kissing was better than his idiotic rambling or thinking about how close he was to taking the plunge with Katie. He held her against him and gave her everything he had, trying to choke down his panic.

“Well, I don’t know what you’re doing, man, but whatever it is, it’s a miracle.”

Chase pulled back from Katie, ready to lay into whoever the little turd was who interrupted them. It was Katie’s ex, Jimmy, standing with a couple of cowboys, and his face was twisted in an ugly sneer.

Facing the guy, Chase said, “What’s that, man?”

The scream of fireworks sounded again, but they didn’t faze Jimmy.

“Katie’s usually a little priss in public,” Jimmy said, approaching them. “Wouldn’t give me even a little kiss. But somehow with you she’s more than willing to get her freak on. What’s your secret? ’Cause I might just want another crack at her, if you don’t mind sharing.”

Chase, wanting to tear him apart, stepped toward him menacingly, his hands open like claws. “You need to apologize to her.”

Jimmy and his buddies laughed. “Why? It’s not her fault. When you hang with trash, you start to act like trash.”

Chase moved closer to the smaller man and Katie grabbed his arm, but her attention was focused on her ex. “Jimmy, I told you when you came by the shop to stay away from me and mind your own business.” She tugged on his arm and said, “Come on, Chase, he’s not worth it.”

Chase let her pull him back and he would have walked away, but the idiot had to get the last word.

“She’s too good for you, asshole, and she’s going to realize it sooner rather than later. Girls like her fuck guys like you, and then they move on to something better.”

It was like the son of a bitch could read his mind, and he had to pay. Another high- pitched wail sounded above as Chase flew at Jimmy, clocking him so forcefully the smaller man soared backwards, hitting the ground hard. In the blink of an eye, Jimmy’s buddies moved as one, grabbing his arms and punching him in the stomach. Each punch seemed to land with the boom of the exploding lights above, and it almost made the impact of each fist seem stronger. Chase threw one guy off him and dimly heard screams while he caught another guy under his chin. Jimmy was back up, tackling him, and he could hear Katie yelling his name.

Pounding footsteps and several shouting voices joined in the fray. He heard Jared tell someone to back off and assumed Justin had to be there too. Justin had told Chase at the barbecue that he always had Jared’s back.

“Uh-uh, boys, this doesn’t look like a fair fight.” Said a third voice, which Chase recognized as Eric’s.

Suddenly, Eric pulled Jimmy off Chase and shook him with a big, beefy hand. “I don’t even know why you come around here anymore. You’re a little punk-ass shithead and no one can stand you.”

Jared helped Chase up while Justin kept the cowboys back. Though darkness hadn’t fully settled around them, every time a new round of pops went off above, the lights from the fireworks made everything seem brighter, more intense.

Jimmy spit blood on the ground. “Fuck you, Eric. I grew up here, just like you.”

Chase tried to stand up straight, but his ribs hurt. He watched Katie step up to Jimmy and her hand flew through the air, landing with a hard crack as it connected with Jimmy’s face. Jimmy looked surprised, and the crowd around them fell into a hushed silence. Chase grinned.

Jimmy held his cheek and yelled, “The hell, Katie? He attacked me!”

“Because you insulted him and me! Because I tried to give you a pass and you antagonized my boyfriend into a fight. It is none of your business who I spend my time with and . . .” The sky exploded above, illuminating the scary light in her eyes as she said, “You know what? You have about thirty seconds to get in that truck of yours and go!”

Katie had called him her boyfriend.
She’d
said it this time.

“Or what?” Jimmy taunted, although Chase noticed his eyes had shifted to where Eric was standing.

“You’ll see what!” Three more explosions, like a short, ominous drumroll, sounded as Katie took off in the direction of her 4Runner with long strides. The crowd that had gathered watched in horror, curiosity, and titillation as she reached into her backseat. She pulled her arm out to reveal an aluminum bat and warned, “Twenty seconds or I start breaking shit on your cherry-red baby.”

Jimmy took a step back toward a big, lifted Ford and said warily, “You wouldn’t.”

Katie held up the bat. “If you don’t think so, you’re an idiot! I’ve got seven years’ worth of reasons and a few more recent ones. Twenty . . . nineteen . . .”

Jimmy scrambled to his truck and yelled, “You’re a crazy bitch, Katie! I lied; you were trash before the prick fucked you!”

Even though the cowardly little weasel had already climbed up inside his truck, Chase started forward, but Eric held him back and said, “Easy killer, she’s got this.”

Chase watched as Katie approached the truck with angry strides and took out one of Jimmy’s headlights. Jimmy’s friends scrambled forward to stop her, but Jared and Justin blocked them like a wall. Chase smiled when Justin laid the bigger cowboy out flat, while the other ran to the passenger side of the truck, throwing the door open to climb up next to Jimmy.

Katie raised the bat and brought it down hard on the hood, and Jimmy cried out like he was in physical pain. The cowboy on the ground jumped up and ran to join his buddy inside as Jimmy revved the truck backward, tires squealing out onto the road. Katie was breathing hard, her shimmery hair around her shoulders in the pink light of sunset as rockets of color exploded over her.

Chase had never seen anyone so beautiful.

She handed the bat to Jared and ran to Chase. He noticed Mrs. Andrews standing in the crowd, a look of disapproval on her face. Other people were watching Katie like they’d never seen her before and muttering in between the boom of the fireworks.

Becca and Steph were standing at the edge of the crowd, but Katie ran past them to reach him and touched his face and body, everywhere she could. “Oh my God, Chase, your poor mouth. Do your ribs hurt? Are you in a lot of pain?”

He grimaced. “I’m okay, they just got the drop on me is all.”

“What the hell is this I hear about a domestic dispute?” a voice hollered over all the noise.

Chase watched the Rock Canyon chief of police, a short, stocky man, saunter toward them, bowlegged and scowling. “What the hell happened here? Katie, are you all right?”

“Katie took a bat to Jimmy’s truck!” someone shouted.

“But Jimmy and his friends were attacking Chase first!”

“And Jimmy called Katie some filthy names!”

It was chaos. A hundred people were talking at once and all of them were giving different accounts.

Mrs. Andrews pointed at Chase. “That man started a brawl, Chief, and Katie got in the middle of it. I really don’t know what’s come over her, but he’s the one you want.”

“This is why she’s losing all her customers, hanging out with riffraff like him,” another blue-haired battle-ax sniffed.

Chase looked at Katie, saw the red in her cheeks, and knew the woman was telling the truth. “How many of your appointments canceled this week?”

Her eyes shifted away. “I don’t know. Half dozen or so. It’s not a big deal, they’ll come around.”

Katie was standing in front of him, looking at him with concern, her hands all over him, searching for injuries, while her livelihood was going down the toilet because of him. She had run her ex-boyfriend off with a bat. Partly, he knew, because she had wanted to, but also to get Jimmy away from Chase. To protect him. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had protected him. He’d always just relied on himself. She was selfless and brave, and it made him feel about ten inches tall. If their roles were reversed, would he have done the same for her? And why wouldn’t she tell him about it? He was torn between feelings of gratitude that she thought he was worth taking on the whole town and guilt, because he wasn’t sure if he was worth the effort.

“Now all of you shut the hell up and let me talk to Chase and Katie,” the chief said, and once the crowd quieted, he asked, “All right, young man, what do you have to say?”

Another explosion lit up the sky with several colors, and Chase said, “Chief, here’s what happened. Jimmy showed up with a few of his friends and said some things I didn’t like to Katie. I got mad, threw a punch, and they jumped me. Justin, Jared, and Eric broke it up.”

“And after all this, Katie took a baseball bat to Jimmy’s truck? That how it happened, Katie?” the chief asked.