He laughed and kissed her. He planned on a quick, friendly kiss. But as soon as his lips touched hers, he didn’t feel friendly—he felt greedy. She answered his hunger with hunger of her own. Soon he had her pushed against the wall with her skirt lifted and his hand in her panties. He had just gotten a feel of wet heat that made him lightheaded when the doorbell rang.
He pulled back from the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. “Don’t answer it,” he said in a ragged breath.
“Jolene!” Luanne’s voice came through the thick wood of the door as clear as a bell. “We know you’re in there, honey. Open up!”
“I have to answer it,” Jolene whispered. “If I don’t, Luanne will barge right in. I didn’t lock the door.”
Cal sighed and gave her one more kiss before he drew back and smoothed down her skirt. “I’ll be back tonight.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Just the thought of Jolene waiting for him did nothing to soften his hard on. He held his cowboy hat in front of him as Jolene answered the door. The entire Simple Book Club stood on the other side with their arms filled with homemade quilts and boxes of dishes and glasses and pots and pans.
“Surprise!” They all said in unison.
Cal had always had a problem accepting charity from people, but Jolene didn’t seem to. He watched her hug each woman who walked in the door and graciously thank them and make a fuss over the gifts they brought. The women seemed be as happy about giving a few of their household items away as Jolene was about receiving them.
As he watched, Cal suddenly realized the difference between charity and friendship.
Chapter Eleven
“I don’t feel right lyingto your father.”
Cheyenne glanced over at Nathan. He was wearing a black cowboy hat and most of his face was hidden in the shadow cast by the brim. The only thing she could see was the lower half of his face. He was one of the few boys her age who needed to shave. She could see a patch of dark stubble under his jaw that he’d missed. She didn’t know why her tummy suddenly felt light and airy. She looked back at the road.
“You’re not lying,” she said. “You do drive me to rehearsal every night and bring me home.”
“But I’m not driving you to rehearsal tonight and your father thinks I am.”
“It’s just one night, Nate. It’s not a big deal.”
He glanced over at her. “Why do you want to go to this party anyway? You’re not friends with any of those people.”
Because she wanted to show Joey Mac that she could be a cool kid too. But she couldn’t say that.
“Joey invited me and I want to go.”
Nathan looked back at the road and shook his head. “Do you think you’re the only girl Joeyinvited to his party? You’re just one of many.”
She knew Nathan was right. Joey probably had invited a lot of other girls. But that didn’t mean he liked them. She flipped down the visor and checked her makeup. She couldn’t help wondering if she’d used too much eyeliner. It looked a little thick. But it was too late to fix it now. She flipped up the visor and smoothed out the red sweater she’d bought especially for tonight.
Hopefully, she would stand out in the crowd of other girls.
Joey Mac’s house was one of the nicest houses in Simple. It was a two-story brick home with a manicured front lawn and a circular driveway with a basketball hoop. For the holidays, it was decorated with a row of multi-colored lights along the eaves and clusters of clear twinkle lights on every tree and bush.
It was the type of home where happy families lived. When Cheyenne rode her bike past it every day, she could just picture Joey celebrating all kinds of wonderful birthdays and holidays with his loving parents and two sisters. She could also picture Joey inviting her to those celebrations once they started dating.
Being part of Joey’s family was a wonderful fantasy. One she felt a little guilty about. She loved her father. She really did. But sometimes it was so lonely living with a man who didn’t talk much.
“It looks like the entire school is here.”
Nathan’s words pulled her from her thoughts, and she finally noticed the rows of cars parked on either side of the street. Her stomach dipped asNathan stopped in front of Joey’s house.
As if reading her mind, he spoke. “You don’t have to go, you know. You can come back to the church with me . . . or we could just go for a drive and talk.”
She shook her head. “No, I want to go.”
He sighed. “Fine. But what about Maisy? She’ll ask me where you are.”
