Page 56 of Chasing Kaylee Kringle

“You let him into your va-jay-jay, but you made the man sleep on your couch?” Josie’s voice rose an octave higher, but Kaylee kept her tone even and cool.

“Yes.”

“I just wanted to make sure I understood that correctly,” she deadpanned.

“No, you did. I left him on the couch, and he didn’t even argue or try to convince me to let him into my bed, either, so I don’t know if he was reading the room or if he didn’t want to do it again.”

“Well, do you wanna do it again?”

Kaylee bit her lip, her hand subconsciously going to the back of her neck where Rick had left his mark. “I do.”

“So why can’t sleeping with him be a part of your demands? No strings. No promises. Just a good old-fashioned fuck-fest.”

“Because I think he regrets sleeping with me. He tried to apologize earlier, saying that he took advantage of me.”

Josie grinned wickedly. “And did you tell him that you liked it when he took advantage of you?”

Kaylee huffed. “I just told him that he needed to own what happened, and it’s not about regret, and we can just move on.”

“And did anything else happen after that?”

“We kissed a couple of times after the goat-milking incident.”

“Should I be alarmed that the two of you are turned on by milking a goat?” Josie snickered.

“Shut up,” Kaylee laughed, slapping her friend’s leg gently. “That’s not what I meant; it was just the adrenaline of sneaking in and out and getting chased. We kissed, but then I let my intrusive thoughts get in the way.” Kaylee closed her eyes and groaned. “This is so hard.”

“I bet it is,” Josie teased.

Kaylee scowled at her. “You’re supposed to tell me what to do.”

“As your friend or as a counselor, because as a counselor, that is not my job. I’m supposed to help you work through it on your own so you come to your own conclusion. As a friend, honestly, I’m just happy that you’re actually doing things other than marinating on the couch with me.”

“I love marinating,” she said sincerely.

“I know, but the issue with us being friends is that we’re both introverts who enjoy being alone, and that’s not always good for us. Sometimes we need to be around the loud and energetic people, and you let them, I guess, be themselves and don’t judge.”

“So you think that Rick and I should continue to have sex until we head back to California so I can testify at trial.”

“Yes, that is what I think you should do.”

Kaylee sat with that for several moments, thinking about her past relationships. She’d never had anything casual because welcoming someone into her world was hard enough, but when they started trying to change her, to make her wilder, more adventuress, she wouldn’t just tap the brakes—she’d slam down on them. She didn’t think back on her ex-boyfriends and regret breaking up with them, but something in her heart warned her that Rick might be different. When things ended, as they inevitably would, she would regret giving him up.

“I don’t know if it’s worth the heartache.”

Josie nodded sympathetically. “What made you run tonight?”

“He wanted to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. That was Elasia’s favorite Christmas movie. I don’t want to watch it without her.”

“I get that, but she’s gone, babe. Isn’t it better to honor her memory by doing the things the two of you loved?”

Kaylee paused, mulling over Josie’s question. “Yes, I suppose I should, but it’s heartbreaking. I miss her.”

“It’s supposed to be hard when you lose someone you love. You’re supposed to grieve, but you should also celebrate your time with them and remember all the good things that they brought to your life. How they shaped and changed who you are.” Josie reached out and squeezed her hand. “No matter how short their time with us might be.”

Kaylee squeezed her hand. “I bet your clients love you.”

“Not always.” Josie smirked. “But they do say I give the best hugs.”