Page 63 of Chasing Kaylee Kringle

“Hey, look, there’s a bunch of bookish stuff. We should check it out for our book club Secret Santa,” Josie said, taking her arm and already steering her toward the booth.

“Sure.” Kaylee let Josie lead her over to a white tent with tables and racks of items that would have usually made her giddy with excitement. T-shirts that read just one more chapter and the homemade car air fresheners shaped into a stack of books were adorable, but, to put it in the cringiest way, she had the holiday blues. Kaylee couldn’t seem to dredge up any Christmas cheer after Rick had left her house. Kaylee got a phone call from the inn that he had booked a room there until New Year’s Day. Although she’d been frustrated that he was staying in town, she ignored it, avoiding the area, going straight from work to home, and ordering in every night just so she didn’t accidentally bump into him.

“Oh, look at this,” Josie said, holding up a bag that read i like big books and i cannot lie. “This is perfect for Kendra ’cause she can take it into the bookstore and Colin won’t yell at her for needing a bag to take her books home.”

“It’s cute,” Kaylee said mildly.

Josie hung the bag back up on the hook before putting her hands on her hips. “What is wrong with you?”

“Nothing!”

“You are so full of it. Is it about Rick?”

Kaylee held her finger up in front of her mouth. “I don’t want to have this discussion, especially not here.”

“Too bad,” Josie said, a flash of determination clouding her eyes. “You’re ruining my shopping with your mopey, Grinchy attitude, and we’re gonna talk about it.”

Josie hadn’t ever spoken to her so harshly, and it reminded Kaylee so much of Elasia that she sucked in a breath before asking, “What exactly do you want me to say?”

“I want you to explain why you’re allowing someone whom you swear you do not have any feelings toward to ruin your holiday.”

“It’s not about having feelings for him.” It’s totally about having feelings for him. “It’s about the fact that I slept with him and he’d been lying to me and manipulating me the whole time.”

“So, he’s a jerk. Forget about him and move on.”

Kaylee didn’t say it, but that was the issue because she was having a hard time forgetting about him. Forgetting about the way he mocked her guinea pig, or how he didn’t hesitate to help her check off an item on her list. He cared about how she might feel about them being together, and when she called him out on it, he admitted he wanted her. He didn’t regret sleeping with her, even though it could jeopardize his job, and he didn’t feel bad about lying to her and telling her how he was going to drag her back, kicking and screaming, whether she wanted to or not. It sucked to be so totally betrayed by someone she’d started to care for, but Josie had a point. Rick Diaz shouldn’t have the power to destroy their evening.

Kaylee did a little shimmy, flipping her hair, and smiled brightly at Josie. “There you go. I shook off the doldrums, and I am ready to shop.”

“That’s my girl.” Josie said with a grin. “Now, who did you get for Secret Santa?”

“The reverend’s wife.”

“You know what I saw?” Josie walked back to the table in the bookish booth and held up a dark rectangle. “A book sleeve that has a cross on it. We can totally get that for her, and then she can hide her naughty book from her husband. Although as much as they like to pretend that he doesn’t know what she reads, I’m pretty sure he benefits from it.”

Kaylee covered her chest, her face fixed in a horrified expression. “I’m sorry, are you trying to insinuate that the reverend and his wife get freaky to monster smut?”

Josie waggled her brows. “I’m trying not to say it out loud, but you just did.”

Kaylee looked around and laughed since there was no one else in the booth but them. “Covertness is not your strong suit.”

“Maybe not, but surprisingly, pondering the sexual practices of our man of the cloth made me feel better.” Josie looked to her right, did a double take, and then swung her wide eyed gaze back to meet Kaylee’s. “Don’t look now, but I think I see your boy talking to Colin.”

“Colin from the bookstore? I thought they didn’t get along?” It took everything in her not to sneak a glance, but she was afraid he’d notice her.

“They look pretty friendly to me.”

“He’s not looking over here, is he?”

“No, you’re safe. He is standing at an angle, so his back is to us. We can scoot out of here and escape without him noticing.” Josie picked up the tote again and held it in front of her. “After I buy this tote.”

“Grab the book sleeve, too, and I’ll Venmo you, but hurry. We gotta get out of here.”

Josie approached the woman behind the small table, taking a picture of her Venmo while Kaylee hid behind a rack of T-shirts. She poked her head up, spotting Rick immediately. He was wearing his leather jacket, which was ridiculous given that it was thirty degrees outside, and he had to be freezing. His hair was tousled and shiny, catching the sheen of the twinkling lights strewn across the booths. He looked delicious, and Kaylee hated that she’d been thinking about sex with him all week. Not just in her dreams, but also just lying in bed with her vibrator, using it as a way to tire herself out so that she could fall asleep. Instead, it made it worse because it wasn’t as good as the real thing.

He’d completely and utterly ruined her, which made her even more stabby toward him.

Josie finished up and asked, “Do you wanna go to the adults-only section? We could try some huckleberry moonshine.”