Page 81 of Chasing Kaylee Kringle

When they pulled up to the ice cream shop, Kaylee stared out the window while Benny searched for a parking spot. She spotted Rick sitting at a table by the window with Ashlee Baker, the Holiday High School cheer coach and history teacher. She was statuesque, with blond, perky … features. They were smiling, totally engrossed in whatever they were talking about, and something dark bubbled in Kaylee’s stomach, spreading like toxic sludge, taking over her body.

How had they even met? Ashlee was new to town and hadn’t exactly assimilated with the rest of Holiday.

Kaylee cleared her throat, suddenly afraid that if they went inside, she wouldn’t be able to hide the overwhelming jealousy coursing through her body. If this were her villain origin story, she had no one to blame but herself, and that pissed her off even more. She’d practically driven him into the arms of another woman when she could have claimed him for herself.

“Actually, I don’t know if I really want ice cream.”

Benny frowned, turning to look back toward the ice cream shop. “Is there someone in there you don’t wanna see?”

She laughed a little bitterly. “How’d you guess?”

“I know what it’s like to have dated someone and still have to see them around. Jeanette Hargrave and I went out for years, and then she ended things after high school. I thought we would get married someday, and it was hard because we both grew up here. We had a lot of the same friends, so football games and social events were awkward until she decided to get married and move to Utah. Now, I only have to see her when she comes home with her husband and two children to visit her parents a couple times a year.”

“Do you still have feelings for her?”

“I care about her, sure, but we were kids, and people change. We just weren’t growing in the same direction, and that’s okay.”

“That’s mature of you. A lot of men would be bitter about how things ended.”

“Life’s too short to be angry or scared all the time.”

His words hit home, thinking of how she’d spent two years living in fear, and the last week in anger had drained everything out of her, even the little flashes of joy, and she was tired of it.

“Would you be all right if I went in and got our ice cream and maybe we just took a walk?”

“No, you’re right about living in fear. There’s no reason why I can’t walk in there and get ice cream with you just because there is someone I don’t want to see.”

“That’s the spirit,” he said, climbing out of the car. She opened her door before he could, but he didn’t complain, just held out his hand for her. Kaylee took it awkwardly as they stepped inside Sweet Treats on Main Street, and Kaylee kept her eyes forward, refusing to even glance Rick’s way.

“I’m gonna get a scoop of rocky road and a scoop of cowboy crunch,” Benny said, a twinkle in his eye as he added, “What would you like, babe?”

Kaylee almost snorted, but held it together. “Can I just get a scoop of strawberry?”

“Sure, coming right up,” the girl behind the counter said. She opened the glass case, scooping their ice cream while Kaylee tried to look anywhere except toward the corner booth at Rick and Ashlee. After several moments of avoidance, she finally glanced over and saw Ashlee offering Rick a spoonful of her ice cream. Kaylee made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat when Rick took the offering, and he looked over, catching her gaze. She turned away quickly, angry at herself for taking his bait. He wasn’t staying here longer than his paid leave, so whatever he was doing with Ashlee was nothing serious. Which wasn’t fair to her, but more so, tormenting Kaylee was wrong, and she wished she could walk over and dump the ice cream over his head.

The girl behind the counter handed them their cones, and when Benny reached back for her hand, Kaylee took it, unable to stop glancing at Rick as they left the establishment. His gaze was glued to their clasped hands, a dark shadow in his eyes, and a grin split her face.

It’s not so fun being tormented, is it?

Once they were outside again, the cold air tickled her face. “Brr.”

“I should probably take you home,” Benny said, dropping her hand so he could open her door. “It’s too cold to walk.”

“Oh yeah, sure, I get it.” Kaylee kept licking her cone to keep it from spilling everywhere, but her mind was on Ashlee and Rick. Was he going to take her back to his room and have sex with her? Or was he going to take her home and kiss her and tell her he had a good time, giving her false hope? Both possibilities made Kaylee sick to her stomach, and suddenly, the ice cream didn’t taste all that great.

They pulled down her street, and Kaylee’s tongue froze on her ice cream cone as she stared at her house. What in the absolute fuck?

Christmas lights were strung all over the roof and trim, highlighting two blow-up reindeer mating on her roof. In her front yard, a gingerbread man was pole dancing on a candy cane, and another one was marinating in a cup of hot chocolate. There was an arch in the shape of a gingerbread house set up at the end of her walkway and two more gingerbread cookies kissing on the other side of her lawn. In the window were a lit-up white sign that read i’m sorry and another in red that read merry christmas. It would have been a spectacular display if there weren’t so many sexual innuendos staring her in the face.

“I am going to kill him,” she said.

Benny pointed toward the window. “At least he said he’s sorry.”

Kaylee glanced over at him. “This is not an apology. This is vandalism.”

“Did you tell him you wanted your house decorated?”

“I wanted to decorate my house, but not with fornicating reindeer!”