Page 88 of Chasing Kaylee Kringle

“Shut up, rat,” Rick said.

Kaylee finished up her eyes and slipped on her heels, stepping out of the bedroom in a formfitting red dress with black shoes. She wore her hair down, and when she caught the look on Rick’s face, she knew she had made the right choice.

“Hi,” she said.

“You’re gorgeous.”

“I wish you would go back to fighting,” Josie sighed.

Kaylee gave Josie a stern look. “You said you wanted us to stop fighting.”

“I’ve changed my mind. You two being nice to each other is just gross.”

“Then you better turn your head, Josie, because this might really make you gag,” he said, crossing the room and cradling Kaylee’s face, giving her a soft, slow kiss.

“I’m gonna ruin your lipstick,” he murmured.

“You can’t; it’s smudge-proof.”

“Well, that’s no fun.”

Josie started making noises as if she were hurling. “So gross.”

Kaylee walked over to her friend, who was wearing a tight green dress with a puffy skirt, and smacked her bum.

“Did you just spank me?”

“Spanking is what happens to brats,” Kaylee said.

“If this is some kind of weird sex game that you just brought me into, please leave me out of it.”

Kaylee shook her head. “I can’t with her.” Kaylee looked toward the door. “No Colin with you?”

“No, I couldn’t convince him to go.”

“See, I told you Colin wouldn’t go to a dance,” Josie said, grabbing her jacket off the back of the couch. “He didn’t even go to any of the dances in high school.”

“Are you ready to go?” Kaylee asked Rick.

“Absolutely.” He took her hand, leading her toward the door. “Come on, Josie.”

“Don’t call me like I’m a dog, Enrique.”

Kaylee was all grins on the drive over, listening to Josie and Rick squabble like they’d been friends for years. For the first time in a long time, Kaylee was completely happy when Rick reached for her hand and brought it to his lip. Her stomach fluttered just like how she had read about in books.

“We’re gonna have fun tonight,” he said.

“I don’t have a doubt in my mind,” she said.

The parking lot was nearly full when they arrived, and Rick parked three rows back in the community center parking lot. Josie and Kaylee got out of the car, both nearly tipping over in their heels on the gravel. Rick came around and held out an arm to each of them as they wobbled the whole way to the door.

“You would think that if they were going to have a Christmas dance with a bunch of women wearing heels, they would’ve picked a venue with a paved parking lot,” Kaylee said.

“The parking lot was supposed to be paved, but the company kept putting it off, and by the time that they finally could do it, the mayor said they were gonna have to wait until the spring.”

“Come on. Women have been walking in heels on unsteady terrain for hundreds of years. We got this,” Josie said.

Rick got the door for each of them, but his hand settled on Kaylee’s lower back as he led them inside. Once they passed through the double doors of the community center, cheery holiday music blasted from several speakers, and twinkling white lights cast a heavenly glow over the dancing figures. Along the edges of the dance floor were rows of chairs where groups of elderly people sat chitchatting. And on the other side of the room, a long table covered in cakes, pies, cupcakes, and other sweet treats took up most of the wall. The Christmas cookies Kaylee made for the event were spaced in rows on a festive Christmas platter, and Josie assured her they were perfect, even the smudged ones. Near the stage were two bars in the corners, and Kaylee noticed people walking around with glasses and beers. There wasn’t a frown in the house.