Page 70 of Good at Being Bad (Rock Canyon, Idaho 8)

“Well, now that we have that out of the way, what are you doing for the fourth?”

Her heart slammed in her chest even as she joked. “I am going to make a fancy Pinterest dessert and eat it all by myself.”

“Or, you could come with me to my parents’ home. They do a big barbecue and we watch the fireworks,” Mike said.

Ellie couldn’t believe he was asking her to meet his parents. Her whole body broke out in a cold sweat and she wanted to start breathing fast. Was this what panicking felt like?

“I don’t know—”

“Look, this isn’t a marriage proposal or even a ‘meet the parents’ situation. This is a pity invite.”

“A pity invite?” she said in disbelief.

“Yeah, I figured whatever you had planned was pathetic and decided to save you by inviting you to my incredibly awkward family dinner, where you will eat delicious food, even as my mother grills you like a Guantanamo interrogator.”

“You make it sound so appealing, but I think I’ll pass,” Ellie said.

She couldn’t miss Mike’s disappointment. “You sure? I promise to protect you from her evil clutches.”

Ellie tried to squash the part of her that was tempted. To go to a barbecue with a sweet guy and get to know his family.

But she wasn’t sure she could handle the look on his mother’s face if she knew Ellie’s reputation.

“No clutches or looking at pictures of you naked with the chickenpox?” Ellie said.

“I can’t promise on the pictures. I’m the apple of her eye, but I’ll make sure you’re never alone with her.”

The eagerness on his face was too contagious to hold out. “Fine, what should I bring?”

Mike kissed her nose. “Just your sweet self.”

“I’m not showing up empty-handed, but I’ll think of something,” Ellie said.

“Maybe we can make a day of it and go to the parade and the extravaganza afterward?”

“I think you’re pushing it.”

It was just after one in the afternoon and Mike was playing with the cameras he had in the shop. He wanted to set them up at Ellie’s place, too, but he would have to talk to her about that. First, he had some business to attend to.

Gracie walked through the door and he looked up with a grin.

“Hey, if it isn’t my nemesis.” He pointed to his desk where a pizza box sat. “I got your favorite.”

“You cannot buy my forgiveness with pizza.” She flipped open the lid and pulled out a slice of Hawaiian. “What do you want?”

“I have a proposition, but we are waiting for one more person.”

“Who?”

The door dinged and Wendy walked in, decked out in a pair of black capris and blue tank top.

“Wendy, this is Gracie Henderson. She owns The Local Bean. Gracie, this is Wendy. She is the one opening the internet café.”

Wendy frowned at him. “What is this?”

“Okay, before you get mad, I have been thinking. Wendy has said that she wants to open up the internet café, but hates all the complexities and permits of a place that sells food. So, I was thinking, instead of competing with each other, why don’t you go into business together?”

“Why would you think this was a good idea?” Gracie asked, her hands set firmly on her hips.