Page 83 of Good at Being Bad (Rock Canyon, Idaho 8)

“That’s what friends are for. So remember that.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Why did I agree to this?” Ellie asked Caroline as she walked alongside her in Hall’s Market. It was the third of July and Ellie was dreading dinner with Mike’s parents. In fact, she was pretty sure that anything that the Coulter brothers or Forrest or whoever was behind these attacks had in store for her was better than sitting through dinner with Mike and his perfect parents.

“Because you like Mike and want to make him happy?” Caroline grabbed several containers of frozen cool whip. “How many do you need?”

“Two.”

“Is this cake you’re making any good?” Caroline asked, her head in the freezer.

“I don’t know,” Ellie said. “I’ve never made an Oreo dessert before.”

“Hey, don’t take your stress out on me. I am trying to be a supportive sister, but I haven’t ever been in your shoes. My husband doesn’t have any parents.”

“I’m sorry, but same goes here! Not about the boyfriend’s parents, but the family barbecue. And what do we talk about? Mike even says that she drives him nuts, so how am I supposed to handle her?”

“With kid gloves?”

“Har har. I just don’t know how I got here.” But really, Ellie knew exactly how she’d ended up shopping the day before the Fourth of July so she wouldn’t show up to Mike’s parents’ house empty-handed and Caroline had hit it right on the nose. She wanted to impress them, in the hopes that they would like her.

Because she cared about Mike.

It had snuck up on her, there was no question, but now all she could think of was his kisses or the way his brown eyes had little flecks of gold and black in them, making them almost glitter. And he was such a clown, acting like a dork just to make her laugh. And the things he could make her body do…

“I know that look,” Caroline said, breaking into her thoughts.

“What?” Ellie looked at the list in her hands, and avoided Caroline’s smirking expression.

“Don’t be scared of the big bad mama.” Picking up a large sack of potatoes, she frowned at something down the aisle. “Ah, hell, Mrs. Andrews is heading this way.”

Ellie turned and saw the older woman pushing her cart toward them. The older woman was something of a terror with most people, but she been kind to Ellie lately, so she was grateful.

“Hey, Mrs. Andrews.”

“Hello, Ellie.” Mrs. Andrew’s stopped her cart alongside theirs. “Caroline. You look wonderful. Pregnancy obviously agrees with you.”

Caroline looked like she was going to pass out. “Thank you, Mrs. Andrews.”

Mrs. Andrews smiled, and the old Ellie would have asked, “What is happening?”

Instead, she smiled back. “I hope you have a wonderful Fourth, ma’am.”

“You as well, dear. Goodbye.”

Caroline seemed flabbergasted as Mrs. Andrews walked away.

“Do you know that is the only kind thing that woman has ever said to me?”

“Maybe if you let more people see your sweet side, they’d warm up.”

“And let them think I’ve gone soft?”

“Silly me, what a ludicrous idea. Why on earth would you want to give people a reason not to hate you?”

“Hey, haters gonna hate,” Caroline said.

“I’m just saying that they might hate a little less if you acted like you cared about this town and the people in it.”