Page 7 of Good Girls Don't Kiss and Tell (Rock Canyon, Idaho 7)

Gracie slipped slowly from his arms, the moment obliterated by a cock-blocking twelve-year-old.

Eric might beat the kid after all.

But I thought you were done with her?

Eric wrestled with Charlie for a minute, and by the time he had the upper hand, Gracie had disappeared from the house.

“Geez, kid, don’t you know I’m too old to play with you? I think you strained my back.” Eric hunched over, pretending to be in extreme pain and the boy actually appeared contrite.

“Sorry, but nobody messes with Aunt Gracie.”

Eric knew that Charlie loved Gracie. He remembered when Gemma had given birth to Charlie, a nineteen-year-old kid herself and scared to death. Gracie had been there for everything and defended her best friend like a rabid raccoon. It was one of her most admirable qualities; her deep, abiding loyalty to those she loved.

And I’m not one of those shiny special people, so I need to just get over it and get out of here.

Alarmed cries echoed through the living room, and Eric turned his head just in time to watch Gemma crumple to the floor.

Chaos ensued as Travis pushed his way across the room to his wife. “Gem. Gem, baby!”

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bsp; Gemma’s mother and sister cried out and crowded next to Travis on the ground, kneeling beside Gemma.

Eric pulled out his cell phone just as Travis hollered, “Someone call 911.”

Charlie saw his mom, started running, shoving into people. Mike caught him and held him against his chest. Eric had no idea what Charlie’s godfather said to him, but the boy stopped trying to pull away and sobbed hard.

The operator came on the line, and Eric calmly relayed what he knew, realizing his voice was shaking.

“Just stay calm, sir. Is she breathing?”

“Travis, is she breathing?” Eric called.

“Yes! Yes, she’s just out cold.”

“Yeah, she’s breathing, but she’s not waking up.”

“Okay, sir, we’ve dispatched emergency personnel from Rock Canyon Fire Department. It should only be a few minutes. Please stay on the line. Don’t move her if you can help it.”

“Travis, the dispatcher says not to move her.”

Travis’s expression, a raw mixture of fury and anguish, twisted Eric’s guts up. These people were his friends, as close as family. Gemma was a sweet woman, and after all the years she and Travis had spent apart, they deserved their happiness.

Suddenly, Mrs. Andrews was next to him, reaching for the phone. “Eric, I’ll talk to them. You go get Gracie. She needs to be here.”

Eric nodded, handing off his cell to the older woman, who seemed as shaken as the rest of them.

He headed out the back door, yelling for Gracie. “Gracie! Gracie!” She didn’t answer, and he took the steps down to the garage two at a time. “Gracie, fucking answer me!”

She came around the garage with her cell to her ear. “What the hell is the matter with you? I was just—”

“Something’s wrong with Gemma. She passed out and an ambulance is on the way.”

Gracie’s skin turned sheet white, and she dropped her phone. She ran past him up the steps, and he followed on her heels as she burst inside.

“Gemma!” Gracie pushed ahead of him through the crowd and stopped. Eric saw that Gemma was awake but dazed.

“What…” Gemma whispered.