Page 8

Once the banquet was over, Granger and Tatum followed Carter and me to Gushers.

And when they walked in, they started giggling.

“Thought it was a strip club?” I asked as we all sat down.

When they nodded their heads, I giggled.

To say the meal we had was a little better would be a lie.

It was a lot better.

I had exchanged numbers with Tatum and Granger and made plans with Tatum to introduce her to Talia, Lila, and Everly.

As Carter pulled into my driveway, he turned the truck off, climbed out, and I waited.

I had learned long ago about the Griggs siblings, mainly the boys.

Women didn’t open their own doors or close them.

Therefore, I waited for Carter to round his truck and open my door for me.

Once again, with his outstretched hand, he held it out for me.

Placing my hand in his, he helped me out of the truck.

And once again, with his hand on the small of my back, he led me to my front door.

He held his hand out, and knowing what he wanted, I grabbed my keys and handed them to him.

Unlocking my door, he handed me back my keys and said, “Thank you for coming with me. You still mean it, I’ll gladly take your offer of coming with me to those things from now on.”

I nodded, “Yeah, of course. I actually had a good time.”

He nodded, “I’m glad. You looked beautiful tonight, Harlee Belle.”

I smiled, “You didn’t look so bad yourself, Carter Car.”

He laughed, “Damn, you haven’t called me that in a long time.”

I smiled.

When I was maybe nine or ten, I was hanging out at Talia’s house, when Carter had pulled in with his first vehicle purchase, he had made on his own. And for some reason, I had called him Carter Car that entire summer.

“Good night, Harlee Belle.” He said as he bent his neck and pressed a kiss on the top of my head.

“Night, Carter. Thank you for tonight.” And with that, I headed into my house and locked the door, knowing he wouldn’t leave until he heard the locks click.

I stood there, taking in breath after breath.

The way he waited outside the bathroom for me.

The way he wouldn’t let me pay for anything.

The way he glared at anyone who stared at me too long.

The way he pulled my chair out for me. The feel of his hand on my body.

.. damn, but this was getting harder and harder to push the feelings I had for Carter deeper and deeper.

And then, a few minutes later, I heard his truck rumble to life.

A few minutes later, when I still heard it, I stepped to the side and lifted the curtain a fraction of an inch.

Seeing him sitting there, with his hands on the wheel and staring at my house intently, I started to worry that something was wrong.

However, before I could unlock my door, his truck started backing out of my driveway.

I took off my heels and then wiggled my toes, breathing out a sigh of relief.

Yes, my feet had started to hurt, but I had enjoyed standing at his side even more.

Opening my clutch, I pulled out my phone and saw text messages.

I read them and replied as I made my way to my bedroom and got ready for bed.

Lil Sis Text Thread

Ethan – If you need Pepto, I’ve got a few bottles for you.

Alec – If you need some ginger ale and crackers, let me know.

Garrick – Do I need to go to the jail and bail out Carter?

Me – I steered clear of the food at the banquet. Thank you for the heads up.

Me – I wouldn’t have fed it to my dog.

Me – Nope. Carter kept his cool.

Garrick – Surprised.

Ethan – Same.

Alec – Same.

Me – What is that supposed to mean?

Garrick silenced notifications.

Ethan – Plead the fifth.

Ethan silenced notifications.

Alec – Fuckers. Just what it means, Harlee. He’s always looked out for you. Night.

Me – Thank you for working for my family at the diner.

Alec – Mean I’m forgiven?

Me – This time. But you do it again, and I’ll go around town and hang up my own fliers.

Alec – Dirty.

I clicked on another text from my mother.

A picture of Alec, weighed down with plates in his hands.

I laughed at the picture.

Misty Griggs – Thank you for going with my baby, Harlee. You truly are one of a kind.

Me – Any time, Misty. Truly.

Frank Griggs – Hope you guys had a good time. Thank you for saving one of us from possible food poisoning.

Me – You are so welcome.

Badass Girls Text Thread

Talia – Did you have a boring night? Need me to come over.

Lila – Heard the stories. How bad was the food?

Everly – Had to be better than what I had for dinner.

Everly – Remind me to never leave a pot of boiling water with eggs in it for longer than twenty minutes ever again, please.

Talia – Umm, earth to Harls? That thing ends at eight. You should have been home by eight thirty. It’s now ten. You, okay?

Lila – Talia. Hush.

Talia – What? I’m worried.

Me – It wasn’t boring. I actually had a good time.

Me – We all avoided the food.

Me – Met Carter’s best friend, Granger. He’s a riot

Me – I also met his little sister. She’s our age. Told her about y’all. Plans are in the works.

Talia – Okay. So, why’d it take so long for you to text us back?

Lila – Talia. Geez.

Everly – I’m with them. Chill.

Me – We stopped at Gusher’s. Actually ate good food.

I tried to swallow the hurt at Talia’s words. What was the big deal?

At times, it seemed as though she didn’t care if Carter and I hung out, then at other times, it seemed as though it bothered her.

Then my phone vibrated with a new text.

Carter – Thank you again for going with me tonight. You made the night not boring and a lot of fun.

Me – Good. I am so glad.

Carter – Night, Harlee Belle.

Me – Night Carter Car.

***

I smiled as I opened two packages of instant grits, then dumped them in the bowl. Followed with a dollop of butter, shredded cheese, and just the right amount of sugar into my bowl.

All I was waiting for was for the water in the kettle to finish boiling.

The first time I had eaten grits like this had been after a slumber party at Talia’s house when we were seven.

And ever since then... I can’t eat grits any other way.

Even my parents thought it was weird, until they tried it... and now.... at Gushers, we offer the Plain Jane Grits, or the Rock Me Grits.

That thought sobered me up, in more ways than one.

Last night with Carter had been fun. Just the two of us.

And how he was protective over me, his hand on the small of my back, I wished, gah, I wished I had met Carter first before I met Talia.

Freaking girl code.

I sighed. At the same time, my kettle started whistling.

Taking it off the burner and turning the dial, I poured just the right amount of water and dove in.

The taste never got old.

I had just washed my few dishes in the sink and dried my hands when there was a knock on my door.

Walking to it, I checked the peephole and opened the door.

Talia stood there with a bag in her hand, and the moment she saw me, she said, “I’m sorry. I know it came off way wrong, but by the time I realized how it had all sounded, it was too late, and I knew you had already gone to bed.”

“You're my best friend, Harls. And I know you’re close to my family. Also never seen Carter act with anyone else like he does with you. So, I’m sorry.”

I gestured for her to come in, then, when she did, I closed the door.

I nodded, “So what happened last night?”

She sighed. “I kind of got into it with Dominik. I stopped at Milagros to pick up my order for dinner, and he was sitting there with a woman. The big old bastard saw me, and apparently paid for my order. Telling them that they wouldn’t want any money that came from my hands because it had been stuffed in a G-string last night at work. ”

I gasped, “He didn’t.”

She nodded, “He so did.”

“What did you do?” I asked her.

She sighed, “Nothing. I just shook my head, took my order, and walked out of there.”

“Has he tried to call you?” I asked.

“Yeah, but I’ve been ignoring him,” she said.

Then it hit me. She only went to Milagros when she had a real shitty day at work, which was why I asked, “What happened at work?”

Then she preceded to tell me about the boss’s son hitting on her and him touching her ass.

Once she left, I got in my Tahoe, cranked my baby up, and drove to DG Auto Body.

The moment I parked my Tahoe right in front of one of the bays, I climbed out, then stormed inside.

Immediately, I heard Garrick say, “Oh shit. Your pissed. Whose ass are we kicking?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, “Where is Dominik?”

He pointed to bay five.

I stomped my way to bay five when I heard, “Yo, Dom. Incoming.”

His head jerked out from underneath the hood of the Corvette when Dominik looked at me, and then, without thought, I picked up a wrench and threw it at him.

Sadly, the big bastard dodged as I asked, “What the fuck is the matter with you?”

Everything in the garage stopped. Halted. You could have heard a drop of oil hit the floor.

“Excuse me?” Dominik asked with a growl, anger forming on his face.

“You heard me, Dominik. How fucking long have you known Garrick? How fucking long have you known Talia?” I asked but didn’t wait for an answer.

“Years. Decades. That’s how long. And you know, you fucking know that anytime one of them has a shit fucking day, they do one of three things. And one of those things is getting takeout from Milagros.”

Dominik’s face cleared of the anger I had seen building in him, and then his face sobered, “Shit.”

I nodded, “Yeah. Shit. Let me tell you something, you fucking asshole. How in the hell you managed to make a shit day for her even shittier is beyond me, but you managed it. I won’t betray her confidence.

But if you decide to kick the ever-loving hell out of her boss’s son, I’ll provide the bail money. ”

My voice softened as the anger worked its way out of me, “You hurt her, Dom. And nobody does that. So, fix it. You owe her an apology.”

And with that, I walked away. Garrick’s raised brow stopped me.

Leaning forward, I whispered, “Her boss’s son grabbed her ass at work yesterday.

Then Dominik teased her in the way they do, he paid for her meal, then told the staff that they wouldn’t want to accept money from her because it had been stuffed into her G-string.

He basically made her feel like a slut.”

And then I left.

But not before I watched with a smile on my face as Garrick punched Dominik right in the face.