The Good Ones

by Jenn McKinlay

  She loosened three buttons, enough to pull back his collar and press her mouth against the skittish pulse at the base of his throat. It ticked faster when she ran her tongue across it. She smiled against his neck as she moved her mouth up to his ear. She gently bit his earlobe and then whispered, “I think I want to do more than make out.”

  Ryder pulled back from her and the look in his blue eyes was so hot, Maisy was surprised it didn’t leave scorch marks on her skin. Then he pulled her up against him, and said, “So do I.”

  It was a relief. After all these days of working side by side, of seeing him and laughing with him, of taking care of King George together and getting to know the tender soul inside the burly man, it felt like the end of a long, lonely wait to finally feel his hands on her, moving up her body, cupping her curves and kissing her mouth as if he, too, had been desperate for this.

  Maisy felt as if she was falling into a haze of heat and lust so thick that she could barely breathe. Who needed oxygen anyway? She was pretty sure she could live off the fire that was burning between them, at least until it consumed her completely. A flash of light blasted her right in the face and she was sure they were about to spontaneously combust.

  “Maisy?” a deep voice called through the open window. “Maisy Kelly, is that you?”

  Maisy rocked back from Ryder, yanking her tank top down as she did. She turned her head only to get blasted right through her glasses with what appeared to be a spotlight.

  She put her hand over her face, and said, “Yes, it’s me, going blind here.”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  The light was redirected to the ground and Maisy blinked, trying to see around the spots swimming in her vision. A big-jawed face, the sort that looked like it could withstand a punch with a hammer, appeared in the open window.

  “Nice evening out, isn’t it, Maisy?” Travis Wainwright, the Fairdale chief of police, grinned at her. “Unusually warm, I reckon.”

  Growing up, Travis had been best buddies with Maisy’s older brother. She had no doubt he was going to set the cell phone towers on fire reporting this to Tucker.

  “Yeah, we were just saying that, weren’t we, Ryder?” she asked. She sent him a pleading glance as she slid off his lap and back over to her side of the truck.

  He shifted in his seat. He cleared his throat and smiled at Travis. Travis didn’t smile back. Instead, he rested his arms on the edge of the window and said, “I got a call that there was a young couple going hot and heavy over by the bridge. Now, you two wouldn’t have seen anything like that, now, would you?”

  “Young couple?” Ryder asked. “Nope, I can’t say that I’ve seen anything like that.”

  “Nice save.” Travis chuckled.

  Maisy was pretty sure she was going to collapse into her seat in relief. Travis had the wherewithal to humiliate her with this, but he was opting not to.

  “Travis Wainwright, this is my . . . friend Ryder. He’s the architect working on the bookstore for me. Ryder Copeland, this is Travis Wainwright, chief of police of Fairdale and longtime family friend,” Maisy said. She carefully slid the straps up on her overalls, trying not to draw any attention to herself.

  “Copeland?” Travis said. “Your daughter is Perry?”

  “Yes, she’s mine,” Ryder said. He sat up straighter and his brows furrowed. “Is there a reason the chief of police knows her name?”

  “Well, not as the chief of police,” Travis said. “I’m Cooper’s dad, you know, the boy she’s dating. Coop. He’s my kid.”

  “She’s . . . I’m sorry . . . did you say dating?” Ryder asked.

  “Yeah, or whatever ‘going out with’ means in eighth grade,” he said. “My wife and I were hoping to have you over for dinner sometime.”

  Maisy watched as Ryder’s furrowed brow lifted into a look of stunned surprise. Perry hadn’t told him about her and Cooper at all, that was clear. Poor Ryder. His face turned a mottled shade of red and his gaze, when he turned to Travis, was so intense it looked like it was going to shoot laser beams.

  “You know my daughter is only fourteen, right?” Ryder said. “How old is your boy?”

  “Same as Perry. They’re in algebra class together,” Travis said. He looked at Ryder’s face and then his expression cleared. “Sorry. You didn’t know?”

  “No. How long have they been going out?”

  “A few months, I guess,” Travis said. He looked like he wanted to spare Ryder, but knew better than to try. “Listen, they’re just kids. It’s harmless. They mostly hang out at our house and watch YouTube videos or study, both under the supervision of my wife. I’m sure it’s all very innocent.”

  “Are you?” Ryder asked. “Tell me, what sort of things were you thinking about when you were fourteen?”

  “I . . . uh . . . oh.”

  “Exactly,” Ryder said. “I’m sorry, but we have to go.”

  “I understand completely, but my offer for dinner still stands,” Travis said.

  “Great,” Ryder said. “I’d love to get to know—Cooper, was it?—and his family.”

  “Terrific! And, Maisy, since you two are a thing, you should come, too,” Travis said.

  “Sounds lovely,” Maisy said. Yeah, hanging out with her older brother’s best friend and her new boy . . . whatever he was, while they squared off over their kids—not exactly her idea of a good time.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Travis said.

  Ryder nodded at him and switched on the truck and put it in gear.

  Maisy pulled on her seat belt and waved out the window as they left, leaving a cloud of dirt and Travis behind them.

  “Perry has a boyfriend,” Ryder said.

  “Cooper,” Maisy confirmed. She remembered the boy she’d found with Perry in the hidden room. They were “going out.” Perry hadn’t told her that and now Maisy was an accomplice to her deceit because she hadn’t said anything to Ryder about Perry and the boy. This was terrible. “What are you going to do?”

  “Perry and I are going to have a conversation,” he said.

  That’s what he said, but it sounded more like he was going to yell and Perry was going to listen. Uh-oh.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  RYDER made record time from the covered bridge back to the bookstore. Using an app on his phone, he had tracked Perry to the bookstore. Maisy had called Savannah to confirm Perry’s whereabouts and discovered that Perry had just arrived to see George and planned to watch a chick flick with Savannah. Maisy hoped for Perry’s sake that she had enjoyed her evening, because Maisy had a feeling the kid was about to be grounded until she was old enough to vote.

  Ryder pulled into the driveway and braked hard. He popped out of his side and circled the truck to help Maisy out. She swung the door open and met him halfway. He took her hand in his and they strode toward the house with Maisy having to do double time to keep up with his longer stride. It seemed the closer they got, the more intense he became. She knew she needed to slow down the mad-dad train, because he was going to do more harm than good if he approached Perry like this.

  She jumped in front of him and grabbed his other hand. “Hey, whoa there, cowboy architect.”

  Ryder looked at her but he didn’t smile. He did, however, stop walking. They were at the base of the steps in front of the bookshop and she took the opportunity to hop onto the first step so that they were more eye to eye.

  “Can I offer a word of advice from a woman who was once a fourteen-year-old girl?” she asked. His back was so rigid he could have been one of the porch pillars. “Please?”

  Ryder tipped his head back and looked up. Maisy followed his gaze. The stars were out and they twinkled in the sky, breaking up the unrelenting darkness with little pinpricks of hope. He must have seen something similar, because he sighed and lowered his head, looking a bit calmer.

  “All right,” he said.
>
  “I know you want answers,” she said.

  “Damn straight. I hate lies and secrets,” he said. “Do you know how many times my father stood in front of me and Sawyer, swearing to us that he wouldn’t get drunk, wouldn’t lose his job, that he’d be there at the ball game, or the teacher’s conference? And every single time, he lied.”

  “Fair enough,” Maisy said. “But Perry isn’t your dad and I think you’ll get more information if you let her do most of the talking, without being too aggressive.”

  “But she knows she’s not allowed to date. We agreed a long time ago that that sort of thing would wait until high school,” he said. “She’s never lied to me before—and it’s over a boy.”

  He made a face like he was sucking a lemon and Maisy had a hard time not smiling. The guy was trying really hard not to freak out. For the first time she saw how vulnerable he felt as a single dad. It wrecked her. If ever there was a guy who loved his kid, it was Ryder.

  “Just be calm and try to hear her side of it first,” Maisy said. She hugged him tight and was relieved when he hugged her back. “Okay?”

  “I’ll try,” he said. He released her reluctantly, which made Maisy smile again.

  She noted that his color had returned to normal and the crazy light in his eyes had diminished somewhat. She figured this was as good as it was going to get.

  They walked up the three flights of stairs to the upper-level apartment. They could hear the sound of the television before they reached the door, and Maisy said a quick prayer that Perry was honest with her dad. She unlocked the door and pushed it open.

  To her surprise, it was a full-on hen party happening. Savannah, Perry, Jeri, and Hannah were all in attendance, with King George sacked out in the middle of them on the couch.

  “Hello,” Savy greeted them. “You’re just in time!”

  Maisy walked into the room, flicking on the light switch, as the ladies had it turned down low for the movie.

  “Ah, no lights!” Hannah cried. She was hugging a bowl of popcorn to her middle over her veterinarian scrubs.

  Maisy snapped the light back off and Jeri said, “Thank you.”

  “We’re in the final scene,” Savy said in a stage whisper, which of course was no stage whisper at all.

  “What’s the movie?”

  “The Sure Thing,” Perry said.

  “Oh, hell no,” Ryder said. He snapped the lights back on and fumbled for the remote. Not finding it, he snapped the TV off on the console.

  “Dad!” Perry cried. “What are you doing?”

  “There are no sure things,” he said to Perry. “Ever. Sure things are bad, very bad.”

  Savy looked at Maisy. “Good date?”

  “I’ll explain later,” she said.

  “Oh, I can’t wait to hear this,” Jeri said to Hannah. They both dug a hand into the popcorn bowl and watched Ryder and Maisy as if they were the feature film. Maisy gave them a discouraging scowl, but they didn’t turn away.

  Ryder was still staring at his daughter. “Who is Cooper Wainwright?”

  Maisy cringed. This was not exactly the way she’d envisioned this going down.

  Perry met her father’s gaze. Maisy had to give her props for that. She was unflinching as she tipped up her chin and said, “He’s my boyfriend.”

  “What?” Savannah cried.

  “Hey, now,” Jeri said. “That is not what you told us before.”

  “Honestly, Perry, I am shocked,” Hannah said. “We asked you if you were seeing anyone and you said no.”

  “You even swore an oath on it,” Savannah said. She held up a vintage paperback and looked at Maisy in chagrin. “She swore on Kathleen Woodiwiss’s The Flame and the Flower.”

  “Oh, the betrayal,” Jeri said.

  “It cuts deep,” Hannah said.

  “I’m sorry,” Perry addressed the women. “Truly, I was trying to keep it on the down-low, because it’s really no big deal.”

  Maisy looked at Perry’s face. There was a quiver to her chin and her eyes looked suspiciously watery. This was anything but “no big deal” to her. Maisy felt her heart clench in her chest. Perry was looking heartbreak full in the face and she was doing it unflinchingly. How incredibly brave she was.

  “If it’s no big deal then why didn’t you tell me?” Ryder asked.

  Perry shrugged in that dismissive whatever sort of way that teenagers had. Maisy wanted to stand behind Ryder in Perry’s line of sight and wave her arms or make a slashing motion across her throat—anything to clue her in that this was the worst possible tack to take. Too late.

  “What does that mean?” Ryder asked. He mimicked her shrug, which made Perry’s face turn red. Maisy wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or anger, but she was pretty sure it didn’t matter. Both were bad. “What else haven’t you told me?”

  Perry hopped to her feet. She grabbed her backpack off the floor and swung it over one shoulder. “What I do and who I see are none of your business.”

  Collectively, Savannah’s, Hannah’s, and Jeri’s jaws dropped. They all looked at Ryder as if expecting his head to explode in three, two . . . Maisy knew what was coming. She tried to give him the hand sign to take it down, remain calm, breathe. Yeah, Ryder was having none of that.

  “You listen here, young lady, as long as you are under my roof everything you do is my business,” he said. He crossed his arms over his chest in stern-dad stance. Perry was not intimidated, not at all.

  “Then, it’s a good thing I’m not going to be under your roof much longer,” she said.

  Maisy heard one of the ladies suck in a breath.

  “I say she’s winning,” Jeri said. “Three to one.”

  “No, no, he’s coming back. You’ll see,” Hannah said.

  “Nah, I’m with Jeri,” Savy said. “I think Perry’s got him at least two to one.”

  “Hush,” Maisy shushed her friends.

  Ryder looked gobsmacked, as if he couldn’t believe Perry had just spoken to him like that. He stared at her as if he didn’t recognize her, and Maisy had a feeling this was their first real father-daughter contest of wills. Even without the ladies keeping track, it was clear Perry wasn’t holding back.

  “How did you find out, anyway?” Perry asked. She glared at Maisy, and Maisy wanted to protest that she hadn’t said a word, but then how would that look to Ryder? Ergh, this was a nightmare. Perry scowled at her father. “Did Maisy tell you?”

  “Maisy?” Ryder asked. He looked bewildered and then looked at Maisy. “Did you know about this?”

  “Not exactly,” Maisy said.

  “Meaning?” Ryder’s jaw was tight. He looked pissed, and Maisy couldn’t blame him.

  “I ran into Perry in the hidden room with Cooper, but I didn’t know they were a couple.”

  “But you saw them alone together?” he asked. “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “No, I didn’t,” Maisy said.

  Ryder looked furious and hurt. Maisy wanted to explain, but Perry was not letting go of her advantage.

  “If you didn’t hear it from Maisy, who did you hear it from?”

  “I happened to meet Cooper’s father, Travis Wainwright, tonight,” Ryder said. “Imagine my surprise when he said you were going out with his son.”

  “Where did you meet Mr. Wainwright?” Perry asked.

  “That’s not the point,” Ryder said.

  “Yes, it is,” Perry insisted. “What were you doing that warranted a chat with the chief of police?”

  “Did you get pulled over?” Hannah asked. “Travis tagged me for speeding, but I still say his radar gun was faulty. It added thirty miles onto my actual speed.”

  Maisy and Jeri exchanged a knowing look. Everyone in town knew that Hannah Phillips had a lead foot.

  “No, I didn’t get pulled over,” Ryder sai
d.

  “Jaywalking?” Jeri asked. “Travis is a stickler for the rules. Remember when he was the hall monitor in school? I’ve never spent so much time in the principal’s office.”

  “No.”

  “Maisy Kelly, did Travis catch you two, you know?” Savy asked.

  “Uh . . . I . . . we . . . it’s complicated.” Maisy’s inability to lie tripped her up.

  Ryder snapped his head around to look at her and she shrugged.

  “Oh, my God,” Perry said. “I can never go out in public again. My dad was caught hooking up! This is humiliating. I am socially ruined.”

  “It was not that bad,” Ryder said. “We were simply taking in the sights by the covered bridge—”

  “You were by the bridge!” Perry’s eyes were huge behind her glasses. “That’s the town’s make-out spot. I’ve never even been there! And that’s where all the high school kids go. Did anyone see you? Did you see anyone? Did they recognize you?”

  She whipped out her phone and began thumbing through screens.

  “What are you doing?” Ryder asked.

  “Checking to see how much damage you’ve done to my social standing,” she said. “You know, most teen girls do not have to deal with their dad making out in public on dates. Jeez, it’s like my life has become a Jennifer Crusie novel.”

  “Oh, horror,” Savy deadpanned.

  “Right?” Perry asked. “I mean, she’s hilarious, but I don’t want to live it, you know?”

  Maisy’s lips twitched. Having never had that much of a social life, she was amazed that she was now the cause of such an uproar.

  “Ladybug, you need to settle down,” Ryder said. He lowered one eyebrow at her and gave her a hard stare. “This is not about me and Maisy, it’s about you having a boyfriend and not telling me, especially when we agreed you’re too young to date.”

  “No, that was the issue, but now it’s you and your girlfriend,” Perry argued. “I mean, jeez, Dad, you’re old. You can’t be hooking up in public. What will people say?”

  At least Maisy was pretty sure that’s what she said, because honestly, after Perry threw out the G-word, she started to have heart palpitations, the kind where she could feel her heart beating hard in her chest, and the thumps were so strong and so loud she got only about every other word of what the girl was saying.