I wanted to pipe up and say something, but I just bit down on my lip, not even moving from my crouching tiger position.
The officer laughed at that and Blaine joined in. "Well, the Doddery girl was none too happy. She wanted to press charges, but everyone there agreed that Julie had started it all and Libby there never raised a hand to her."
The cop leaned his head in closer. "Julie didn't like that too much. I don't think we'll see her around these parts again."
"Good to hear Officer Campbell. Good to hear." Blaine squeezed my hand again.
"But," Officer Campbell continued. "I can't just turn a blind eye to you getting a little…you know..." He put a fist to his mouth and stuck his tongue into his cheek, moving his fist back and forth. "From your girlfriend out here in the swamp."
I was still drunk and tried not to laugh at the hand gesture the cop made. I tightly covered my mouth with one hand and leaned my shoulder against the seat, so I wouldn't fall over.
I didn't hear much more of what they said after that. I don't think they wanted me to know either. They lowered their voices and Officer Campbell did a lot of nodding and glancing over at me. And within about twenty minutes the two men were laughing and the cop was letting us go.
"Now you behave yourself Miss Gentry, next time I see you I don't want it to be because I'm in the cop car, ya hear?"
My eyes were so droopy that I could barely keep them open as I nodded to Officer Campbell.
"Alright now." Office Campbell nodded profusely. "Mr. Crabtree, get this young lady home, we don't want Aunt Dee up all night waiting for her." He patted Blaine on the shoulder and then got in his car and left.
Blaine leaned in and kissed my half open eyes. "We really need to stop seeing Officer Campbell like this."
"And you really need to not let me wear stilettos."
Chapter 15
Fourth of July in a small town is kind of a big deal. Aunt Dee closed the shop down for the day as people lined the streets for the annual parade and fair. Fourth of July had to be kind of a bittersweet day for Aunt Dee. I knew it was the day that everything changed for her daughter. But if she was upset she didn't let anyone see it. She was busy baking pies for the fair and handing out flags for everyone in town.
"What are you and Blaine doing today?" Aunt Dee questioned when I strolled out of the bedroom. She had already been up since the break of dawn baking.
"I think we are going to his friend Jackson's or something." I yawned, shrugging at the end of a big stretch. The truth of the matter was absolutely nothing had still happened with Blaine and I, and I think things had gotten worse since the night at the bar.
Every time I had even tried anything more than making out, Blaine would immediately stop everything all together. Today was the day I was hoping to change all of that. I spent almost an entire paycheck ordering new lingerie from Agent Provocateur, a website that Kristi introduced me for when she was looking for her wedding night outfit. I practically had to tackle the mail man to get to it before Aunt Dee saw it.
"Oh, is Brittany going with you?" Aunt Dee looked up at me from behind those Coke bottle glasses.
Oh Brittany. Blaine insisted that she hang out with us even more. If there was a female word for cock block, Britt would be it. Between her sitting in the living room with us every time we'd watch TV, to Aunt Dee sitting at the table scrapbooking if Britt was gone for the night.
I shrugged again. "I don't know. I guess if she wants to."
"Brittany go where?" Britt shuffled out of her bedroom, rubbing her eyes. My mission to turn her into more of a girl was failing miserably. She was clad in an oversized t-shirt and some basketball shorts. I bought her some pink pajamas at one point, but I think she just threw them in the back of her closet.
"Oh, Brittany, you're awake." Aunt Dee glanced quickly at Britt, but then went back to mixing something in a large blue bowl. "Libby was just telling me that she and Blaine were going over to that Cleary boy's house for the Fourth of July. Were you planning on going too?"
"Jackson's having a party?" Britt's eyes perked up as she leaped into the kitchen.
"Uh, yeah. I guess he is." Shit just what I needed, Britt tagging along.
"I've got the softball game this afternoon" Britt reached a chubby finger into one of Aunt Dee's mixing bowls, coming up with a big dollop of dough and scooping it into her mouth. "I think Sarah may be having a party too. Her dad got a bunch of fireworks this year and last year her brother blew up a toad with a bottle rocket."
"Ew, I think that was probably unnecessary." I wrinkled my nose, but secretly smiled. Maybe I would be able to get Blaine away from Jackson's too. I knew Aunt Dee's house would be empty since she would be so busy with the fair and parade, and Blaine's house would definitely be empty.
Thank God. For a minute there I thought it might be a perfectly good waste of new panties.
∞
Aunt Dee spent the rest of the early morning baking, and then quickly packed up her car to make it to the antique shop in time for the parade. The parade didn't officially start till ten, so Britt and I had some time to lie around the house.
"So what did you get from that Agent place?" Britt peered over at me from behind the couch.
I stopped scrubbing the dish I had in the sink. "Uh, you know just the essentials, panties and the like." I nodded to myself thinking that answer was sufficient, and finished scrubbing the last of the dozens of dishes Aunt Dee left behind. I didn't know if I could ever do the baking thing if it took that many dishes.
"So nothing kinky like edible underwear or nipple guards or something?" Britt got up on her knees and leaned in with her elbows propped up on the edge of the couch.
I wiped my hands with a spare dish towel and walked into the living room. "I don't think Agent Provocateur even sells those kinds of things, perv." I threw the dish towel at her face.
"Hey." She took the dish towel off her face throwing it to the side. "Well, I heard." She scooted down so that she was sitting on the couch next to me, just as I sat down. "That you got caught giving Blaine a blow job off of Parrish road last week."
My jaw dropped. How the hell did she know that? Even more so it wasn't even a blow job, but more of a me-looking-stupid-job.
"Where did you hear that from?" I tried to remain calm, but my hands were balling up into fists.
Britt rolled her eyes. "Come on Libby, don't tell me you haven't learned anything while you've been living here. It's a small town. We hear it all."
I guess that would explain why Dina and Marion were giving me such weird looks and would giggle every time I would tell Blaine that I was hungry.
"Okay, now I'm sufficiently embarrassed. I mean we didn't even do anything, but does everyone think that we did?" I tussled my hair with a free hand and curled my feet under my knees.
"Probably." Britt bobbed her head up and down repeatedly. "The other night at Sarah's one of the guys had referred to you as Libby Lips."
"GROSS!" I shrieked. "I think that's even worse than Big Bird!" I shook my hair about like I was trying to get a bug out of it. "I wonder if Blaine knows what people are saying."
Britt shrugged. "I don't know, but I'll let you deal with that one." She patted my knee and then got up from the couch. "I'm going to go take a shower before you hog it for the rest of the morning."
"Hey use my new shampoo; it will make your hair grow faster. I promise!" I yelled as Britt walked out of the room.
"Yeah. Yeah." She yelled back from behind the closed bathroom door.
I grabbed my phone and quickly dialed Blaine's number. It rang, and rang, I thought he was never going to pick up.
"Hullo?" He sounded like he had just woken up, his voice was groggy like it was killing him just to answer.
"Blaine do you know what people are saying about us?" I shrieked into the phone like a nervous school girl.
"Baby," he groaned. I could hear his muscles stretch and pop in the background. "Did you know its seven a.m. and not a work day?"
"I'm serious!" I sat straight up, thinking maybe somehow my posture would emphasize my words better. "Britt said that everyone knows about you and me and the truck the other night."
"So?" He yawned.
"So? SO? Is that all you have to say? We get caught by the police with my head stuck in your crotch and all you have to say is so?" I got up and paced back and forth in the living room.
I heard him groan again and his bed creak. I could tell he was slowly getting up. "It's not like we got arrested for it. Besides, technically, we weren't doing anything wrong. Like you said, you just got stuck."
The shower turned on in the bathroom, water started slowly spraying a steady stream. Good, Britt wouldn't be able to hear our conversation.
"Blaine, Britt said some guy at Sarah's called me Libby Lips!"
Blaine actually laughed. "Are you serious?"
"It's not funny." I pouted, putting my free hand on my hip.
"I'm sorry Libby. I know it's not."
"Then why did you laugh?"
He groaned again. "Well what do you want me to do?"
"I think you should get caught going down on me in the swamp and get a nickname like Blowy Blaine, or something."
I heard the air blow through his nose as he smiled. "Do you want me to come over there and go down on you in the swamp?"
"Yes. Yes I do."
"Alright." He cracked his back. "I'll be over in about an hour to take you to the parade. I'll even wear the John Deere belt buckle just for you." I heard him smile again.
"That's not funny."
He groaned, "Baby…"
"Okay, fine. See you soon." I muttered.
"Bye babe."
I hung up the phone and sprawled back on the couch. Brittany would only take about ten minutes in the shower, and I figured I would probably need as much time as I could in there when she was done.
∞
Blaine was, of course, early as usual. I had barely finished doing my hair and was just standing in the bathroom in a tank top and shorts when he walked in. He waltzed in the house without even knocking and just stood in the doorway of the bathroom.
"Is that what you are wearing today?" He leaned in on the door frame.
"Actually I planned on just being naked, and then you could have better access to my goodies. I thought maybe we could do this during the parade." I turned away from the mirror and smirked at him, shaking what little of a chest I had.
"Ew, please don't go naked." Brittany piped in, squeezing between Blaine and the doorframe. "I've already got the cousin with the loose lips, I don’t want to have the cousin with the loose everything."
Blaine laughed and I shot him an evil glare.
"Fine." I locked in on Brittany's' eyes. "I'll wear clothes only if you change yours."
"What's wrong with what I’m wearing?" She quipped holding out the bottom of her sleeveless red shirt, her freckles arms were almost the same color as the shirt.
"Too many things to name."
"Fine!" She stomped into her room.
"Did you make me breakfast?" Blaine leaned in and kissed me hard on the lips.
"No. Do I look like I've been cooking?"
Blaine put his arms around my waist and lifted me up off the ground, twirling me around until we were in the hallway. "How do you expect to become a true southern belle if you can't cook?" He kissed me again and then put me down.
"By marrying a rich southern man of course!" I stuck my tongue out at him.
"Don't tease Libby Lips!" He tickled my sides while I squirmed and giggled against his hands.
"You two are disgusting!" Britt wrinkled her nose as she walked back into the living room. She was dressed much better this time. She was actually wearing the jean capris and paired it with a tiered blue tank top that I just happened to find on clearance one day.
I pulled away from Blaine's grip and stood in front of him, patrolling my eyes up and down Britt's outfit. "Much better!" I clapped.
"Now will you put on clothes?" She rolled her eyes.
"Will you put on a headband to match your outfit?" I leaned my head in hoping it would be a yes.
"Um, no. I got this far, and I think that's far enough for today."
"Makeup?" I steepled my fingers together in front of my face.
"No. Now get dressed." She pointed toward my bedroom.
"And Blaine." She turned to him as I started toward the bedroom. "You stay here. I don't want to hear anything I don't need to from the bedroom."
"I can try and be quiet!" I yelled, poking my head out the door.
"Yeah, but I can't be." Blaine yelled back.
"EW." Brittany screeched.
Some days, actually most days, I wished Blaine would actually do what he says, instead of just joke about it.
Since Britt and I's only ride to the parade was in Blaine's truck, we were pretty much packed in like sardines. At least Britt was since I made her sit in the back.
"Why do I have to sit in the back?" She protested, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Because I have long legs and they are hard to get in the back of the truck." I traced a finger down my long legs. Thank God they were at least tanning nicely in the Louisiana sun or I would look like a giant thing of string cheese.
"I bet you Blaine could get you in the back of the truck." She rolled her head from side to side.
Blaine swooped an arm around me. "I probably could, but this isn't the time or the place." He shot a quick smile at me then looked back at Britt. "Now can you just please get in the back of the truck so we can get going?"
"Fine!" Britt threw her hands up in the air and then reluctantly climbed into the backseat of the truck.
I grabbed Blaine's wrist and pulled him back toward me before he could walk around to the driver's side. My lips traced along his earlobe as I whispered. "Just because I'm in a dress today doesn't mean I'll be getting in the back of the truck."
He turned and kissed the bottom of my jaw line then whispered in my ear. "We'll see about that one."
I didn't return the smile and sighed. "Sometimes I wish you would just stop joking and actually just do it."
"Patience, baby." He yelled and got into his side of the truck. "Patience."
We rode pretty much in silence except for the extremely terrible music that Blaine listened to. Britt seemed to enjoy it, but I constantly tried to change his CD or even put on the radio. Not to mention, I was even more uncomfortable with what I was wearing underneath my dress. I had on nothing more than just a strapless red dress, which was made of a cotton material, with a bubble hem. It was still more uncomfortable than anything when you are wearing lace underneath cotton. All I wanted to do was scratch my nether regions, but I thought people might think something was wrong with me.
The downtown area was packed. I think the entire Parrish decided to come to the parade. All three blocks of downtown were lined with people in folded chairs, kids screaming from on top of their father's shoulders, and lots of American flags in every shop window, and every person's hand or wagon. Aunt Dee said we could park in the back of the shop, so at least that helped us for a parking spot. Britt tumbled out of the car as soon as we go to the office.
"FREEDOM!" She almost screamed and ran out of the truck to go find her friends.
Blaine came around to the other side of the car and reached for my hand. I took it and pulled him back so he was facing me while I leaned against the passenger side door. "Are we going to get some alone time that's not just in your truck today?"
"Well I can't promise anything Libby, but we can sure try." His southern accent just poured out like syrup, it was so sugary sweet.
"I feel like you've been avoiding it for some time now, and I just thought, I mean nobody is at my Aunt Dee's almost all day today." I traced my finger in circles on his chest. How I wished I could just see him minus the shirt. "We can even ditch the parade now and go over there."
He pushed my hand down off of his chest. He was so close I cou
ld feel some movement in his pants. "Not here babe." He kissed my forehead. "Come on, it's your first Elsbury Fourth of July parade. It'll be fun."
Fun was not the word I was thinking. He took my hand again and we headed toward the front of the office hand in hand.
"Oh, y'all finally made it!" Aunt Dee grabbed Blaine and me, embracing us into a hug.
"Not everyone can be up at the crack of dawn like your family, but Libby's trying to get me to be." Blaine beamed at Aunt Dee when she let us go.
"Well Dee, I think you may have another southern belle after all." One of Aunt Dee's friends piped in. I recognized her as Maize Thibodaux, one of Aunt Dee's friends from bridge club, whose husband owned one of the grocery stores in town.
"Libby?" Blaine almost couldn't contain his laughter, which I didn't understand because he was always joking about me being a southern belle.
"Why yes, Mr. Crabtree." Maize put her hand out like she was swatting a fly. "I mean just look at her."
I twirled a piece of my hair. The only thing that came to my mind when I thought of a southern belle was Scarlett O'Hara.
"Nails polished, her hair done, and even with a headband to match her shoes! She looks like she could just go right out now and make her Debut!" Maize clasped her hands together.
"Oh, well I think Libby's a bit old for that." Aunt Dee looked down. "But Brittany does turn sixteen next year." She grimaced.
Maize patted Aunt Dee's shoulder and smirked before they went back to their bright green lawn chairs near the edge of the street.
Thank God I watched a lot of television, or I'd have no idea what they were talking about. A Debut was a big ordeal I guess in some parts of the south, though I did not think in small town Louisiana it was a big deal. It was kind of like a coming of age for girls just to say 'I'm here and I’m pretty and I’m a southern lady!' I kind of had the feeling that Blaine's ex was probably one of these girls that made her debut, and I also thought that Britt was probably one of those girls who never would.
My Paper Heart Page 10