CHAPTER 44 #2
“Uh, no. They were really busy, and we didn’t feel like getting our pictures taken, so we were going to pick something up at a drive-through on the way home.”
“Want something from here?” River offered. “I have the homemade stuff, not that ice milk they sell.”
Lacey laughed and said, “It is really good.”
“Yeah, let’s do it,” Cameron replied.
“I’m good with this,” Kennedy added and finished her fudge. “Need any help?”
“Want to get the dishes for me?”
“Sure, babe,” Kennedy said.
They went about scooping ice cream and putting it and toppings into dishes, and River realized that she had nowhere for them to sit down to eat it.
There were the two stools behind the counter, yes, but there were four of them.
Plus, she had two movie stars in the front of her shop, and while the lights weren’t on, the sun wasn’t down all the way yet, and people were walking by.
“In the back?” she asked.
“Sure. I’ve never seen the back of a candy shop before,” Cameron replied.
Then, Kennedy and Cameron grabbed the two stools and carried them into the back, but River remained in place, remembering what she was wearing and how obvious it was that she was wearing it.
There was nowhere for her to hide in the back of the shop, and she couldn’t exactly take it off in the front of the shop, so she just stood behind the counter, with her ice cream on the counter, wondering what to do.
“Hold on,” Kennedy told her, walking back out. “Face me. I’ll cover you.”
Relieved that her girlfriend had remembered what she was wearing, too, apparently, River quickly unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans and tried to remove the dildo as quickly as she could, and Kennedy took it from her and tossed it into a box of candy under the counter.
“We cannot forget to grab that when they leave,” River said, zipping her pants back up.
“Oh, I still plan on using it tonight,” Kennedy replied and kissed her quickly.
“I love you,” River told her, smiling.
“Love you, too, gorgeous.”
“Sorry…”
River heard the voice and looked up to see Lacey standing there.
“Was just wondering where you two went.”
“I’ll go steal some lemon-lime,” Kennedy said before she kissed River again and walked by Lacey, disappearing into the back.
“You’re really happy, huh?” Lacey noted and took a bite of her ice cream.
“I am, yeah. I even gave her space in my closet. I bought a new dresser, too.”
“Whoa. You let her stuff mingle with yours?”
“I do. I told you, I’m growing.”
Lacey laughed and asked, “You love her, don’t you?”
“So much,” she admitted. “You?”
“Yeah, I love Cam,” Lacey confirmed.
“Have you two said it yet?”
“We did, yes. Well, she said it first one night a while ago when she thought I was asleep, but she said it again when she knew I was awake not long after that. I said it back, obviously.”
“So, LA?” River asked.
“Maybe, yeah.”
“We might end up there, too,” she said.
“What? What about this place?”
“It’s not going anywhere,” River replied. “I might just open another store. We’ve really been doing well recently, and I’ve had a ton of online orders as well. I can barely keep up. I had to hire two more people, so now would be the time to start planning.”
“That’s great, River. Amazing, really. Maybe we’ll both end up living there.”
“Maybe. Strange how this all worked out, huh?”
“You can say that.” Lacey chuckled. “I’m in love with Cameron Levine, and you love Kennedy Gannon.”
“And they love us back,” River said.
“Who would have thought?”
“Yeah. But we are good, aren’t we? I know we’ve been busy, but we’re good.”
“We’d be better if I didn’t accidentally walk in on your girlfriend tossing the dildo you were wearing under the counter.”
“Shit. You saw that?”
Lacey took another bite of her ice cream and said, “Oh, yeah.”
“Can you pretend like you didn’t?”
“Nope. Cemented into my brain, unfortunately,” Lacey laughed. “But Cam and I will get out of here so that you two can…” She pointed down under the counter. “You know.”
“It’s her last night. She leaves tomorrow.”
“It’s not her last night, River. You’ll be going back and forth for a while, but it’s not her last night.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“I’ll get my girlfriend so you can have the rest of your night with yours, but I don’t want us to turn into strangers. I’ve missed you, you know?”
“I’ve missed you, too, Lace.”
“Want to hang out one day soon?”
“Only if you promise not to mention what you saw tonight ever again.”
Lacey chuckled and replied, “Deal.”
“Hey, Kennedy is kicking us out,” Cameron said when she emerged through the door.
“Probably because she and River want to have strap-on sex in that back room, or it would’ve made no sense for River to have it on down here.”
“Lace!” River laughed.
“What did you tell her?” Kennedy asked, playfully pushing Cameron aside to get to River.
“I didn’t say anything. She saw it.”
“Well, have fun with that,” Cameron replied, laughing. “Lace, want to go home now before they start going at it?”
“So much,” Lacey said and then added, “Don’t be a stranger, River Ervin.”
“I won’t,” she replied.
“Same to you, Cameron,” Kennedy said.
“I doubt any of us will ever be strangers,” Cameron replied. “But have a nice night, you two.”
“I’ll follow you so that I can lock up,” River said.
She walked them out, locked the door, and laughed as she turned around.
“What a night, huh?” she said with a shrug.
“Oh, babe… You act like it’s over.”
Kennedy bent down, picked up the flesh-colored dildo, and held it out.
“Kennedy!”
“Meet me in the back,” Kennedy told her in a sing-song voice, and River ran after her.