Too Wrong to Be Right by Melonie Johnson (Excerpt)

 

CHAPTER 1

 

Kat

 

“Why is there a crocheted penis lying on the floor?” Kat Kowalski demanded. It was five minutes to five on Friday night, and all Kat wanted to do was close up the flower shop and get on with her evening. She’d been attempting to do just that, briskly sweeping the store’s floor, when the broom had abruptly encountered … something.

 

Ronnie, her coworker and second-in-command, leaned over the counter and inspected the object in question. “Yep. That’s a dick.”

 

“I know it’s a dick,” Kat confirmed. “What I don’t know is what is it doing here?” She prodded the limp lump of yarn with her broom and it flopped across the shop floor like it absolutely did not give a fuck.

 

It was a very nice floor too. New. Installed last spring, the gleaming slats looked like hardwood, but they were actually made from repurposed bamboo stalks. Allen, the owner of the flower shop, had always been into conservation, but in the last year or so, he’d taken his green crusade to the next level. He’d installed solar panels and a rain barrel reservoir system and was researching geothermal heating options for a greenhouse.

 

But as far as Kat knew, her boss hadn’t taken up crocheting genitalia.

 

The wind chimes over the shop’s entrance jangled, the upcycled metal gardening tools hanging from an old terracotta pot clattering against each other in a surprisingly melodic racket. On instinct, Kat dove, broom handle smacking the floor as she snatched up the mystery penis. She straightened and crammed her hands behind her back. “Laura.” Kat exhaled, relieved to see it wasn’t a customer who had entered, but their delivery driver. “It’s just you.”

 

“Hello to you too,” Laura said as she flipped the open sign on the door to closed. “Were you expecting someone else?”

 

“No. But we found a, ah…” Kat waved her recent discovery in the air.

 

“You found my cock!” Laura exclaimed.

 

“That’s yours?” Ronnie asked, stooping to pick up the broom.

 

“Yep.” Laura nodded, wiggling her fingers in a Give me gesture. “It’s my cozy cock.”

 

Kat handed the object over. “It’s your what, now?”

 

“Cozy cock,” Laura repeated. “Or cock cozy.” She shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet.” Laura set the cock in question on the counter. Then she reached around and grabbed one of the travel mugs that had collected on the shelf below the register thanks to the employees’ caffeine habit. Another Allen rule: all reusable cups, all the time.

 

“What are you planning to do with that?” Ronnie asked.

 

Laura flipped the tip open. “Watch.” She slid the mug inside the hollow space, then stood the handcrafted organ upright and stepped back with a flourish. “Ta-da!”

 

Kat’s brows rose as she gazed upon the woman’s handiwork. Tucked snug inside the, um, shaft, the mug did indeed look cozy. “Okay, that does look nice and warm, but why…”

 

“Why a cock?” Laura grinned. “I’m thinking about starting a side business. I’ve got ideas for a whole line of products.”

 

“You might be onto something.” Kat eyed the yarn penis propped on the counter. “They’d make great favors for bachelorette parties,” she snickered. “Speaking of parties,” she added, glancing at the clock over the door, “I’ve gotta finish closing. It’s CCC night.”

 

“Ah yes, your weekly movie night.” Laura snagged the broom from Ronnie and took over sweeping. “Are you still doing that?”

 

“Yeah.” Kat grabbed the clipboard hanging from a hook by the cooler and began to take inventory of the unsold bouquets. “But we skipped the last few.”

 

“I thought your Friday night tradition was sacred,” Ronnie said, removing their name tag and the THEY/THEM pronoun pin they wore and tossing both in a drawer by the register.

 

“It is sacred.” Cocktails, carbs, and comedies had been a staple of Kat’s life since college. She and her two best friends had been getting together for their Friday night tradition for the better part of a decade. “But lately Julia and Andie have been busy with other plans.”

 

“Things must be getting serious if they’re putting dicks before chick flicks.” Ronnie tartly observed, counting down the register. “What about your dick, Kat?”

 

Kat lost her count. “Pardon?”

 

Ronnie blinked innocently. “How are things going with Chad?”

 

“Tad,” Kat corrected automatically. Ronnie wasn’t Tad’s biggest fan and always said his name wrong on purpose.

 

“Any man’s name that ends in ‘ad’ should come with a warning label,” Laura said as she emptied the dustpan into the trash.

 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kat promised. She finished inventorying the bouquets and moved on to the single stems. Knowing Laura’s history with her ex-husband Brad, she didn’t fault the woman for her obviously biased opinion. “We’ve been seeing each other for almost half a year now, and things seem to be going well.”

 

“Dating for six months…” Laura’s nose crinkled in speculation. “I think I was pregnant with my first kid by then. Not that I’m suggesting you should follow in my delinquent footsteps.”

 

Kat laughed. Laura was so chill, she often forgot the woman was more than a dozen years her senior, with a minivan and four kids, the oldest of whom was starting high school. “This is the first relationship I’ve had in ages that lasted longer than a month, but I don’t think we’re quite ready for that step.”

 

The wind chimes jangled, and everyone’s attention jerked to the entrance of the store.

 

“Speak of the spray-tanned devil,” Ronnie muttered.

 

Kat blinked in surprise as her boyfriend entered the supposedly closed shop.

 

“Oops.” Laura slid them a sheepish look. “I must have forgotten to lock that.”

 

“Probably because you were distracted by your giant yarn wiener.”

 

Smothering a giggle at Ronnie’s snarky tone, Kat shifted her gaze back to Tad. “This is unexpected,” she said, offering him a warm, albeit confused, smile.

 

“Sorry about showing up unannounced like this.” He propped his elbows on the counter. “But I had to see you.”

 

“That’s sweet.” Happiness fizzed inside her. Kat hung the clipboard back on the hook and joined him at the counter. “But I’m getting together with my friends tonight, remember?”

 

“Come on.” He reached out and tugged on her braid. “You can ditch ’em.”

 

“I really can’t.” She bit her lip, torn between appreciation for his apparent enthusiasm to see her and frustration at how easily he dismissed her plans. Her favorite Friday night ritual with her besties had been canceled the last three out of four times, once by Julia and twice by Andie. Kat had given them both a ton of shit about it. Threatened bodily harm if they canceled on her again. There was no way she was going to be the one to bail this time. “This couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”

 

“Actually, no.” The sharp edge to Tad’s voice made it clear he was put off by the fact she was putting him off. “I really need to talk to you now.” He shifted his attention to her coworkers. “Alone.”

 

“We can take a hint.” Laura scooped up her cock cozy. “Right, Ronnie?”

 

“Right.” Ronnie held Kat’s gaze. “Unless you want us to stay here?”

 

Appreciating their concern, Kat shook her head. “I’m good, thanks.”

 

They disappeared into the back room and Kat’s stomach knotted as she belatedly realized that when somebody said they wanted—no, needed—to “talk,” it usually wasn’t good. But things were good between them … at least she’d thought they were. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Everything is great.” Eyes bright, Tad’s entire body seemed to radiate an anxious sort of energy. He grabbed her hands and squeezed. “Better than great.”

 

His obvious excitement was infectious, and Kat’s initial concern began to ebb. “Tell me already,” she encouraged, squeezing back. “What’s happening that’s so great?”

 

He beamed at her, flashing his perfect pearly whites. “My flight leaves in a few hours.”

 

Flight? Kat pulled away from him, treading carefully. “You’re going somewhere?”

 

“Canada.”

 

“You’re leaving the country?” she asked, voice rising as her heart plummeted. “Tonight?”

 

“You’re upset.” Tad sighed.

 

“I’m not upset,” Kat began. “I’m … confused. Are you in trouble or something?”

 

“No.” He snorted as if the idea were absurd. “Quite the opposite.”

 

“Oka-a-y,” she said slowly. “Then what’s going on?”

 

“My big break!” He threw his arms wide and announced, “Hot and Single!”

 

“Hot and Single?” Kat repeated, voice rising once more. Now she was getting upset. And she had every right to be. Her boyfriend had just told her he was planning to appear on a reality TV dating show, one known for salacious hookups both on and off the screen. “You’re going to be a contestant?”

 

“No. I’m going to be the new host.”

 

“Oh.” Kat paused. That was better, at least. “Wow.” Now that the initial shock had passed, her brain tried to catch up. “You already got the job?”

 

“Not yet,” Tad admitted. He turned, pacing around the store’s freshly swept floor. “Last month I did a virtual casting call, and yesterday I found out I made the final cut.”

 

“I didn’t even know you’d auditioned.” Kat tried to brush off the sense of disappointment that he hadn’t mentioned anything to her.

 

“I didn’t want to tell you in case nothing came of it. You know how it is.”

 

“Um, yeah. I guess.” As an actor, he went on auditions all the time, mostly for commercials. She didn’t expect him to tell her about each and every one of those. But not only was hosting Hot and Single a much bigger deal than a commercial, it was something they shared, a common interest. They often watched the reality show together and had spent more than one date debating the merits of various contestants and speculating on who was sleeping with whom. “Wow,” Kat said again, still trying to process the news. “This is … wow.”

 

“I know. It’s huge, right?” Tad’s perfect lips curved beguilingly. It was that stunning smile that had first caught her attention across a crowded downtown bar, a radiant, rakish grin she was sure would capture the hearts of viewers everywhere. “They’re flying me out for a screen test and some interviews with the producers.”

 

“How long is that going to take?”

 

“A week or two.” He reached for her again. “That’s why we need to talk. I want to ask you something.” He threaded their fingers together and tugged her forward, pulling her through the door of the shop. “I know it might seem like a lot,” he said, stopping in front of his car parked along the curb.

 

“Let me guess,” Kat said, tone dry, “you need me to drive you to the airport.”

 

“No,” he said, staring at her intently. “This is much more important.”

 

Her pulse began to pound. Did he want her to come with him? She couldn’t leave the shop, couldn’t drop everything and leave her life here in Chicago …

 

“Will you take care of JoJo?”

 

“‘JoJo’?” Kat echoed, thoughts still swirling, debating, making plans. “JoJo,” she repeated as realization dawned. “Your hedgehog?”

 

Tad nodded, untangling his fingers from hers. “To bring her across the border, I’d need some kind of permit,” he explained, opening the passenger door and pulling out a plastic storage tub. “Besides, I’m probably going to be so busy with show stuff, I won’t have time to take care of her.”

 

Bemused, Kat peered into the container. When she’d first met Tad’s pet, she thought the little critter was charming. She’d never known anyone who owned a hedgehog before. Tad had said he’d only be gone for a few weeks. How hard could it be? “I guess I could,” she said.

 

“I knew I could count on you.” He handed her the container and reached back into the car, pulling out bags of supplies. “Thanks for doing this.”

 

“Um, sure.” With his flight only hours from now, he wasn’t giving her much of a choice. Was it presumptuous of Tad to assume she would agree to watch JoJo? Absolutely. But it’s not like she would have said no, and he obviously knew that.

 

Maybe this was the sign Kat had been waiting for, an indication their relationship was ready for the next level. He was trusting her with something important to him. Asking her to take care of his pet, something he loved. Kat smiled up at Tad. “It will be like we’re coparenting.”

 

“Coparenting?” His brow furrowed.

 

“Well, yeah. I’ll be in charge of JoJo while you’re gone, and then when you come back…”

 

“I’m not coming back.”

 

Kat blinked. “But you said you would only be gone for a week or two…” Her voice faltered as a seed of doubt burrowed between her ribs.

 

“For the audition.” Tad closed his car door and leaned against it. “If I get the job, they’ll want me to start right away.”

 

The seed sprouted, tendrils of concern creeping into her heart. “What if you don’t get the job?”

 

“Ouch.” Tad clapped a melodramatic hand to his chest. “Wound a man, why don’t you.”

 

Kat bit back a snarky reply. He’d told her he was leaving the country. And ditching her with his pet. Yet somehow he had the audacity to make a joke about his feelings being hurt.

 

Oblivious to the direction of her thoughts, Tad continued, “Hopefully, I’ll get the hosting gig. I mean, I’m perfect for it. But if not, tons of shows film in Vancouver. Since I’m already out there, why not audition for as many of them as possible?”

 

Why not indeed. “What does that mean for the two of us?” she asked tightly.

 

“You and JoJo will get along great,” Tad assured her.

 

He had to be acting purposely obtuse. Nobody could be this clueless. “I was talking about us.” She gestured between herself and Tad. “You and me.” The vines were thick now, apprehension wrapping around her lungs, cutting off her air. She fought for breath and forced the words out. “Are you dumping me?”

 

“What? No,” he stuttered. “I figured you weren’t interested in a long-distance relationship,” he declared. “You’re not … Are you?” His sandy brows crept up his perfect forehead, as if the idea were completely absurd.

 

“I might have been open to discussing the possibility.” Kat shifted the tub with the hedgehog to one hip. “But you obviously aren’t.”

 

He didn’t argue.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Melonie Johnson