Free Things Good Girls Don't Do by Codi Gary Page A

clothes and bask in my awesomeness. But all the suits wanted me to make changes to my designs and charge so much that only certain people could have afforded them and it just got too political. So I packed up my designs, put my finger on a map, and here I am.”
    Katie looked at the label of the halter and was amazed. “You designed this top?”
    Becca beamed. “I designed everything except the lingerie and shoes, but I only order from small designers. No big labels.”
    “You have some super-cute stuff.” Katie eyeballed a pair of jeweled wedges as she passed the shoe wall. “Why did you want me in here?”
    “Because if I can get a girl like you in my shop buying clothes, then other people are going to check me out,” Becca said, opening up one of the dressing rooms.
    Katie scoffed. “People don’t care what I think.”
    “You’re the queen bee without having to be a mean girl. People talk about you like you walk on water. I’ve only been here a month and I know that.”
    “Really? ’Cause I’ve been told I let people walk all over me.” Thinking of Chase, Katie pulled out her phone and let out a rather large gasp.
    His text read: I’m watching this hot girl with purple hair walk into a sex shop. I told you I would take care of you. ;-)
    Becca hung up the clothes in the changing room and said, “Well, either someone sent you Smurf porn or it just got really hot in here.”
    Katie’s cheeks flushed darker. “Neither, just . . . men are stupid.”
    Becca closed the door on her and said, “Preaching to the choir, baby. Preaching to the freaking choir.”
    “B ECCA, I LOVE it, but I can’t afford all of this!”
    Katie had been in Sweet Tart’s Boutique for over two hours and the counter was covered with shoes, pants, skirts, shirts, dresses, tops, and Becca had even tossed some bras and panties into the mix. Everything was to-die-for adorable, but now, Katie was staring at the $553.49 total in horror.
    Becca waved her off. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll give you forty percent off, if you wear everything around town for the next month and tell everyone where you got it. I’ll even throw in this.” She handed Katie a little black paper bag with hot pink tissue and winked. “Just wait until you get home to open it.”
    Katie stared at the black bag with a mixture of curiosity and fear. “I don’t know.”
    “You just spent two hours telling me how you were sick of people treating you like a doormat. Think of this as your coming-out party. A party to celebrate the new, take-no-crap Katie.” Becca did a little dance behind the register.
    Katie shook her head and held up a lavender off-the-shoulder top that ended above her belly button. “Or they’re going to think I’ve lost my mind. Maybe this is too much.”
    Taking her hand, Becca said, “Katie, the people who mock you or make you feel bad never respected you in the first place. At least this way you’ll know who they are and get on with telling them to go eff themselves.”
    Katie’s eyes widened and she burst out laughing, imagining telling Mrs. Andrews to eff herself. She eyed her bounty, especially the leather belt with the rhinestone buckle that read ROCK , and pulled out her purse.
    “Do you take Discover?”
    Becca ran her credit card and said, “You know, I haven’t really made many friends here. Maybe we could grab a drink after I close up?”
    Katie stared at her mountain of clothing and grinned. “Why the hell not? I should probably change though, right? If I’m going to be a walking advertisement, no better time than the present.”
    C HASE HAD DONE a couple of tattoos and lost track of whether Katie had come out of Sweet Tart’s Boutique. She hadn’t texted him back yet and he figured she was sore at him for teasing her. Katie didn’t seem to take innuendos or a little dirty flirting well, and she probably hadn’t appreciated his text. Maybe he’d stop by her place on his way home and try to get her to let him in.