Page 9 of The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad

“That’s what I was saying,” Betty said, meeting my eyes. “Sadie, you need to be a little wild, live your life. Show those stupid people atDancer’s Edgethat you have what it takes. Life is too short to live quietly.”

“Amen,” Cora said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my ninety-two years, it’s that there are no guarantees. You’ve got to make your own opportunities. I could die tomorrow and have no regrets. How many people can say that?”

Not many, I thought.

“Alright, alright,” I said, “I hear you.”

“Do you really?” Betty asked as she and Cora gave me the squinty eye.

“I do.” When they continued to stare, I added, “I’ll try and live louder…even if I have no idea what that means.”

They looked satisfied with that. Thank goodness.

“Are you girls ready for story time?” I asked mostly to change the subject. Besides just hanging with Betty and Cora, this was actually one of my favorite parts of volunteering. “I can’t wait to see what book you picked out.”

There was a twinkle in Betty’s eyes that I didn’t trust for one second. “Oh, I’m very excited. Since I’m the birthday girl, I got to choose our reading material for the evening.”

“And?”

Cora chuckled. “She picked another naughty one.”

I closed my eyes. Not again.

“Oh come on,” Betty said, “it’s not nearly as bad as you think.”

“What’s the title?” I asked.

“Falling Hard for the Highlander. It’s about a savage Scottish Highland warrior and how he seduces and falls for an innocent yet feisty English lass. Doesn’t that sound delicious?”

“And it’s exactly as bad as you think it is,” Cora added as she handed me the book.

I’d have to check, but I was pretty sure nuns didn’t read books with half-naked highlanders on the cover.

“Story time, everyone,” Betty announced, and for the first time today the Game Show Network was placed on mute. The residents crowded around me, and it wasn’t just the women. The men loved these stories, too. I enjoyed reading to them—some were unable to read by themselves, their eyesight long gone. But these books they liked…

There was sure to be plenty of bodice ripping.

And racy scenes.

And overall naughtiness.

No big, I thought, shaking it off and popping open the cover. I’d done this before. I was edgy. I was cool. I could read naughty romance aloud to a bunch of senior citizens. Like Betty said, life was too short to live quietly. I wouldn’t even so much as blush.

Take that,Dancer’s Edge.

Okay, so that whole no-blushing thing?

Yeah, it didn’t really work out.

I got home right at 9:00 pm and ran straight into my mother who was preparing to leave. Her red dress was skintight, strappy heels sky high. The small sparkly clutch was what Betty would call “perfect for nighttime.” I was used to seeing her like this. She had on her show makeup which meant she was probably going out dancing. Again. It was the best way to drum up business for the studio.

“Hey Mom, how was your day?” I asked.

“Oh, you know how it is. One new couple signed up for classes this month. The Latin styles are always a favorite,” she said, swishing her hips. “But your cheeks make me think your day was far more interesting than mine.”

“Huh?”

“What’s that blush about, Sadie?”

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