Lovely Neighbor Read online

  Her eyes run down my body and I have this feeling she’s picturing me naked. I quickly move the file in front of my crotch so she can’t see the embarrassing bulge I’m getting from just her perusal. I move next to the island so I can hide behind it and then hold up the folder. “I forgot my file. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up, but I didn’t want you to not hear me and be even more scared. But I can see now that no matter what it was probably startling to find someone here when you thought you were alone.” Why can’t I stop rambling?

  “I thought you were out of town.” She nibbles on her lip as her eyebrows pull together in concentration.

  “I was, I am. I mean, I’m not out of town, I'm staying with my sister in the city. We’ve got a case we needed to go over.”

  “Oh.” She looks around for a second before her green eyes come back to mine. “If you give me a second I can be out of your hair.”

  “No!” I bark a little too loud and fast. “I mean no, of course not. I’m crashing with her for a few days, so this place will be empty.” My body moves a step closer to her without me telling it to. “Please stay.”

  “I really appreciate it. You have no idea.” She fidgets with her fingers and tugs at the end of the dress shirt. “And sorry again about the PJs.”

  “I think it looks better on you than it ever did on me.” The words tumble out of me before I can think them through, but she doesn’t say anything, she just looks down at her bare feet. “I’ll have to come back again tonight to drop off some files. I like to keep some of my open cases here.” Now I really have no idea where that came from, but I appreciate some part of me planning ahead. “Do you have plans for dinner?”

  “Umm.” She looks at my front door as if trying to see through to her grandmother. “I don’t think so.”

  “I have to go,” I say, waving the folder. “But I’ll bring something to eat when I come home and we can officially meet.” She nods and I see a smile tug at the corner of her lips. Meanwhile I’m smiling like an idiot who just rode their first roller coaster. “Get some sleep.”

  I walk out of the apartment quickly like I’ve somehow broken into someone else's place and stolen the file. Maybe I’m trying to get away from the whole scene that just happened in there or maybe, and more accurately, I’m trying to hurry the day to be over.

  One thing is for certain, and it’s that I have to see Erin again.

  Chapter Nine

  Erin

  “Aren’t all these little shops cute?” Grams asks. She’s been working hard on selling the idea of me moving here all afternoon.

  “It’s nice that they’re all so close,” I admit. The street outside her building is filled with all kinds of stores and most everything you could need is within walking distance.

  “Here, this place has the best pie.” She holds the door open to a little bakery.

  “Betty! How are you, sweetness?” the older man behind the counter shouts.

  “I’m good. I brought my—”

  “Sister?” he chimes in, and I hide my laugh behind my hand.

  “Granddaughter, Erin.” She shakes her head at him, smiling.

  “Yes, Erin. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” He holds his hand out over the display case. “I’m Johnny.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too. I hear you have the best pies around.”

  “You've been talking about me, sweetness?” Johnny winks at Grams and I’ve never met anyone that’s a bigger flirt than her. I wish I had a little bit of that in me. Instead I stand in shock whenever I see a handsome man. Exhibit A was this very morning.

  “I’m trying to talk my granddaughter into moving here. What better way than with pie?”

  “All right. How about you two take a seat and I’ll bring you some samples out.”

  “That would be perfect.” Grams smiles at him. I notice her cheeks are a little pinker than normal. Grams is a flirt but no one ever turns her eye and it’s always in good fun. I keep thinking one day she’s going to fall face first into a man before she knows what’s happening.

  We take a seat in the back corner and Johnny comes out a moment later with iced teas. Clearly he knows what Grams wants, because when I take a sip it’s as sweet as she likes it.

  “So how are you feeling today?”

  “Okay, actually. The building here makes me feel safe. I mean, it’s only us on that floor and there’s a doorman.” It’s not like my apartment, where people can come and go, and I never thought about how dangerous that could be for a single woman. “I think what keeps getting to me is what if I’d been home.” I try not to cry thinking about it because it kept me up most of the night. Grams reaches out and squeezes my hand. “How long would it have taken for someone to realize I was missing or to come looking for me?”

  “Oh Erin.” Grams stands up and wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. “I never want you to think like that. If you don’t move out here then I’m going to have to move out there.” I shake my head no because that’s silly. She has a whole life here and there’s no way I’d ask her to give that up.

  “I’m going to move here,” I reassure her.

  “Pie!” Johnny calls as he carries a tray filled with more pie than we’ll ever be able to eat. Those don’t look like samples. They are full-on slices of every kind of pie you can think of.

  “You’re so good.” Grams sits back down as Johnny places the tray on the table then hands us both a fork.

  “Can I get you ladies anything else?”

  “I think we’re good.” Grams pushes the tray closer to me.

  “Thank you.” I smile up at Johnny, who is looking down at Grams, quite smitten.

  “Anytime.” He walks back behind the counter and goes back to work.

  “Try this one. It’s coconut,” Grams says, holding it out.

  “Oh god, that’s good.” Coconut is my absolute favorite.

  “See, you can come get this anytime you want.”

  “That sounds dangerous,” I laugh while taking another bite. “You know Johnny seems sweet on you.” I wiggle my eyebrows at her.

  “I can’t blame him, I’m a catch.” Grams shrugs, taking a bite of the apple cobbler. “What about your love life? Let's talk about that.” Always back to that.

  “Well, since I’m moving I don’t have one.”

  “So it’s official?” Grams’ eyes light up with excitement.

  “Yes, I should have done it forever ago. I just have to find a place first.”

  “We should see if there is something in my building.”

  “I’m not sure I can afford your building. It’s really nice and Devin’s place is crazy fancy. I’m scared I’m going to break something in there.”

  “Good, maybe it will look like someone actually lives there and liven the place up.”

  I bite my lip wondering if I can get away with asking some questions without Grams realizing what I’m doing. I didn’t tell her about Devin popping in this morning or his talk about us having dinner tonight. It’s all still a little shocking. There really was a crazy-hot man asking me to have dinner with him as I stood there practically naked.

  “Is he really never there? Seems like such a waste.” The place is beautiful. I’d never want to leave it.

  “He’s a workaholic.”

  “A lawyer, right?” He looked like one in his suit that screamed power and authority. Then he opened his mouth and was adorable as can be. Not to mention sexy. It took everything in me not to laugh when he was going on about sleeping naked then tried to backtrack. Let's not forget that one dimple either. It made me weak in the knees. He has a lot going on, all of which work for me.

  “Yep, a fancy one too. You know he owns the building so he could easily get you a place. He might even give you a deal.” She pushes another piece of pie over to me. I’m not sure how much more I can eat.

  “I’m not going to try and negotiate the price of an apartment,” I laugh. Plus, we kind of have a date tonight and that would make it extra we
ird. Or maybe it’s not a date at all. We both have to eat and maybe he was just being nice.

  “Fine, we can look at other places if you want.” She gives in, but I can tell she’s disappointed.

  “I still need to see about breaking my lease. I’m hoping I can get out of it with everything that happened, but who knows if I’ll get that lucky.”

  “Have Devin call for you. He’s a lawyer.” Do all things lead back to Devin? According to Grams, yes.

  “I don’t know him. I can’t ask for favors. He’s already letting me stay at his place.” I push the pie away from me because if I eat another bite I might explode.

  “I’ll talk to him.”

  “Grams,” I groan.

  “What? I’m on the board in the building. I talk to him about everyone that moves in.” I know there is no stopping her at this point now that she’s already back on me moving in there.

  “I’m going to look around and check some places out.”

  “Fine, but try and be close. I know you hate to drive.” That’s really a fear I should try and get over.

  “How was everything?” Johnny sets some to-go boxes down on the table for us.

  “Wonderful, thank you so much.” My phone starts to ring and I dig it out of my bag. “Landlord,” I whisper to Grams and she nods as I stand. I give Johnny a wave as I head outside to take the call.

  “Hello,” I say as I hold the phone to my ear.

  “Hey Erin. I wanted to let you know we got the locks changed in your place. They really did a number in there. Do you have renter’s insurance?”

  “Yes.” I haven't called them yet, but I’m going to have to go back and clean everything up and assess the damage at some point. I need to pack up whatever is salvageable and I wonder if I can hire someone to do that. Then I wouldn't have to worry about going back at all, but I need to be smart and that would probably cost a small fortune.

  “That’s good. I know a few security places if you want to see about getting an alarm or something,” he suggests.

  “I’m not really sure I’ll be coming back there to live,” I admit.

  “Oh.” He sounds surprised. “Okay, we can talk about that the next time you're here. You still have some time left on your lease.”

  “I know. I’ll worry about it when I get back.” Maybe he could keep my security deposit and we can call it even?

  “All right. I went ahead and took some pictures. I’ll email them over to you. Your insurance company might want them.”

  “Thanks. I’d appreciate that.” I really don't want to see them, but it has to be done. “Oh, and Peter is worried about you. He wanted to call you, but I didn't feel comfortable giving your number out even if he is your neighbor.”

  My stomach turns at the mention of his name. “Yeah, please don’t.” The last thing I need is him calling me.

  “All right. I’ll send those pictures over tonight. If you need anything else, let me know.”

  “Thanks.” I end the call as Grams comes outside.

  “Late night sweets.” She hands me the bag. “Where to now?” I look down at my watch and it’s almost four.

  “I think I want to lie down.” Really I need to do something with my hair and find something to wear. Do I dress up or will I look like I’m trying too hard? What if I think it’s a date when it might not be one?

  “A nap sounds good. I need to freshen up before I go out tonight. It’s ladies’ night over at the Alamo. Do you want to come?” Gram shakes her shoulders like she’s dancing.

  “I think I’ll spend the night in.” I yawn, playing it up.

  “All right. If you change your mind you’re more than welcome to join us.”

  “Thanks.”

  Now I just pray Grams leaves before Devin gets back tonight. I’ll never hear the end of it if she catches us together. I don’t want to get Grams’ hopes up about the two of us. Devin is in a whole other league than me and I don’t only mean looks. His whole life is in another world and I’m not sure I could ever fit in.

  Chapter Ten

  Devin

  It feels weird to knock on the door to my own place, but I decide this might be better than just walking in like this morning. It doesn’t take Erin long before she peeks out a little and sees me standing there.

  “Would it be strange if I said ‘please come in’?” She laughs as she opens the door and I walk in with bags of food.

  “Not as strange as me ordering everything on the menu.” I walk over to the dining room table and set all the bags of Chinese food down.

  “Did you invite people to come with you?” She looks up at me and then quickly away and I wonder if that was the sound of disappointment I heard in her voice.

  “No, I just wanted you to have a lot of choices.”

  “I’m really just in it for the fortune cookies,” she laughs, but I grab a bag and hold it up.

  “Good thing I got extra.”

  “How many is that?”

  “Twenty?” I shrug, and she puts her hand on her mouth as she keeps laughing. “I think it’s probably a fair number with all the food I got.”

  A silence follows as she smiles at me, and I like it. It’s comfortable and although I was anxious all day for this moment to be here, I’m once again in her presence and feeling damn good about it.

  “I’ll grab some dishes,” I say as I go into the kitchen and get the silverware and plates.

  I watch her out of the corner of my eye as she opens a few of the Chinese food containers. She smells them before she places them on the table and I can decipher which ones she likes based on her expression at the scent. It’s cute watching her put the ones she wants on the left and the ones she doesn't on the right. It’s also cute as hell seeing her in my dining room looking comfortable as fuck.

  She’s got on a white V-neck shirt that’s snug against her body and cut-off jean shorts. She’s also barefoot, which makes it look like she belongs here and for whatever reason that makes me hard. Her tits strain against the thin white material that hugs her chest when she leans over and for a second I get a long look down the front of it. Fuck, her tits are hot, and I have to force myself to turn around and take a breath. The image of her dirty-blond hair draped to one side of them is burned in my brain and I’m going to be thinking about that later tonight when I’m alone.

  “Later,” I whisper to myself before I go back into the dining room. “What would you like to drink? I’ve got beer, wine, and water.”

  “Wine, please.” She takes the dishes from me and sets the table.

  She puts me sitting across from her and I wonder why I ever got a table so big. I grab our drinks and bring them back into the dining room but move my plate next to her so we’re both at the corner.

  “Oh, sorry, I didn’t know where you liked to sit.”

  “This just makes it easier to share,” I say and move my chair a little closer to her too. “Which one are you going for first?”

  “My favorite is sesame chicken, but this one smells really good and I don’t know what it is.”

  I look at the box and poke around a little with my chopstick. “Yeah, I don’t either. I think I just told them to get me one of everything.”

  “That explains all the boxes.” She smiles as she takes a container of rice and spoons some out on her plate.

  “So, I just want to get the awkwardness out of the way first.” Her eyes widen and she puts her food down and waits with a serious expression. “What kind of shampoo do you use because I need it.”

  A smile tugs at her lips as she picks up her chopsticks. “It’s Midnight Garden. Grams got it for me for Christmas last year and I loved it so much I kept getting it.” She laughs as she shakes her head. “Why are you asking me that?”

  “The scent of it on my sheets drove me crazy.”

  She blushes as she looks down at her food and tucks her chin. “Is that a good crazy or a bad one?”

  “Depends.” I take a drink of water and stare at her while she glances up a
t me.

  “Are those my hair ties on your wrist?” She points to the orange and baby blue elastics and I look down at where I’ve rolled my sleeves up.

  “Yes,” I answer and don’t offer them back to her.

  She flips her hair over to her other shoulder. “I’ve been looking for them. My hair is driving me crazy.”

  “I think it’s beautiful. But you’re not getting them back.”

  She thins out her lips to try and hide her smile while her green eyes scrutinize me. “And why not?”

  “Well, they’re in my house so technically they’re my property.”

  “I’m in your house too.”

  “I know.”

  The two words hang between us for a second before she shrugs. “Fine. I’ll consider it payment for letting me stay here.”

  God, she’s fucking cute when she’s teasing me. Why do I like flirting with her so much? I never spend more than a few moments with a woman before I’m ready to run. But thoughts of how I can get Erin to stay are churning.

  “Oh, it’s gonna cost you more than two hair ties.”

  “I’ve already agreed to dinner.” She waves her hands around as she takes another bite.

  “You think that’s what this place is worth? Some lousy rubber bands and Chinese food?”

  “If they’re so lousy I’ll take them back.”

  “Not a chance.” I wink at her before I take a drink. “Can you tell me what happened the other night?”

  She lets out a sigh and I hate that I’ve taken the mood down. “I’m not really sure yet, but someone broke into my apartment and ransacked the place. My landlord emailed me some photos and they’re pretty bad. It doesn’t look like anything is stolen, but I didn’t keep any valuables there so I don’t know what they would have taken. I don’t even have a nice TV and I had my laptop at the shop when it happened.”