Love Next Door (Lakeside 1)

Before I can do an about-face and tell Harry I’ll call the order in, Tommy’s gaze shifts my way and his face lights up like a winning slot machine. “Holy shit! Darlin’ Stitch! Claire told me you was back in town.” He makes a face and addresses Van. “Sorry ’bout my language.”

Van shrugs and mutters something I don’t hear, but he looks my way, eyes falling from my head to my feet. Today I’m dressed in jean shorts and a company T-shirt that’s about three sizes too big because all they have in stock are large, extra large, and double XL. It’s twisted up and tucked into one side of my waistband to keep it out of the way. I’m also wearing an old pair of work boots from back when I was a teenager and into floral-print Doc Martens.

“Sorry, I don’t want to interrupt. I can come back later.” I glance at Van suspiciously.

“Nah, it’s cool. I’m just about to grab a few things for Van here. Did ya know he’s Bee’s grandson?”

I force a stiff smile. “Yup. We met a couple of days ago.”

“Well, that’s great. You’ve got some real fine neighbors, Van. Darlin’s dad runs Footprint Renos, so if you’re needin’ any help, I’m sure they’d be happy to oblige. I’ll be right back.”

Before Van or I can stop him, Tommy’s off, leaving us on our own. An awkward silence follows. One in which the memory of exactly what I walked in on the other day returns in ridiculous detail. Today Van is dressed in a ratty T-shirt with a college logo on it, a pair of black shorts, flip-flops, sunglasses, and an old ball cap. My eyes skip from his feet, pausing briefly at the waist because the stupid memory of him naked refuses to go away, before moving all the way to the brim of his hat. It’s from the same college in Chicago I went to.

I cross my arms. “What are you doing here?”

He mirrors the movement. “What are you doing here?”

“I asked you first.” What the heck is wrong with me? I’m acting like an angry PMSing teenager.

His lips thin into a line. “I asked you second.”

Heat creeps up my neck and settles in my cheeks. One of us has to be an adult. “Ordering building supplies for my dad since, like Tommy said, he owns the construction company in town.” The duh is implied in my tone. I should probably dial back my bitch a notch or two, but I don’t trust this guy as far as I can throw him, which isn’t very far, since he’s a big dude. I don’t like that he pretended he didn’t know what I was talking about when I mentioned him calling and asking all kinds of questions about the property.

I have to tip my head back to meet his eyes, which is frustrating. I make a go-ahead motion. “So?”

“So?” He lifts one shoulder and lets it fall.

I can’t see his eyes because his sunglasses are the mirrored, reflective type. All I can see is my own red, flustered face. “Why are you here?”

His lip twitches. He has nice lips, full, soft looking. They part and his tongue drags slowly across the bottom one before he responds. “Why do you care?”

I make an annoyed sound in the back of my throat. I don’t see how this guy could possibly be the grandson Bee loved so dearly. He’s an antagonistic jerk. A total McMansion-level asshole. “Do you have so much damn money to throw around that you can use up all the resources in this town on projects that don’t even matter?”

His brow furrows. “What?”

“You know what. Never mind. I’m done talking to you.” I spin on my heel, irked by how blasé and oblivious he’s being, and head back to the store. I’ll call in the order later.

“It was great talking to you again, Darlin’!” he shouts after me. “Glad to see your choice of footwear today allows for safer temper-tantrum stomping!”

It takes everything in me not to flip him the bird. I give his city-dwelling ass two weeks before he gives up on whatever project he thinks he’s going to tackle and has to call my dad’s company in to help him fix it.

CHAPTER 6

ANOTHER BLAST FROM THE PAST

Dillion

I give myself five minutes to calm the heck down. Bee’s grandson riles me right up. It’s frustrating. So is the fact that he’s disgustingly attractive. It’s only a matter of time before some poor townie woman goes gaga over his pretty smile and his delicious body. At least I’m secure in the knowledge that it isn’t going to be me.

My next stop is the office supply/printing store. I have no clue how they stay open. I’m assuming most people in town have no idea how to one click on Amazon. The moment I walk in, I automatically want to turn right back around. Running into Tommy is one thing, but standing behind the cash desk is Tawny Lefrink. Back in high school she was part of my girl gang. There were four of us in total—Sue, Tawny, Allie, and me. Sue was also more of what I would call a frenemy, not an actual friend. Half the time I think she wanted in the group so she could steal my friends. But Allie, Tawny, and I always hung out together. Until I left and they stayed.