The King Next Door

Nicole sighed. “I can hear it in your voice.”

Still laughing, her friend said, “Good, because I don’t think I can describe it. Anyway, after that, we went to Switzerland and now we’re in Italy and I think I’m in love with this place. The food alone is orgasmic.”

“I’m so jealous,” Nicole said.

“I’m jealous of you.” Katie sighed. “You’re in Long Beach. As great as this trip’s been, I’m so ready to come home. Is that weird?”

“No,” Nicole said, moving to the window so she could keep an eye on Connor while she talked. She so understood Katie’s feelings.

This interlude with Griffin had been wonderful. Actually too wonderful, she admitted silently. As Katie said, it had been orgasmic. Yet as much as she hated it, she knew that going home would be best. Leaving Griffin and this idyllic time behind her. Get back to normal—though normal would be different now, too. Because after this time with Griffin, her house would feel emptier than it had. Lonelier than it had.

She sighed a little, and Katie must have heard it.

“Nicole,” she asked, “is something wrong?”

“No,” she answered quickly. Too quickly, it seemed.

“Okay, I don’t believe you.”

“Why not?”

“For one thing, you’re at my house instead of yours. What happened?” Katie’s voice dropped into a serious tone that brooked no argument. “Did Griffin do something? Do I have to kill him?”

So much for secrets. Nicole glanced out the window at Connor, digging happily in the flowerbeds. No matter what else happened in her life, Nicole thought, she had her son. That would get her through anything.

“No,” she said finally, “you don’t have to kill Griffin.”

“Oh, God,” Katie groaned. “You slept with him, didn’t you?”

Shaking her head, Nicole took the phone from her ear and stared at it in wonder. It was like her friend had X-ray vision or something. “How can you tell that through the phone?”

“Easy. I know the King men.” Clearly disgusted, Katie muttered, “I told him to stay away from you. Heck, I told all of them to stay away from you.”

“Yeah, so Griffin told me. Thanks for that, by the way. What am I, twelve?”

“No,” Katie said quickly, “but you’re vulnerable and they’re all so...”

“Oh, they really are.”

“Damn it.”

“It’s not his fault anyway, Katie. Griffin was staying away,” Nicole told her with a sigh. “I went after him.”

“Oh.” Katie was quiet for a minute. Then, “I don’t know what to say, I guess. But, Nicole...”

“Look, something happened at my house and I couldn’t stay there and—”

“What happened?”

“Griffin accidentally started a fire in my kitchen and I didn’t have a place to stay, so Griffin offered to let us move in here while Lucas and his crew fixed my kitchen and...” She was talking too fast and couldn’t seem to stop herself.

“A fire?”

“A small one.”

“Oh,” she said with a laugh, “well, then.”

Nicole blew out a breath. “The point is, my house is almost fixed and I’ll be moving home soon...” Did she sound as depressed about that as she felt?

“And what about you and Griffin?” Katie asked. “You’re telling me you can just walk away without a second thought?”

“I am,” she said, and wished she meant it.

“Sweetie, that’s just not who you are. But sorry to say, it is who Griffin is. Nicole, you have to know what he’s like. He’s commitment-phobic. Seriously. I mean, Rafe was a challenge, but Griffin is impossible. Being single is like a religion to him.”

“Yeah, I know,” Nicole told her, leaning on the kitchen counter. With her free hand, she brushed at a few toast crumbs she had missed after Connor’s lunch. “Katie, I’m not looking for a husband, remember? And if I was, I wouldn’t be looking at Griffin.”

My God, could your tongue actually fall off from an overload of lies?

“Oh, honey,” Katie said on a half groan. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”