Page 37 of Doctor Neighbor

"Luck had nothing to do with it," I shoot back. "Pure skill, douchebag."

He snorts. "Yeah, yeah. Don't let it go to your head. I demand a rematch soon."

"Anytime, anywhere," I agree, still riding the high of victory. "This was fun. We should definitely do it more often."

"Agreed," Shep nods. "Speaking of which, you up for grabbing a beer? There's a decent hole-in-the-wall next door."

I hesitate, remembering Cole's text about tonight. But the adrenaline's still pumping, and I'm not quite ready to call it quits.

"Sure, why not?" I decide. "One quick beer."

"You got a date or something? Aren't you still living in the basement?"

"Dude, I got my own place. I told you. I closed last week."

"That's right. How is that going."

I laugh. "Honestly, it couldn't be going better."

We grab our gear and head next door to a tiny, dimly lit bar. It's the kind of place you'd walk right past if you didn't know it was there. Perfect for unwinding after a heated match.

We snag two stools at the bar, and I signal the bartender for a couple of cold ones. As he slides the frosty mugs our way, I can't help but feel content. It's been a while since I've let loose like this, between the drama with Lara and the stress at work.

"So," Shep starts, taking a long swig of his beer. "Spill the beans. Something is up with you."

I chuckle, taking a swig of my beer before answering Shep’s probing question. "Well, if you must know, I've discovered I'm neighbors with Cole Johnson."

Shep’s eyebrows shoot up. "Cole Whats-her-name? The hottie who owns Brewed Awakening?"

“That’s the one," I confirm, unable to keep the grin off my face. “Johnson. Cole Johnson.”

"You dirty dog," Shep laughs, shaking his head. "Be careful, man. Jumping out of the frying pan into the fire with these women. Don’t be signing over your car or 401k.”

“Fuck you, man. What about you? Made any headway with that old-flame patient I saw you drooling over?”

“Don’t try to deflect. We are talking about you, here.”

“Easy, Tiger.”

“I’m just messing with you. Just saying, you’re a lover, that’s all.”

I hold up my hands defensively. "Whoa, slow down there. It's nothing like that. We're just enjoying some neighborly good cheer."

Shep gives me a skeptical look, so I decide to come clean. "Okay, full disclosure? We had a one-night stand years ago. It made things awkward between us for a while. But now, it's like we've got a chance to start over, you know?"

I leave out the second-night stand…

"Uh-huh," Shep says, clearly not buying it. "And you expect me to believe there's nothing more going on? You must have one strong dick if you can keep that line drawn in the sand.”

I shrug, trying to play it cool. "Believe what you want, man. I'm just grateful for the fresh start."

Shep slaps me on the back, nearly making me spill my beer. "Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that, Hankel. I give it a week before you're head over heels."

I roll my eyes, but I can't help the warmth spreading through my chest at the thought of Cole. Maybe Shep’s not entirely wrong, but I'm not ready to admit that just yet.

TWELVE

Cole

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