Page 27 of Taking A Chance

“Yeah, let’s go out. Declan, why don’t you join us?” she says, turning back toward him. Of course she would invite him. For a moment, I’m embarrassed about not acknowledging him as I realize he’s been standing quietly in his doorway the entire time.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude,” he says.

“I see you’ve both met my neighbor,” I say, interjecting myself into the conversation. I turn to him and smile. He returns a pleasant expression, and some other emotion is there too; though I’m not sure what.

“Yes, we did. He was just telling us about your laundry room dance party,” Harper says, giggling.

My eyes shoot back to Declan, and this time, his face is teasing, like usual. I narrow my eyes, hoping laser beams will shoot out if I want it bad enough.This.This right here is how he goes from being okay to back on my list of people I want to make voodoo dolls of and stick pins in.

“Anyway,” I say, trying to redirect and manage the situation. “Declan, will you be joining us?”

“Do you want me to?” he counters, baiting me.

No. Yes. I don’t fucking know, okay?“Well, they invited you, so obviously they want you to,” I say, skirting around the question.

“That’s not what I asked,” he says, folding his arms over his chest in that stupid way he does.

I see Harper press her lips together into a line as she tries to keep herself from smiling. Jensen on the other hand looks pleased as punch with the interaction. His big toothy grin is hard to miss, even with most of my attention on Declan.

I roll my eyes hard. “Just meet us downstairs in fifteen minutes,” I say, moving to unlock my door.

“So is that a yes?” he asks, his tone carrying amusement.

“Don’t push it,” I say, stepping in and ushering my brother and Harper in after me.

Declan backs into his apartment, hands up in mock surrender. I shut my door hard, bordering a slam, and exhale loudly.

“He really pushes your buttons, huh, sis?” My brother is leaning back against the kitchen counter now, his elbows propped behind him, and I want to punch him in his smug face. I mean that in the most sisterly way.

“Shut up and follow me,” I say, leading them back to the guest room. Luckily, I had enough sense to make sure it was clean. It’s the rest of my apartment that needs some attention. Living alone has a tendency to make me a little sloppy, but it’s so easy when you don’t have to worry about anyone in your space.

“Babe, leave your sister alone. She’s not ready,” Harper says.

“Thank you,” I say. “Wait, not ready for what?”

“To hear about the possibility that you and Declan might like each other,” she says, matter of fact.

“Excuse me?” I snap.

“See, I told you. Not ready.” She laughs.

“That’s insane,” I say.

“Maybe. Or maybe not. Only time will tell,” she says.

I find myself rolling my eyes again. “I’m going to get changed. I’m sure you might want to as well. I’ll be ready to walk down in a few minutes.”

Leaving them in the guest room, I retreat to mine to peel out of my work slacks and into something a little more casual and a lot more comfortable. After dressing and freshening my makeup and hair in about six minutes flat, I examine myself in the mirror. Simple ripped jeans, a loose top that hangs off one shoulder, and ankle boots. I scrunch up the long sleeves of my shirt around my elbow and grab my purse.

As we walk down the stairs to meet Declan, I’m at war with myself yet again. Part of me wants to get this over with quickly. The rest of me is oddly excited to dig a little deeper into who Declan is. He’s so reserved and guarded in so many ways. I just want to peel back one or two layers.No big deal.

“Why aren’t we taking the elevator?” Harper asks as she grips the railing.

“Don’t ask,” Jensen says, a husky laugh in his throat.

“I’m afraid of the elevator here, okay? Actually it’s all elevators, but this one in particular is old and rickety and I don’t want to plummet to my death,” I say, like it’s the most reasonable explanation anyone has ever given.

As we reach the bottom, I catch Declan in my peripheral and turn. He’s leaning against the wall next to the mailboxes wearing dark denim and a gray V-neck T-shirt. His hands are in his pockets, which I’ve observed is a common stance for him.

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