Page 13 of The Dallas Dilemma

“Oh, my God,” I hiss as I run into my bedroom to find something to change into before Dallas returns.

Picking out a pair of jeans and a teal button-down blouse, I quickly text the girls before dropping my phone and changing while I wait for one of them to respond.

Me:My new neighbor popped by today to borrow a cup of sugar.

My text alert chimes before I can even step into my jeans, and I pick up the phone to see who replied.

Raven:Why does this sound like the beginning of a porno movie?

Me:Not helpful, R. He noticed the situation with my cabinets and insisted on coming back to fix it for me.

Callie:Thank God. I’ve been having nightmares about those shitty cabinets falling off the wall and crushing you.

Twila:I concur. Does he even know how to fix cabinets, though?

Raven:Hot handyman! ThisISthe beginning of a porn flick.

Me:I never said he was hot, did I? And T, apparently, he’s a professional.

Raven:A professional, huh? Has he won any AVN awards?

Callie:Leave her alone, Raven. And J, we know he’s hot because you told us. Twelve out of ten, remember?

Oh, yeah. I totally forgot about that conversation for asecond. I get dressed in a flash and decide to leave my feet bare. I mean putting on shoes would be overkill, right? Taking my phone, I text them back as I head into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

Me:What do I do when he comes back?

I set the phone down and brush my teeth a little too hard while watching the screen for a response. My eyes widen when I look in the mirror and see the rat’s nest my ponytail became while I was lying on the couch earlier.

Fuck.I’m surprised Dallas even wants to come back over after seeing me looking like that.

Spitting the toothpaste foam into the sink and rinsing my mouth, I pull the elastic from my hair and run a brush through the long tresses. It’s a bit frizzy after the brushing, so I pull it up into a bun on top of my head with a couple of loose tendrils near my temples.

My phone dings twice, and I look down at it.

Raven:Let him hammer you.

Raven:I meant your cabinets. Let him hammer your cabinets.

Oh, my God.

Picking the phone back up, my thumbs fly over the screen as I respond.

Me:Stop it. He’s just being friendly. Yeah. A friendly neighbor. That’s all.

Raven:If you say so.

Callie:Of course, he is. It’s really nice of him to do this for you. Make sure you thank him.

Raven:Yeah, Joey.THANK HIM.Thank him reeeaaal good.

Twila: Knock it off, R. Can’t you tell she’s nervous enough already? Joey, it’ll be fine. This is a really considerate thing he’s doing, and you just need to relax.

Raven:Yeah, sorry, Jo. I was only teasing you. Love you, girl.

I narrow my eyes at Raven’s last message. If I had to guess, my sister texted her on the side and ordered her to stop with all the sex jokes. Normally, I’d be fine with it, but here and now? When it’s about my hot new neighbor? I’m kind of a wreck.

A knock echoes through the apartment, and I freeze up. Only my thumbs move as I send another quick text.

---