Page 15 of Falling for the Guy Next Door

“Any time you need me to watch him, you know, if you’re busy or need to rush back home to Texas, I’m happy to have him.”

“Thanks, that’s really kind.”

“It’s the least I can do for my human shield.”

I left with the image of her incredible smile etched in my mind. I’d finally met someone who I wanted to get to know better, but she was playing matchmaker for her best friend. Story of my life.

ChapterNine

Layla

The whole house smelled like a movie theater. I’d returned from the beach starving for lunch, but the refrigerator was pitifully bare. And the cupboards weren’t much better. Microwave popcorn had seemed like my best option, but now as I nibbled it from the bowl I wasn’t so sure it was a great choice after all. I’d allowed it to go just those few crucial seconds too long, resulting in a slightly singed flavor. Unfortunately, my choices had been limited.

Technically, four of us lived in the cottage, and we traded off grocery duties. It was Isla’s week, but she’d been so busy with the bakery and with planning a wedding, she never got around to shopping. The small cottage, slightly leaning and drafty in the winter, was usually filled with food and people, but Ava was rarely home anymore now that she’d found Jack. Ella was home often, but today she’d gone up to Grimstone Manor to help Rhett pick paint colors. Aria lived in town, closer to the café, so I had the place mostly to myself these days. Sometimes that was nice, but most of the time I hated it. I’d grown up with so many sisters and all of us close in age, I’d rarely been alone. With all of them in solid relationships, I was feeling abandoned. That was the reason I’d stuck it out with Dustin longer than I should have. I wanted a significant other to fill in the void my sisters had left behind.

I nibbled the overly salty, super greasy popcorn with one hand and scrolled through my phone with the other. Moonstone was now in my Instagram feed. There were some gorgeous pictures of the lead singer. He really was something, and kind, too, and he had a super cool dog, always a bonus. I couldn’t believe that the man Emily had been talking about nonstop for months was now my neighbor.

I should have picked up my phone straightaway and called Emily to give her the big news, but I’d held off. I wasn’t entirely sure it was my place to step on Nash’s privacy by revealing where he was living. And when I mentioned the possibility of them meeting, he seemed less than enthusiastic. He probably had so many women after him, he had to always keep his guard up. If I told Emily, she would probably end up camping on my driveway just to “accidentally” bump into him. On the other hand, I was feeling somewhat traitorous about not telling her. She was absolutely bonkers about the man, which, in turn, reminded me why it was probably best not to let her know he was living next door. Of course, if she eventually found out, she’d be really mad at me for not telling her. It was quite the conundrum.

Normally, this would have been one of those topics I’d talk out with a sister. Probably Ella because she was best about giving her opinion without a lot of judgment behind it. Aria always added in judgment, but her advice was usually solid. Isla used to be one of my favorite sisters for advice, but now she was my boss, and she was a starry-eyed bride-to-be, so the dynamics there had changed some. Ava always had a much more worldly view about problems, and this wasn’t a worldly problem. This was just me and my best friend since elementary school, and there was a boy involved. With Emily, there was always a boy involved. In ninth grade, she’d followed Scott Evans around like a puppy dog, badly wanting him to ask her out, so when he asked me out instead, I had no choice but to turn him down. I never told Emily, of course. But this was different. Nash hadn’t asked me out. He’d just moved into the cottage next door. And for now, I’d leave it at that. I didn’t want to intrude on his privacy. It seemed he had a lot going on in his life, and the last thing he needed was for my best friend to camp out on his doorstep.

The front door opened. I heard Rhett’s deep voice before he and Ella stepped inside. She was holding several bags of groceries. Rhett came in from behind with a few more. My sister stopped a few feet in the door and wiggled her nose in the air like a dog at a barbecue. “You burned the popcorn. Now we’ll be smelling it for weeks.”

“I opened the patio door, and it’s not really burnt. I’m eating it, but now I see that a wondrous amount of groceries have walked in the door, so I’ve been saved from eating the rest.”

I hurried over to help Ella with the bags. “I thought it was Isla’s week,” I said.

Ella scoffed. “Isla is so bogged down with her bakery and the wedding; she hardly remembers her name right now.”

I nodded in agreement. “It’s really disconcerting, isn’t it? Isla is usually the steadiest and most grounded of us all.”

Ella put her hands on her hips. “I thoughtIwas the down-to-earth sister.”

Rhett kissed the top of her head as he sidled past with his bags. “You just spent an hour in the attic because you were sure you’d heard a ghost up there.”

I laughed. “Well, was there a ghost?”

Ella huffed. “No sign of one, but seriously, how on earth does that massive mausoleum of a house—a house, may I remind both of you, that is considered cursed due to a parade of untimely deaths—how does a house like that not have a ghost? I mean the two go hand-in-hand. Big, creepy old house and restless spirits.”

“Not loving your description of my house as creepy and old.” Rhett leaned into the refrigerator with two cartons of milk.

Ella tilted her head at him as he emerged from the fridge. “Do you have a better description?”

Rhett’s eyes rolled up to give it some thought. “Nope. Guess that’s why they pay you for your words.” He held up a package of sliced turkey. “Should I bother to put this away, or are we making sandwiches?”

“Hmm, yes, sandwich, please,” I said. “I’m starved. Had a very exhausting morning sunbathing on the beach.”

Rhett pulled a loaf of Isla’s bread out of the bread box. “You two, go relax and prepare to be amazed by my sandwich-making ability.”

Ella shook her head slightly at me to warn me it wasn’t all that amazing.

Rhett cleared his throat. “I saw that.”

Ella swung around and blew him a kiss. “Can’t wait for your sandwiches.”

“Yeah, well, they might not be great now because my confidence has been shaken.”

I grabbed Ella’s hand and dragged her to the couch. “Need your advice. I’m caught in the middle of something, and I think I’ve made the right decision, but I want your opinion.”

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