Page 16 of Falling for the Guy Next Door

We sat on the couch, and seconds later, wonderful Rhett carried out two glasses of iced tea. “Ladies.” He set the glasses on the table. “Your lunch will be right up.”

Ella looked at me. She was wearing a huge grin. “Doesn’t he make an adorable butler, a Rhettbutler?”

Rhett played along with theGone with the Windcomparison and bowed. He was one of those ever-elegant men, even dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, like today. His beard stubble was pretty heavy, too, but that only made him more appealing.

Rhett returned to the kitchen to fix the sandwiches. Ella leaned forward and grabbed the teas and handed me mine. I took a few good gulps to wash away the salty grease from the popcorn.

“So, what calamity am I solving this afternoon?” Ella asked.

“Not sure I’d label it a calamity, and I’m not entirely sure it can be solved. Emily has this massive crush on the lead singer of a band.”

Ella nodded. “Sounds about right. Your friend can be a little over the top with her obsessions.”

“I know. I love that Emily is passionate about things, but sometimes I wish she’d tone it down, especially when it comes to falling in love. We went to see the band last night, and I thought after standing in a hot, crowded bar, some of the shine would wear off. She almost had one of her infamous panic attacks. I talked her down before it gripped her. Then we went out for pancakes, and all she could talk about was Nash Ledger, the lead singer. She’s determined to meet him and win him over.”

“Well, let her go on thinking that. You know Emily, some other shiny object will be dangled in front of her in a few months, and she’ll shift her obsession.” Ella sat up straighter. “Wait. Nash Ledger of Moonstone? Oh, he’s gorgeous. Rhett, remember I told you there was a band I wanted to see in town? We should go.”

Rhett walked out and crossed his arms. “Let me tell you a little story that will let you know how I feel about that prospect. I once took a girl to a Green Day concert. Spent a week’s pay to buy tickets right up front. She was madly in love with the singer, and she spent the entire concert screaming his name and blowing him kisses up on stage, while her date”—he pointed to himself—“Mr. Chump, stood next to her holding her coat and purse. I spent a week’s pay to act as a hat stand, and to top off the evening, we had to listen to their music the whole way home. She talked about him the entire drive and insisted more than once that he winked and blew kisses back to her. It was all in her imagination. Needless to say, I learned my lesson on taking a girl to see her rock star crush in concert.”

Ella blinked up at him for a second. “You could have just said no. And I’m a little past the screaming and blowing kisses stage. Unless he’s really worth it.” She blew Rhett a kiss. He returned to the kitchen, and she turned back to me. “I’m still trying to find the calamity in all this.”

“Again, calamity wasyourword,” I said. “Here’s where it gets tricky. This morning, while I was on the beach, I met our new neighbor.”

“Did you? Who is it? A family?” Ella was usually more astute than this.

“It’s him,” I said.

Ella smiled weakly. “Okay, it’s ahim.” She looked puzzled.

I grunted in frustration.

“It’s the gorgeous lead singer,” Rhett called from the kitchen.

I tapped Ella on the arm. “See, Rhett got it, and he didn’t even see this arched brow.” I pointed to my eyebrow. “An eyebrow that was obviously trying to convey a big ta-da moment.”

Ella waved off my sarcasm. “You’re telling me that Nash Ledger is living next door in Audrey’s little beach cottage?”

I nodded emphatically. “That is exactly what I’m telling you. So, do I tell Emily or not? I don’t want to intrude on his privacy, but at the same time, if Emily finds out, she’ll think I’m a traitor.”

“How does he look in person?” Ella asked.

“Really? And they call me the flighty one? Focus, woman, focus, and may I remind you that your extremely attractive boyfriend is slaving over the stove—well, over the kitchen counter—for us at this very moment? But since I know you’re going to ask again—he’s head-to-toe dreamy, and he seems to be a good guy, too. And he has a cool dog.”

Ella sat back with a serious furrowing of her brow. “So, your dilemma is—tell Emily or don’t tell her. Gosh, Layla, I don’t know which way to go here. Which way are you leaning?”

“I thought it best not to tell her because she would probably camp out on the driveway to see him. Not good for any of us, especially Nash. I’m sure he already has plenty of problems fighting off fans.”

Ella’s eyes rounded. “He’s that hot, eh?”

Rhett cleared his throat. “Still here, just a few feet away in the kitchen.”

“And you know I adore you,” Ella called back. She turned to me for confirmation.

I nodded. “He’s pretty spectacular.”

“But what if Emily finds out that he’s been living right next door to you and you didn’t tell her?”

I sighed. “And that is where the problem lies. She’ll be so angry and hurt and betrayed and all the bad stuff that goes along with something like this.”

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