Page 18 of Falling for the Guy Next Door

“Are you threatening me?” he asked. His face crinkled like a whiny little kid.

“Me? Hmm.” I tapped my chin. “Yeah, I guess I am, but that’s only because I asked you nicely the first time and you didn’t listen.”

Dustin stuck out his chin, glared at Layla, then sneered at me before leaving. I looked up again, and Layla had disappeared into the back. I paid for my pastries and walked out. Dustin was nowhere in sight, but after seeing him in action, it seemed Layla had good reason to hide from him. He had a problem.

I’d reached the truck when I heard Layla call me. “Nash, wait.”

Layla hurried to me in her pink polka dot apron. Her hair was pulled back off her beautiful face. She stopped just short of me and lifted her hand to brush away a fallen strand of hair. I took gentle hold of her hand to look at the red marks on her wrist.

“Now I really wish I had knocked out his teeth.” I let go of her hand.

“It looks worse than it is.” She peered up at me. “I just wanted to thank you for stepping in … again.” Her lips turned down at the ends. “I had no idea he was going to be like this. It’s really disquieting. I’m deleting all my dating apps. I’m done trying to meet the right man. I always end up with the wrong man. Dustin has been a good lesson. So, thank you again.”

“The dating apps aren’t worth the trouble.”

She reached up and tucked that same strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re not going to tell me that Nash Ledger is on dating apps. You must get inundated with requests for a match.”

“You’re right, I’m not on there, but for the same reason as you. The matches never worked. And I never added singer of a rock band to my profile because yes, then I’d get inundated. But when I’m just Nash who works construction and enjoys mountain biking and hanging out with friends, then I get a normal number of requests.”

“Right. A normal number. This guy in front of me.” She shook her head. “Not buying it.” I was relieved to see she wasn’t still upset about Dustin’s visit to the bakery. “Well, neighbor, I guess I’ll see you around. By the way, how is my favorite guy in the whole world?”

I pointed to myself, knowing full well who she was referring to.

Her smile had fully returned. I was relieved to see it. “Well, since you’ve stepped in to save me twice, I supposeyoushould be my favorite guy right now, but my grandmother taught me never to lie. I’m talking about Rocky.”

“Yeah, I sort of figured that. That guy steals my thunder all the time, and he never even has to threaten to knock anyone’s teeth out. If I know my dog, and, I do, he’ll be spending the next eight hours curled up on the couch, sliding off like a boneless fur bag several times to nibble on his kibble and lap up some water.”

“Eight hours. That’s a long time to spend alone. You know, I get off at half past two. I could take him down to the beach or out on a walk. Oh my gosh, please let me take him on walks.”

Everything about her was irresistible, and on top of it, she was nuts about my big, messy, mannerless dog. “Rocky would love that.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out my keys. “Here, take this key. I’ve got a spare one at the house. His leash is on the hook by the door, and there’s a canister with poop bags attached. I have to warn you, he’s not always the best on a leash, especially if there’s a cat or squirrel involved.”

Layla nodded. “I’ll keep watch for enemy intruders on our walk. Well, what do you know? The day started crummy, but it’s gotten way better. Can’t wait to take Rocky out for a walk. Thanks. Oh wait.” She crinkled her small nose. “This is awkward. I don’t think I’ve ever asked a man for his number, but since I’ll have the highly sought-after and highly respectable job of Rocky’s dog walker, maybe it’d be a good idea to exchange numbers. It’s all right if you don’t want to give it out. I’m sure being famous and all that?—”

I laughed. “Right. Famous. My good friend, Mick Jagger, did advise me not to give my number out to anyone except hot women, so I guess that rule still holds. Really, I don’t mind at all. In fact, you’re right, it’s a good idea what with your important position and all. Although you might rethink ‘highly sought-after’ once you’ve been out in the world with my goofy dog at the end of a leash.” I took out my phone, and she pulled out hers. We traded them and put in our numbers. The hard part would be not picking up the phone to talk to her just because I wanted to chat.

There was a slightly awkward exchange of smiles as we handed our phones back.

She pointed her thumb over her shoulder. “Better get back before my boss gets mad. I’ll keep you posted about the walk.”

“Looking forward to it.” I watched her stroll back to the bakery. “Lucky damn dog,” I muttered as I climbed into the truck. At least Rocky was going to get to be part of Layla’s life, and, since I was his owner, I supposed that meant I’d see more of her, too. It was a win-win, and those didn’t happen often.

I pulled out a pastry and took a bite. “Jeez, that’s good.”

ChapterEleven

Layla

The workday was winding down, and it had started with a bang. I walked to the back to help Isla clean some baking pans. “How are you doing after the incident with Dustin?” Isla asked.

She wiped her hands on her apron and walked over to the sink where I was stacking pans. “I was thinking, maybe you should have Dex talk to him, you know, give him a little scare. Nothing bad, just enough to make him understand that it’s in his best interest to let this whole thing go.”

“I know Dex would relish the idea,” I said. Aria’s boyfriend, Dex, was built like a freight train, and no one messed with him. He was very protective over all of us, but sending Dex to see Dustin seemed like overkill. “Like I said, someone stepped in this morning, and that seemed to do the trick. Dustin scurried out, red in the face, and thankful to be leaving with all his teeth.”

“That’s right. You said it was our new neighbor, who also happens to sing in a band, and who your friend Emily is nuts about. I guess she has good taste.”

“She sure does,” I said under my breath. Isla couldn’t hear me over the clanging of pans.

I finished my closing chores, blew Isla a kiss and hurried out the door. I was anxious to get home and change for the dog walk. Ava and Jack were having lunch on the back patio when I arrived at the cottage. I poked my head out to say hello, but they were so involved in their flirty lunch neither noticed me.

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