Page 28 of Falling for the Guy Next Door

I was surprised when I called and Ronnie answered. She hated talking on the phone. “Hey Nash, you got my message?”

“You mean the one that said, ‘call me, there’s something up?’ That’s why I called you.”

“Someone’s feeling ornery. Well, like I said in the voicemail, there’s something up.”

“Something good, I hope, because that would balance out the conversation I just had with Becky.”

“Is your mom okay?”

“Yeah, I mean, she’s the same, but Becky found some specialist who thinks he can help her.”

“But it will cost a million-trillion dollars, and the insurance company will only cover ten percent?”

“Something like that. What’s up?”

“I think it’d be better if we all have a meeting. We haven’t had one in a long time, and frankly, it feels like when we’re not on stage, then I’m the only person holding this band together.” She sounded aggravated, and she was right to be. She’d been keeping our scheduling and social media together, and it wasn’t fair. We paid her a stipend for it, but it wasn’t nearly enough. “Come to the house tonight at seven. I’ll order some pizzas, and I’ll just warn you that Bosco has been in a terrible mood all day.”

“What else is new? I’ll be there. Hey, and get one without pepperoni. Can’t stand that stuff.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. See you then.”

Sid was inside the office trailer. I assumed they were calling his wife to come pick him up. I’d be framing alone for the rest of the day. I carried my cooler over to the picnic benches that were shaded by a pop-up canopy. Two coworkers, Greg and Sam, were eating their lunches.

“Hey, Ledger, what happened with Sid?” Greg asked.

“I think the heat finally got to him. He drinks sodas to hydrate,” as I said it, I noticed that Sam had a can of orange soda in his hand.

Greg looked over at him. “Told you so.”

Sam shrugged. “Sid’s got fifteen years and fifty pounds on me. Besides, I just like sodas with my lunch. I drink water all the time.”

I sat down.

Greg lifted his chin at me. “Did you hear? There’s a problem with the rough electrical inspection. Looks like the electricians will have to redo some things, or the inspector will shut down the worksite.”

It was the last thing I needed. “For how long? Is it a sure thing?”

“We’ll know more by the end of our shift today,” Sam said. “Frankly, I’m looking forward to a little time off. It’s so blasting hot out here. I might take my board down the coast for some surfing.”

Greg shook his head. “The life of a bachelor. Neither of you have to worry about some lost hours because you’re not supporting a family. Even a few hours less on the check is a hardship.”

I didn’t respond and focused on my sandwich. If this was the bachelor life, then I was definitely doing something wrong.

ChapterSeventeen

Layla

Rocky pranced ahead of me, tail and head high. He’d scared a few sparrows out of a shrub and was feeling pretty darn good about it. I finished work feeling a little uptight and upset about my conversation with Emily. She was taking all this way too seriously. I knew she had a major crush on Nash. She really had her sights set on the man. My intuition told me all of this would end in a big disaster with me having to console Emily and her broken heart.

Rocky pulled in the direction of the tiny park. He was hoping to meet up with his squirrel nemesis at the big tree. Nose to ground, he led me that direction, then stopped beneath the tree to stare up into the branches.

“I don’t think he’s here today, Rocky. Sorry to disappoint.”

Right then, Rocky’s big head snapped in the direction we’d just walked. He growled low and angrily at something. I looked in the same direction but didn’t see anything, not even a bird.

He barked once, and it startled me. I looked back again but still didn’t see anything. “C’mon, you’re just making up invisible things because you’re sad about the squirrel.”

We kept walking. An onshore breeze had carried in some puffy white clouds but not enough to shade the hot sidewalk. Even Rocky looked like he’d had enough. “Let’s turn around. We’re both going to need some water.”

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