Page 29 of Never Kiss Your Neighbors

A rustling sound catches my attention, but I decide it must be the breeze. It’s not Goldfish; he’s inside, sleeping at the foot of Jessie’s bed, so I can’t blame the noise on him.

I close my eyes again and am starting to drift off when there’s a loud crash right next to me on the patio. I jump at the sight of a small furry animal near the back door. A stripe of white fur stands out in the dim light, and I yelp, bounding from the loveseat and off the patio entirely. “Oh my god!”

The skunk watches me for a moment, then apparently decides I’m not a concern. It returns to the flower pot it overturned, digs in the dirt, and uproots the flowers planted there.

I’m muttering curses, with no idea what to do.

The skunk is blocking my path to the back door, Marissa is out with work friends, and Jessie is sleeping.

If I go around to the front, I won’t be able to get in, because the door is locked.

I decide to call Marissa, but then realize my phone is still on the patio, left behind when I scrambled to put distance between myself and the skunk. “Shit!”

“Are you okay?” It’s a man’s voice, and then Wyatt’s head appears above the back fence.

“No. There’s a skunk on my patio!”

When he says, “I’ll be right there,” I assume he means he’s going to run around the block, but the next thing I know, he’s atop the fence, then jumping down into my yard.

CHAPTER20

STELLA

“Iheard you and Goldfish were terrorized by a rabbit last night,” he says. “Now you’re being attacked by a skunk?”

“At least it’s just me this time. Goldfish is in the house.”

“That’s a relief. Where is the smelly little critter?” It’s dark in the yard, but the light coming through the back window allows Wyatt to spot the skunk before I point it out. “It didn’t spray you, did it?”

“No, but it smells like it sprayed something.”

“I hate to say it, but a full-on attack would smell much worse.”

“Have you had skunks in your yard?”

“Not here, but we had a few come into my parents’ yard when I was a kid. They got our dog twice, and it was miserable.” He shudders at the memory.

“I can imagine.” As we talk, huddled near the back fence, the furry invader continues its gardening, not seeming to care about us at all.

“Do you have anything back here like a rake or maybe a big stick?” Wyatt asks.

I think for a moment, looking around. “There’s a broom, but it’s over there.” I point to where it’s propped against the house on the other side of the patio.

“That’ll work. And do you know where there are any holes in your fence?”

I point to the right. “Up front on that side. There’s a small spot where it might have come in.”

He nods and starts off toward the house, but I grab his arm. “Won’t it spray you?”

“I’ll be careful.”

As I hang back watching, Wyatt moves stealthily toward the broom, and manages to grab it without attracting the skunk’s attention. I expect him to use it to push the skunk toward the side of the house, but instead he pulls out his phone and aims his flashlight toward the ceiling of the patio, illuminating the area. Then he starts tapping the end of the broom handle on the concrete, softly at first, and gradually more loudly.

He’s wearing a loose-fitting tank top that gives me a great view of his upper body, even in the dim light, and I can’t help thinking that all of this would probably make good content for the Battle Duel Boys channel.

The skunk abandons the flower pot and ambles toward the house, then turns and heads away from Wyatt and the noise he’s making.

As Wyatt follows the skunk’s retreat at a distance, continuing to repel it, there’s another voice from the other side of the fence. “What’s going on?” Cam asks.

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