Page 71 of Never Kiss Your Neighbors

It’s time for Goldfish to go for a walk, so I decide to combine errands. I heard the guys out in their back yard earlier, so I assume they’re still home, but it’s Trish who answers their door.

“Stella, how are you?” Something about her greeting doesn’t seem as friendly as it’s been in the past. Maybe I should have come over after work hours.

“Are you busy? I’m just dropping these off for the guys.” I hold out the basket.

She makes a face like she smelled the muffins and is about to tell me that someone has a deadly blueberry allergy. Instinctively, I pull the basket toward me and take a step back.

“I’m sorry,” she says with an apologetic frown.

“Sorry for what?”

“I’m just feeling really embarrassed.” She actually covers her face for a second and is grimacing when she moves her hands away.

“What’s the matter?” She looks the same as she always does. Maybe her hair is a bit out of place.

“Last time you were here, I practically lectured you on staying away from the wrong kind of men.”

I nod, expecting she’s about to tell me that she was wrong about the guys.

“I was all full of advice for you, and this morning, I did the stupidest thing. I didn’t even take my own advice.”

“What do you mean?”

“After all these months of resisting them, they caught me in a weak moment, and I gave in to them, even though I told myself I never would.”

“What? Who?” My hand that’s holding the basket drops to my side, and Goldfish takes advantage, rising up on his hind legs to smell the baked goods, before I lift them out of his reach.

“Cam and Wyatt.” She says this in a loud whisper as she tips her head in the direction of the back yard. “Apparently, they were extra horny this morning, and they came on to me just like they have so many times before. I’ve always said no, because you know, they’re my employers, and giving in to them could make things complicated here.”

She fans herself and grins. “Actually, I used to think they were joking about wanting to fool around, but let me tell you, they were not joking. No sir.”

She might still be talking, but I can’t hear a thing. Blood is whooshing through my ears like a river, and the rest of my body has turned into a block of ice.

I shove the basket of muffins at her because I need a free hand to open the door, and then I’m out of there, stumbling down the front porch steps, grateful that Goldfish isn’t lagging behind.

“Stella, what’s the matter?” Trish calls after me, but I don’t even turn around.

How could they? How could they?

That’s all that fills my head the whole way home.

Why did they make promises to me? Why did they toy with me if they wanted to sleep with other women? Why did they lie?

I just …I thought they were good men, but I should have known better. I’m not a good judge of men and never have been.

And my friends were telling me to have fun with them, and that’s all I should have been doing.

I shouldn’t have been giving them my heart.

I shouldn’t have been falling in love.

I can’t believe I was so stupid.

CHAPTER51

WYATT

“If you’re not going to take your shirt off, open more buttons.” Cam has the camera by his hip, and he’s not hiding his impatience.

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