Page 7 of A Very Grumpy Neighbor

“Hey, you ready to head home?” he asks.

A pang of longing hits me as I watch them together.

They’re so in love. You can see it. You can see how much he cares for her in the way he watches her and how gentle he is as he helps her out of the booth.

I want that. I want it so bad that it hurts.

I clear my throat and look away as the other girls gather their things.

A few more guys arrive at our booth, and I watch as my new friends cuddle with their men. My happy buzz starts to fade inside as I realize I’m the odd one out.

“Can we give Jade a ride home?” Cameron asks her husband.

“Sure.”

“Oh, sorry, Jade. This is Ford,” Cameron introduces us.

“Nice to meet you,” I say, slurring slightly.

“You, too.”

“And that’s Milo, Ryder, and I’m sure you already know Huxley,” Cameron finishes.

“Yeah. Hey, nice to meet you,” I say, waving at the guys.

“Ready to go?” Ford asks us.

“Did you want to stay over?” Cora offers.

I shake my head. “I’ll catch a ride.”

“We can take you,” she offers.

“Oh, I?—”

“I’ll take her,” a deep voice cuts in behind me.

I spin around, my eyes clashing with a pair of green ones.

“Mr. Grumpy,” I blurt out.

He glares down at me. “Meyer,” he grunts.

I blink. “What?”

“My name is Meyer.”

“Oh.”

Ford frowns. “We’re happy to give her a ride.”

Meyer shakes his head. “She’s my neighbor, so I’m headed that way. I’ll save you the trip.”

“You okay with that?” Ford asks.

I hesitate for a moment before I nod. “Yeah, thanks.”

He nods and wraps his arm around Cameron.

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