Page 101 of A Dead End Wedding

"What are you doing?" Jake asked, somehow right at my elbow, which caused me to nearly jump out of my Nine Wests.

"Stop sneaking up on me! It's very clear what I'm doing," I said, not looking at him. "I'm calmly talking to myself like a total nut job. Then I'm going to unlock my door and go inside as soon as my hand stops shaking enough that I can get the key in the lock. What does itlooklike I'm doing?"

He didn't say a word, just reached around me and fitted his hand over mine to guide the key into the lock. Opening a door had never seemed like foreplay before. My mouth dried out, but I pretended it was because of the savage sinus stalker.

Jake leaned forward and pushed the door open, bringing his chest in contact with my back. (Did I mention he has serious muscles?) I stood there for a moment, dazed by the heat of his body and hoping I didn't swallow my tongue.

He chuckled. "Vaughn? Are you planning to step inside soon? The house is secured, but I can go first."

I stumbled forward. "No, I'm good. I mean, I'll do it. Well, not that I'll bedoingit. I mean, not that I'll do it in a 'do me' kind of way. I mean, I'll do it in a 'walk in the door' kind of way."

When he stopped at the door and didn't follow me inside, I turned around, afraid of what might pop out of my mouth next.Not in a "do me" kind of way??? I am a babbling idiot.

"Are you okay, Vaughn?" he asked, amusement and something warmer in his tone.

"I'm good. Really. It's just been a seriously long day. Thank you for everything. Really. It was great of you. I should probably invite you in, but as you can see, I don't have any furniture, so it's the card table or the air mattress," I said, then I nearly dropped my briefcase.

"Not that I was inviting you to the air mattress or anything. It's just that those are my only two pieces of furniture, so I was sort of listing them, you know, and then I didn't want you to think I was being a bad host, not that I needed to invite you on the air mattress to be agoodhost, but—" I had to stop to suck in a huge breath.

"Vaughn?"

"Yes?"

"Call me in the morning if you need to go anywhere, and Wrench will call you about your car, okay?"

"Okay. Um, thanks, Brody," I mumbled, not quite able to look at his face.

"Good night, Vaughn," he said, and then he turned and ambled back down the sidewalk, whistling. I thought I heard him say something like "summa cum laude"as he left.

But that was probably just my imagination.

17

My skull wouldn't quit ringing. As I fought my way up from the depths of drugged sleep (hey, cold medicine helps you sleep when your life is threatened, not just when you're fighting off the sniffles; they should putthaton the commercials), I realized my skull was really the phone by my bedside.

Air mattress side.

I grabbed the phone. "What? And this had really better be very good. It's seven in the freaking morning."

"Nice. Do you always answer your phone like that, young woman? First you block my parking lot with a line of bums, and then you're rude before you even know who's on the line?" The man did not sound happy. In fact, the wordcrotchetycame to mind. I sat up when the words "my parking lot," sank in.

"What? And, I'm sorry. I just had a very late night," I said, trying not to sound like somebody who just woke up.

"Your party-girl lifestyle is not my concern. The hundreds of cardboard boxes being unloaded in the parking lot outside of your – andmy– offices, however, are. I'd suggest you get down here and resolve this issue immediately," he said.

"What? What boxes? Who is this, anyway? And how did you get my number?"

"This is your office neighbor, Dentist Brill. And your number is listed in the directory. I simply called information for it, Miss Vaughn. Now get down here and get these boxes out of my parking space!" He slammed the phone down in my ear.

I was so tired of that.

I pulled on shorts and one of my faded Capital Law t-shirts, and tied my hair back in a ponytail. Grabbing a Buckeyes ball cap and my sunglasses, I ran out the door to my car.

My car that wasn't in the driveway.

The total nightmare of Friday evening crashed back into my mind.

Crap.

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