Page 27 of Loathe Thy Neighbor

He towers over Lucy, his head in his hands as she speaks to him in hushed tones.

He’s more upset than I’ve ever seen him before—and that includes the time his football team lost the big game…or whatever it was he cried about for a week.

I’m sure everything coming up in the next few months is running through his head on a loop, including summer school, which he’s scheduled to start teaching in a couple weeks.

A nagging feeling starts at the base of my spine and slides up my neck.

Crap.

Maybe Idofeel bad for him, and not just because he’s Leo’s handler.

I like little Leo, not that I’d ever admit it, and I don’t want Dean to have to give him up just so he can have a place to stay. That’s not fair to either of them.

I do have a spare room…

No! That’s ludicrous.

I cannothave Dean staying with me. There is absolutely zero good that can come of it. We’ll kill each other.

There’s no way we’d survive it.

But Leo…

“He can stay with me!”

They swivel their heads my way, and I slap my hand over my mouth as my words register in my own ears.

What the fuck did I just say?

Dean lifts that one brow he always lifts, cocking his head to the side. I hate that brow. “What was that?”

“You can stay with me.”

No! Stop talking, River!

“What?”

I groan, pulling my spacesuit tighter around me, suddenly feeling more exposed than when all I had covering my body was the world’s tiniest towel.

“Do not make me say it again, you ass.”

“No, I don’t think I heard you. I—”

“Unless your head’s filled with as much smoke as your apartment is”—Lucy sasses, making him cringe—“you heard her perfectly fine, dear.” She moves toward me, clapping her hands together with a smile on her lips that I decidedly do not like. “Thatis a wonderful idea, River.”

“You cannot be serious.” Dean comes up beside her. “There’s no way you’re serious.”

“I am.”

Holy shit.

Iamserious.

I’m willing to let Dean stay with me.

It’s just a month or two, right? I’m sure I can keep from murdering him for that long.

“Are you Punking me? Ashton? Ashton Kutcher? You can come out now!”

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