Page 103 of Crave Thy Neighbor

One day he was fine; the next he wasn’t.

It was like a switch flipped.

“Hey,” Cooper says in a low voice. “You okay?”

“Huh?”

He rubs his hand over the back of his neck. “You sort of drifted away for a minute…”

His pale green eyes are full of worry, and I love the guy for being so concerned.

I clear my throat. “I’m good.”

But even I know my smile wobbles.

He flicks his gaze toward Dean, who is in the kitchen unpacking the essentials, then steps toward me, keeping his voice down. “Caroline mentioned you still haven’t talked to Nolan, and he’s not here today…”

I finally broke down and told River and Caroline about what happened. I had to physically restrain River so she didn’t run out of the boutique to go beat Nolan up for breaking my heart the way he did.

It’s my fault though. I should have never let my feelings get involved.

It was supposed to be just sex, and I’m the one who broke that promise.

“He’s busy with work is all. They’re starting a new project, so he has a lot to do.”

Cooper doesn’t look convinced, but he lets it go.

He nods, stepping back. “Okay. Just…I know I’m not Caroline or whatever, but I’ve spent the past ten years being best friends with a chick, and I’m a good listener. So, if you need anything…”

I wrap my arms around him, surprising us both.

“Thank you, Cooper,” I whisper, choking back my emotions the best I can.

I haven’t cried over Nolan yet, and I’m not about to start now—not with an apartment full of all our mutual friends.

He squeezes me back. “Always.”

I push away, squaring my shoulders. “All right. Let’s get this couch moved, huh?”

We order a pizza for lunch and work four more hours getting everything set up how I want it, Dean and Cooper moving my couch and TV around no less than three times each.

It’s dusk when they all pile out, and I’m more than ready for them to go. I have a brand-new garden tub and a fresh bottle of wine calling my name.

A few minutes after I close my door on River and Dean, there’s a knock.

I pull it open, surprised to see Dean standing on the other side.

“Forget something?”

“No.” He shoves his hands into his pockets, shuffling his feet, kicking at the dirt that isn’t there. “Well, yeah. Maybe. I…” He blows out a breath. “I, uh… This might be my fault, Maya.”

My lips pull into a frown. “What do you mean?”

“I think I might have freaked Nolan out.”

I tip my head to the side, waiting for him to continue.

“I didn’t mean to. It’s just…” He shrugs. “He’s so in his head, you know? So worried he’s going to become his father and die with a broken heart. Still so angry at his mom. But I thought maybe hearing it would help him pull his head out of his ass.”

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