Page 13 of Crave Thy Neighbor

It’s empty.

She left.

My shoulders sag in disappointment.

I don’t know who she is or if I’ll ever see her again, but I have a feeling those gray eyes are going to haunt me.

“Speaking of…I gotta hit the head. Then I’ll find us a table.”

“You try pushing a child from your vagina and see how your bladder holds up!”

The a-little-too-loud words River yells at Dean’s back draw my attention.

“Do I finally get to meet the elusive Maya?” I ask her.

River and Dean have been dating several months now, and I’ve yet to meet the best friend River never shuts up about. I’ve met her kid already during a game of pickup with Dean, but not her. Our schedules haven’t lined up yet.

I’m curious as hell to meet the woman who has been able to deal with River for the last twenty years. The girl is a handful on a good day.

River bobs her head. “Yep. I managed to coax her out of her crappy little apartment. She needs to spend the night away from all the moving stress.”

“She’s moving? Away from here?”

“No, just apartments. Her—” Her phone buzzes in her hand, drawing her attention. “Ah, she was in the bathroom. Oooh, this is interesting.”

“What is?”

River holds her phone against her chest, hiding it from me like I’m going to peer down and read the screen. “Nothing.”

“Look who I found coming out of the shitters,” Dean says, sliding back up to us.

River pins him with a glare. “Did you leave your manners at home?”

“Stop acting like you hate my dirty mouth. I have fresh scratches on my back to prove otherwise.”

Her back snaps straight, eyes widening in horror. “Dean Evans!”

“I’m just saying…” He shrugs. “Anyway, Nolan, this is Maya. Maya, meet the second most handsome man in the bar tonight.”

He moves out of the way, and my stomach drops.

It’sher.

Her eyes widen. Jaw drops.

I can’t believe my fucking luck today.

“Hi.”

The single word comes out a whisper, and all I manage to do is stare at her like a dolt.

It’s a different stare than earlier.

This one is full of disbelief.

It wouldn’t have mattered if I’d asked her out or what her answer would have been. It never mattered.

She’s completely off limits.

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