Page 20 of Crave Thy Neighbor

“So, Maya, is Sam still interested in baseball this summer?”

River’s question pulls us from the moment, and Nolan’s the first to break the stare.

“He is. But that may change after the game Thursday.”

“The Storm game?”

“Yes, Patrick’s taking him.”

“He got a suite.” River rolls her eyes as she says it, annoyed by how flashy Patrick is on my behalf. “Probably got it through his daddy.”

Or he could have done it himself. He certainly has the connections. Some of his clients are making more money a year than I could ever hope to see in a lifetime.

It’s crazy some days to think I went from a four-bedroom house with a two-car garage and a brand-new SUV every year to almost on the verge of couch-surfing in two years.

I might not have the house or a fancy new car—both my choices—but getting out of my loveless marriage was worth it. By the time we decided to get divorced, I couldn’t remember the last time Patrick and I had so much as kissed.

“A suite?” Dean’s brows fly up. “Remind me, Maya, how friendly are you and Patrick again? Could he, say, scoremesome tickets?”

“Dean!” River swats at him.

“What?” He dodges her assault. “It’s just a question! I’m not asking her to sleep with him again. Just get a few tickets to a hockey game.”

River huffs. “Ignore him.”

I laugh. “Thank god for that. Been there, done that. Got the mediocre sex badge to prove it.”

Nolan grunts beside me, and I ignore him.

“Oh! Shit!” Dean slaps the table, then points across from him. “Why the fuck didn’t I think of this before?”

“What?” River asks. “What’s going on?”

“Nolan!”

“That’d be my name,” he drawls, fingering the label on his beer bottle.

“You have rooms. You were telling me yesterday how you were looking for roommates.”

“I’m curious how the mention of shitty sex reminded you of me, but yes, I do.”

“Mediocre,” I correct.

He glances over at me. “There’s no such thing as mediocre sex. It’s either shitty or it’s not. There’s no in-between.”

“This is perfect,” Dean rambles on. “Maya can move in and help cover the rent while you go through the vetting process of finding someone. It’s a total win-win.”

I don’t say anything.

I’m not sure what Dean’s version of win-win is, but mine doesn’t include moving my son and myself in with a guy I just met.

“Plus, you’ll be living in my building. Which, if you ask me, is the biggest advantage of all this,” River adds with a megawatt grin.

I narrow my eyes at her, frustrated as hell.

To her credit, she doesn’t shrink away.

“WhileIappreciate both of you trying to find me a place to stay, I don’t think Nolan appreciates you offering up his apartment to a stranger.”

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