Page 5

I spoon another mouthful of increasingly soggy cereal into my mouth, watching the scene unfold. Whoever this new neighbor is, Boss Lady’s got the whole band involved. Even Nate’s there, carefully handling what appears to be a box marked ‘FRAGILE’ in bold letters.
A familiar laugh drifts through my window, and I freeze, milk dripping from my spoon back into the bowl. No way. It couldn’t be...
But then she steps into view, and my heart does this weird stuttering thing in my chest. Lila. She’s wearing cutoffshorts and a loose t-shirt, her blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun, and somehow, she looks even better than she did last night.
She’s my new next door neighbor.
The realization hits me like a train. Those sneaky bastards—no wonder Emily and Sam were exchanging looks all night. No wonder they kept interrupting whenever I tried to get Lila alone. I thought it was because…
I set my bowl down, suddenly very aware that I’m standing in my kitchen in nothing but sweatpants, watching through the window like some creep. I should go out there. Help them move. But first, I need to put on a shirt. And maybe brush my teeth. And—
A knock at my door makes me jump. “Luke?” Emily’s voice calls out. “I know you’re in there. I see your jeep.”
Shit. I grab a t-shirt from the clean laundry I haven’t put away yet and pull it on as I head for the door. When I open it, Emily’s standing there with that cat-that-ate-the-canary grin I know too well.
“Come say good morning to your new neighbor,” she says sweetly.
“You could have mentioned this last night, Boss Lady,” I tell her, trying to sound annoyed but probably failing miserably.
“And miss the look on your face right now? Never.” She pats my chest. “Now, come help us move your future girlfriend in.”
“Emily—you know I—“
“I saw how you were looking at her last night. And how she was looking at you when she thought no one would notice.” She raises an eyebrow. “Consider this my gift to you both. Now get your ass out here and carry some boxes.”
I follow her outside, where Lila’s trying to wrestle a box from her car’s backseat. When she sees me, she freezes, that pretty blush I remember from last night spreading across her cheeks.
“You live here?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
I nod, moving to help her with the box. “Looks like we’re neighbors.”
Our fingers brush as I take the box from her, and I swear I feel it all the way down to my toes. She quickly pulls her hand back, wiping a loose strand of hair off her face and tucking it behind her ear.
“Emily didn’t mention that,” she says, shooting a look at our mutual friend, who’s suddenly very interested in something on her phone.
“Yeah, funny how she left that part out.” I adjust my grip on the box, which is heavier than it looks. “Kitchen stuff?”
She nods. “My knives and spices. They’re important to me. My tools of the trade.”
“The tools that created those mushrooms last night? These deserve VIP treatment.” I carefully carry the box toward her door, very aware of her following behind me. “I’ll guard them with my life.”
Her soft laugh makes me smile. “They’re just regular chef knives.”
“Nothing regular about what you do with them.” I set the box down where she directs me, in her kitchen, which mirrors mine but somehow already looks warmer and more inviting.
“I could, um...” She hesitates, that blush deepening. “I could cook for you sometime. To thank you for helping with the move.”
Is she flirting with me? No, probablyjust being polite. But still...
“Only if you let me help,” I say. “Seems only fair.”
She looks up at me through those lashes, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe. “Deal.”
Someone clears their throat from the doorway—Vince, holding another box. “If you two are done chit-chatting, there’s still half a car to unload.”
Lila’s blush reaches nuclear levels as she hurries past me to grab another box. I watch her go, already knowing my life just got a lot more interesting.
And a lot more complicated.