her cheeks flushed, holding a tray of brownies made just for me. Rambling in her speech and gorgeous in her sundress. Sweet and young and clearly not for me.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s niece, I think, snorting. Perhaps Nick and Cole had been on to something when they told me to find at least semi-regular female company. But where would I find the time?
The house is quiet when I open the front door. Haven and Evie had been sound asleep when I left, Maria reading in the room between theirs in case they needed anything. There are alarms and safety cameras aplenty. I’d just been across the street, too. But I don’t fully relax until I walk past their bedrooms, peering in to see their small, sleeping forms.
I’d been right. There is no way I could have anything to do with dating, not when my heart—and my schedule—is already this full.
But that doesn’t stop me from heading to the kitchen and grabbing one of those delicious chocolate squares to eat, my thoughts drifting to the beautiful brunette who’d made them.
A man could still fantasize, right?
3
Bella
“No, you’re staying here.”
Toast looks up at me like my mere existence is a personal insult. I press my leg into the half-opened front door and remember exactly why I’m more of a dog person.
“You’re not getting out. Not on my watch. They printed it in bold and underlined in the instructions I got.”
Toast bumps his head against my leg, and not affectionately. “No,” I say again. “Now, I’m going to pull my leg back to shut this door. Do you promise me you won’t try to stick a paw in or something? I don’t want you getting hurt. Just think of how much a visit to the vet would mess up your day.”
Not to mention mine.
Toast sits down, looking up at me angelically. I’m not buying it. It might be a ploy.
“Okay now.” I pull the door shut slowly, inch by inch. “I’ll be back tonight. Don’t break any vases.”
And then, at the last second, a loud meow. But the door is shut. Breathing a sigh of relief, I lock it behind me.
“If this is to become a daily thing,” I tell the shut door and the devious cat behind it, “then I think I deserve a raise.”
There’s no response. Hoisting my bag up higher on my shoulder, I search through my pockets for my car keys. Should be here somewhere…
I find the keys and unlock the door to my 2007 Honda Civic. It’s an old madam, this car. Possibly one of the least flashy cars this neighborhood—and this specific driveway—has ever seen.
Sliding into the driver’s seat, I look down at my watch. I still have plenty of time. While there are no classes over the summer, I still have regular meetings with my supervisors, and they don’t appreciate lateness.
I turn the key in the ignition.
Nothing happens. The nothingness is pretty spectacular, actually. Not the faintest sound of an engine.
“Not you too,” I tell it, thinking of Toast’s escapist stunts. “Behave.”
I take a deep breath before I turn the key again.
The engine doesn’t so much as make a peep.
Damn it. Why today, of all days? I try five more times and the car refuses to start each time. This happened once, a few months ago, when the battery ran out of charge. I’d been told by the insurance company to change the battery back then. Something about charging problems and faulty electrical drains and the ominous-sounding verdict of it will likely die again.
But it hadn’t. And I’d forgotten all about those several hundreds of dollars I didn’t have to spend on a new battery.
Getting out of the car, I aim a solid kick to a tire. It’s ineffectual, but it makes me feel better.
“Damn it!”
Can I find someone with jumper cables? I hadn’t been able to last time, and I’d paid for that mistake. I call Trina. Predictably, she doesn’t answer. She’s the queen of having her phone on silent.
Wilma doesn’t pick up either, which means I’m shit out of luck. Calling my little brother Wyatt is out of the question, because he doesn’t have a car.
I look over at the closed garage doors. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner’s cars are in there, locked away while they’re traveling this summer. I know where the keys are—that was one of the items in my house-sitting guide. Can I use them to jumpstart my own car?
Battling with indecision, I get out and pop the hood to my