Page 23 of Not the Puck Bunny

“Now you're thinking about all of his body parts,” she said gleefully. “Admit it to yourself, even if you won't admit it to me.”

“There's nothing to admit,” I protested. “Because it doesn't matter anyway. We're going to be professionals, behaving professionally.”

“Over dinner that he's bringing,” she said persistently.

“I'm starting to think I shouldn't have told you anything,” I said.

“Of course you should have,” she said. “If you don't tell me, who are you going to tell?”

“I have friends,” I said.

“None whom you trust to tell them that he's coming over,” she pointed out. “Is that because they'd judge you, or because you know they'd call you out if they looked you right in the face?”

I chose option C, both of the above.

“It's because they're busy,” I argued. “And Iwanted to talk to my baby sister. A move I'm starting to regret.”

Phone between my neck and my shoulder, I stepped into one leg of my jeans. I tried to step into the other leg, while keeping the phone from falling, but I couldn't hold the jeans in place and raise my foot high enough at the same time.

I took a breath and tried again. I got my foot inside the denim, but only half way down the leg. I tugged, trying to pull the fabric up and disentangle my foot at the same time. My toes got stuck somewhere near the hem.

All my weight on my right foot, I jumped up and down a couple of times and shook my leg, trying to push the left one through.

With a barely bitten back curse, I lost my balance. My hip hit the shelf beside me. I squeaked in pain and dropped my phone.

I tried to grab it with the hand that wasn't holding up my pants, but it slipped out of my grip. The device landed on the floor and bounced before stopping, screen down.

I shoved my foot all the way into the other leg and tugged my jeans over my hips before scooping my phone up and grimacing at the newest crack.

I put it back to my ear. “You still there?”

“Yeah, you good?”

“I'm fine.” Mostly.

I stepped out of my bedroom and exhaled in the direction of my balcony. It was in darkness, but the city lights beyond that twinkled, like a thousand eyes winking at me and reading all of my inner secrets. Past that, the ocean was illuminated by a moon which would be full in a night or two. “What were we saying?”

“Something about you regretting calling me, but we both know you don't,” she laughed. “You love talking to me. Because I'm honest with you when other people aren't. And right now, I'm going to be honest and say you have a crush. Even if you won't admit it. It is what it is.”

I could almost see her nodding to punctuate the sentence. When she decided she was right about something, she was almost impossible to budge. She meant well, but her pushing wouldn't lead to anything. No matter how much she wanted to believe otherwise.

No matter how muchIwanted to believe otherwise.

“It doesn't matter if I have a crush,” I said. “I couldn't act on it anyway, even if he was interested,which he's not. So do me a favor and let it go. Find some nice guy so we can gossip about you next time.”

“I don't think there are any nice guys in Highball Creek that are still single,” she complained. “Except Lenny. Rumor has it, he likes to peep into women's windows when the drapes aren't drawn all the way across.”

“He sounds like a catch,” I said dryly.

“He's a catch for the cops,” she replied. “Still, he's mostly harmless, in an I'm-not-going-there kind of way. I mean, he’s close to eighty years old.”

“Just think how experienced he’d be,” I deadpanned.

She responded with a gagging sound. “I'll give you his number,” she said. “You two could be cute together. There wouldn't be any issue with you being his boss. And you wouldn't have to worry about him biting, because he has no teeth.”

“That's very kind of you, but I wouldn't want to get between you and your true love,” I teased. Of all the things people might say about Cam North, I was almost certain he wasn't a peeping Tom. He seemed more like the kind of man who'd tear the drapes down, not peek between them.

“Don't let me get between you and yours,” Piasaid. “Enjoy your night with Cam. I want to hear all the juicy details later.”

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