Page 21 of Off the Wall

Yeah, I can. And I do, sometimes. But Cullen doesn’t need to know that. I’ve already spent half a day with him, and I’m done being grilled about my relationship status.

Or lack thereof.

“Things go more smoothly when I’m there to handle contingencies personally.” I haul myself up off the chair. At least this is the whole truth.

“All right, all right.” Cullen leans back against the lounge chair. “Can I take a quick nap out here, then?”

“Sure.” I grab my empty water bottle. “Stay as long as you want.”

“I’ve got about an hour.” His lip twitches. “Then the moon of my life needs me to paint the nursery.”

Chapter Seven

Nori

This may sound irrational,but I’m starting to think last week’s escargot encounter at Vincenzo’s unearthed some kind of physical magnet between me and Dr. Cash Briggs, and now I can’t seem to escape his gravitational pull. Forget about PantyGate. That was only the beginning.

I keep bumping into him everywhere.

Like …

Everywhere.

For example: I was getting my mail on Monday at the same time he entered the building, and he flashed me a smile, so I acted super-focused on the fliers while I fled up the grand staircase. Two days later, as I pulled into the parking deck, he was coming out in his big man truck, so I kept my eyes straight ahead and pretended not to see him waving. Then yesterday, when all I wanted was a little sun in the courtyard, he was already out there with some muscly guy who looked way too much like him to be unrelated. So I took a detour to the rooftop and hung out with Sophie instead. She tends the garden up there—the flowerbeds and plants. I was quick, but the McBrother saw me anyway. He called out, but I acted likeI didn’t hear so I wouldn’t end up in a conversation with him and Cash Briggs.

I simply must limit my exposure.

As it is, the good doctor has already shown up in the mirror with me twice. Holdingmyhand. Both times. Or at least trying to.

What’sthatabout?

I’m not an unfriendly person, but I can’t be fantasizing about my neighbor like that. I mean, sure it’s possible he was legitimately trying to help me at Vincenzo’s. And he might’ve been amused by our encounter in the laundry room.

You’re welcome, Dr. McBoxer Briefs.

But even if there were more to the guy than his surgical-sized ego and his giant man truck and his look-at-me eyes, Cash Briggs is already dating another beautiful doctor. He’s not going to be interested in a manager of a tea shop who drops food on the ground and leaves her underwear in the dryer. Being attracted to him is about the stupidest thing I could do. Unfortunately, the more he waves and smiles at me, the more attracted to him I become.

My only escape is the whirlwind at Serendipi-Tea, and luckily the weekends here are extra busy. Since we opened this morning, the shop’s been a blur of cappuccinos and chai tea served alongside butter-soaked croissants and cinnamon scones. The smell of freshly brewed coffee mingles with the floral tang of tea leaves in the air. I inhale deeply, and the familiar scent fills my lungs, reminding me that everything will be all right.

Probably.

There’s a jingle at the door, and a trio of women in yoga regalia bustle in. I recognize them from high school, although they were a few years ahead of me. Hayden and Keeley should be arriving any minute too. When Hayden’s in town, sheusually spends her Sundays here grading papers and mainlining smoothies. And Keeley always grabs a breakfast sandwich to bring to her gramps at Silver Springs retirement community.

We sometimes sell out of our sandwiches by midmorning, so I grab one for Keeley now and set it at Hayden’s favorite corner table to reserve the spot. Good. That was two whole minutes during which I didn’t think about Cash Briggs or his boxer briefs or the way he seemed to be reaching for me in the mirror.

Much.

My gaze slips to the pastry case now, and I half expect to see his face reflected there in the glass. Instead I’m confronted by a glittering display of frosted cookies and sugar-topped muffins.

“So how did your date go?” Yvette asks me from her spot at the register. She’s a perky blonde with a nose full of freckles who’s about to graduate from Bridgewater College.

“What?” I blink at her. “Who?”

“Your second date with that lawyer. The one with the weird name. Wasn’t it last night?”

“Oh. Right.” I’d totally wiped Phoenix Something-or-other from my brain, even though we saw each other less than twenty-four hours ago. Turns out his last name’s Fernsby, and his sister, Scarlett, actually lives in my building.

Scarlett’s great and all, but I’m afraid things could get messy. Especially since I’m not one hundred percent sure her brother isn’t a tiny bit of a player. But I’m not going to speculate about the man unnecessarily. I’m just not going out with him a third time. Problem solved. “Phoenix was perfectly fine,” I say. “Handsome. Knowledgeable.”

---