Page 28 of Love Thy Neighbor

I nod and he grins, and I could just be imagining things, but I swear I see it waver.

As soon as we’re on the sidewalk in front of the diner, she spins toward me.

“Okay, spill.”

“Spill what?”

“Last night. What really happened after the whole ‘you seeing your best friend naked’ thing?”

I will not think about last night. I will not think about last night.

I groan. “Nothing. It was nothing. I promise. Just something that happened.”

She studies me hard, arms crossed over her chest, lips twisted up as she considers my words.

Please, please, please do not see that I totally had inappropriate thoughts about my best friend last night. Please.

“Okay,” she finally says. “I’ll believe that if you want me to. But just know, I’m here to talk if there’s anything that’s suddenly on your mind.”

There is absolutely nothing suddenly on my mind.

Not Cooper. Not his incredible body. Definitely not his co—

“Nope. Nothing,” I tell her, cutting off my own thoughts before I travel down a road I’m trying hard to avoid.

She nods. “All right. Well, why don’t we talk about you going out tonight, then? Are you nervous? I know it’s been a while since you’ve done the whole dating thing.”

“Yes and no. I’m sure Cooper will take care of me just fine.”

“Hmm,” she says, lips tucked together.

“What?”

“Huh?”

“You saidHmmall cryptically—what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Did I?” She waves her hand. “It was nothing. Come on. Let’s cross here.”

She starts rambling on about Dean and his betrayal last night, and my mind drifts to other things.

Again.

I will not think about last night. I will not think about last night.

How many times is it going to take until it’s true?

5

Cooper

“For fuck’s sake,Caroline. Come on already. I’ve got two idiots from the team texting me asking where I am. How are you not ready yet? You’ve been in there for over an hour already.”

“Five more minutes, I swear!” she calls from her bedroom.

With a groan, I toss myself back onto the couch and close my eyes, settling into the comfort of the well-worn cushions. Five more minutes my ass. She said that ten minutes ago.

After breakfast—and Dean asking at least ten different questions about last night—I came back home to a shitstorm of emails and work.

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