Page 4 of My Twin Sister's Extremely Famous and Incredibly Hot Neighbor

He ignores me. I try not to panic as I watch him scale and then jump the fence that separates his property from Jera’s. He walks around the pool to the sliding back door. The back door I didn’t lock, because I was too excited to have two stinkin pools to swim in. My palms grow sweaty as I hear him enter Jera’s house.

My hips are screaming at me now, and at any moment my legs are going to fall off from lack of circulation. But no matter which way I try to wiggle, I can’t get out of the window. Footsteps squeak rapidly down the hallway, then are muffled by the carpet in Jera’s bedroom, and the bathroom door opens. I pray that this towel is covering my entire backside. I do not want to moon the murderer!

Squint barks as Mr. Handsome grabs me and pulls, and I feel like I’m about to be ripped in half, but whatever he does works because I pop out of that window like a cork. Unfortunately, the force knocks us both down and I sprawl on top of the man. I roll off him, desperately grabbing the towel so it doesn’t fly off me. Squint licks my face, his whole body wagging.

I lay on the tile floor staring up at Mr. Handsome, kneeling beside me. His dark hair falls to his forehead and he’s trying to catch his breath as he examines me. “Are you okay?”

My heart beats a million times a second. I stare into his face, and suddenly I recognize him. He’s Dustin Sawyer. A famous movie star. And he’s staring at me while I’m lying on Jera’s bathroom floor…in a towel.

I gasp and manage to scramble up as I hold onto the towel for dear life. “You…you…” I can’t seem to get any intelligent words out. Squint thinks this is a fun game. He dances around my slippers, merrily barking at me.

Dustin’s forehead wrinkles as he puzzles over my incoherent mumblings. “Me?” he asks as he stands, wiping his hands on his jeans.

“You killed a man!” I blurt out as I point at him.

CHAPTER3

“I…what?” He looks me over like he’s sure I got a head injury.

“What were you doing with that body in your backyard?”

Realization dawns in his gaze. “That was a CPR mannequin. I’m auditioning for a role…” His voice trails off. “You thought I killed someone?”

Heat assaults my face. Of course Dustin Sawyer isn’t a murderer. I’m an idiot. Squint doesn’t care, he’s still happily barking.

Dustin scoffs. “Is that why you were hanging out your window?”

I must be twelve shades of red by now. I’m talking full-body blush. I look like a lobster spending a day at the spa.

“Sorry.” I suddenly remember my phone in the pool. If there’s any way to save it, I must go fish it out fast. “I dropped my phone…” I say as I brush past him, trying to explain why I have to rush off.

“Were youfilmingme? Is this all part of your plan?” He follows me into Jera’s bedroom.

My plan? Was he daft? Who wouldplanto get stuck in a window? “No.” I look around for a dresser but Jera doesn’t have one.

He swipes a hand through his hair. “I know you’re upset about the fence, but I swear, I didn’t know it was on your property. It’s only one inch, for Pete’s sake. One inch!”

I have no idea what he’s talking about, and I need to find a bathing suit, so I open the closet door. Holy cow, there’s a whole country in her closet. Why is her closet larger than my apartment? I flick on the light. Er, I should say lights, because every inch of the place has a spotlight on it, and all the glitzy bedazzled clothing lights up like a Christmas tree.

“I’m sorry, can we talk later? I have to go fish my phone out of the pool.”

Dustin shakes his head. “You never want to talk. I’m tired of trying to talk to you through my lawyer. I just want to know why you won’t take my offer. It’s quite reasonable. You’ll get to collect rent for a stupid fence.”

I know nothing about the argument between them so I keep my mouth shut.

He stares at me. “Are you still mad at me for what happened last year?”

Jera really didn’t tell me enough about her life to prepare me for this. “No, I’m not mad,” I say before I realize Jera may be indeed mad at the man. Oops.

Dustin comes into the closet with me. “Just take the deal. It’s a fair price for the space my fence is taking.”

I can’t take a deal for my sister, so I shake my head. “I’m sorry, I can’t.” I pull a two-piece striped suit out of a cubby hole. It still has the tags on it. Sheesh, why is there so little fabric to it? Couldn’t she have a one-piece somewhere?

“I don’t understand why you’re being so unreasonable,” Dustin says as he rubs his neck.

“Please, talk to…me in about a week. I’ve got a situation.” I shove him out of the closet and shut the doors, resigning to putting on the little strappy thing.

“If it’s money you want, I can increase the offer,” he says through the doors. Squint sniffs all the shoes.

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