Page 7 of My Twin Sister's Extremely Famous and Incredibly Hot Neighbor

He stands and takes the bowl of rice from me. “I’ve been lucky to have work my whole life. This business can be brutal. But of course, you know that.”

He pulls a Ziploc from his apron pocket and fishes my phone out of the rice. “I read on the internet that silicone packets work better than rice. And to draw out the most moisture, it needs to be sealed.” He slips my phone inside the Ziploc full of packets.

I stare at the baggie. It had to have twenty silicone packets in it. “Where did you get all those?”

“They come with a lot of products. Like shoes and stuff.”

I nod. “I know, but I just throw them away. You save them?”

He shrugs. “I don’t usually, but when I read that silicone packets are best, I went looking for some. I had quite a few just in with various things.”

I blink and try to process what he said. “So, you searched your house for those little silicone packets? For me?”

“Yeah. It was no big deal.”

It may not have been a big deal to him, but it meant a lot to me. It must have taken him forever to find twenty of those packets. I walk with him into the kitchen where something smells amazing. “What are you making? My mouth is watering already.”

“Chicken alfredo. I hope pasta is okay. I googled and the internet says you don’t have any food allergies.” He sets the Ziploc on the counter, then lifts a lid and stirs a creamy sauce.

“Pasta is my favorite.”

He smiles. “Good. I wasn’t sure you’d be able to eat it.”

I give him a puzzled look. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“You know, all the carbs. I normally avoid them, but I’m between gigs.”

Oh. I hadn’t even considered Jera might be on a diet. Well, I wasn’t going to starve myself for a week. The fake Jera was just going to have to splurge. “Me too. I’m between gigs. I’m not counting carbs until my next job.”

“Do you have something in the works?” He glances at me and lifts one eyebrow.

I had no idea. “Maybe. I can’t talk about it yet.” That sounded like a safe answer.

“I get it. Good luck.” He takes the sauce off the burner and turns the knob. He plates the pasta, chicken, and tops it with the alfredo. When he sprinkles on some chopped parsley my mouth falls open.

“You really like to cook, don’t you?”

He nods as he finishes up with the plates. “My parents were gone a lot when I was a kid.”

“So you had to learn to cook in order to eat?” That was so sad! I felt so bad for him.

He laughs. “No. We had a cook. Her name was Elise, and she was fresh out of cooking school. I had a major crush on her.” Dustin smiles and gives me a wink.

I nudge his arm and my pulse jumps. He’s flirting with me again, and I’m not going to lie. I like the way it makes my insides all fluttery.

“So, you learned how to cook from Elise?”

“She taught me a lot. And I follow a few YouTube channels.” He carries the plates into the dining room where the table is set for two. Squint follows us, sniffing the floor before curling up in the corner. A pillar candle flickers, and fresh cut flowers are in a vase. Did he order flowers just for me?

I point to them. “You didn’t really think I’d stand you up. Look at all the trouble you went through.”

Dustin pulls out my chair and I sit, feeling like I’m suddenly at a fancy restaurant and I didn’t dress up enough. He sits next to me and leans close. “Do you want me to be honest?”

“Of course.” A pang of guilt shoots through my chest. I shouldn’t demand honesty from him when I wasn’t giving him the same courtesy.

“I can’t believe you’re here. I never thought you’d set foot in my house again.”

CHAPTER5

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