Page 5 of Keeping it Casual
“You too.”
“I live just over your back fence, to the right a bit. So I’m sure we’ll see each other around.”
Shit. Having a temptation like Jeremy King in such proximity isn’t exactly what I need right now.
I manage to rummage up a grin.
“Great,” I say. “I’ll see you around.”
Chapter 3
Jeremy
“So, have you met your new neighbor yet?” Portia Newman asks me as I work on her left hamstring.
“He’s not really my neighbor. He’s more adjacent to my neighbor,” I say. “Well, we back up to each other, but we only share a sliver of fence, like one and a half feet. If you are inclined to measure it, I wouldn’t actually know. I’m just estimating.”
Portia raises an eyebrow and gives me a skeptical look, which is quite an achievement, given half her face is currently pressed into my physio table.
It’s not my fault that any mention of my new not-quite-neighbor turns me into a blathering idiot.
I haven’t been able to get Dustin out of my head in the week since I met him. Let’s just say there isn’t an excess of Pierce Brosnan lookalike gay men in Mineral Creek.
There’s just something about him. Initially he came across as serious and broody, yet his spectacular smile emerged once we started talking. I’m pretty sure in the history of humanity, lips have never looked so gorgeous in an upturned position.
Unfortunately, Mr. Dustin Knight is not an option on the buffet. Which is an incredible shame, up there with the cancellation ofBetter Off Ted.
“So, are you going to try to get to know him?” Portia asks.
“He’s not interested,” I say.
“Nonsense. How can someone not want you?”
“It is a crazy thought to contemplate,” I agree. “But occasionally, the world throws up these strange mutants resistant to my charm.”
“You’ll win him over,” she says.
I dig deeper into Portia’s calf muscle, trying to isolate the source of her discomfort, as I contemplate her words.
Is it possible to win a prize that’s not up for grabs?
“Can we go to the playground before bed? Pretty please?” Lucy asks after dinner.
“Okay.”
It’s a beautiful late summer evening, and the neighborhood park is only a block away. Lucy rides her scooter along the footpath, and when we reach the single road between our house and the park, I use it as an opportunity for her to practice her road-crossing skills.
Lucy bites her lip in concentration as we wait for a car to pass, and my heart gives an involuntary squeeze. For all the heartbreak and angst I put my ex-wife through, I can’t bring myself to resent our time together because Emily and I made something amazing. I will never regret my daughter.
We arrive at the park, and because the universe seems to love pranking me, the first person I see is the tall, dark-haired, gorgeous guy I’ve been trying not to obsess over.
He’s kicking a soccer ball to a lanky teenager on the grassright by the path that leads to the playground and the small man-made pond.
Yeah, seeing Dustin in shorts and a T-shirt running after a ball is not what my libido needed.
“Hey,” I say in my best neighborly voice as we walk past. Which may come across slightly husky, but hey, I’ve just had to keep up with a nine-year-old on a scooter. There’s a chance I could be out of breath because of that.
Dustin traps the ball at his feet and his lips curl up. “Hey, Jeremy. How’s it going?”
