Page 13 of The Crush Next Door

"So anyway, I thought maybe it would help if you had a dog with you at night."

I felt my jaw hang open as speech escaped me.

"Careful there," an amused Josh said. "You'll catch the flies infesting your place."

I hated him. "You're so annoying."

"Thank you. I try." He bowed. "But seriously, I thought you could borrow Magic for the night. Maybe eventually get your own dog."

Shaking my head, I said, "I can't get a dog because Devon's allergic."

"Of course he is."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he backpedaled. "So you can borrow Magic then. Until you and your wonderful fiancé are reunited at last."

For a moment, I had no idea what to say between the snide remarks and the out-of-the-blue, kind offer. But then, Magic, apparently done with his exploration of my place, came up to me and rubbed against my leg, clearly wanting some love. He was a really cute, sweet dog.

"You really think Magic would be okay here overnight?" I asked, thinking how nice it would be to have another being in here while I slept in case the nightmares decided to haunt me.

"Yeah, he's a really chill guy. But also very, very protective. And we already know he likes you," he added, gesturing to Magic who wouldn't leave my side.

The idea sounded amazing honestly. But I did worry a little that Magic wouldn't be happy. "Well, what if he wakes up crying in the middle of the night or something, whining at the door for you?"

"He won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He just won't. I know."

How could he possibly know that? "Well, I'll be pounding on the bedroom wall if he does."

"He won't." Looking around, Josh said, "Anyway, he's already been walked. So all you need is a bowl of water if you can find a clean dish."

"There are plenty of clean dishes," I argued. Jerk.

"Whatever you say." Josh let out a chuckle. "All right. Well, I'm gonna head back. Just knock if you need anything."

He crouched down, patting his leg, and Magic came over, giving him a big lick on his cheek. Kind of ew, but also really cute.

"Good night, boy," Josh said softly. "Don't get into any trouble, and definitely don't eat any shoes."

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. "Wait. He eats shoes?"

Laughing, Josh stared at my flip-flop collection by the door, all piled up in a big mess. "Only flip-flops." He grinned.

"You're joking, right?" God, I just didn't know him well enough to know if he was kidding or not.

"You'll find out." That grin covered his tan face as he walked closer to my shoe mountain. "Why does one person need this many flip-flops?"

Yes, I sent my eyes heavenward. And yes, I did have a tiny addiction to the adorable little sandals. "Well, you have to have a pair for every situation, you know."

"Please tell me you don't wear them to work."

"Of course not. But that's the dream..." I released a wistful sigh. "...to have a job where I can wear them."

"Good luck with that." He turned to look at me. "Where do you work anyway?"

---