“Too bad.” He turned his head, nose in the air. He was hiding something and wanted me to ask him about it.
“What’s too bad?” I gave him what he wanted.
“I happened to run into that hunky neighbor of yours a few days ago and pried a little. Turns out he’s a lawyer—a successful one if my quick Internet search is to be believed.”
I gasped. “You’re joking!”
“Nope. Now, what juicy dish do you have about him?” He leaned back to stare me down until I talked. I took a moment to contemplate the new information. Maybe I shouldn’t go to the party. If he was a good lawyer, I might want him to help me, and that could be a conflict of interest.
My mouth curled up. I knew he’d be excited about this news. “I gave in.” He blinked at me. “So, Arch has been inviting me to parties for months, you know?” He nodded his head vigorously. “You, Rick, and I have an invitation for a small party at Arch’s apartment tonight at seven-ish.” He blinked a few more times as his mouth dropped open. “And I said yes.”
He jumped up, clapping his hands. “We have three hours!”
I put my hands up. “No, Todd. I’m dressing in jeans and a t-shirt. This thing is low key.”
Todd deflated. “Makeup?”
“No,” I said.
He eyeballed my head. “Let me play with your hair.”
I sighed. “I’ll let you do that, but only because it feels so good to have you brushing and twisting and whatever else you do.”
“Okay. I’m going home. You take a nap; recover a little from your day.” He stood and headed for my front door. “I’ll be back in two hours to play with your hair and talk you into wearing mascara.” I rolled my eyes at him as he made his exit. He was a mess, but I loved him dearly.
Chapter Two
True to his word, Todd came back, Rick in tow, with enough time to brush my hair until it shined. He sprayed something on it and twisted it into a complicated braid. Having it off my neck would keep me from fiddling with it all night.
I straightened my hot pink tee and turned to my friends. “You ready?” My hands fluttered a little at my sides, betraying my nervousness.
“Sweetie, we can’t go!” Todd exclaimed.
“What?” Panic laced my voice. I’d already told Arch we would be there, and I didn’t know if I could do it without my security blanket, Todd.
“I thought I told you earlier. Rick got us movie tickets for tonight. We may pop in after the movie, but we have to run now or we’ll be late.” Todd looked like someone ran over his favorite puppy. “I did want to go with you, but we’ve had this date made for weeks.”
“Who throws a party on a Wednesday night?” Rick asked.
I threw my hands up. “I don’t know, I never would. But I’ve already said I’d be there, so I guess I have to go.” I didn’t want to be rude to my neighbor. I’d make a quick appearance and then go home. My reward would be the eye candy sure to be present at the shindig.
My friends made their exit, giving me quick kisses and apologies. I stared at Arch’s apartment door with foreboding before slamming my door shut and leaning my head against it. I’d wait and go a little later, as if I tore myself away from something important.Damn my nerves.
I parked myself on the couch and stared at the clock on my wall. I let time tick down with only my cell phone to distract me. Playing a solitaire game helped. Finally, the clock said eight thirty, and I stood.
At eight forty, I finally opened my door and stepped out into the hall. The idea popped into my head that Arch could have a surveillance system like mine, a monitor mounted beside my door giving a view of the hallway, which spurred me to knock on his door without dawdling. I would’ve hated for him to catch me hovering in the hallway on his security monitor.
A man I’d passed in the hall but never spoken to opened the door. His platinum blond, honey-streaked hair was natural, not dyed. He had sun-kissed, surfer-dude good looks, with gunmetal blue eyes. His most noticeable feature was his size. Six or seven inches taller than me, he had broad shoulders and massive arms. He filled out the doorway so I couldn’t see inside the apartment.
“Hi.” I began with a squeak. “I’m Ellie. Arch invited me.” My hands, firmly tucked into my back pockets, itched to twist something nervously.
Belatedly, I noticed music spilling out of the apartment and laughter and talking inside. My stomach clenched at the idea of pasting on a fake smile for all of those people. In the back of my mind, I pictured Arch’s warm invitation and that bolstered my nerve. I did want to get to know him a little better, given we were neighbors.
Tall, blond, and Norse-god-lookalike cracked a smile that’d knock out a gaggle of old church ladies. “You’re the neighbor! Come on in, Arch hoped you’d show.”
I chuckled a little.Maybe he thinks I’m mysterious. I suppressed a snort.Yeah, right.
His apartment was nothing like I’d imagined. I’d always pictured modern decor with lots of black and white coloring and uncomfortable furniture. “Who decorated this place?” I asked, amazed.
