She turned around and strolled through the door, leaving me outside with Declan. He made no attempt to follow her in, which left me standing in the yard looking like an idiot.Great.
I marched up the porch steps and was hoping to bypass Declan without having to speak to him, but he stepped in my way, reaching for the screen door’s handle. He opened the door, but only slightly.
He opened his mouth to speak, but I shot my gaze to his, cutting him off.
“Look,” I snapped, making his sea-blue eyes widen. A hint of humor flashed in them, and it prickled my nerves. “Linda sure does have a sense of humor. I know why she’s invited us both here for dinner.” He tried to speak again, but I held up a hand. “And just so you know, I don’t need help getting a date.”
He shook his head and chuckled. “Neither do I, Ayla.”
My brows lifted. “That’s shocking. Especiallyafter our interaction yesterday. Being an inconsiderate ass isn’t the way to a female’s heart.”
His smile faded. “About that. I’m sorry for how I acted. I shouldn’t have been a dick.”
That caught me off guard. I stared at him for a few seconds, and there was nothing but sincerity on his face. It made all the anger inside of me disappear.
I blew out a sigh. “And I didn’t help matters by storming over to your house. I’m sorry for my part. Hopefully, it was just all a misunderstanding.”
Declan nodded. “It was. I’m going to get my lawn mower fixed and do my yard work on a different day.”
My mouth dropped. “Why the change of heart?”
He opened the screen door wider, but neither one of us made a move to walk in. “Let’s just say we have a mutual friend who put me in my place.”
We stepped inside and he held out his hand, his smile genuine and sexy as hell. “I’m Declan Parker. It’s nice to officially meet you.”
I shook his hand and smiled back. “Ayla Carington, your very grateful neighbor. Thank you for offering to do your lawn on a different day. Then again, it probably wouldn’t be so bad with a mower that doesn’t sound like it’s about to explode.”
Declan laughed. “True. I promise I won’t be a problem anymore.”
“Neither will I,” I replied, letting his hand go. “Now, let’s get inside before Linda drags us in by our ears.”
He flourished a hand toward the door. “After you.”
My heart started to race, and this time in a good way.
Chapter 5
Ayla
Every time I was around Linda, I knew it’d be comical and entertaining. Declan and I never got a chance to speak while eating dinner, but that didn’t matter. I enjoyed hearing all of Linda’s tales.
After dinner, Declan and I washed and dried the dishes while Linda watched us and continued with her stories. She didn’t believe in using dishwashers, so we had to scrub them well. Declan offered to do that part while I rinsed and dried. Once we were done, I pulled out my phone from my pocket and looked at the time. I didn't realize that four hours had passed.
“Linda, it’s getting late. I think I’m going to headhome,” I said, folding the dish towel and setting it by the sink.
Linda walked over and hugged me. “Well, thank you for coming over.” Then she winked at Declan. “Both of you. I think the night went by splendidly.”
I looked over at Declan, and my heart did a crazy flip-flop dance in my chest when his lips pulled back into a small smile. There was so much I wanted to know about him. He was a mystery.
“I think so, too,” I agreed, turning my attention back to Linda. “Thank you for setting tonight up. I don’t hate my neighbor as much as I did yesterday.”
“As much?” Declan joked. “So, you still hate me a little bit?”
That made me smile. “Don’t know yet.”
Linda patted his arm and giggled. “Why don’t you walk Ayla home, and you two can sort all of that out?”
Declan lifted his brows at me. “Do you mind? I don’t want you walking alone at night.”
