“When I met your sister the first time, she ran out of your place crying about a cheating asshole. I thought that asshole was you.”
“That’s why you thought I cheated on the ‘girl in the picture’? Well, you usually think the worst of me, so that’s nothing new.”
“Yeah, but that was thefirstterrible thought I ever had of you. And it kind of set the tone.”
“Oh! So that’s our Big Bang, huh? I’d wondered—not that I gave you a ton of thought, of course—but I thought it was very suspect how you went from ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ to brawling alley cat. Guess that explains it.” He takes a sip of his drink, then stares down at the amber liquid. “And now that you know you were wrong?”
“Well, since then, I’ve compiled a dossier’s worth of things I dislike about you, so.” I bite back a smile, but Jack’s flies free, dimples and all. He has a rakish mouth. A mouth I realize I’m staring at when he clears his throat and sits back.
“Only a dossier? I rented out a warehouse full of filing cabinets for you. RealIndiana Jonesshit.”
“In preparation for everything I’ll discover on you? Or have you been compiling things you dislike about yourself for me? I hope it’s the latter. Huge time-saver. Your flaws are glaring, but there are justsomany.”
He takes a sip of his drink and dips his head with a grin in recognition of the point I’ve scored on him. “So normal neighbors,” he says.
“Yes. Although I’m not sure if I know how to be normal around you. Antagonizing you is like muscle memory at this point.”
“Hypothetically, do normal neighbors”—he waggles his eyebrows, so I know I’m going to hate whatever comes next—“retaliate for being glitter-bombed?”
“No. Hypothetically, if one neighbor were responsible for a glittering, it was probably because the other neighbor had done something to deserve, if not that specific reaction, then definitelysomereaction. But if, say, the glitter recipient were to retaliate for being glittered, it would just perpetuate a nuclear arms race that couldn’t possibly end well. Probably best for the glitteree to graciously admit that they were party to the lead-up to their glittering. Hypothetically.”
“You’re a loon.”
“Never had a complaint before.” I’ve had so many complaints. “Don’t expect to have complaints in the future, either.”
A smile pulls at the corner of his lips. It’s very distracting. “The future? In general? Or did you have someone in mind?”
“Hmmm.” I take a sip of my wine and innocently raise my eyebrows with a shrug.
He laughs. “The suspense. All right, truce. And how is this… Even though I’d still love to buy your apartment and my own, I’ll help you put up the wall.”
“You?Fix the wall?”
“That look is insulting. La said she would only be able to set you guys up and then you’d be on the hook for the rest of the work. This way you don’t need her. I know what I’m doing. Unlike your ‘crew.’ And Gence said he can do the finishing work for a small fee. He’s got a side business. I’ll even split the cost of materials with you.”
“Why would you do that for me?”
“Because it’s what a normal neighbor would do?”
He holds up his glass, and I clink to cement the agreement. I can’t repress my grin at the thought of putting up a wallwith Jackto replace the one I brokebecause of Jack.
His eyes drop to my lips, then languidly climb to meet mine again. I feel my pulse speed. This corner of the terrace feels private, insulated. Intimate. And Jack’s mysterious little half grin feels like a fishing lure. My knee bumps his, slides. I’m not confident it was accidental.
“Wonder where Margie is?” I ask, trying desperately to break this spell, whatever it is. He’s always got a certain swagger to him. But right now it feels magnetic. Like he knows what he’s got, and I’m lying to myself if I pretend I don’t want it. FuckingPirate Duke. He’s back to rubbing his finger along the rim of his glass.
“Want help looking?”
He says it softly, the way you’d call a stray over to your car. I swallow hard, nod wordlessly. He turns to Avery and Anna, leaning over to say something in Avery’s ear.
Avery looks at me questioningly, but I pretend not to notice.
Jack reaches for my hand.
I slide mine into his firm, callused grip, and we make our way into the party, working through the crowd.
I stare up at his profile, heart beating in my ears, as he scans faces in the blue-tinted light.
I don’t know what I’m doing.
