The Guy Next Door. Missy Tippens

Чтение книги онлайн.

       Chapter One

      It’s about time.

      Darcy O’Malley sat on the front porch steps as the hot afternoon sun headed westward, watching her best friend’s car pull into the driveway next door. She sucked in a deep breath, tension easing out with it.

      Six months. Six long months since Luke Jordan had been home—the longest they’d ever gone without seeing each other. Having his car parked where it belonged brought a sense of normalcy.

      Of course, these days, he called Tennessee home.

      Darcy waved, but he couldn’t see her from behind the overgrown boxwoods.

      He climbed out of the car and stretched. As expected, his hair had grown shaggy. Unruly brown hair that begged a girl to push it off his forehead.

      Darcy gave a derisive snort. It was ridiculous how many girls had held that honor. Too many to count.

      She stepped out on the sidewalk. Luke spotted her and waved, his face lighting with a big goofy grin.

      “Come on over,” he called, motioning her toward his car.

      He met her halfway and held out his arms. She fell into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck. When he lifted her off the ground and gave a brotherly squeeze, she felt as if she were the one who had come home. She’d missed him.

      “I’m so glad to see you,” she said against his cheek, breathing in the familiar scent of his Prell shampoo. “But you need a haircut.”

      “Glad to be back in Georgia where you can hound me into going to the barber.” He set her on her feet and smiled, but his eyes looked shadowed.

      She should have anticipated the sadness. This was his first visit home since his mother’s funeral. “Tough coming back?”

      “Yeah. Seeing the house…” He sucked in a deep breath and glanced up at the two-story brick home he’d lived in from birth.

      She waited, knowing better than to push him to talk about his mom.

      “I’m surprised to see you here in the middle of the afternoon,” he said, effectively changing the subject. “Thought you’d be at one of your many jobs.”

      Typical of him to slip in a jab about her over-packed schedule, though Luke was simply spouting what everyone else around her had been spouting. He always joked about her overcommitment, but underneath, he was being protective, worried about her stress level and health.

      “I only have two jobs,” she said. “Finished one for the day and am about to head to the other.”

      “Only two.” He shook his head. “You’re finally living your dream of being a microbiologist and have the luxury of living rent-free. Why put in so many long hours?”

      The muscles in Darcy’s neck tightened with nagging concerns over losing that rent-free status before she was ready. “I don’t remember asking your opinion,” she said, snippier than she’d meant.

      One corner of his mouth tilted up in a grin. He’d always loved riling her up and blaming her temper on her red hair.

      “Hey, I just want you to have a life,” he said. “Maybe go out, have fun, find that Prince Charming you’ve always dreamed of.”

      For now, her life was consumed by work and paying off student loans. Even if by some chance Prince Charming did show up, she couldn’t squeeze in a moment for him.

      She’d missed their banter, though, and couldn’t help returning his smile. “Once again, I don’t remember asking for your opinion.”

      He laughed and nudged her shoulder with his.

      “So, how long are you staying?” she asked.

      “A week, two at most. I brought some work, and Roger’s covering for me.”

      “Not long, but I’ll take what I can get.” She hooked her arm around his and looked up. “So when can we hang out?”

      Their gazes locked, and his teasing smirk faltered. “Um, I may be pretty busy.” He glanced at their joined arms, then at his parents’ house.

      The action felt like a snub. Had she somehow made him uncomfortable?

      “You’re not going to like why I’m here,” he said.

      “Oh?”

      “Dad’s been talking of downsizing. I’m here to help get the house ready to put on the market. I’m hoping he and Granny will join me in Nashville.”

      Her heart stuttered. Surely Luke didn’t mean it.

      He didn’t laugh. Didn’t bump her shoulder like he usually did when he was joking. Her stomach sank to the sidewalk, and the excitement that had fueled her for days tumbled along with it.

      Her best friend might stay in Tennessee permanently?

      * * *

      Stunned, Luke looked into Darcy’s eyes—had they always been so blue? Had her auburn hair always been so shiny and silky, her fair, freckled skin so smooth? When she’d wrapped her arm around his, every inch of that smooth skin touching his ignited his nerve endings.

      What was wrong with him? This was Darcy. Darcy. And she was simply acting like she always did.

      He needed to get control of this sudden, weird…­attraction. Hadn’t he learned the hard way that going from friend to anything beyond friend would end in a mess?

      Remember Chloe, he thought, repeating his and Darcy’s long-ago mantra. Darcy’s sister, Chloe, barely spoke to him nowadays. He couldn’t imagine the pain of losing Darcy’s friendship.

      “It’s been six months since you were home, Luke.” Darcy glared at him, playful, yet chastising. “Your family can’t move away. We’d never see each other.”

      The hurt tone of her voice made him want to pull her close, to comfort. Instead, he eased his arm out of her grasp. At the moment, even incidental contact left him reeling. “Dad’s been depressed, so I need to do something. He’s obviously lonely, says the place is too big for him since Mom died.”

      “It wouldn’t be if you moved back СКАЧАТЬ