Witness Seduction. Elle Kennedy

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      “You’re still hung up on this?” Marley frowned. “I told you, he’s kind of strange.”

      “But you said he was cute.” Gwen grinned. “And he caught you when you did a swan dive off the roof.”

      “Fine, he gets two points for that. And then minus three points for being aloof. I swear, he couldn’t wait to get away from me.”

      “But you spoke to Debbie, right?”

      Marley nodded. “Before I left for work. She said she and Stu did rent the house, to a writer from New York, and, yes, his name is Caleb Ford.”

      “Well, there you go, he was telling the truth.”

      “Yeah, but…Something about him was really off.”

      “So he’s shy. Which is why you need to make a move,” Gwen answered as she tied her curly hair in a loose twist at the top of her head. “Tonight you’re going to walk next door and ask for a cup of sugar.”

      Marley laughed. “No way. That’s so lame.”

      “Wait, I’m not done. So you ask for the sugar, and then you bat your eyelashes and say, ‘Actually, maybe I can give you some sugar instead.’ One thing will lead to another and presto! You get laid and forget all about Patrick.”

      Marley shot her friend a firm look. “I’m not going to seduce my neighbor.”

      “Then at least promise to keep an open mind,” Gwen pleaded. “There’s no harm in saying hi to the guy next time you see him. Just don’t be afraid of some flirting, or heck, even a casual conversation. Oh, and could you please come out with me and Nick on Tuesday? We’re going to the salsa bar. It’ll be a good time.”

      “I’ll let you know.” Marley took a step toward the locker room door. “I gotta go. My feet are killing me and I’m craving a long, hot bubble bath.”

      Gwen sighed. “I hate the night shift,” she complained as she followed Marley out the door. “You’re so lucky you’re going home.”

      “Yeah, to sleep,” she replied with a sigh. “I’m coming back for the graveyard shift, while you get to spend the night with your boyfriend.”

      “Good point.”

      They said goodbye in the hallway, and Marley headed for the elevator, her flip-flops snapping against the white linoleum floor.

      When she exited the hospital, the early-evening air was warm, and she breathed it in, enjoying the fresh scent of salt and palm trees. She loved San Diego—the heat, the laid-back atmosphere, the ocean. She hadn’t been to the beach in ages, she realized as she crossed the parking lot to her car. The renovations in her house were tedious and left little time for trips to the beach.

      But maybe Gwen was right. Maybe it was time to quit using her house as an excuse not to go out and have fun. God knew she needed some fun after the past year.

      Before she could start the car, her cell phone burst out in the Pussycat Dolls ringtone Gwen had downloaded as a joke. Her brother’s number flashed on the screen, causing Marley to stifle a groan. Sam still hadn’t come back to finish the closet he’d half gutted, and she had a feeling she was in for another excuse.

      Sighing, she lifted the phone to her ear. “Hey, Sammy. What’s up?”

      “I wanted to touch base with you about the closet.”

      “Finally. So when are you coming to finish it?”

      “That’s what I wanted to talk about. It’ll probably have to be at the end of the week.”

      “Why not earlier?”

      “No time. We’ve got a massive renovation to finish this week, kiddo.”

      Marley rolled her eyes. “Don’t call me kiddo. I’m three years older than you, Sammy.”

      “On paper, maybe. But in maturity, I win.”

      “In your dreams.”

      “See how immature you are? Only ten-year-olds say ‘in your dreams.’” He suddenly sounded contrite. “I’ll try to make it earlier, since you’re being so difficult.”

      “What’s difficult is having to jump over a huge hole in the floor every time I walk down my hall,” she countered.

      “I’ll fix it soon, I promise. Anyway, I’ve gotta go. We’ll talk this week, ’kay?”

      “Hot date?” she teased.

      “Yep.”

      Marley grinned to herself. “Should I bother asking for her name or will she be but a mere speed bump in the road that is your love life?”

      “Very poetic. And the answer is we’ll see,” Sam said mysteriously. “I’ll talk to you later, kiddo.”

      They hung up, and Marley was still smiling as she started the car and left the hospital staff lot. Sam always managed to brighten her day. They hadn’t been very close growing up. He’d been the epitome of a pesky little brother, what with his unfunny pranks and that God-awful, year-long “why?” phase. Oh, and she most definitely hadn’t appreciated the time he’d squeezed purple hair dye into her shampoo bottle. Permanent hair dye. But after their mother died, they’d banded together to console their dad, and a bond had formed. Now, Marley couldn’t imagine not having Sammy in her life.

      Turning onto the main street, she headed in the direction of home. As she pulled into her driveway, she noticed a shiny black Range Rover parked next door and her heart gave an involuntary jump. She thought of Caleb Ford’s piercing blue eyes and lean, muscular body, then pushed the memory of her neighbor from her mind. She parked and climbed the rickety porch steps, her feet aching the entire time. Forget yoga tonight—she was heading straight to the bathtub and staying in there for hours.

      Kicking off her flip-flops, she closed the door, hopped over the stack of two-by-fours on the floor and made a beeline for the narrow staircase. The moment she reached the top step, the doorbell chimed, startling the hell out of her.

      Sighing, she headed back downstairs, determined to get rid of whoever had rung the bell. No one she knew would show up unannounced, so it was probably someone selling newspaper subscriptions or something equally annoying, and she wasn’t in the mood to deal with that right now. She paused in front of the door and peered into the peephole.

      A shaky breath flew out of her mouth when she found Caleb Ford’s blue eyes peering back at her.

      Shoot. She was so not prepared for a visit from the hottie next door. She had convertible hair, wasn’t wearing a spot of makeup and she hadn’t even bothered putting on a bra when she’d changed out of her nursing scrubs.

      But she couldn’t not answer the door. He knew she was home. He’d probably seen her pull up just now.

      The doorbell rang a second time.

      Maybe she shouldn’t answer it all. She didn’t know this guy—just because he was renting the house СКАЧАТЬ