| |
“Yo! Anybody seen crazy Kylie?” a voice yelled from inside my house.
I slammed the dryer lid closed and turned it on. After work, I had gone home to do some housekeeping to prep for my new guests. It would be the first night I spent in my house since the break-in. Bless Kara’s heart, because she had sent someone over to clean my house for me the day Hagen and I had been out buying locks.
It was time for me to move back into my own house.
I was getting too comfortable at Hagen’s. It felt too domestic and homey, which, ironically, was exactly what I wanted, but I’d rather have it be with someone who was in love with me, not a neighbor who was just as likely to kill me as love me.
Walking into the living room, I found my cousin Page standing in the entryway with a large bag.
“I heard you could use some company,” she said. She dropped the bag, and we hugged. “Uncle Todd called me.”
“Of course he did,” I laughed. My dad would pack me up and move me home if he could. He might not have wanted to miss out on his anniversary trip, but he would still make sure I was safe. He sent a protective detail in the form of my cousin. He made a wise choice sending Page. She had the best swing when we played bayou baseball.
“He’s sending everyone, just so you know. Jenny, Jordan, Mack.”
I snorted. Apparently, Dad thought he needed to send the whole family. Our other cousins knew how to have a good time, and they would be a welcome distraction from the creep who broke into my house.
“Oh, good grief, no. I want my house to be standing when this is all over.”
“I know, that’s what I told your dad, but he didn’t think there was such a thing as too many cousins. I think there is.” She grimaced, and I couldn’t help but agree with her reaction.
We might as well book a room at the hospital, because we were going to need it. My cousins’ antics reached new levels when they all got together. It was like getting three toddlers together and letting them drink a case of energy drinks. Page would deny any involvement, but I knew that she often gave them some of their “best” ideas.
“They can’t stay in my house. They’ll burn it down.”
“You’ve got that right.” She walked into the kitchen and pulled a lemonade from the fridge. “Now, why was your good-looking neighbor glaring at me when I pulled in your driveway?”
My heart stuttered for reasons I didn’t care to think about as I replied, “He may or may not have promised to keep an eye on things ever since the break-in. He was probably making sure you weren’t stopping by to murder me.”
A loud knock sounded on the door. I shrieked. Page made a gurgling noise. I finally summoned up enough courage to walk over to the door and look through the peephole.
“Speak of the devil,” I said as I swung the door open. Hagen stood on my porch, hands on his hips. “What’s up?”
He looked annoyed about something. I wasn’t sure why he would have been mad. I hadn’t done anything to him in a while. I was starting to turn into dream neighbor material. Maybe he had found my missing sock in his couch cushions. Socks do stink after a while.
“You had a hide-a-key on your front porch.” He said it in a low voice as he leaned his head down so we were looking in each other’s eyes.
“Yes, it’s a new practice for forgetful people who lose their keys. How did you know?”
“The girl who just got here knew exactly where it was.”
“That’s because she’s my cousin. All Boones hide their keys in the same place—makes it easy for visiting relatives.”
His cheeks flushed, and the vein in his neck protruded. “Are you insane?”
“She’s never been formally diagnosed,” Page informed him from behind me.
He glanced over my head at Page. “Who are you?”
“The cousin—and temporary bodyguard until the psycho is caught. My name’s Page,” she answered as she reached around me to shake Hagen’s hand. Hagen smiled his megawatt smile at Page. Why was he kind to her when he had been so rude to me the first time we met? Double standard much?
“So tell me, Page, don’t you think it’s a little crazy to leave a key on the porch when there’s a stalker out there?”
“I couldn’t agree more. Come on in, and we’ll talk about Kylie like she can’t hear us.” Page grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the couch. “Coke?”
She began to raid the fridge like she had lived here for five years instead of five minutes.
She tossed me a can of Coke then pointed to the seat next to Hagen on the couch. Page dropped another can into Hagen’s hand then curled up on the loveseat next to the couch.
I sat criss-cross applesauce on the couch next to Hagen.
“How is it being Kylie’s neighbor? She said you’ve been making her feel safe knowing you’re keeping an eye on things.”
I glared at Page. What she said was true, but I didn’t want Hagen to think I was going soft. I took a big drink of Coke then began to choke.
Hagen slapped a big hand on my back a couple of times then left it there while he answered Page.
“You know, Kylie threatens to shove me in her garbage can almost every time I see her,” he said with a frown that didn’t hide the twinkle in his eyes.
Page nodded seriously. “She has some violent tendencies. She gets it from her mother's side. The Boones are much more stable.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. Hagen tapped his fingers against my shoulder—not that I could have forgotten his hand was there.
“I take it you’re a Boone too,” he said to Page.
“Of course. We bring class to the family,” Page said with a straight face. I always envied her ability to deadpan.
She continued, “So, has she managed to stuff you in the garbage can yet?”
Hagen smirked at me. “She tried. She did give me a bloody nose.”
Page’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at me. I shrugged. “He cracked my head.”
“In that case, it’s justified. So what are your intentions toward my cousin now that you’ve cracked her skull?” She folded her arms across her chest.
I wasn’t sure how Page transitioned to a concerned father figure in two seconds, but the change was impressive. I half expected for her to grab a shotgun out of her duffel bag.
Hagen decided to play along, because he removed his arm from my shoulders and set his drink down. He folded his hands and rested his elbows on his knees.
“Well, first I have to convince her to stop picking on me. Then, I’m going to ask her on a date. I’ll propose on Christmas Eve, and then we’ll get married and have two and a half kids.”
“Two and a half?”
“Maybe three. In the meantime, I plan on trying to keep her safe. Even if it means chewing her out for leaving a key out there where anyone could get it.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat as he described his plan. Even though I knew he was joking, it made my heart speed up. But Hagen wasn’t looking for a girlfriend, I reminded myself.
“Well, what do you bring to the relationship?”
“I have a job.”
“That’s always a good start,” she said in a patronizing tone. “Good health insurance?”
“You guys are insane,” I told them.
Page ignored me and continued, “What I want to know is what will I get out of the deal if you and Kylie were an item?”
Hagen shrugged. “Keys to my vacation home?”
Some soda came back up my nose, and Page made a strange gulping noise.
“You have a vacation home? How old are you?”
“Technically, it’s my brothers’ and mine, but yes, I do. Twenty-eight.”
I rested my chin in my hand to keep from staring at him.
“Tell me more about this vacation home and cracking Kylie’s head open,” Page told him.
“Well, the house is on the beach in Florida. It’s just a modest little beach cabin, so I wouldn’t get your hopes up that it’s a mansion. We have a cabin in Colorado, but it’s pretty rustic, too.”
“I don’t care if it’s a tent on the beach or a shack in the woods, I’m calling in a friend favor.”
I flattened my lips and glared at her. “You guys aren’t friends. You can’t call in friend favors.”
“Of course we’re friends! Isn’t that right, Hagen?”
Hagen looked like he was one second away from laughing, but he managed to answer her. “We’ll be best friends. Maybe we could make those little bracelets for each other.”
I rolled my eyes and bit my tongue to keep from laughing. They probably would make great friends. Page was fun to be around, and she was good at being friends with guys.
“Now, about trying to kill my cousin...”
“She’s exaggerating. Besides, she started it.”
“I certainly did not start it,” I protested. “But I will finish it.” I set down my lemonade and turned to face him full on.
Before I could have done anything, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and tucked me close to his side. “Let’s not fight in front of company, dear.”
I pinched his side, but it was the only retaliation I had in me. I didn’t want him to take his arm away.