Page 8 of Author Next Door (Temptation Next Door)

Hannah squealed loudly. “Holy shit. You should ask him out.”

“I kind of already did?”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, I kind of already did.”

Hannah made some sort of noise that was a combination between a groan and a scoff. “Lara, I love you, but holy shit do you need to start off with this information from the get go. You’re telling me I could have had all this juicy gossip instead of ranting about Josh this whole time? I don’t know if I’m angry or excited. Probably both.”

“Like I said, it’s not a big deal. But I could have sworn that when I ran into him in the hallway the other day with his kid–”

“Wait. Hold on. He lives in your building?”

“Yeah, down the hall from me.”

She let out a heavy sigh. “I need a minute.”

“You going to be okay?”

“I want an autograph, you hear me? I’m visiting your place the second I get back from my trip.”

I giggled uneasily. “I don’t know, Hannah. We’re not that close.”

“But you could be.”

I rolled my eyes and snorted, “I don’t know. He’s an older guy with a daughter. I don’t know if I’m the kind of girl he’s even interested in.”

“I think you should go for it.”

“You always think I should go for it.”

“You never know when true love will strike. Trust your gut. He might not be looking for anything serious, but at the very least you can fool around.”

I fidgeted with the left sleeve of my grey sweatshirt, picked at one of the loose threads. “I don’t know. Fooling around just isn’t me.” Three sharp knocks sounded from my front door, capturing my attention. “I have to let you go, Hannah. I think the Chinese I ordered is here.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later. Remember, trust your gut!”

After hanging up the phone, I peeled myself out of bed and hurried to the front door, snatching my wallet from off the kitchen counter. I opened the door expecting to see the familiar red uniform shirt of Panda Chang’s, the nearest Chinese restaurant, but was surprised to see a familiar head of bright blonde hair up in a tight ponytail.

“Clarissa?” I asked, bending down so that I was at eye-level with the girl. “What are you doing here, sweetie?”

Clarissa held up a small box of cookies, chest puffed out in pride. “I learned today that sharing is caring. Want one?”

I giggled, heart warming and her offer. Instead of picking up a cookie, I picked her up instead. Clarissa was a lot lighter than I’d expected, easily resting in the crook of my arm. “Does your daddy know you’re out here?”

She sheepishly shook her head.

“How about we give him some cookies, too? Don’t you think he’d like that?”

; “Yeah,” she mumbled, hiding her face behind the box of treats.

We walked down the hall and rounded the corner, coming up to her apartment door, which I promptly knocked on twice. On the other side, I could hear frantic shuffling of furniture and rushed footsteps upon the floor, quickly approaching. Chuck swung the door open wide, looking just as frantic and worried as he had a couple nights before.

“Clarissa, there you are,” he breathed. “How do you keep getting out, baby?” He took his child in his own arms and looked to me. “Thanks so much, Lara. I’m sorry she’s such a bother.”

“It’s no problem at all.”