Love Next Door (Lakeside #1) by Helena Hunting

“I’ll put that right at the top of my list.” I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes. “You guys want to settle into your rooms and then we can get on making cocktails?”

“I get dibs on the blue room.” Teagan grabs her bag and rushes down the hall to the room Bradley and I used to share when we were kids. It has two single beds and is still decorated to suit a teenage boy, but I’m guessing she knows I’ve already taken the other bedroom.

“Where should I sleep?” Bradley eyes the floral-patterned couch from the eighties.

“You can take Grammy Bee’s room.”

Bradley crosses his arms. “Oh, hell no. It’s probably haunted. And that mattress has to be the same one Grammy slept on when Grampy was still alive. Why should I have to sleep in the haunted room? Why don’t you take that room and I’ll take your room?”

I mirror his pose. “Because the room isn’t haunted, and the mattress in there is new.” This is a bald-faced lie, but he doesn’t need to know that. “And I’m not changing my sheets. Plus, all my stuff is already in the spare room. If you don’t like it, you can book yourself a room in the closest motel. There’s one outside of town.”

Bradley looks absolutely horrified. “I’m not staying in a motel.”

“Then I guess this is going to have to do, unless you want to use the pullout couch.” I thumb over my shoulder. “But those are your options.”

Bradley huffs a sigh. “This is the thanks I get for coming to visit. You’re turning into a real barbarian, you know that, Van?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He waves me off and heads down the hall to Grammy Bee’s bedroom, grumbling the entire way.

I leave him to it and go in search of Teagan, who I find standing between the twin beds, head down, her hands on her hips.

“You okay?” I lean against the doorjamb.

She startles and gives me a small smile, but her chin trembles. “I’m sorry about Bradley. He’s more temperamental than a cat.” She takes off her sunglasses and tosses them on one of the beds. And I finally see the reason she’s been wearing them. Her eyes are red and puffy.

“Teag? What happened?”

“Troy broke up with me.” Her smile dissolves, and she tips her head back, trying to keep the tears from falling.

“He what? Why?” I like Troy about as much as I like mosquito bites on my nuts, but they’ve been together for four years. While I don’t care for him, at least he seemed to love my sister, so I kept my opinion to myself.

She dabs at her eyes with the hem of her tank. “Last week he said he couldn’t handle it anymore. My family drama was impacting his social status, and he couldn’t be associated with thieves.”

“Are you serious? That douchebag. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, so please don’t blame yourself. I honestly should’ve seen this coming. I mean, fifty percent of the reason I was dating him in the first place is because Dad approved and thought he’d be good ‘marriage material.’” She makes air quotes around the words marriage material.

“It doesn’t make it hurt less.”

“No. It really doesn’t.”

I open my arms and she steps into them, allowing me to fold her into a hug.

“I miss you, Donny.”

“I miss you too. I feel bad that I’m leaving you to deal with all this crap on your own.”

“I’m not alone. Dad and Bradley are there.”

I release her and step back, arching a brow. “No offense, but that’s about the same as being alone.” I wish she could come here and escape, too, but I know she won’t leave Dad on his own. It must suck to be twenty-six years old and unable to move on with her own life because our father refuses to move on with his.

She chuckles wryly. “It could be worse.” She pats my chest. “Come on. Let’s make a nice stiff drink, and you can tell us all about your projects and what you’ve been doing.”

“For sure.” I run a nervous hand through my hair. “I should tell you that my neighbor is coming over to have dinner with us. If you’re okay with that.”

“Why wouldn’t I be okay with that? And which neighbor?”

“Dillion, the one Grammy Bee called Lynnie. I don’t know if you remember her from when we were kids. She didn’t really come around, but sometimes she’d be on the dock next door or whatever.” I rub the back of my neck.

“Wait. Donovan Ferdinand Firestone, are you and your neighbor a thing?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call us a thing—”

“Your face is so red right now! You are totally a thing. This is so, so cute. I love it.” She claps excitedly.

It’s followed by a knock at the door.

Her eyes light up. “Is that her? It’s totally her!” She takes one step toward the door, but I catch her by the arm.

“Please, for the love of God, Teagan, have some chill. She’s low key, and we are not making a big deal out of this, so you can’t either.”

“Right. Okay. Find some chill.” She closes her eyes and breathes in and out. “It’s just so damn cute. And swoony.”

“Swoony isn’t a word.”