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I purse my lips, telling myself not to clock him. “Lost something?”
“That light in your eyes.”
I put up my hand. “Just stop, Rylan. You’re digging that hole deeper and deeper.”
I move steadily toward Declan’s house, thankful Aubrey’s car isn’t in the driveway. She’s out of work more than she’s working nowadays.
“Hold up.” He grabs my wrist, his thumb running along the inner part, and I inhale a deep breath. “I didn’t mean it like you think. And I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sure you’re different around me than others.”
I inwardly thank him for offering me the branch to swing away with lies. “Yes, you don’t really bring the best out of me. Hence why I wanted to do the picture thing myself.”
He studies me for a second and his mouth opens as if he wants to say something else, but he seems to think better of it. “Let’s just get this over with.”
I follow him as we peer around for neighbors. Rylan walks up to the front porch that resembles the latest Pinterest trends. I think of my bare-bones apartment and wonder what Aubrey thinks of my place. Surely after she marries and meets other married women, distance will grow between us.
He lifts the mat, and there’s nothing but a stained piece of concrete showing the key had been there once upon a time.
“That’s your bright idea, using the spare key?” I put my hands on my hips, trying to hide myself in the corner of the porch so no passersby see me.
“How would I know he moved it?”
“Maybe you’d know if you spent any time here at all.”
He glances at me with a death stare of his own. “I’m getting that enough from my mom and the rest of my family. I don’t need it from an ex-girlfriend who doesn’t want me around anyway.”
Sometimes I’m amazed at what we can both convince ourselves of.
He searches every empty flowerpot and under the cushions of the furniture on the porch. “Man, Aubrey’s really changed Declan.”
“I’m going to the back door.”
I look both ways off the porch and follow the concrete path around the back of the house. Thankfully, they back into a park that’s empty right now. I twist the doorknob and find it locked.
“They aren’t you,” Rylan says behind me, and I swing an elbow behind me. “Shit. That’s a rib.” He coughs.
“Sorry, my hand slipped.” I walk down the steps and search under every potted plant and lamp until I see the doggy door. “Here we go.”
“Hate to break it to you, but neither of us will fit through there.”
I scoff. “I can so fit through there. It’s a large doggy door.”
He raises his eyebrows in disbelief. Oh, game on. I’m going to prove it to him.
“When did they get a dog?” he asks as I lower onto all fours. “I always did enjoy you in this position.”
I look over my shoulder. He’s leaned back on the railing with his arms crossed, staring straight at my ass.
“Get a good look, because you’ll never see me in this position again.” I venture in, my shoulders giving me a little bit of trouble, but I shimmy one then the other through. “I’m inside!”
My voice garners their dog Bentley’s attention. He barrels off the couch, limps over to me, and sniffs until he comes across my face, which he licks.
“No, Bentley.” I move my head side to side until he stops and lies down, staring in the other direction.
It’s then I realize my hips are caught. Fuck, all those brownies and sweets are the cause of this. But I will not allow Rylan to be right.
“Want me to push you through?” he asks, his voice muffled a bit since it’s on the other side of the door.
“No.” I wiggle and wiggle, getting half a hip through, but exhaustion makes me collapse to regain my breath. I shimmy and try every position, but I feel like a cork in a wine bottle. Someone has to either pull me or push me. “Damn it.”
