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Mia blinked a few times, neither one of them speaking.
“Uncle Dre!” Lyra ran up to him, breaking the staring contest.
“Hey, princess. You’ve grown since I last saw you.” Andre focused his attention on his niece. She was the perfect mix of Mikel and Remy with light-brown skin and curly dark hair.
“Phoenix grew too. Come see my baby brother.” Lyra held his hand with hers and led him towards the table where Bently reached out and grabbed the case from him.
“Oh, good, you brought my favorite,” Bently said, quickly popping off a tab.
Is Mia here with Bently?The thought brought a scorching sensation to his chest. Heartburn.
“Dre, meet Mia. She just moved to town,” Jasmine said.
“How did you all meet?” he asked, his gaze on Mia, who was holding baby Zoey. God, why did that sight tear him apart and seem to put him back together all at once? This was his family. Why was she here invading his space?
“Mia saved me. My car broke down and she gave Zoey and me a ride to Remy’s,” Jasmine explained.
“You got in a car with a stranger?” Dre asked, concerned.
“Not all people are jerks,” Mia said, as if she was defending Jasmine.
“I’d have gotten in the car with you too.” Bently smiled and gave Mia a wink.
Andre’s stomach roiled. The little witch had put all his friends under her spell.
“Back to this neighbor. What exactly happened?” Andre asked, seeing how far he could push her.
Mia swallowed and straightened her spine before she looked him in the eye and answered, “He ignored me when I said good morning, but I chalked that up to the fact that he probably didn’t hear me with his earbuds in. Then I waved hello, and he downright scowled at me. I figured I would give him one more chance—maybe he was having a bad day. I baked cookies.” She nodded towards the pile of desserts covered in powdered sugar on the table in front of them as Bently reached for one. “Strike three. He shut the door in my face.”
“Maybe he didn’t want to be bothered,” Andre said, leaning in.
“Or maybe he’s just an a-s-s-h-o-l-e,” she said almost as if it was a challenge.
“Only an idiot would turn down your cookies, Mia,” Bently said, smirking.
Andre clenched his fists. Were his friends taking her side? They hadn’t even been there. Women were all the same. Mia was a fake and a temptress.
“I agree.” She smiled, and good God—how could he hate something and love it all at once?
“Who is this guy? I’ll pay him a visit. Sounds like he needs to learn a few manners. What’s his address?” Bently asked.
“Autumn Street,” Mia answered.
Bently hesitated a moment and then looked at Andre. “You live on that street. Any idea who she’s talking about?”
“Nope.” He played dumb, part of him wanting to see how she would react.
“Really?” Mia challenged.
“What’s wrong if a man doesn’t want to say hello, or wave back, or have his day disturbed by a perky stranger with cookies? Who knows what you could have put in them,” Andre defended, his voice rising in anger. He grabbed a bottle of beer and twisted the cap off before gulping down half the bottle.
“Dude, chill out,” Bently said, eyeing him warily.
“Are you her neighbor?” Remy asked.
His friends’ shocked and intense gazes were all aimed at him. They’d been turned against him after one meeting with this woman.
Mia bit her bottom lip, seeming unsure. Now she wants to be quiet.
