Read Online The Troublemaker Next Door by Marie Harte - Free Book Online Page B

meant everything to her. Something she and Flynn seemed to have in common.
    “Colin’s cute. He looks just like your brother.”
    Flynn frowned and took another sip of his soda. “Mike’s a friggin’ taskmaster. After you left the other day, he made me clean the place from top to bottom. Like he had nothing to do with the beers and half a pizza that disappeared in his big mouth.”
    Flynn looked so put out. She had to laugh. “That’s nothing. I think Vanessa does white-glove tests when we’re not around.”
    He chuckled. “Your house looked barely lived in. Trust me. You want to see a mess, you should see Brody’s work in progress, as he calls it. He’s a pig.”
    “But not you?”
    “Nah. I like to be organized. Can’t function if I can’t find my crap right away. Of course, I’ve been told that’s because I’m always late for everything, so I need it where I can find it before I have to dart out the door.” His phone buzzed right then. “Hear that? My alarm so I won’t be late. I’m turning over a new leaf.” He winked at her.
    “Late for what?”
    “I’m due to meet Brody for a consult on a new job.”
    “Oh. Do you guys have an office around here?”
    “No. I left my truck at Mike’s while we worked out of Brody’s. I need to pick it up and drive to the customer.”
    “Well, good luck on your consult.”
    He stood to leave, and she already missed his company. Which was stupid. He was nothing more than the neighbor’s brother. Besides, she’d see him soon enough at the coming barbecue.
    “See you Saturday, right?”
    “You’re reading my mind.” She nodded. “I’ll be there. It’s really nice of your parents to invite us.”
    “Well, you can thank them by showing up and being extra nice to their charming son.”
    She blinked at him, all innocence. “Which one?”
    “That would be me. Feel free to ignore the other Neanderthals hanging around for a free meal.”
    Before she could comment, he leaned down and shocked her by planting a kiss on her cheek. The warmth in that simple touch locked her body up, frozen in suspense to see what more he might do.
    Flynn didn’t pull back right away. He stayed so close she could feel his breath against her mouth, could almost taste the sweet orange that lingered on his lips. “See you soon, Maddie.”
    Then he stood and left, carrying his bottle as he whistled his way across the street. He didn’t look back once.
    She didn’t look away from him until he turned out of sight. Holy hell, but the temperature had escalated in the last few minutes. She downed the rest of her lukewarm latte and fanned herself.
    She needed to find a way to deal with her odd reaction to the man before Saturday. She almost wished she hadn’t agreed to go, but she refused to shy away from the party because he made her uncomfortable. It would have been almost easier if he’d done it on purpose, but he couldn’t know how he affected her.
    Maddie Gardner dealt with conflict; she didn’t let it deal with her. She’d told Fred Hampton to shove it, had lived for over a year with a small-scale dictator who hated the word dust , and had neatly fielded another call from her mother. She could handle Flynn McCauley.
    She hoped.
    On her way back home, she ran into Jed, a friend of Vanessa’s she’d once met at a party. He seemed nice, safe, and uninteresting. Just the way she liked them, according to her mother. They chatted for a few minutes then parted after she promised to pass on a message for him.
    Yet during the pleasant walk home, thoughts of Flynn, not her cousin or work, constantly intruded. And it bothered her.
    Maddie had future plans that didn’t include a guy. Period.
    She tapped the cell phone in her back pocket, not surprised she still hadn’t heard from Ben. They’d dated for a few months, been friends for even longer. Then they’d ended, and not one message from him asking about her pending promotion. Sure, her job had ended badly, but Ben didn’t know