Page 9 of Dad Next Door
Picking up my bag, I sidestepped Leo so I could come into the house. “And you said he got hurt?” I asked my sister.
“He scratched his back on something when he was coming out from under the back deck. It looked deep.”
“Something sharp?” My mind raced. Had he hurt himself on a nail? Did he have an updated tetanus shot?
“He said he was fine,” Lydia said, guilt crossing her features.
“I should probably go over to thank him and make sure he’s okay.” I knew next to nothing about our new neighbor, but it would be best to do some damage control and make sure he didn’t have any plans to sue me.
I hated that my brain went there and automatically assumed the worst, but after living here for the past twelve years, I’d learned that suing people over stupid stuff was a hobby for some of my neighbors.
“So you said he’s nice?” I asked Leo as the three of us made our way into the kitchen. I needed to gather some intel before I talked to him.
“So nice.” He put Jinx, who’d started wiggling, down. Jinx took off to join Mili and Shadow’s zoomies.
I’d only seen our new neighbors a few times since they’d moved in. I wasn’t even sure how many people lived there now, but I’d seen a man a bit older than me and a younger one, who could be his brother or maybe a nephew, around the property.
Did they both live there, or just Quinn?
“Did you order dinner?” I asked Lydia, my mind still racing with strategies for damage control.
“Yup. Go ahead. Leo and I will set the table while we wait for it.”
Leo pulled a face but spun on his heel and crossed the kitchen to open the cutlery drawer.
“Thanks,” I said to her. “I won’t be long.”
Something flashed in her eyes, but it was gone a second later.
“What?” I asked, my Spidey senses going up.
“Nothing.” She shooed me away from the kitchen island. “Go.”
Still not quite convinced it really was nothing, I crossed the kitchen and made my way to the door.
When I was on their porch, I pulled in a deep breath and rang the doorbell.
After about thirty seconds of waiting, the door swung open, revealing the younger of the two men I’d seen around.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, he was gorgeous. He’d looked fit from afar, but those glimpses hadn’t done him justice. The tight white t-shirt and baggy gray sweatpants showed off his broad, sculpted chest, his trim waist, flat stomach, and thighs that were thick enough to stretch the otherwise oversized pants. His biceps bulged with muscles, his shoulders were wide, and his forearms were corded with muscle and dusted with hair.
He looked like a model, and his body wasn’t the only gorgeous part of him, that was for damn sure. His dark eyes and tanned skin perfectly offset his full lips, sharp jawline, and straight nose. His golden-brown hair gleamed with highlights of copper and gold in the light. It was cut like mine, with the sides shaved close and the top longer, only his was styled like he’d just walked out of a salon and mine was a mess of random pieces sticking up in every direction.
Silence stretched between us for a few beats longer than was comfortable.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“You're my neighbor, and I’m Quinn?” I blurted.
He folded his lips like he was trying to hide a smile.
My chest prickled with heat at my blunder. Great first impression, Tris.
“Sorry, let’s try that again.” I laughed awkwardly. “Hi, I’m your neighbor, and I’m looking for Quinn?”
“You’ve got him.” Quinn grinned and pushed the door open wider. “What can I do for you?”
“You’re Quinn?” I gaped at him. “But I thought…”