Page 7 of Love Hazard

I stretched my arms over my head and checked my phone.

Only six a.m.?

I still had at least two hours to sleep this off, relax, andjust—

The sound of a lawnmower had me jolting up so hard my skullpounded, the pain radiating from the back of my neck to my temples.

“Why?” I croaked, my mouth so dry it hurt to swallow. “Why would someone mow the lawnthis early?”

The sound suddenly stopped. Huh, must have been in my head.I curled down around my fluffy, white pillow and started to fall asleep againwhen the sound of a saw filled the air.

I almost tumbled out of the bed.“The hell?”

Next door, August was sawing down a small tree with thelawnmower still present on the lawn as if he’d thought mid-mow, “Hey, youknow what’s a good idea? Tree chopping.”

When he was done with that, he pulled off his black T-shirtand tossed it to the ground. I gaped like the peeping Tom I was and duckedbeneath the window ledge, slightly lifting my blackout curtain with my righthand to peek out.

I gasped when he grabbed a bottle of water, poured it overhis head, and shook his hair, only to run his hands through the locks and thenwipe those same hands down his body.

“Who drinks water like that?” I licked my lips and leanedcloser when he suddenly looked over at our house—specifically, my window.

Panicked, I jerked back and dropped the curtain. He didn’tsee me. I knew he didn’t see me.

I squeezed my eyes shut for a few minutes and then slowlycrawled back under the covers, only to hear the doorbell ring.

Was everyone awake?

I jolted out of bed and ran down the hall, ready to give whoever it was a piece of my mind, when I saw a small, pinkbox on the doorstep with my name on it.

It even had a cute white bow with pink and black stripes.

I picked it up, then checked out the scribble on a smallpiece of white paper.

Not the only thing I had in store for you this morning.Did you like the show? Only the best for the princess.

I immediately scowled, but I was too damncurious not to take the box and its offensive note inside. I quickly tucked thepackage under my arm, slammed the door behind me, sprinted back up to my room,and leaned against the wall.

What was he up to?

Was the pink glitter too much?

My laugh of disbelief could probably be heard next door. Itossed the box onto my bed and crossed my arms, then heard the lawnmower startagain.

I wanted to shout, “Go to hell!” out my window.Instead, I looked at the gift again. What? What could it possibly be?

And why?

Would this be a jump scare?

And why did my stomach do a few flip-flops when I thoughtabout the possibility that it actually was a present?I hated him. Loathed him. He was my enemy, not my friend.

I quickly dropped to my knees and drummed my fingertips onthe top of the pretty box, then finally convinced myself that it was a stellaridea to untie the pink bow and pull it open. “Here goes nothing.”

Weirdly, my hands were shaking, and my pink nail polishstood out as my fingers undid the bow and pulled it loose so I could open thebox and look inside.

It was pretty.

And I hated him for it. I hated him so much. Because it wassomething that my great-grandma would have given me.She’d always called me her little princess, and when I was young, I’d twirlwearing the pink plastic crowns she’d buy at Target, and hold the scepter Ibelieved would control those around me. My parents were goodsports, my dad especially. I’d tell him to fall out of the tree house andpretend to be a dog, and he’d actually bark, making melaugh so hard I’d run and get tackled.