The Neighborhood (Twin Estates #2)(5)

About halfway through the event, the bell rang and she said goodbye to Al the accountant. She was tucking his business card into her purse when the next man took his seat. Without looking up, she held out her hand to shake his.

“Hi, sorry, this zipper is stuck. I'm -”

“Katya!?”

She sat upright, immediately on guard. Then she let out a sigh of relief when she recognized the guy.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” she laughed.

“Hey, I could ask you the same question,” he teased, shaking her hand even though they'd met a long time ago.

Gaten Shepherd lived next door to her, in Liam's building. They'd bumped into each other when he'd first moved in – he'd been fighting to get his couch through the lobby door. Katya and Tori had shoved while he'd pulled, then they'd stuck around and helped him unload the rest of his truck.

They'd hovered somewhere between acquaintances and friends ever since. She'd watered his plants when he'd gone on vacation, he'd fixed some wobbly shelves in her living room. They would chat outside when she had to wait for the bus, and one time in a downpour he'd given her a ride, even though her work place was out of his way.

She hadn't seen him in a couple weeks, though. She'd been too busy with her multiple-men problem, and she knew he had a busy schedule, too. He was a well sought after carpenter and handy-man, and on top of that, his model girlfriend required a lot of his time.

Hmmm, must be an ex-girlfriend now.

“I thought you were dating that one dude,” he commented. Katya froze for a second, then shook it off.

“No, that dude and I aren't dating,” she chuckled. “What about you and Mimi?”

“Oh, that ended a week or so ago. She got a contract in Italy and got pissed that I wouldn't drop everything and leave. I was just … I was done, you know? I think I was done a long time ago,” he explained.

“Oh. Well … I guess that's good, then?” Katya offered, and he laughed again.

“Yeah. So, this is crazy, huh? Bumping into each other here, when we live like two hundred feet apart. I could've just asked you out at the dumpster,” he said, and she burst out laughing.

“Hey, I haven't clicked yes, yet. Don't get ahead of yourself,” she warned him. He held up his hands.

“My mistake. Is this the part where I should prattle off all my accomplishments? My credit score?” he checked.

“Credit score?”

“The lady at table four asked me.”

“She did not!”

“She really did.”

It was nice talking to Gate. They'd always been comfortable with each other, right off the bat. He told her about a classic 1940's house he was helping to restore. Normally hearing someone describe cabinets would be boring, but he was so in love with his work, it came out in his voice. She was fascinated and actually a little sad when she heard the bell ringing.

“But I never got to hear your credit score,” she joked as he climbed to his feet.

“Well, click 'Yes', and maybe you'll find out,” he suggested.

“I'm sorry, but I think I'm done dating neighbors for a while,” she told him. He pressed a hand to his heart.

“Oh, c'mon, I'm nothing like that guy! I don't own one surfer t-shirt, and I have a full time job,” Gate pointed out.

“Excellent qualities, though he has a full time job, too,” she corrected him. Some sort of scuffle was happening next to them, a group of guys shuffling around. She realized Gate was holding up the line somewhat.

“He does? He always seems to be hanging around. Look, match or no, call me sometime. I'll take you to see the house,” Gate said, scribbling his number down on the back of a card. Katya stood and took it.

“That would be nice. This was fun, Gate. Thanks.”

He surprised her then by squeezing between the tables and giving her a hug. She sighed and leaned into him. He must have come straight from work, he smelled like saw dust. She smiled and pulled back a little. Another man had finally taken his seat across from her, and she hadn't even acknowledged him yet. She had to sit back down.

“It was. See you at the dumpster,” Gate joked as he headed to the next table.

She was still laughing as she took her seat.

“I'm sorry, we actually know each other, and I hadn't seen him in ...”

Katya's voice trailed off as she looked at her new suitor.

“I would just like to say,” Liam Edenhoff started quickly, “that I'm not always 'hanging around' the building, and there is nothing wrong with 'surfer' t-shirts.”

She didn't even think about it, she just stood up. Her thighs hit the edge of the table, threatening to overturn it. Liam slapped one hand down, keeping it upright, and grabbed her drink with his other hand. The candle bit the dust, though, and rolled across the floor.

“You can't be here,” she said, falling back into her seat, then trying to stand up again. He let go of her drink and grabbed her wrist.

“Please. Please, Katya, five minutes. You gave ten other strangers five minutes. Just give me the same,” he begged. She glanced around and realized some people were staring at them. She groaned, then yanked her arm free of his grip.

“What are you even doing here!? How did you get to this table?” she demanded. She would've noticed if he'd been sitting right next to her that whole time.