The Rules of Dating My Best Friend's Sister(14)

After almost an hour of putting up with the beeping sound, I caved and picked up the phone.

Holden answered on the third ring. “Lala Ellison…wassup?”

“Hey.”

“I’ve been thinking about you,” he said. “How did your first week go?”

I let out a deep breath. “It was rough, actually. Some stuff hasn’t gone according to plan. But things will hopefully be better next week.”

“Damn. Okay. Well, TGIF then.”

“Yeah. Seriously. I was hoping to chill tonight, but there’s a beeping sound coming from one of the detectors that’s driving me bonkers. I can’t open it without a screwdriver, which I don’t have. I was hoping you—”

“Ah. So this call wasn’t just to say hello,” he teased.

That made me feel kind of bad. “Not exactly.”

“Handyman Holden to the rescue.” He laughed. “I’ll be over in five.”

It was more like three minutes that passed before he knocked rhythmically on the door.

Goose bumps peppered my skin as I opened. “I’m surprised you didn’t use your key.”

I knew Holden had a master key to every apartment in this place.

“You want me to come in here without knocking? That could be arranged, but I figured I’d be respectful.”

“Yeah. On second thought, knocks are appreciated.”

“Figured.” He winked. “Except on your bedroom wall at one in the morning, right?”

I shook my head. Holden wore a gray beanie over his shaggy brown hair. I’d always loved that look on him—a little too much, perhaps.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

“There it is!” I looked around. “Isn’t that annoying?”

“I didn’t hear it,” Holden said stone-faced.

“No?”

He shook his head.

Then it happened again. Beep. Beep. Beep. The chirps seemed to be coming closer together.

I lifted my pointer finger. “You heard that, right?”

Holden chuckled. “Really? I didn’t hear anything.”

I scratched my head.

He burst out in laughter. “I’m just screwing with you. The battery needs to be replaced.”

I smacked his arm. “Thanks a lot. You had me thinking I was losing my mind.”

“You losing that brilliant mind of yours, Lala, would be a massive blow to the world.” He turned back toward the door. “I’ll be right back. Gonna go grab a battery from the supply closet.”

Holden returned soon after with a nine-volt. His abs peeked out as he reached up to the carbon monoxide detector and replaced it. I caught a glimpse of a tat that was particularly low on his abdomen, but I couldn’t make it out. Something told me many women had gotten an up-close-and-personal look at that one when they were down on their knees. I cringed.

The detector beeped loudly as he tested it. “Working great now. You won’t be getting that warning sound anymore.”

“Thank you.”

Our eyes locked for a moment. “So, you said your week was crazy. What happened?”

“Well…” I sighed. “I was supposed to be assigned more than one admin. And for now, it’s just one. This girl named Tia.”

“What’s wrong with her?” He leaned against the counter.

“Nothing, aside from the fact that she doesn’t have a clone. Things are just moving more slowly than I’d hoped. I need help setting up a database, going over the medical files for potential study participants, and setting up interviews and such. Because it’s just her and me right now, I’ve been bogged down with the admin work instead of getting the live study started.”

He nodded. “It must be frustrating to not get the ball rolling.”

“It is, because I’m very eager.”

Holden tilted his head and smiled. “You truly love what you do, don’t you?”

I shrugged. “What can I say? There’s no greater thrill than discovery—contributing to our growth as humans by tapping into knowledge that hasn’t been realized before.”

“Damn. I’ve been tapping the wrong things.” He grinned mischievously.

I arched my brow. “Drumsticks and women?”

He laughed. “That’s something I’ve always admired about you, Lala. Your quest for knowledge. It’s like you can’t get enough.” He sighed. “Most days I feel like a cat chasing his tail. Same old shit. Different day. Nothing new.”

“Well, we’re not all the same. I couldn’t put two beats together with your drumsticks. We’re meant to have different talents and purposes in life. Maybe mine is to research and yours is to entertain.”

“Well, this morning my purpose was to eat Hot Cheetos and patch up what I’m pretty sure was a glory hole in one of the apartments a tenant just vacated.”

I laughed. “Someone’s gotta do it.”

“I guess.”

A moment of silence passed. “You must have had a busy week yourself.”

“Not too bad. Why do you say that?”

“Well, I didn’t see or hear from you. Not that I expected to, but…” Uh, I shouldn’t have said anything.

“I figured you saw enough of me when you moved in. I was trying to give you some space. I don’t want you to feel like I don’t think you’re a big girl who can handle herself in the City.”