Lexie paused as if thinking. "Maybe he was trying to impress you."
I shook my head. "Honestly, he doesn't seem the type."
"To do what?" she laughed. "Impress a pretty girl?"
I didn't argue the whole "pretty" point because I already knew what Lexie would say.Shethought I was pretty. She'd said so a million times. But she was my sister, so she was hardly unbiased.
"It's not onlymehe wouldn’t try to impress," I said. "He had this funny attitude, like he wouldn't stress about impressinganyone."
But even as I said it, I recalled him stretching on the front porch, showing off those glorious abs in spite of the cold weather. Maybe the whole thing – heck, even the wink – was part of his usual seduction routine.
If so, I'dalmostfallen for it.
Was the guy like an evil elf? All playful and innocent on the outside, but conniving underneath?
Of course, I had never seen an elf with abs likethat.
Lexie's voice interrupted my thoughts. "But what about the second reason?"
I was still thinking of the abs. "Sorry, what?"
"Earlier, you said you could think of only two reasons why he'd leave the mocha, but you've only mentioned one."
"Oh. Yeah. Mysecondtheory is that he thought it was contaminated."
Lexie frowned. "Like the milk was bad?"
"No, like I spit in it."
She grimaced. "Why would he thinkthat?"
I tried for a casual shrug. "I dunno."
Her eyes narrowed. "What aren't you telling me?"
Hah!Likeshewas one to talk. This past Sunday, she'd spotted her former boss living directly across the street. Sheclaimedto hate the guy. She said he was a monster, which he totally was, considering that he was the reason her career had stalled.
And yet, I'd caught her repeatedly peeking out through the front window blinds as if hoping to see him naked.
Of course, she always denied it and then tried to distract me, either by changing the subject or playing dumb.Well, two could play at this game.
I made a show of looking around. "Hey, have you seen Gwen?"
Gwen was our favorite cousin and our partner in kitty-sitting. The three of us had been close for as long as I could remember, which made the current situation as ideal as it could be.
Still, it would've been evenmoreideal if the arrangement hadn't coincided with a stranger living in the place I called home.
But hey, I'd agreed to the rental thing for a reason – and the reason was sitting directly across from me. The truth was, Lexie had desperately needed the money.
She hadn't said so, but I knew her well enough to see the signs of her worry, especially after our roof and kitchen had both sprung huge expensive leaks.
Through some creative fenagling, I'd found a way to complete the repairs without either of us going totally broke.Did I regret it?
Nope. Not at all.
Or at least, that's what I kept telling myself as I obsessed over the so-called businessman who was living in our house. As far as the abandoned mocha, he'd promised me an explanation if I returned tomorrow.
Tomorrow was Saturday, and I had other plans for the coffee truck. The city's ice-skating rink had opened just a few days ago, which meant that if I played my cards just right, I could snag a whole bunch of new customers while spreading liquid cheer.
