Page 52 of The Grump Next Door
Possibly both.
“Promise me,” I say, “that you won’t do anything that’ll get me kicked off the property.”
“We promise,” they say together.
Too quickly.
Way too quickly.
My phone buzzes again. This time it’s not Dean.
IVY:Emergency! Mason’s parents just decided to come a day early. They’ll be here tomorrow morning and want to meet everyone involved in the wedding. Including you. And they’re… particular.
I show the text to CeCe and Gloria.
“Well,” CeCe says cheerfully, “looks like tomorrow just got interesting.”
“Define particular,” I mutter, already mentally rearranging my entire schedule.
My phone buzzes again.
IVY:Also, they’re bringing their two dogs. Hope that’s okay!
I close my eyes.
“More dogs?” Gloria asks, reading over my shoulder.
“More dogs.”
CeCe grins. “I’m definitely staying for this.”
And suddenly, I have the horrible feeling that this wedding is about to become way more complicated than one slightly possessed goat and a grumpy lawyer who may or may not be flirting with me via dog photos.
But honestly?
I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Chapter Twelve
Morning Mayhem
Dean
I wake up to the sound of industrial drilling.
At six. Effing. A.M.
“What the—”
I shoot out of bed, nearly tripping over Muffin, who has somehow migrated from her dog bed to directly under my feet. She grunts at me as if this is my fault.
The drilling gets louder.
I yank on yesterday’s jeans and storm downstairs, ready to commit whatever level of murder is legally defensible when someone attacks your morning with power tools.
I throw open the front door and—
What the hell?
