Page 82 of The Do-Over

“Thanks. Watching soap operas with my grandma when I was little is paying off.” He grinned. “So, how do you think it will all turn out?”

The elevator jerked to a stop, and the doors opened. We both stepped through, my shoulder brushing his arm, and started down the hallway.

“At this point, it’s not looking good for Team Mathias. And that means I’m going to be related to Joel Allen.” Abruptly I stopped and turned to face him. “Do you know what he called me? A mouse. I am not a mouse. Would a mouse wear this dress?”

He surveyed me from top to bottom, stalling on my legs. “Nope.”

“That’s right. No. Of course not. Because I’m not a mouse.”

“Definitely not a mouse,” he murmured and flashed another smile.

“That’s why I like you. I mean, as a neighbor, you know. Not like, like…” I winced.

Go into your apartment. Pack all your belongings and move. Tonight. Maybe become a nun. In one of those orders that doesn’t speak. Never, ever speak again.

I dropped a shoe and slid it on. Balanced on that foot, I tossed the other shoe too hard, and it skittered across the hallway. I limped toward it the same time Nate moved.

“I got it,” he said.

Strange, wonderful things happened in my belly at the sight of his hand holding my shoe. Instead of handing it back, he crouched and brushed his fingers over the top of my bare foot.

I sucked in a gasp as that small touch sent tingles in all directions. “You don’t have to do that.”

But even as the words fell from my mouth, my foot lifted of its own accord. His touch was gentle as he slid my foot in, secured the strap around my heel, and stood. It all took a handful of seconds, and yet, my entire body felt sluggish and warm, like my insides were made of honey. I sagged against the wall and resisted the urge to fan my face.

The extra few inches from the heels put my eyes right at his neckline and they lingered on the olive-colored slice of skin there. I bet it was warm to the touch and smelled like his soap. I bet the soap on his skin smelled amazing, probably one of my favorite smells in the entire world, and I’d never even had the pleasure of…

“Have fun.”

I dragged my gaze to his face. The smile from his eyes traveled to his mouth. Gosh, it was hot in this hallway. “What?”

He hung his head, and I swore his shoulders shook. But when he looked at me again, he was straight-faced. “Have fun. With Mathias.”

“Oh, right. Him.”

With a quick grin, he started down the hallway to his apartment in sure, even steps, clearly unaffected by this encounter.

Unlike me.

“See you later,” I said to his back.

At his door, Nate hesitated, his keys jangling in his hand. “You look nice, by the way.”

I pushed my shoulders back and channeled Mimi. I strutted—oh, yes, I did—down the hallway, watching Nate watch me. I was freaking New Perci.

His smile widened; I put an extra swing in my hips. By some miracle, I made it down the hallway perfectly. No hesitation, no falling, no twisting an ankle, no bumping a table with my hip and knocking over an urn that held the ashes of my boyfriend’s grandmother and thereby ruining any chance of making a good first impression on his parents. That last thing had only happened once. So far.

“Thanks,” I said, my voice a little deeper than usual.

He opened his door; I opened mine.

“No need to thank me for the truth,” he said and winked.

I stumbled and pitched forward. With an unladylike “Oomph,” I fell against the doorframe. Ignoring the pain in my shoulder, I righted myself and prayed Nate had not witnessed that. But when I peeked around the door and down the hallway, there he was, looking cool and calm and so dang untouchable, a knowing little hitch at the corner of his mouth.

Plastering on a smile, I waved. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine. I’m good.”

“See you later, Perci,” he said.