Dating the Guy Next Door Read Online Free PDF

attention back to him as she handed him the crushed bagel bag and bent down to pat Socrates, who looked like he’d been glaring at Matt the whole time Kate had been gone. It was entirely possible. “Though I can see that your women are still next door.”
    â€œYeah, about that.” Matt’s jaw tightened as he let out a frustrated sigh. “I checked the radio website about half an hour ago and everything’s definitely been removed, plus they sent someone over to let them all know that the competition was no longer going.”
    â€œDid they use actual words?” Kate raised an eyebrow. As far as she could tell the numbers had increased not decreased. Matt let out a reluctant sigh.
    â€œI think some of the women thought it was a trick to throw them off the scent. They’re nothing if not persistent. But I’m hoping that by nightfall they’ll finally get the message.”
    â€œNightfall? But it’s September. It won’t go dark for another six hours,” Kate protested as she tried to remember her resolution to avoid her gorgeous new neighbor as much as possible.
    â€œI know.” Matt shut his eyes and rubbed his brow before giving her a rueful smile that did sinful things to her stomach. “And I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am, but if it’s any consolation, I’m a great cook so at least I can whip you up something delicious as a thank you. Plus, I promise that I won’t get in your way.”
    â€œMatt—” She tried to protest but before she could Socrates took matters into his own hands and jumped onto the counter so that his fluffy tail was now in her face. As far as philosophical arguments went, it was a pretty poor one, but all the same she found herself sighing. “Okay. For the second time, yes, you can stay here a little longer. But your cooking had better be good.”
    â€œI’ve never had any complaints in the kitchen department,” Matt said with just a hint of a smile, and Kate realized that she needed to change the subject quickly or else risk falling even more for his charms.
    â€œUm, did Bernie show up?”
    â€œAh yes.” Matt seemed to collect himself as he reached for a business card on the counter. “He confirmed that there’s noother asbestos in the place, which is good news, but that you’ll need the entire ceiling replaced. He’s going to call tomorrow with the quote.”
    Kate gulped. An overnight quote? That couldn’t be a good thing. She’d been hoping he would have a quick peek, punch a couple of numbers into his calculator and then give her a figure that would still leave change for dessert.
    â€œOh, and your mother came by too,” he said, and Kate stiffened before realizing that he had noted her reaction. She gulped.
    â€œEr, thanks. I’ll call her later,” she said, trying to muster up more enthusiasm than she felt, since from her experience not everyone could understand the difficult relationship she had with Julia. Her mother had only been eighteen when Kate was born, and while she’d never said anything, Kate had grown up very aware that Julia’s life would’ve been very different if she hadn’t been a single parent with a small baby. None of which had been helped by the fact that the pair of them were polar opposites.
    Her mom was small, dynamic and the life of the party, while even as a child Kate had preferred her own company, reading or drawing. But their uneasy relationship had come to a head when Julia suffered a breakdown not long after Andy had died and Kate had been sent off to live with her grandmother—who still resented the fact that her daughter had thrown away her chance at a college education to raise a child.
    It had been difficult year and while Julia had physically recovered, the gap between them had been wider than ever. It didn’t exactly make for long, heartfelt chats on the phone. In fact, she