The Guy Next Door by Lori Foster Page B

What time do you go in?”
    “Usually eight, but I can get there at seven-thirty to see you before the scheduled appointments.”
    “That should do. Hang on.” He lowered the phone. “Does seven-thirty sound all right to you?”
    Like a deer caught in the headlights, Natalie remained frozen.
    As if she’d agreed, Jett put the phone back to his ear. “Seven-thirty it is. We’ll be there. Thanks.”
    “Looking forward to it, Jett.”
    He knew that tone only too well. “You will not embarrass me, Connie. Understand?”
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    Something else occurred to Jett. “And don’t round up the troops either.”
    Connie laughed. “Spoilsport.”
    After Jett hung up, Natalie pushed to her feet, both hands planted on the tabletop. She got her voice back with a vengeance. “You want me to go with you to see your sister?”
    “You’re taking half responsibility for the dog, right?” That took her aback, but Jett continued anyway. “You need to hear what she has to say. What if Buddy is sick and needs some sort of treatment?”
    “I hadn’t thought…”
    So that she’d know he wasn’t shying away from financial obligations, Jett said, “I’ll pay for everything, but you should know what’s going on.”
    Her mouth opened twice without her saying anything. She steadied herself. “I will share the costs with you.”
    “Connie is my sister, so—”
    “She’s not my sister.”
    Seeing the mulish set to her mouth, Jett shrugged. No way would Connie charge them anyway. “All right.”
    At his easy capitulation, her eyes narrowed. “Well…good.”
    Jett waited.
    She clasped her hands together. “Do you actually think he might be sick?”
    “I’m not a vet, but he seems healthy to me.” Because Jett had her cornered and he knew it, he played it casual. “The thing is, we have no idea yet how he might react in a car.” He bit into another slice of pizza, a man without ulterior motives. “In case he gets upset, it’ll be easier with us both along for the ride.”
    Natalie couldn’t refute the logic in that. “What did you mean that your sister shouldn’t round up the troops?”
    “The rest of the family,” Jett explained. And then, while watching her, he added, “They’re going to want to meet you, Natalie. And if I don’t miss my guess, they’ll use tomorrow as an excuse to make it sooner rather than later.”
     
    N ATALIE COULDN’T BELIEVE his cavalier attitude about this. They’d only just agreed to alter their simple sexual relationship into something more social.
    And now he expected her to meet his family! Thatwas…well, wasn’t that a monumental thing? Like tipping the scales?
    She braced herself for sound arguments. “It’s not that I think your family won’t be…fine.”
    Jett took another giant bite of pizza, watching her with an enigmatic expression.
    “I’m sure they’re very nice people.”
    He finished off his cola. “I’ve always thought so.”
    Natalie heard a gnawing sound and, puzzled, looked under the table. “Oh no!” Buddy was chewing on a chair leg. Aghast, she crawled under the table and retrieved him.
    As she backed out with the dog in her arms, she glanced up and saw Jett with a brow cocked. Oh Lord.
    Hugging the dog closer, Natalie said, “He, ah…” She closed her eyes, unable to spit it out. But when she heard Jett shifting, she opened them again.
    He leaned down to look under the table, and she knew he’d just seen the gnarled wood. “Damn.” He didn’t sound all that angry, but he did look resigned.
    Natalie waited for him to get mad, and when he didn’t, she marveled at him. Buddy had just scarred one chair of a four-chair matching dinette set—but Jett took it in stride. In fact, he seemed more concerned with eating than with the damage to his property.
    Such an amazing man—in more ways than she’d ever considered.
    For some reason, she felt guilty about the chair. “Can it be repaired, do you