But He's My Grumpy Neighbor (But He's a Carter Brother #1)

by Annah Conwell

I walk to the door right as Juliette is looping her bags over her arm. Her honey-blonde hair is radiant today, bathed in the sunlight cascading through the windowpane. Like everything about Juliette, it looks incredibly soft. It took every ounce of my self-control earlier to not touch her skin while handling her burn. I shouldn’t have gotten up at all, but pure instinct took over when I saw the flash of pain in her bright green eyes. The same green eyes that are watching me with too much curiosity as I stand frozen by the door. I’ve been caught staring, which is unusual for me. I’m used to blending into the background and being careful enough to observe from a distance. My job required it. But Juliette seems to have this uncanny ability to make me stumble. I push open the shop door as she approaches, a gold bell tinkling overhead. Juliette smiles and glides past me out into the brisk January air, murmuring a quick thanks. Since it’s almost noon, the sun takes away some of the bite that this morning had, but it’s still cold enough to have me tucking my hands into my coat pocket and huddling into my coat. Winter in Georgia might not compare to the northern states, but it’s cold enough to make you want to be anywhere but outside. I start off toward my house. It’s a short walk, and the parking situation in this community is dismal. Everyone seems to walk everywhere instead of drive. I don’t mind the exercise, though. “Mind if I walk with you?” Juliette’s soft voice comes from ...