Just before calling out for him, he came around the corner with a bag of frozen Pizza Rolls, a bottle of water, and two pills in his hand that he claimed were ibuprofen. “I found these in the cupboard, but it looks like you’re running low. You might want to have Dave grab some more in case your ankle doesn’t feel better in a day or so.”
I wasn’t exactly in the position to do a quick Google search to verify that the little orange tablets were, in fact, the anti-inflammatory he said they were. However, based on the number of these I’d taken over the years, I didn’t have much reason to distrust him.
“Thank you,” I mumbled around the pills on my tongue as I reached for the bottle of water.
After placing the Pizza Rolls over my sore ankle, he began to shuffle his feet toward the back door. “Is there anything else I can get you? The remote is next to you…what about your phone? Do you need me to get that?”
As much as I would’ve loved to have my phone to call my best friend and tell him all about my hunky neighbor, I had no idea where I’d left it. And I wasn’t about to send him on a wild goose chase around the house looking for it. “No, that’s okay.”
“So you don’t need anything else before I leave?”
Feeling incredibly uncomfortable beneath his stare, I crossed my arms and tilted my head to the side. “What were you doing in the back yard anyway?” I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t accidentally accuse someone of being a stalker while trying to innocently flirt. There was a reason I was twenty-eight and still single.
Well, there was probably more than one reason for that.
“A package of yours was delivered to my place, so I brought it over. I was just letting you know that I put it by your front door. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Why didn’t you just bring it to me? Wouldn’t that have been easier than walking all the way around to the front? Especially if you stopped at the gate on your way back.”
“Umm…” He stared at me with those same five creases lining his brow. Although this time, it didn’t appear to be concern etched on his face—more like bewilderment. “Sorry, I didn’t think you would’ve appreciated me coming into your yard.”
“Well, you kind of did, though.”
Jacoby dropped his head forward, laughed beneath his breath, and shook his head. “You’re right. My apologies. Do you want me to get it off your front porch for you?”
I had no idea what had been delivered, but if it kept him here for a few more minutes, then I certainly wouldn’t decline his offer. “If you don’t mind.”
He flashed me a smile that would’ve made my panties fall to the floor had I been standing and then headed out of the room. I couldn’t wait to tell Dave all about this, even though he’d never believe me. Then again, it was possible that pretending to be Tiff had given me a bit of confidence to step out of my shell.
That was about the only positive thing to come from this entire ordeal.
“Who’s Tosh?” he asked when he returned to the room with a box in his hands.
My mouth opened and closed as I frantically tried to come up with something intelligent to say. “Me. I’m Tosh. It’s short for Tosh…iffany. Yeah. People can’t really say it right, so everyone just calls me Tosh. It’s easier.”
Apparently, coming up with an intelligent response wasn’t a quality I possessed when faced with an unexpected question.
“Oh, I thought everyone called you Tiffany. I can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone refer to you as Tosh in the media or online.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” I’d somehow forgotten that I was supposed to be famous-ish. That was up for debate. If you asked my sister—or my mother—they’d say she was more popular than Jesus. In my opinion, no one would’ve even known her name if it hadn’t been for her engagement to Adam King. “My professional name is Tiffany, but all my friends call me Tosh. Behind the scenes, of course. I certainly wouldn’t want to confuse my brand.”
Now would’ve been a fantastic time to shut up. Except, I didn’t seem to possess that quality, either. Maybe being Tiff hadn’t given me confidence. If anything, I just proved to myself how dangerous it was to be around others—it was too soon to convince anyone that I was my sister.
“It helps to keep me grounded—having both of my friends call me Tosh.” Too bad Dave wasn’t here to enjoy the dig I’d made at Tiffany’s expense. “Both friends. That’s laughable. I only have one, and really, the only time I see her is when I look in the mirror.”
My joke about Tiff’s only friend being her reflection was lost on this audience.
I really missed Dave.
At least it made Jacoby laugh. “Then I guess I’ll continue to call you Tiffany,” he said as he handed me the box.
Slightly offended by that comment, I patted the cushion to my left and smiled. “How about you stay and keep me company until these pills kick in. We can use the time to get to know one another…as long as you don’t have anywhere else to be.”
Yup, I’d definitely hit my head. It was the only reason I would’ve invited him to stay.
“You want me to keep you
