Finding Mr. Right Next Door

By Sarah Ballance

For Lexi Dean, burning down her kitchen was disastrous enough. Agreeing to move in next door with her totally off-limits best friend until her house is livable again? Utter madness.

Lexi and Matt Freeman have always been close, but things are getting ridiculous. If she’s not bumping into him at the refrigerator, he’s at the front door giving her date the third degree. And slipping between his borrowed sheets is as distracting as listening to him shower. Now all she can think about is rivulets of water cascading down his spectacular firefighter abs…

They already share everything—their jobs, their friends, their backyard, and even their dog. Lexi can’t risk losing any of it by dipping a single toe in the Matt Freeman pool of temptation.

Lexi doesn’t know how to handle a fire extinguisher…and if they’re not careful, this fire just might burn out of control.


Each book in the Firefighters of Station 1 romantic comedy series is a STANDALONE story:
Book 1: Her Sexy Challenge
Book 2: Finding Mr. Right Next Door

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: May 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781682815526

Book preview

Table of Contents

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Find love in unexpected places with these satisfying Lovestruck reads…

About That Night

The Roommate Problem

The Best Man Problem

The Best Friend Incident

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2020 by Sarah Ballance. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

Entangled Publishing, LLC

10940 S Parker Rd

Suite 327

Parker, CO 80134

[e-mail]

Lovestruck is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC.

Edited by Heather Howland

Cover design by Mayhem Cover Creations

Cover photography by The Killion Group Images

Allgusak/Shutterstock

ISBN 978-1-68281-552-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

First Edition May 2020

Some of you manage to move gracefully from one phase of life to the next.

For the rest of us, don’t try this at home.

Chapter One

Lexi Dean’s kitchen was on fire.

One minute she stood amazed that her tart almost sort of looked like the one in the recipe, and the next, poof. Flames. From fruit.

She eyed the pan, wondering if she could get it into the sink and under running water without setting herself or her potholder on fire, but she didn’t have to contemplate long. With a small pop and a burst of light, the fire bounced sideways, dancing merrily across her stovetop.

Fire extinguisher. Heart racing, she lunged through the laundry room doorway, scooped up the apparatus, and took aim. At precisely the moment the foam shot forth, she heard her name.

Lexi, what the—?

She jolted in the direction of the disturbance, leaving no greater than four molecules of extinguishing agent on the fire. The remainder arced wildly, dusting her cabinets, countertop, wall, and finally, her neighbor, who stood bewildered in the doorway. Fortunately, her aim had dropped so she hadn’t hit him in the face, but the plate of waffles he gripped held a dissimilar fate. She watched, frozen, as a blob of what she assumed to be butter slid off the side of the stack, riding a wave of foamy muck to the plate.

Her stomach had the absolute nerve to growl.

Lexi! Matt—next door neighbor, best friend extraordinaire, and firefighter by trade—dropped the plate and snatched the extinguisher from her hands. He aimed for the flames, but the effort seemed futile. The fire now shifted carelessly across her formerly pristine stove, hues of orange and yellow licking at the cabinets, the curtains catching like tissue paper.

Call 911, he told her, the words so calm he might have been asking her to order a pizza. Actually, she was pretty sure he’d been much more aggressive about ordering a pizza, which made it a little hard to take him seriously.

Are you kidding? she asked. He was a fireman. He held a fire extinguisher. All things considered, the situation should be improving.

But it wasn’t. She stepped back and snatched her cell phone from her back pocket as a burst of heat ballooned from the growing inferno. Waffles? she asked in a sudden moment of panic. She and Matt shared a dog, and before the fire she would have said she was certain he was at Matt’s, but—

He’s at my place, Matt told her, not so subtly directing her toward the exit while she placed the call and relayed the details of her emergency. She probably knew the dispatcher, she realized at the vaguely familiar voice. Matt wasn’t the only one who worked at the Dry Rock FD, though she worked the supply room, not the front lines. She would certainly know the first responders, but she thanked any lucky stars she might have left that it wasn’t Matt’s shift. Those guys were her closest friends, and she’d already never hear the end of this. She didn’t need firsthand accounts to color the retelling, and she didn’t need a stretch of the imagination to realize how this would play out. They still brought up the last time her kitchen had been on fire, and the damage then had been minimal.

The damage wasn’t going to be minimal this time.

What about water? she asked once she realized Matt had joined her in the yard, the presumably spent fire extinguisher hanging loosely from one hand. The other hand rested lightly against her lower back, an oddly caring gesture for someone who would make sure she remembered this moment for the rest of her life. Her own words made her realize she wasn’t thinking straight. Every other day, she lived with a low-key fear that he’d get hurt Rambo-ing his way into a fire, and now here she was, wondering why he’d left one.

Smoke’s too thick, he said needlessly, because she knew that, but standing in her yard watching toxic air billow behind the window left her feeling the kind of helplessness she’d been fortunate enough to largely avoid.

This despite being an admitted disaster in the kitchen. Today wouldn’t be her first consequential run-in with the fire department. She glanced at Matt, expecting to find him on the verge of laughing at her, but the way he watched the house was so intense she almost didn’t recognize him. In that moment, he wasn’t her notoriously annoying best friend sporting sweat pants and a stain on his T-shirt. He was a raptly attentive student of the flames that licked the window, no doubt digesting the last of her curtains and the paltry remains of a long-deceased houseplant she’d tried and failed to bring back to life. It was funny how the smallest shift in perception could have such a jarring effect on reality.

Sirens split the air, closer than she expected, jolting her away from her visual perusal. With a final glance at the house, Matt left the side yard with the best view of the kitchen to go out front, and she followed, hitting the sidewalk in time to see the fire truck turn onto their street. She kept back, which is probably why she didn’t immediately notice her good friend Diego sticking out of the first pair of boots to hit the pavement.

She blinked, hoping she’d imagined him, but nope. Of. Freaking. Course. She should just call the others—Jack, their lieutenant Shane, and his wife and Lexi’s bestie-who-wasn’t-Matt, Caitlin—and have them bring dessert, since her tart was definitely overcooked at this point.

The next few moments were a blur of shouted orders and radio exchanges and nosy neighbors, but the urgency faded pretty quickly. Diego walked over, sweaty and soot-smudged, but no worse for the wear. Unofficially, he said, you’ll get a new kitchen out of it, but the fire was contained. Smoke, water damage. I don’t need to tell either of you how it works. What happened?

I’m not sure, Lexi muttered. I was making a tart and I turned away for a moment and… She stared at the ground, toeing at a strip of grass that had crept into the crack of the sidewalk. The warmth of the late morning sun had nothing on the embarrassment heating her cheeks, which just gave her another reason not to look at her friends, but she couldn’t stare at the ground forever. Resigned, she lifted her gaze to meet Diego’s. "Guys, could you please, please not tell anyone?"

Wait. You made a dessert? Diego’s brow lifted in surprise. What, like a flambé? To his credit, he didn’t look like he found his question terribly funny, but behind that professional mask of his, she’d bet money he inwardly howled with laughter.

Matt snorted indelicately. Nothing inward with him. Do you think Lexi, of all people, can make a flambé?

Lexi rolled her eyes—yep, here it was—while Diego did a terrible job of suppressing a grin. "I think she did."

They should just get Shane and Jack on speaker so they could all howl in unison. Get it over with. Her eyes heated, and her frustration grew. She did not want to cry, but with her lawn torn up by firemen and their equipment and her door hanging open and her friends staring at her, she was at a justifiable breaking point. And she did an Oscar-worthy job of not hitting it until someone pulled on the hose and it jerked backward, taking out her fledgling Japanese tree lilac that had been propagated from one of her grandparents’ beloved gardens. They were long gone, but the new landowner had let Lexi take cuttings.

And the lone scrawny survivor had just been raked from its bed, across the wet lawn, and into the gutter.

It was just a tart! Lexi burst out. I wanted to surprise Elsie with her mother’s recipe and I don’t know, I guess the butter from the crust— She stopped when she saw Matt and Diego were on the verge of laughter. She wanted to be mad, but they didn’t know how much that stupid tree meant to her, or how badly she wanted to make a beautiful tart, or how desperately she’d been trying to turn into a baking, gardening, domestic goddess.

You were making my grandmother a tart? Matt asked. "She’s pretty much the baking champion of Colorado, and you were making her a tart?"

She hasn’t baked in years, Lexi reminded him, as if that justified the brand-new low she’d just reached when it came to ruining otherwise good recipes. She and Matt’s grandmother were close. Closer, probably, than Matt and Elsie. He tried, but the old woman bewildered him—intentionally, Lexi often suspected—and Elsie was old-fashioned enough to prefer to have a woman’s help when it came to more delicate matters. Lexi had known Matt’s grandmother for as long as she could remember, and she’d naturally fallen into the role of caregiver as the elder woman aged.

"Have you baked ever? Matt asked. Successfully, that is?"

Lexi turned slightly, doing the best she could to show Matt her back. He, of all people, already knew the answer to that.

You aren’t going to be able to live in your house for a few days, maybe longer, Diego said.

Lexi’s jaw dropped. I can’t live here?

Maybe the average person shouldn’t under the circumstances, Matt said, butting right back in, but this is Lexi. If you just board up the kitchen, which she clearly has no use for, she’ll be fine, and the rest of the neighborhood…well, suffice to say we’ll all sleep a little better tonight. He countered her wounded look with an apologetic grin and held up his phone. As far as it not getting out, we all get dispatch notifications.

Crap, Lexi muttered. She’d forgotten that little detail. She turned to stare at her house. It looked okay, barring the slight cosmetic damage to the yard and what she could see through the window. Maybe she could just board up the kitchen.

The little bit of hope lasted until the inspector showed up a few hours later and informed her otherwise. Sorry, he said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. You’ll need to strip out the damage and pass inspections on the plumbing and electrical before you can stay here. Do you have a contractor in mind?

No, she did not. She had a shower in mind, then a nap. She was exhausted, and now it looked like she’d be crashing at her parents’ place for however long it took her to get her kitchen rebuilt, which meant the distance of her morning commute would be a nightmare. Lexi barely did mornings as it was, and now she’d have to figure out how to do them an hour earlier.

I don’t know, she said, hugging herself. She wore Matt’s sweatshirt, oversized on her smaller frame, and the faint scent of him brought her a ridiculous amount of comfort. Ridiculous because he’d never let her hear the end of this, and the last thing that felt was comforting.

Hey, Lexi. She looked up at the sound of her name to see her neighbor, Keith, who owned a construction company. I’m sorry about your house. If you need someone to spearhead the repairs, I’ll match your lowest estimate.

That’s incredibly generous, she said, thinking of the renovation he’d done to another home on their block. Lexi and Matt had once wandered over to an open house and had been astounded by what had been done with the same simple floor plan she and Matt each had. The real estate agent had absolutely raved about Keith’s work, saying she recommended him to her clients. I’d love for you to take the job, Lexi told him, grateful to find a bright spot in this debacle. She hadn’t even thought to worry about finding someone to do the repairs.

If you put it all in writing, Matt said from behind her, causing her to jump. His voice wasn’t unkind, but it was decidedly in her business.

Keith smiled. Covers my butt as well as hers, he said. Get a few estimates. Your insurance company will want to see them, and we can talk about any differences to make sure you get what you want out of the restoration. He glanced back at the house, then to Lexi. Where should I deliver the paperwork?

My parents’ house, Lexi said. She hadn’t talked to them yet, not wanting to worry them and having fully believed she could stay at her own place, but they certainly wouldn’t turn her away. I’ll text the address—

They’re an hour away, Matt interrupted, frowning. That’s a long commute.

Well, my tent is at the cleaner’s, she said drily. And I’m quite the fan of hot water and indoor plumbing, so I’ll just have to—

Stay with me, he said. When she didn’t respond, he added, I’m next door. Your stuff is right here, easily accessible. You’re over here all the time anyway, and I have the extra bedroom. There’s absolutely no reason you should drive two hours a day.

Well, there is the one about not invading your…privacy. The excuse fell flat at the end—at least compared to what she wanted to say—but the neighbor was right there, and she didn’t want to call Matt out on his endless parade of first dates, not one of whom she wanted to run into on a middle of the night bathroom run. And as for her own dating life…that was definitely something she wanted to keep under the proverbial sheets, to the extent that she’d kept a secret bit of news from him for an entire week now. A record. She should have known that wasn’t going to last.

You wash my underwear, Matt

Reviews for Finding Mr. Right Next Door

[Deb Pden · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a story of love and soulmates that took 28 yrs to surface..When Elsie told Lexie about the picture taken when she was 5 yrs old..every single point of the book came together.

[inishowen_cailin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A short but cute read. Lexi and Matt have been friends since childhood and are perfect for one another. It's not until they temporarily have to share a house that they look at their relationship more closely. The fact that Lexi has joined a dating app in the hopes of finding Mr. Right sets Matt's jealous instincts alight especially when the said date has to call to the house to pick her up. I loved how Matt and Lexi tried to one-up themselves by pushing each other's buttons while flirting at the same time. With their level of mutual attraction, it was inevitable that their platonic friendship would combust into a smoking hot relationship. They just had to be brave enough to risk their friendship to do so.I quite enjoyed this fun romance and there are a few characters in this series that I would like to read more about.I voluntarily reviewed a copy provided by the publisher.

[nelispelusa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a cute between friends to lovers.. Lexi and Matt have been best friends forever and everyone around them sees them as having a relationship, more than just friends. Matt is not the type to have a relationship he is happy with his manho status until he sees that his Lexi is going on a date and a cop to boot. He is a firefighter so what can Lexi be doing with him, while supposedly just trying to make sure she is safe ends up crashing her date and as these two bicker they realize that there is much more than they admit too. As they give in to there chemistry Matt gets a little worried that he is just not capable of a lasting relationship and messes it up, but luckily he has friends that can wake him up..Cute story.rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinion

[gznkz4evr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Full review appeared at Reader's Edyn on 05/17/20Lexie isn’t known for her cooking prowess. A disaster in the kitchen she might be, but she is determined to bake a successful version of Matt’s grandmother’s tart. Big mistake. All she is left with is a flaming kitchen, a ruined family heirloom tart pan, and all of her co-workers on her front porch dousing the inferno. The most sensible plan is to move next door with her best friend, Matt, during the renovations. After a bit of hesitation, she concedes. But the forced proximity to her best friend since childhood stirs up all kinds of emotions and feelings they have never allowed themselves to explore for fear of ruining their perfect friendship. But chemistry and attraction under the same roof are difficult to extinguish and before too long, Lexi and Matt are creating a blaze of their own. But where do you go once the line has been crossed?Matt has wanted Lexi since forever, but once they settled into their comfortable friendship, the risk involved if they didn’t work out became too much to gamble against. So when Lexi needs a place to crash, offering her a place to stay is automatic. What he didn’t count on was the fierce protectiveness that would consume him. And the fact that she’s just started dating – and a cop (his biggest rival as a firefighter) – isn’t helping one bit. So when they finally give in to their overwhelming passion, neither knows how to proceed, terrified that everything will change. And boy does it. Now something big is simmering and the outcome will determine if their relationship is ruined or has simply moved up the ladder to the next rung.You guys! If you want a super fun, super cute, ridiculously hot, crazy sexy read … look no further. I was giggling and fanning myself in equal amounts throughout this entire book. I loved the friends to lovers' idea of this book. Matt and Lexi had amazing chemistry and watching them try to deny it was a pleasure to watch unfold. One of the best scenes is when they have already indulged once. Not knowing the best course of action and scared of voicing their true feelings, they decide to ignore the whole thing ever happened. But neither can stop thinking about the other. Eventually, they end up trying to tempt each other. Matt mows the lawn shirtless, Lexi does yoga in the front window, and that’s just the footnote of the scene. I mean who would be able to resist? These two tempt and torment each other relentlessly, and it’s brilliant. The one thing I became annoyed with was the incessant bagging on Lexi and her cooking skills. Heck, skills in the kitchen, period. Forget only the cooking ability. Or inability as it were. At first, it was just a bit of ribbing between friends given the debacle in her kitchen. Understandable. But Lexi has a horrific reputation in this respect and they never let her forget it. After a while I just wanted them to shut up and leave her alone. It almost bordered on unfriendly banter, so if I had a complaint, it’s definitely the unrelenting teasing.Several secondarycharacters add a lot to this story. I especially found Matt’s grandmother entertaining. She’s like the cool kid that never got the memo that she’s older. Living just as carefree as a teenager, but wise with her years of experience, this lady damn near steals the book. Bordering on inappropriate, she’s the grandma everyone wants to have. Lexi’s parents were also introduced. They didn’t have a very big role to play within these pages, but I appreciated their supportive nature and love for the main characters. On the more serious side is a fellow firefighter, Diego. Recently divorced, his wife cheated on him, yet he still maintains his belief in love and ends up playing a pivotal role in bringing one of the characters round to seeing the truth of their relationship. If I wanted to see anyone’s story following this book, it’s definitely Diego. A guy as great as he is with the crap deal he got doesn’t deserve to remain unhappy. He must have his own HEA at some point. I’m not sure if there is another book within this series yet. I assume there is one for Shane and Caitlin, but I could be wrong. This book is listed at part of the series, FIREFIGHTERS OF STATION 1, but it has no number associated with it. As a result, I am unsure if it is the first book in the series, or not. Regardless of its order within the series, it is a truly entertaining read that just might have you blushing as you read through a few particular pages. The passion between Matt and Lexi is crazy hot and the games they play with one another are exciting if a little annoying. I only say annoying because at one point I was screaming at them to just drop the façade and get it on. The fact they truly know each other inside and out allows them to play on a whole different level than your typical neighbors to lovers book. This best friends to lovers aspect definitely kicked things up a notch. And with them living next door, temporarily together, and working together, there isn’t much time to play the avoidance game they are set on enacting. Or maybe there is more than enough time, depending on how you look at it. As a first read with Ms. Balance, this book was fantastic. I enjoyed every minute spent with this cast of quirky characters and eagerly await my next experience with these hot firefighters and the women who set them ablaze.Kindle version provided by NetGalley/Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review.