Dad Next Door (Crimson Club Book 5)

1. Quinn

Lookingaround the nearly empty great room of my new house, I pulled in a deep breath.

The fact that my house had something called a great room, which was essentially a giant living room with cathedral ceilings, a massive fireplace, and tons of windows, was one of the many reasons I was still second-guessing this purchase a month after the fact.

Soft chimes knocked me out of my daze. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and swiped to answer the video call.

“Hey, Dad.”

“Hey.” He settled into his plush desk chair. “Got a minute?”

“I’ve got nothing but time. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing. It’s been a while since I heard from you.”

“Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I know. I’ve just been…”

“Overwhelmed?” he asked knowingly.

“So overwhelmed.” I blew out a breath and shot him my ‘what the fuck am I doing’ grin. “Why the hell did I think this was a good idea?”

“It’s normal to have buyer’s remorse after a big purchase. It’s a huge change and a big responsibility to own your own home.”

“I keep waiting for the ‘holy shit’ feeling to go away, but it’s still here.”

“Do you want to talk about it, or do you need to vent?”

I smiled. Dad always knew how to talk me down when I was on the brink of panicking. “Vent.”

He nodded, giving me the space to talk out what was currently crowding my already busy mind.

“I know I made the smart choice.” Shifting the phone to my left hand, I crossed the room to the door that led to my walk-out deck. “And I’m still in shock over how much we managed to get the price down from asking, so I know it’s a smart investment. It’s just a lot to go from a decade of renting to all this.”

Dad nodded sympathetically.

Sighing, I unlocked the inner door and pulled it open to let some fresh air in through the screen door. “I’ll be fine, eventually. I just need to get used to it. But anyway, enough about me and my existential crisis. How’s everyone?”

Dad chuckled. “We’re good. Keeping busy.”

Needing to move around, I slipped out onto my back deck. “Always a good thing.” Cutting across the massive structure, I went to check the cover on my hot tub.

I’d checked it last night after I’d closed the hot tub down, but my anxious brain needed to double-check it.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Dad asked.

“Fine.” I tugged on the ties, making sure they were secure.

“Quinn.”

I paused my tugging. “Yeah?”

“You’re going to be fine. You’re smart, capable, and you worked your ass off to get where you are. Don’t sell yourself short, okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.” I stepped back from the hot tub. “Thanks.”

“Call me if you need anything. Even if it’s just to vent or whatever. You might be an adult, but I’m still your dad. It’s my job to take care of you. That includes your mental health.”

“Thanks, Dad.” I smiled for real, relief washing over me and loosening the tension in my shoulders.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Like you said, just processing everything. I’m sure the shock will fade soon.”

“Okay. I have to get back to work.”

“Have a good rest of your day.”

Dad gave me a little wave and ended the call.

Tucking my phone in my pocket, I stepped back from the hot tub so I didn’t start fiddling with the straps again.

I needed to find some busy work to do. Something mindless to keep my body moving so my brain didn’t keep spiraling.

Unpacking was what got me into this state in the first place, so that was out. I’d already done everything I needed to do for work today, and I wasn’t in the mood to film. I could get a jump on tomorrow’s tasks, but sitting in my office wasn’t going to calm my restless energy.

Surveying the area, I made a mental list of all the things I wanted to either fix or change.

The backyard and the land were the main reasons I’d bought the house. My lot was just under an acre, and the back half of it was wooded.

The only thing I didn’t like about the lot was that the house was in the corner of it and not in the middle. Because of this, I had full privacy from my neighbors on the left since nearly half an acre of our combined land separated us. I didn’t have that with my other neighbors because their house was in the corner of their lot as well. Our driveways only had a small strip of land and a line of waist-high bushes between them, which was about as useful as glass when it came to privacy. The only thing separating our backyards was a garden on their side, a chain-link fence, and a three-foot-deep wall of trees on mine.

Unfortunately, the tree wall wasn’t tall enough to give me full privacy. I could see into their yard from my loft, and I knew they could see into mine from the massive balcony that stretched across their top floor.

“Jinx!”

The shriek of a child’s voice jarred me out of my musings.

“Jinx! Jinxy!” the child screamed. The distress in his voice hit like an anvil. Something was seriously wrong.

“Leo!” a woman yelled, sounding hysterical.

“Jinx!” The kid’s voice broke with tears.

Unable to just stand there and listen, I took off at a run toward our shared property line.

“Leo, wait!” the woman shouted.

“He’s going to die! Jinx!” the kid wailed.

I came to a stop in front of the trees and peered through them.

“It’s okay,” the woman said, catching up to a kid in a yellow shirt who was standing in the middle of the yard and sobbing so hard his shoulders heaved.

The woman, who looked to be in her thirties, tried to pull him into a hug, but the kid shook her off.

“We have to find him,” he said through his sobs. “Jinxy!” he screeched.

“Um, hello?” I called.

The woman snapped her head toward the trees.

“Hi. I’m your neighbor,” I continued. “Is everything okay?”

“No!” the kid shrieked. “Help!”

“Ma’am?” I asked. “Do you need help?”

Every instinct was telling me to hop the fence and make sure the kid was okay, but I didn’t want to scare his mother by bursting onto their property without her permission.

“Yes, please,” she called back.

I cut through a break in the trees and hopped the fence, managing to land on a patch of grass and not in their garden. “What’s going on? Is everyone okay?”

“Jinx got out.” The kid rushed toward me. “We need to find him.”

“Jinx?” I asked the kid, glancing at his mom to make sure she was still okay with me being in her yard.

“Our cat.” He pulled off his glasses and swiped his hand over his eyes. “He got out.”

“Okay.” My fighting instincts instantly calmed, knowing they weren’t in any immediate danger. “When did this happen?”

“Just now.” He put his glasses back on, then grabbed my wrist. “We need to find him.”

I let him drag me toward where his mom still stood.

“Is there any place he likes to go?” I asked as the kid frog-marched me toward her.

She shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. “He’s an indoor cat. Never been outside.”

I looked between them. Their reactions seemed a bit extreme for a lost cat. “What color is he?”

“He’s a sphynx.” The kid came to a stop but didn’t let go of my wrist.

“I don’t know what that is.”

“It’s a breed,” his mom said.

“Oh, okay. But what color is he?”

“He’s naked!”

I looked down at the kid as my brain did a little stutter. “I’m sorry?”

“Sphynxes are hairless,” his mom explained.

A hairless cat? No wonder they were freaking out. How long could a cat like that survive outside?

“Where have you looked?” I asked the kid, hoping to calm him down enough that he could focus.

He waved his free hand in a wide arc, still clutching my wrist.

“His name is Jinx?” I asked, sweeping my gaze around the yard.

Their plot was a lot like mine, with the back half being wooded and a small grassy area that served as their yard. Unlike my property, they had a short deck across the back of their house and a garden area with two small sheds.

“Yes.” The kid’s voice was loud but even. He’d calmed down.

“Did you look around the sheds?”

He shook his head.

“How about we start there?”

The kid nodded and set his mouth in a tight line, like he was steeling himself against his tears.

“I’m Quinn, by the way,” I said to his mom, letting the kid pull me to the sheds.

“Lydia, and this is Leo.” She shot me a tight smile. “Thank you for helping us.”

“Is he here?” Leo asked before I could answer. “Do you see him?”

“Let’s look. How about you do a perimeter check, and I’ll look underneath to see if he’s hiding.”

“He likes to hide!” Leo let go of my wrist and took off at a run. “Jinxy?”

Getting down on my stomach, I used the flashlight on my phone to look under the first shed. It was only about six inches off the ground, but cats were liquid, so I imagined it was big enough for a cat to get under.

Thankfully the land under the sheds had been cleared, so I could see under the entire structure without any grass or vegetation getting in the way. No cat.

Not giving up, I hopped up and hurried over to the other shed.

“And? Is he there?” Leo asked, dropping next to me and peering under the shed.

“Doesn’t look like it.” I got up on my knees and waited as Leo did the same. “You said he likes to hide? What else does he like to do? Is he timid?”

“He hides because it keeps him warm.” Leo’s lip trembled, and his eyes filled with fresh tears. “He’s not scared of anything.”

I looked up at Lydia.

“He’s well socialized, just curious. I didn’t realize I’d left the door cracked open, and he slipped past me.” She wrung her hands.

The scent of chemicals and freshness wafted past us with the breeze.

“Do you have the dryer running?” I asked, my brain ping-ponging through everything I’d learned about Jinx the cat. A naked cat would seek out warmth, right?

She nodded. “What does that—” Her eyes went wide. “The vent?”

“That’s what I’m thinking.” I got to my feet. Leo popped up beside me. “Where’s your vent?”

“I don’t know.” Lydia looked at Leo.

“What about your laundry room? What part of the house is it in?” I asked.

“Over there.” She pointed to the far corner.

“Bottom floor?” I took off across the yard toward the house.

“Yes.”

I scanned the area. The scent of dryer sheets was stronger, but I couldn’t see a vent.

Wait, was it under the deck?

Getting back down on my belly, I angled my phone under the deck.

Unlike my house, which was a full walk-out, their back door was about four feet from the ground, and their deck had a solid front except for a small gap at the bottom for ventilation.

Using the light on my phone, I swept it over the back of the house. A flash of white, then another of pink, stopped me.

The vent was about three feet to my left, and a flesh-colored ball was huddled under it. Hopefully that was their cat and not another naked creature.

“I found him.”

“Jinx!” Leo flopped down beside me.

Two pointy ears popped up, but he didn’t lift his head.

“Jinxy, come here,” Leo cooed. “Come here. It’s okay.”

“Maybe we can bribe him out?”

I wasn’t a cat expert, but from what I knew of them, food was probably a better motivator than trying to coax him out by calling to him.

“Yes!” Lydia took off toward the stairs. “I’ll get some squishies.”

“Squishies?” I asked Leo.

“His favorite treat.” Leo started to crawl forward.

“Whoa, there.” I put my hand in front of him to stop him. “It’s too dangerous for you to go under there.”

“We can’t just leave him.” Leo’s lip trembled again.

“We won’t.” I handed him my phone. “Can you shine that on him for me? I’ll see if I can get to him. Do you think he’ll run if I get too close?”

“No. He’s super friendly. Just don’t move too fast when you first get to him. He needs a second to sniff you before he’ll let you touch him.”

“Can you tell your mom to watch for him when she gets back, just in case he runs away from me?”

“Aunt Lydia is my aunt, not my mom.” Leo turned his attention back to Jinx, who was still huddled under the vent, his ears hidden again.

“My mistake. Can you ask your aunt to keep an eye out when she gets back out?”

“Yeah. Be careful. Don’t get stuck.”

“I’ll try not to.” I army-crawled to the gap and ducked my head.

The gap to get under the deck was just big enough for me to shimmy under. Thankfully there was enough clearance under the deck I could get up on my knees once my feet cleared the gap.

“Hey, Jinx,” I said softly, my eyes on the cat.

The light Leo was holding shook and danced over the foundation of the house, but I was able to keep Jinx in my sights.

“Hey, sweetheart.” I crawled over to him. “Did you get scared?”

Two ears popped up again.

“My name is Quinn,” I said, just to keep talking. “I live next door.”

A wrinkly pink and gray head lifted enough I could see a pair of big blue eyes.

“Aren’t you a good boy?” Slowly, I extended my hand.

Jinx’s head lifted, and I was able to see the rest of his face.

He was the most unusual thing I’d ever seen, with wrinkly skin and patches of dark gray under his big eyes. His entire nose was black, and his giant ears seemed out of proportion with his head.

He was so weird he was cute, like a goblin.

“What do you think? Do you want to be friends?”

Jinx leaned forward and sniffed my hand, his soft nose brushing my skin.

After a few sniffs, Jinx peered at me like he wasn’t sure what to think.

“Yeah, I know. It’s a bit weird to be meeting under here. What do you say we go back to Leo?”

Jinx’s ears perked up. Something long and thin, like a giant worm, unwound from where it was curled around him. His tail?

“Do you want a squishy?” I tried, hoping that was the magic treat word for him.

Jinx got to his feet, stretched, and scurried up my knee. His claws dug into me through my shirt as he scampered up my stomach and chest, stopping when he was cuddled up against my shoulder, his head pressing into my neck.

He felt a bit weird. His skin was warm and soft, but what surprised me was how he instantly started purring when I held him in place.

“That’s it.” Carefully, I turned around and crawled over to where Leo still lay. “I’ve got you. Just hold on, and we’ll get you out of here.”

Jinx purred louder, vibrating in my arms.

“Is he okay?” Leo asked, dropping my phone when I reached him.

“I think so.” Gently, I peeled Jinx off my shoulder.

He took one look behind him, saw Leo, and log-rolled out of my grip.

Before I could react, he landed on his feet and darted under the deck to scurry into Leo’s arms.

I could hear Lydia and Leo gushing over Jinx and carefully shimmied out from under the deck. Something sharp dragged over my lower back. Pain radiated from the spot.

“Fu—udge.” I caught myself at the last second.

“Are you okay?” Leo asked.

“Yeah. Just got caught on something.” Pressing lower to the ground, I slid the rest of the way out from under the deck.

“Why don’t you bring him inside and make sure he’s okay,” Lydia said to Leo.

Leo nodded, still clutching Jinx to his chest like an infant as the cat snuggled into him.

She turned to me when Leo disappeared into the house. “Thank you for helping us.”

“I’m just glad I was outside,” I said lamely. Helping people who were shouting in distress didn’t seem like something I should be thanked for.

“You’re the new neighbor?” She smiled brightly, the last of her stress fading.

She looked a lot like Leo, which made sense if she was his aunt. They had the same dark hair and bright blue eyes, and their features were eerily alike, right down to their glasses.

I couldn’t pinpoint her age, but I guessed somewhere in her early thirties.

I gave myself a little mental shake so I didn’t zone out while she was talking to me. “Yeah, hi. Quinn Reynolds.” Awkwardly, I extended my hand.

She shook it, her smile never wavering. “Lydia Winters.”

“And you’re Leo’s aunt?” I asked.

She nodded. “My brother, Tristan, is Leo’s dad. I watch him when Tris is working. Today was a last-minute thing, and I’ve been off since I got here.” She pushed her dark braid over her shoulder. “I didn’t even realize the door was unlatched until I saw it was wide open. Then Leo was screaming that Jinx escaped, and I went into panic mode.”

“I’m just glad he didn’t go far.”

“Me too. We never would have found him if he’d gotten into the woods. He’s adorable, but he has zero survival instincts and no natural protections. He can’t be an outdoor cat, but he hasn’t fully accepted that.”

“Is he…natural?” I asked, not sure how to phrase the question.

I’d seen sphynxes in the media and knew hairless cats were a thing, but I hadn’t put much thought into them.

“Sort of. The hairless gene is recessive, so they can occur spontaneously, but almost all sphynx pets are selectively bred because the gene also causes a host of medical and behavioral issues.”

The flash of the back door opening caught my attention. Leo slipped outside and raced down the stairs toward us.

“That’s sad.” I rubbed the sore spot on my back. “I’ve always been an adopt, don’t shop advocate.”

“My dad says that too.” Leo came skidding to a stop next to us. “Thank you for saving Jinx.” He looked up at me with admiration shining in his eyes.

“I’m glad I could help. Is he okay?”

Leo nodded. “He’s good, just embarrassed.”

“Embarrassed? How can you tell?”

“He went into his house of shame.”

“His what?”

“His house of shame. It’s a bed that looks like a shark. He went into it after he ate his squishy and put himself in time-out. He only does that when he’s embarrassed.”

“I’m so sorry, kiddo.” Lydia put her hand on Leo’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to leave the door open like that.”

“I know.” He shifted his attention to her and gave her a reassuring grin. “Accidents happen, right?”

“Yeah.” She playfully ruffled his hair.

Leo rolled his eyes and shot her a pointed look as he smoothed down his hair. “Thanks,” he deadpanned.

“We should get inside.” Lydia turned back to me. “Are you okay?”

“Me? Yeah.”

“Are you sure? You keep rubbing your back.”

“I do?” I paused, realizing I was rubbing that spot again. “Oh, that. Yeah. I’m fine.”

Leo leaned around to look at my back. “You’re bleeding!”

“I am?” I pulled my hand away from my back and looked at it.

Small streaks of blood were smeared on my palm and fingers, mixing with the dirt from crawling around on the ground.

“I’m sure it’s just a scratch.”

“Can I see?” Lydia asked.

Obediently, I turned and lifted the back of my shirt.

She drew a breath in through her teeth. “That looks like it could be deep. It might need stitches.”

“I’m sure it’s fine.” Dropping my shirt, I turned back to her. “I’ll let you get back to your evening.”

“Thanks again for saving Jinx.” Leo lunged at me, his skinny arms circling my waist. He squeezed me hard.

Before I could react or worry what Lydia might think of her nephew hugging me, Leo stepped back and beamed up at me. “You’re the best!”

“It was really great to meet you,” Lydia said, putting her hand on Leo’s back to give him a little nudge toward the door.

“You too.” I waved awkwardly.

“See you around, Quinn.” Leo took off for the door.

“Bye.” Lydia turned to follow her nephew into the house.

When they were inside, I made my way through the trees to get back to my yard.

That wasn’t the most ideal way to meet the neighbors, but at least I had a story to tell my friends.