Chapter 3
THREE
Jade
I’m staring again.
I can’t help it. Every time I pass by a window or head outside, my eyes are drawn to my grumpy neighbor’s house.
I hardly ever see him, and when I do, he’s either shooting me a glare or heading inside without a word—so we haven’t exactly had much interaction.
That’s probably for the best. The guy doesn’t seem to like me. Or maybe it’s socializing and people in general. I’ve never seen anyone visit him, and he never leaves his house. Not that I’ve seen, anyway.
Forget about him , I tell myself as I grab my things and head out to my car. I’m running late. I toss my purse onto the passenger seat and get going. I’m meeting Cora and her friends in town and want to make a good first impression. It will be good to meet new people and make some new friends.
I peek at Mr. Grumpy’s house one last time as I back out of my driveway and head toward town. All the lights are off at his place, and I wonder if he’s out for the night.
The drive to town is quiet and quick because there’s never any traffic. I find Murphy’s Bar easy enough and park in the back of the lot. The place is packed. I smile as I head inside, scanning the crowd for Cora.
“Jade!”
I see Cora standing on a stool in the back of the bar and push through the crowd in her direction.
“Hey! It’s a madhouse in here,” I shout over the music as I slide onto a stool beside her.
“Yeah, it feels like the whole town is here tonight,” she says, passing me a margarita.
I take a sip, coughing at how strong it is. I look around the place, taking in the ancient-looking décor as I take another sip of my drink.
“Let’s grab that table!” Cora shouts, pointing to a recently vacated booth. “The girls should be here any minute.”
I nod and follow her to the booth, sliding in across from her.
“How’s the new place?” she asks.
“Good. I’ve got everything put away now, so that’s a relief. I was getting sick of digging through boxes to get dressed every morning,” I tell her with a laugh.
“I bet! How’s work going? You like the new job?”
“Love it. I haven’t met that many people yet, but the ones I have are all friendly.”
“Good! Maybe you can—Oh, there’s Maple. Hold on.”
I nod as Cora stands and waves at someone. A minute later, a pretty redhead pops up next to us.
“Hey! It’s crazy in here,” she says as she plops down next to me.
I hurry to scoot over as a few more women join our booth.
“Yeah, I know! Must be because of the nice weather,” Cora agrees. “Girls, this is my friend, Jade. Jade, this is Maple, Lilou, and Cameron.”
“Hey! It’s nice to meet you all,” I say, waving at them.
“You, too. Cora has told us a lot about you,” Lilou says as she shrugs off her cardigan.
“How are you liking Wolf Valley? Getting settled in okay?” Maple asks.
“Yeah, it’s been great.”
“Good,” she says as Cora returns from the bar and sets down a few drinks. “If you need anything, let us know!”
“Thanks, I will. I’m still exploring and getting settled, but everyone here has been so friendly.”
“We can give you a tour,” Cameron offers as she grabs her margarita and takes a big gulp.
“That would be cool.”
“Sorry,” Lilou says as her phone rings. She declines the call and types out a quick message.
“Milo?” Cora guesses.
Lilou nods. “Yeah, he just got off work and wondered where I was.”
“Milo is her boyfriend,” Cameron tells me.
I nod, finishing off the rest of my margarita.
“Are you seeing anyone?” Maple asks.
“Uh, no,” I say as my mind flashes to my grumpy neighbor. “I’m single.”
“You’ll have to let us set you up,” Cameron says excitedly.
“With who?”
“How about Kye?” Cameron suggests, but Maple shakes her head.
“Kye is with Sienna.”
“Oh, yeah. Hmm, who else do we know who is single?” Cameron asks as she sips her drink.
“I’ll ask around. We can set you up on a blind date once we find someone,” Maple suggests.
I nod. The liquor must be hitting me because the idea of a blind date always sounded terrible to me before. Now? I can’t quite remember why I thought that.
My mind flashes to my grumpy neighbor again, and I wonder if he’s single.
Doesn’t matter. I doubt he’d go out with you anyway, I remind myself.
“What do you guys do for a living?” I ask, changing the subject from my sad dating life.
I listen as the girls talk about themselves and the town for the next hour and a half. I learn that Maple runs the sex shop, Wet and Wild, in town. Cameron works at the Nosh Diner, and her husband, Ford, is the owner. Lilou is dating a firefighter and has a few part-time jobs. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. Somewhere during the conversation, I order another drink, and I can tell as I stand to head to the restroom that I’m tipsy.
“What’s the cab or Uber service like around here?” I ask when I come back from the bathroom.
“Nonexistent,” Lilou says.
“One of our guys can give you a lift,” Maple assures me.
“Yeah, or you can crash with me,” Cora adds as she finishes her drink.
Her gaze moves past me, and she beams at someone behind me. I turn in my seat and bump into Cameron.
“Jeez, the drinks are strong,” I mumble.
She giggles. “I know. They’re not usually this potent.”
“Hey, babe,” Cora says.
I turn to see her boyfriend, Huxley, towering over me.
“Hey, you ready to head home?” he asks.
A pang of longing hits me as I watch them together.
They’re so in love. You can see it. You can see how much he cares for her in the way he watches her and how gentle he is as he helps her out of the booth.
I want that. I want it so bad that it hurts.
I clear my throat and look away as the other girls gather their things.
A few more guys arrive at our booth, and I watch as my new friends cuddle with their men. My happy buzz starts to fade inside as I realize I’m the odd one out.
“Can we give Jade a ride home?” Cameron asks her husband.
“Sure.”
“Oh, sorry, Jade. This is Ford,” Cameron introduces us.
“Nice to meet you,” I say, slurring slightly.
“You, too.”
“And that’s Milo, Ryder, and I’m sure you already know Huxley,” Cameron finishes.
“Yeah. Hey, nice to meet you,” I say, waving at the guys.
“Ready to go?” Ford asks us.
“Did you want to stay over?” Cora offers.
I shake my head. “I’ll catch a ride.”
“We can take you,” she offers.
“Oh, I?—”
“I’ll take her,” a deep voice cuts in behind me.
I spin around, my eyes clashing with a pair of green ones.
“Mr. Grumpy,” I blurt out.
He glares down at me. “Meyer,” he grunts.
I blink. “What?”
“My name is Meyer.”
“Oh.”
Ford frowns. “We’re happy to give her a ride.”
Meyer shakes his head. “She’s my neighbor, so I’m headed that way. I’ll save you the trip.”
“You okay with that?” Ford asks.
I hesitate for a moment before I nod. “Yeah, thanks.”
He nods and wraps his arm around Cameron.
I say goodbye to my friends and head outside, Meyer walking beside me stoically. The cool air does little to sober me up as I follow him across the parking lot to his truck.
“In you go,” he says, gripping my elbow and helping me into the passenger seat.
The world is spinning. I can’t tell if it’s because of the alcohol or because my hot neighbor is touching me.
Probably both.
“Are you going to throw up?”
I frown. “No, why? Do I look like I’m going to be sick?”
“Well, you’re slurring a bit and can barely walk in a straight line,” he grumbles.
I shake my head. “I’m fine.”
He studies me for a moment before he sighs and closes the door. I buckle up as he climbs behind the wheel and pulls out of the lot.
“Thanks for the ride.”
He nods, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.
“I’m surprised that you offered.”
He shrugs. “Was headed that way.”
“Right.”
I know it’s silly, but part of me hoped he’d offered to drive me home because he wanted to be with me. And maybe I was wishing he’d say sorry for being such a grouchy jerk lately.
“Have you lived here long?” I ask, resting my head against the cool glass window.
“Few months.”
“Hmm. It’s nice.”
He grunts his agreement.
I roll my eyes.
Why am I so attracted to this man who can’t seem to string two sentences together?
“Did you get the rose bush?”
He nods.
I wait to see if he’ll say anything else, but he remains silent.
“Did you want help planting it?”
“No.”
“Got it,” I snap as he pulls onto our road.
I see him glance at me, but I keep my eyes locked forward. I need to get it together. This guy is not into me. He’s not my one. He’s just my neighbor.
He pulls into his driveway, and I scramble to get unbuckled and out of his truck. I need to get away from him. I’ll go to bed, and in the morning, I can start ignoring him, too.
“Thanks,” I mumble, kicking the passenger door open and grabbing my purse.
“I’ll help you?—”
“I’ve got it,” I cut him off.
I scramble out of his truck—or try to—but I slip and miss the step. I land in a heap in the grass.
“Told you to wait,” he growls as he hurries to my side.
“I’m fine,” I say, ignoring his outstretched hand.
He curses and grabs me under my arms, lifting me into the air. We’re eye to eye, and my mouth is wide open as I gawk at him.
He lifted me like I weighed nothing.
“You do weigh nothing,” he snaps at me.
Oh shit, I said that out loud.
“You’re saying all of this out loud,” he tells me as he sets me on my feet.
He stoops to grab my purse before wrapping his arm around my waist and marching me across our yards to my house.
I stare at the front door as he digs around in my purse for my keys.
“In,” he orders, nudging me inside. He hovers in the doorway. “I’ll give you a ride to your car in the morning.”
“Um, thanks.”
I’m not sure what to make of him. The guy seems like a jerk, but he drove me home, helped me inside, and offered to help me in the morning.
He’s giving me a headache.
He holds out my purse, and I take it from him, our fingers brushing softly. An electric jolt bursts through me, and my eyes snap to his. He stares at me, and I swear he feels it, too.
I move closer to read his expression, and he frowns at me.
I lean closer, lifting on my tiptoes.
“You smell good,” I whisper.
He tenses.
My lips brush his neck, and I kiss his cheek. A sigh escapes me.
In the morning, I’m going to regret this so much, I think, as our eyes lock.
“Jade.”
“Hmm?”
“Go to bed.”
“Okay.”
I sway slightly as I walk down the hallway to my room. I zigzag to my bed and collapse face down on the mattress with an indelicate oomph .
Someone tugs at my heels as my eyes drift shut.
“Hey!” I grumble, twisting in bed.
Meyer stands over me, removing my shoes and dropping them next to the bed.
“Drink this,” he says, passing me a cup of water.
When did he do that?
I take it from him and down it in a few gulps.
“Night,” I sigh, grabbing the comforter and pulling it over me.
“Night,” he whispers.
Sleep pulls me under as his footsteps fade away.