Chapter 5
Just Being Neighborly
Jules
I was a chicken. A coward. Yellow-bellied, whatever that was. A fraidy-cat, a scaredy-cat, or both. Why? Because I was working from home so I wouldn’t be at the office if Noah called.
I was disgusted even with myself. And yet no part of me could get out of bed and go to work.
I simply couldn’t. The mere thought of it had me wanting to upchuck.
I would see the man again, I knew. This was a temporary, yet completely necessary, reprieve.
Highland Falls was a small town, and that came with pros as well as cons.
My rationale, however, was that if I wasn’t there when he called, I was giving him the out the only way I knew how in case he truly didn’t want an accountant.
I felt horrid that Lou, in all of her conniving ways, had put the man on the spot the night before.
Maeve and Maggie had been sitting on either side of me, and they both told me I was overreacting, but it felt like Lou was setting me up with the guy.
I mean, I know she’d said she just wanted to get my name out there as an accountant, but I wasn’t born yesterday.
She could have worked to find me more clients with her friends, with the women I met last night, with any random person she knew at the brewery because it felt like she knew the whole town.
But had she? Nope. The only person she suggested I help with their taxes was Noah, and that was mortifying.
And hell, we were in tax season—it wasn’t like Sue needed more clients right now.
One of the reasons I’d been hired so quickly was to help alleviate the workload of others.
I woke up this morning at six, and my mind immediately began to spiral.
Before it could get too out of control, I thought of a former therapist’s advice—you can only control what you can control.
The fact of the matter was that I couldn’t control Lou.
Hell, beyond Verdell, I doubted anyone could, and I didn’t know if even he was able to claim that ability.
Another thing that wasn’t changing? My overall nature.
I was who I was and, frankly, at thirty years old, I was good with that.
Did I wish I didn’t immediately become fire engine red when I was embarrassed?
Sure. Was that also a bit of an overexaggeration?
Yes, it was, but it felt true when my face was burning.
At any rate, when I woke up mired in some anxiety spiral about seeing and/or talking to Noah, I decided I had an out and I was going to use it.
This was what I could control, so that’s what I’d do.
Sue had been after me to look after myself, and that was what I was doing.
One call to her and I had her permission, no, her blessing, to stay home and work from here for the day.
She really was an amazing boss. I wondered once again how I could possibly keep two full-time jobs, because the more I worked for the lady, the more I wanted to. It was clear why her employees were so loyal. She created an amazing environment for her staff.
In the next five hours, my productivity soared.
I tided the house, which likely hadn’t needed it, and watered the plants, which absolutely had.
I managed to get a half day’s work done in three of those hours because I had zero interruptions like I might have had at the office.
Then I spent the last hour folding myself into pose after pose, using yoga to try to find my center.
Unfortunately for me, none of it was distracting me from the cowardly decision that had me stuck at home.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh,” I growled to myself, coming out of downward dog. I moved to a seated position and put my hands on my knees, trying to let go and find some semblance of peace.
“Mwah?” O’Malley sat on the window seat, cleaning his long hair while he watched me with what amounted to not a small bit of disdain.
“I know, I know,” I muttered. With a glance at my phone, I debated what to do next.
I could get some more work done, though I was pretty caught up, or I could make some lunch.
I also considered moving my afternoon work to my back deck since it was in the sixties and in Illinois, you took advantage of the weather when you could.
Maybe a change of location would do the trick?
Standing up, I reached for the doorjamb that framed the bump-out window seat my cat liked to lounge in.
I’d never seen anything like it—it was as if the former owners had decided to build a hiding spot off the kitchen that was the best lounging nook ever.
Frankly, if the house had a bathroom, kitchen, and the window seat, I could live happy.
There were steps up to the raised platform with a thick cushion—kind of like a built-in bed, bookshelves around the perimeter above your head, a wall I had propped a pillow against to lean back on, and windows overlooking the backyard.
So far it was my favorite spot in the house.
As I held on to the opening for balance and grabbed my right foot to stretch my quads since they were perennially tight, I caught a movement from my neighbor’s yard that had me diving back down to the floor.
Holy shit. Was that… I lifted back up and peered over the window seat and back out the window, looking at the man who had just walked into the yard behind my house.
Yep. That was Noah from the brewery because of course it is.
Ahhhhh. Was he just visiting next door? I had met my neighbors on either side of me, but no one from behind my house yet.
I took another glance. Yep, that was Noah pulling a mower out of a small shed.
He lived there, right? That would make the most sense because unless he was just the kindest human ever, I doubted he’d just start randomly mowing yards.
Staying as far back from the window as I could—not that the man could see in, but still—I reached for my phone and texted the first person I could think of.
Me: Umm, Maeve, do you know if Noah lives behind me?
It took less than a minute to get a reply.
Maeve: Hold on.
Sure. No worries. Not freaking out over here or anything. Before I could panic too much, Maeve texted back, but this time it was in a group text with… One, two, four… Oh my god…Nine numbers plus mine. What the hell?
Maeve: Ladies, we’ve got a Highland Falls hottie 911. Please reply with your name before I go on so Jules here can know who is weighing in.
There were dots indicating people were typing as I contemplated moving back to Chicago.
Was this what you could expect in a small town?
Before I could pull up Zillow, names flooded in.
Grace, Emma, Elle, Allyson, Kristine, Kate, Maggie, and—holy shit—Ivy.
Ivy hadn’t even been with us last night, but Maeve had pointed her out.
And hell, Ivy was Noah’s ex, though everyone telling me about the connections between Noah, Ivy, and Jake seemed to think they were the kind of exes who were good friends and also co-parented a child.
Sweet Lord, I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I wanted to flee.
One thing was for certain, I was never leaving this house again.
Before I could put that plan into action, the group chat started flooding with more than their names and hellos to me. I quickly added all their contact info so I could follow the chat.
Maeve: So, here’s the situation. Our girl Jules just realized who her backyard neighbor is. Thoughts?
Well, thanks Maeve. You could have just responded to my original text with a yes, Noah lives behind you. But now I was in some kind of group-text horror show, and I couldn’t look away. It was like a car wreck on the side of the highway and getting worse by the minute. Seemed healthy.
Maggie: I’m invested. What’s he wearing, Jules? Can you see him right now?
Emma: Girl, behave.
Maggie: You should know this is me behaving.
Grace: This is true.
Ivy: *Squeal* Maeve, thanks for adding me to this chat. Jules, hi! We didn’t get to visit last night. Sorry. Now, important stuff, do you like said neighbor? Want me to put in a good word for you?
Was I banging my head against my window seat? Yep. Sure was. But there was a cushion, so it was more symbolic than anything.
Kate: it might be important to remind you all at this juncture that not everyone is used to talking about all the intimate details of their lives like many of you.
Kristine: Kate, you’re no fun.
Kate: you know I speak the truth.
Allyson: Sweet Lord, Maeve, talk about overwhelming a person new to town.
Elle: Jules, I’m here for support, but I’m one of those people Kate’s referring to. No pressure from me.
Elle’s message had heart icons on it appear from Emma, Kate, and Allyson. I had a feeling I’d found my fellow introverts.
Maggie: Are you insinuating that I’m pressuring anyone?
Processing this chat in real time was something. These ladies must be voice texting, because the messages were coming fast and furious. I wasn’t even sure where to interject.
Maeve: No pressure, Jules. Just want you to know you have a team of women at your back and here for any conversations you want.
Ivy: I just realized my inclusion here might make you uncomfortable. Please know that I love Noah as my childhood friend and daughter’s dad, but nothing said here would be shared with him. That being said, happy to hop out of this chat if that helps.
Damn, the woman was kind as well as gorgeous? Of course she was. I couldn’t let her think my hesitation had to do with her. I fired off a message.
Jules: Hey all, I’m here. Ivy, no need to leave. Not sure what to say because there isn’t much to say. Just wanted to know if I was seeing things correctly and Noah is my neighbor.
There. That sounded nonchalant, right? Several folks “liked” my message, but then I saw someone was typing. Maggie’s text came in.