Chapter 6 Best-Laid Plans
Best-Laid Plans
Noah
Tuesday was not shaping up as I’d envisioned.
I had three meetings online to deal with some gaps in fundraising we had for this year.
Those went according to plan. I talked to our local office out of Springfield to debrief about my last trip to Chicago.
Addie was with me until Friday, and I’d dropped her off at school that morning and would race through the day to get as much done as possible before it was time to pick her up at three.
My daily goal when I had Addie was that by the time she was at home with me, I was all hers and my work was done.
All that was going like clockwork. So what wasn’t?
A certain brunette accountant I’d expected to see this morning, or at the very least, talk to.
I’d figured I’d call Jules’s firm bright and early, find out what her hours were, and drop off my paperwork. Would I want to linger and talk to her for a bit? Maybe, but just to be friendly.
However, upon calling I had been told she was out of the office for the day.
Weird, right? She hadn’t mentioned anything the night before.
Even stranger was the text I had from Lou right after lunch.
Hell, I hadn’t known it was even Lou at first—it wasn’t like she and I were texting on the regular.
But unless someone was punking me, it was indeed the one and only Lou.
Unknown Number: Noah, this is Lou Williams. Sue told me you were looking for Jules. Heads up that she’s working from home today and lives directly behind you. Pop over and drop off your tax documents to her directly and she can get to work.
I’d replied after debating for a few minutes what to say.
Me: Hey Lou. Thanks for the text. Nice to know you are keeping your finger on the pulse of the town as always.
Her reply had been a wink emoji.
Ivy had told me what a meddling, if well-meaning, busybody Lou was. The text was clearly evidence of that. I should just ignore her suggestion and move on with life. So why was I considering it? Would it help Jules if I got her what she needed for my tax return? Would she even want to see me?
More importantly, why did anything involving this woman make me feel like a confused teen?
I sighed and decided to take care of some organizational items on my to-do list before making the call on whether to pop by Jules’s place or not.
The day was unseasonably warm. I’d already mowed that morning, which seemed early for April but made sense due to the unseasonable weather we’d been having.
I then got the spring beds ready for planting and moved some deck furniture to my back patio.
Now for some tasks that didn’t involve manual labor.
Laptop in hand, I grabbed a water bottle, some folders, and sunglasses before heading outdoors.
Settling in on the corner of an outdoor sectional, I took in a deep breath.
Sometimes it was hard to believe I was back in the US, much less in this small town.
It was so far from the life I’d known for the majority of the past decade.
Well, twelve months in the familiar hell known as my childhood home had been a necessary evil because it allowed me to save enough money after college to continue with my goals.
But from there, nothing had been the same.
My time in Malawi and Tanzania in Southeastern Africa had been the norm for the next five plus years of my life.
When I decided to make my way back home eighteen months ago, I wasn’t sure if it was the right call.
I grew up privileged in that I had food, water, a roof over my head.
From what I knew of Maslow’s hierarchy, I had the first level down pat.
Well, except for you know—the love and support of my parents.
Not sure why they decided to procreate and I supposed I should be grateful for it or I wouldn’t be here, but for the majority of my life it was apparent I was a nuisance.
To say they weren’t present in Addie’s life would also be an understatement.
I tried not to think about them much, they brought up too many bad memories.
Shaking myself from the trip down memory lane, I opened my laptop and looked at my list for this week.
Cross-referencing that with Addie’s schedule, I began thinking through meals and outings we could do before Friday.
Maybe someday I would feel like what I did with her was enough to make up for years of things I’d missed. Today, however, would not be that day.
The sound of a throat clearing caught my attention.
Looking up, I saw Jules standing there, clearly feeling uncomfortable.
I fought to keep my gaze neutral because the visual of her in leggings, some type of crop top or sports bra, and an unzipped hoodie had caught my attention, and I was having a series of more than friendly visions pop into my mind.
Jules is in my backyard, standing on my deck. The words whirled through my brain as I tried to imagine what had gotten her over here. Did Lou text her too? There was only one way to find out.
“Hey, Jules.” Did my voice sound too raspy? She didn’t know me well; maybe she wouldn’t notice. The flush working its way up her neck, however, was something I clocked. Had to admit, I loved that she made it easy to read her.
She cleared her throat again, shifting from side to side.
“Hi, um, Noah.” She paused, worrying her lip between her teeth before continuing.
“Sue let me know that you called this morning. I, um, well, I decided to come over because I wanted to make sure you really wanted me to do your taxes and weren’t just appeasing my aunt Lou. ”
I gave her what I thought was a reassuring smile. “So is that why you’re working at home today?” I nodded toward what I now knew was her house. “Avoiding any unsuspecting clients your aunt might send your way?”
Whoa. At my words, her flush deepened. Holy shit, was she avoiding me by working from home? Had she known we were neighbors? When did she figure that out? And was she avoiding me because she didn’t like me or because she was embarrassed by her aunt? So many questions.
“Um, it seems that you’re the only person Lou has strong-armed to get to agree to being a client for me…”
“So far,” I pointed out.
She considered that, shrugging her shoulders.
“I guess you’re right. Give her time.” She looked down, then back up as her warm brown eyes met mine.
“Did you know last night that you lived behind me?” Her voice had an air of vulnerability that I had a strong desire to protect.
“I promise I didn’t then, but I did find out this morning.
” I could tell she was worried about it, which I wanted to think more about, but first wanted to reassure her.
“No, I didn’t know last night.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “In the spirit of total honestly, I did get this text from your aunt about an hour ago and that’s when I found out.” I passed her my cell.
Jules took it, her brow furrowed as she looked down to see Lou’s text, then my reply. Her eyes shot up to mine with an expression of horror on her face.
“Oh my goodness, Noah, I’m so sorry.” She sank down on the couch a cushion away from me, placing my phone between us. “I wish I could say I was surprised, but that would be a lie.”
I smiled, quite frankly charmed by the woman.
There was something about her that made me want to reassure her, shield her.
From whom? The world? No idea. Lou was a lot, but she was harmless.
Jules felt younger than me and the same age at once.
I couldn’t puzzle it out, but I knew I’d like to be around her more. As a friend, I reminded myself.
“Jules, it’s okay. While I don’t know Lou well, her reputation proceeds her.
And I’d love you to file my taxes for me.
I’m sure I could do them as I have in the past, but I’ve left it to the last minute.
And I’ll be honest, mine aren’t terribly complicated, but the time of year snuck up on me and I’m currently swamped at work.
You getting it squared away would be a relief.
” I watched her face as I spoke and noted how her forehead smoothed out.
“However, I also recognize that it is nine days until tax day, so am I putting you in a bind?”
The relief was evident on Jules’s face. “Oh no, that’s fine. You said yours would be pretty standard, correct? I have time to get that done, no problem.”
Without another word, I grabbed the stack of folders I had on the cushion next to me, flipped through them until I found the documents, then passed it to Jules. “I think this is everything you’ll need.”
Jules accepted the folder, then opened it to look over the contents.
I could practically see her making checkboxes in her head.
Hmm, I wasn’t aware I had a thing for competency, or was it just that this woman was attractive to me in all ways?
If I was being real, the fact that it was so easy to read her—that what you saw was what you got—that was the most attractive.
I abhorred the games that some women played.
That was probably why I didn’t have many relationships in college.
And when it came down to it, that’s how Ivy and I ended up together.
I knew her, had known her for years. Ivy was not one to bullshit either.
“Be honest,” I began, making Jules look from the papers to me. “Are you sure I haven’t earned a spot on your shit list by handing off my taxes this late? I don’t typically live my life trying to make more work for others.”
To my absolute delight, she let out a gorgeous, unfettered laugh.
“No worries, Noah. I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t have time.
Starting here two weeks ago gave me the benefit that I’m picking up the slack in the office for others but have no actual clients of my own.
I can easily finish this for you in time.
” She returned to flipping through my papers.
I cleared my throat, getting those brown eyes aimed at me again. “In that case, are you just being neighborly and coming to take care of me and my tax needs, or do you want to stay for a minute?”
Jules tipped her head like she was considering my words. “Stay and do what?”
Oh, Jules. I watched as her skin flamed again. Yep, I saw how that could be taken in the wrong way, but I was keeping this PG and getting us back in a comfortable zone for her. “Let’s just get to know each other better. You know, as neighbors?”
“Okay.” Jules still looked hesitant, but she scooted back on the couch and folded her legs pretzel-style.
“So how are you liking Highland Falls?” Softball question there—hopefully that would be helpful.
“Oh, um, I really like it.” She paused, clearly trying to decide whether to keep her thoughts short and close to the vest or just to spill.
I was voting for letting it all out, so I stayed silent, giving her the time she needed.
“I loved Chicago. I lived in Lakeview, and it was a fabulous neighborhood, but I like the slower pace here.” She brushed her hands down her leggings. “So far my life is more balanced.”
I nodded. Ivy and I grew up in Madison, which wasn’t near the size of Chicago, but the pulse of a city just made you want to speed up. “I hear you. I think you know I was in Africa before landing here?”
She gave me a nod to let me know the gossip in town had at least given her that.
“Living there wasn’t like being surrounded by eight million or more of my closest friends, but it was a job that never seemed to be done. You know? Like I was never off the clock.”
“That would be hard,” Jules murmured. “I hope Highland Falls is helping you find that balance too.”
Before I could get my next get-to-know-Jules question out or follow up on that comment, a noise from her yard had us both turning.
“Oh, there you two are! Don’t let me disturb you.” Lou stood in Jules’s backyard, twenty feet or so from us, with a cat-that-ate-the-canary expression on her face.
“Oh, I should go check in with Lou.” Jules scrambled up, my folder in hand. “Thanks so much for this, Noah. Talk soon.”
I couldn’t even get one word out to slow her down—the woman was off my porch and hotfooting her way through my yard to hers and through her back door, pulling Lou along with her.
Hmm. My plan for getting to know Jules would have to resume later.