Chapter 4
“YOU AND DARLING HOLD DOWN THE fort while I’m gone,” Louise said to Zona after Zona had unloaded her suitcases on the cruise ship’s dock at the San Pedro port early on Sunday afternoon.
“We will,” Zona assured her.
Darling had been left behind. He’d stationed himself on the couch so he could watch out the living room window, and they’d heard him howling as they backed down the driveway.
Darling, who was still a puppy, was going to have a tough couple of weeks without his dog mom around to pamper him and with Zona gone at work during the day. Well, it was a dog’s life.
Yeah, and what a rough one. Meals, treats, his own personal trainer who took him for walks and kept him fit. No worries about replacing lost savings. Just eat, sleep, and romp. Boy, did that sound like a good life.
Zona shoved away the thought and turned over Louise’s suitcases to the porter who was organizing them. Suitcases were everywhere. Excited travelers everywhere. She couldn’t help but marvel at the fine-tuned system the cruise line had for moving so much luggage and so many people.
“While you’re keeping an eye on things, you might want to keep an eye on the new neighbor,” Louise added. The woman never gave up.
“You have fun,” Zona said, keeping the focus where it belonged, and hugged her.
“I intend to,” she said.
Louise was dressed for fun, wearing her favorite floral painted Skechers accented with a silver ankle bracelet she’d ordered online along with a flared skirt and a pink top with a matching sweater.
She’d had her hair cut in a layered bob and she looked ten years younger than her actual age.
She’d probably have at least three men trailing her all over the ship by the end of their first sea day.
She was already looking over a well-dressed middle-aged man in jeans and a crisp white shirt rolled up at the elbows and loafers with no socks.
Poor Martin. It was obvious he was smitten with Louise, and even though she spent so much time with him they could have been married, she had her sights set on bigger game with bigger muscles. Sweet as he was, Martin didn’t stand a chance.
He’d come over shortly after Bree’s visit to wish Louise bon voyage and had left looking downright discouraged after listening to her talk about the people she’d already met online and all the excursions she’d signed up for.
“Sixteen days of gourmet meals, sun and sand, fabulous shows and beautiful coral reefs. You should have come,” Louise had told him.
Yes, you should have, Zona had thought.
It still surprised her that he hadn’t. Maybe the idea of being on a boat with other men competing for Louise’s attention intimidated him.
“I guess I should have,” he’d said. “But then, why go to Hawaii? We already have plenty of sun here.”
“But we don’t have luaus and Tahitian dancers, and people greeting us with leis. We don’t have sea turtles or the Pearl Harbor Memorial. You would have enjoyed that.”
“I already saw it.” Then he’d added, “I hope you don’t get coronavirus,” probably in a last-ditch attempt to discourage her from going.
Louise did not discourage easily. “I’ll be fine,” she’d said with a flick of her hand. “I’ve packed Imodium. This is going to be so much fun.”
That was when Martin had decided it was time to head back home.
Zona wished he was going with her mother.
At least then someone would have been around to make sure she didn’t do anything crazy.
With the frame of mind she’d been in the last year, that was not outside the realm of possibility, although it seemed to Zona her mother should have learned something watching her daughter’s love train wrecks.
“No weddings at sea,” Zona said sternly as her mother settled her purse over her shoulder, and Louise laughed.
As if Zona was kidding. She wasn’t.
“No weddings at sea,” Louise promised. “But maybe some hanky-panky.”
Zona just shook her head.
“Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be great,” Louise assured her. “And don’t be worrying about money while I’m gone. You’ve got a place to stay, you’ve got a job. You’re doing fine.”
For someone who can’t afford to retire before ninety.
“Meanwhile, be nice to our new neighbor. You never know,” Louise finished. Then she gave her daughter one more kiss and practically skipped off.
A feeling Zona hadn’t had in a long time came back to visit. It was that same feeling she’d experienced when Bree was little and Zona had dropped her off at school on her first day. Worry combined with a wish that she didn’t have to let her mother out of her sight.
She shook her head over her silliness. Louise was a grown woman, and, despite a couple of near romantic misses, she was a smart one. She’d learned from her latest near mistake. She’d be okay.
It was more than Zona could say about herself.
Don’t think like that, she scolded herself as she drove away. You’ll get through this. So what if you’re back at the starting block? You’re still in the race.
She just had to keep pushing forward. And she would, darn it all. She was not going to end up a loser.
On her way home she stopped at her favorite discount grocery store in Azusa and purchased enough produce to take her through the week, then left, pleased with the money she’d saved.
She had her Angel Ram finance book to read, plus a bestseller she’d found at the library, and a movie, an Audrey Hepburn–Cary Grant classic.
That would be her exciting night. Audrey, Cary, Zona, and a bowl of popcorn.
Maybe library movies and home-popped popcorn would be the rest of her life.
But that beat the adventures of the first half of her life, which had been filled with fights and sleepless nights and upset stomachs. The only drama she wanted now was what she found on the small screen.
Which meant no love life, because you couldn’t have love without drama. At least Zona couldn’t. Sigh.
As she turned into her driveway, she noticed her new neighbor was home.
His lawn was freshly mowed and he was getting ready to put away his lawn mower.
He wore board shorts and was shirtless. The man had perfect pecs and a six-pack.
And yes, those biceps were lovely as well.
Even though she wasn’t interested she couldn’t help but appreciate a beautifully sculpted body.
She gave him a wave and he smiled and waved back.
And she told her eyes they’d looked enough and had other things to do.
She opened her trunk and fished out her grocery bag, which she’d foolishly stuffed too full, and managed to tip out half its contents.
Out spilled a bag of apples, a head of lettuce, and a red onion that went rolling away.
She frowned. Now some of her apples would be bruised. She set the bag down and bent to grab the apples and lettuce.
And suddenly there was her neighbor, scooping up the onion. “Can’t go wrong with a red onion,” he said with another smile as he handed it over. He had a killer smile.
“Thanks,” she said. Then her mind went blank. Quick! Fill in the blank. “Welcome to the neighborhood,” she said. Not very creative, but oh, well.
“Thanks,” he said.
“I’m Zona Hartman. I think you already met my mom,” she added. Who wanted me to bring you cookies. Do you like cookies?
Don’t say that. No cookies! No more men!
“Alec James,” he said. “Looks like this is turning out to be a friendly neighborhood. Condos, you don’t always get to know your neighbors. I wasn’t sure about buying a house, but this one was a steal. Looks like it was a good investment.”
“Well, we are friendly.”
Don’t even think about it. Friendly leads to trouble.
Okay, it was time to get inside before she did something foolish like invite him to join her and Cary and Audrey for the evening. “I guess I’d better let you get back to your lawn mower,” she said.
“And I’d better let you get busy with your onion.”
She nodded. “If you need a lawn service, I can recommend a good one.”
“Nah. I’m not big on having strangers around. Anyway, it’s not much to mow. Thanks, though.”
“No problem,” she said. “Have a good one.”
“You, too,” he said, and returned to his own property.
She stuffed the onion back in with the other produce, took a firm grip on her bag, and went inside the house.
Darling was thrilled to see her, jumping on her and nearly tipping the produce out again.
“I know, you’ve been abandoned for forever,” she said. “I’ll give you a treat and then we’ll put on your doggy Crocs and go for a quick walk.”
After Mr. Temptation was back inside his house and out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
Half an hour later they were out the door and on their way.
It looked like her neighbor had plans for the evening because here came a red PT Cruiser pulling into his driveway and parking next to his truck.
A thirty-something woman with long, curly red hair popped out of it, grabbed a designer overnight bag, and skipped to the front door.
She wore white shorts with a black T-shirt half tucked in them, showing off great legs and fit arms.
A moment later, Alec James, Louise’s candidate for Zona’s perfect man, came to the door.
“Surprise, I’m here,” caroled the woman, loud enough for Zona to hear, and stepped inside.
Zona hadn’t heard what he said in response, but considering how cute his visitor was, it had to be something welcoming.
So much for Louise’s theory that the man was available.
Zona had known all along he wasn’t. Good-looking men were always taken.
And if they weren’t, there was something seriously wrong with them.
Who needed a man, anyway? Zona had Darling.