Chapter 3
Ted
It had been an extremely trying day today between my ruined bumper to the civil litigation case I’d been working on. All I wanted to do was go home and work in my vegetable garden. My pumpkins were almost ready, and the greens were ready to be harvested. As I pulled up to my place, the new neighbor was already parked in the driveway. It was a white Nissan Rogue—the same one that had hit me earlier.
Amelia's car parked haphazardly in the shared driveway made my blood boil. She’d completely blocked my side. Why did she have to be my new neighbor? Sarah should’ve warned me. Everyone knew Blake and I didn’t get along. Now his impossible sister lived next door? I couldn’t escape these people.
I’d already been saving up for a bigger place, but this motivated me to try even harder. I parked down the street a bit, and I stomped over to Amelia’s door. It was bad enough that she’d blocked me from my own driveway, but she had the nerve to throw a party with loud music?
My hands balled into fists at my sides, and my jaw clenched involuntarily. I blew out a forced deep breath. Amelia had just moved in, maybe she didn’t know better? The deep breath did nothing to quell the irritation bubbling inside me.
As I approached Amelia's door, I took another deep breath, trying to calm myself down. Picturing the look on her face when I confronted her about the parking situation almost made me smile—I imagined her trying to stutter out an excuse or an apology, caught off guard by my directness. But this wasn’t the courtroom. This was real life and unpredictable.
“Amelia!” I called out as I rang her doorbell, not bothering to hide the annoyance in my voice. "We need to talk about your car.” No answer. I rang it again, more vigorously this time.
She turned the music down and shouted that she was on her way.
“Can I help you?” she asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Classic defensive stance. Good. Pressing her buttons was easy. She was surprisingly adorable when she was angry.
“Your car,” I grumbled, gesturing toward her vehicle parked in the middle of the driveway. “It's blocking my access.”
“You live next door?” she asked as pink flecked her cheeks.
“Yup.” Lucky me, inner eye roll .
“I'm so sorry about that. I was just unloading some boxes and forgot to move it. Give me a moment, and I'll get it out of your way.” Her genuine apology threw me off guard.
“Thank you,” I replied, a little more gruffly than I meant. “Sarah didn’t mention Blake’s sister was moving in next door.” I’d always liked Sarah. She was the local veterinarian’s wife and was a transplant to the area. This felt like something she should’ve told me. I would have to confront her about this at a later date.
“Surprise,” she said with a small smile. “I didn't realize anyone was living here when I first arrived. Your vegetable garden is amazing, by the way.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck. Complements made me anxious. “Gardening is…a bit of a passion of mine.” Gardening had always been my favorite pastime, and it was nice to hear someone else appreciate my efforts.
After repositioning her car to the right side of the driveway, I slid my own car into the empty spot. It was a good thing she didn’t drive a twelve-passenger van or something big like that. There was no way two vehicles that big would fit. She gave me a smirk and quick wave before retreating into her place. The warmth in her eyes, and the genuine smile that lingered on her lips were refreshing. A strange mix of emotions welled inside me. Amelia was undeniably infuriating, yet something about her intrigued me. Why did she have to be so pretty? It was unnerving and aggravating, for some reason.
Upon returning to my house, I immediately went to my garden, taking advantage of the last few hours of daylight. The crisp autumn air nipped at my cheeks as I knelt to inspect my plants, my breath visible in small puffs against the coolness. The pumpkins were almost ready to harvest and just in time for the fall festival.
A shadow blocked the sun. I glanced up at the darkening clouds. I grew up in Moonridge County, this was a clear sign of coming snow. Hopeful, just a light dusting though. Determined to protect my plants from the harsh elements, I grabbed a stack of burlap and began wrapping it around the more delicate flora. After ensuring the best chance at survival my plants could get, I went back inside and fell fast asleep.
The first hint of trouble came the next morning when I stepped outside to survey my snow-dusted garden. Something was amiss. Several of my kale plants had been stripped of their leaves, leaving only sad, bare stalks shivering in the cold. A few feet away, I discovered more unsettling evidence: a patch of spinach had been pilfered overnight.
“Seriously? Who would do such a thing?” I muttered under my breath, scanning the area for any signs of an intruder. My initial instinct was to blame Amelia. She’d already shown an interest in it. Maybe she’d snuck over here in the middle of the night and stolen the greens. I bet Blake put her up to it.
I should talk to Amelia. Yet, the idea of confronting her about the missing vegetables made me uneasy. After our surprisingly cordial conversation, I didn't want to risk stirring up animosity between us, again. Maybe it would be better to investigate more on my own before pointing fingers.
Massaging my temples, I scrutinized the scene once more. If there was any clue to be found among the snow-covered furrows, I intended to find it. At the same time, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Amelia was behind this.
I'll give it one more day. If nothing turns up, then I'll talk to Amelia.
The following morning, I awoke to an even more disheartening sight. The snow dusting had melted away, but more of my carefully tended greens had been stolen, leaving that whole section barren. Frustration boiled within me as I surveyed the destruction. This time, there was no questioning it—Amelia must’ve done it.
With a heavy heart, I trudged over to her side of the shared driveway and banged on her door, my fist pounding out an insistent rhythm. No answer. Her car was out front, but still she didn’t answer.
Fine. You want to play games and avoid me? Two can play that game. I marched back to my place , grabbed a paper with my business header, and a manilla envelope. I scrawled a quick note.
Dear Amelia,
Please refrain from trespassing on my property and stealing from my garden. If this behavior continues, I will be forced to take legal action.
Sincerely,
Ted Cranston, Esq.
After rereading it twice, I sealed it in the envelope. The familiarity of legal jargon brought me comfort. Perfect. That should get the point across. I tried the doorbell one more time. Still no answer. I taped the envelope to her door. She’d find it eventually.
I couldn’t wait for her all day. I had an appointment at the car repair shop to get to. With one last look at her door, I drove off, satisfaction burning within me.
I arrived at the repair shop, the owner inspected the damage to my Tesla. His deep sigh made me squeamish.
“Ted, I’m not going to lie, Teslas are difficult to repair. You’re looking at about $7,000 to fix this.”
“Are you serious?” I expected it to be expensive, but $7,000 seemed excessive. “Can you fax your assessment to my insurance company. I’ll set up an appointment when I get word from them.”
He took down the information before I left. While I could afford to cover the damage myself, that wasn’t the point. I was trying to save up for a real home, and this was going to eat into that account.
If Amelia’s insurance company didn’t cover this, she was going to have another lawsuit on her hands.