Four
GRIGGS
I worked through the night, non-stop, to make this place presentable for the open house. Why I didn’t hire it out, I’ll never know. It’s probably because I’ve never done it on my own and had no clue how tiring it is to set up a home.
Last night, my buddy Raith called me and invited me over for dinner tomorrow evening. It’ll be nice to catch up, so today, I’m going to make a grocery run. I grab my keys from the hall table and head to the truck. I’m brought up short when I spot my neighbor walking from her mailbox.
“Hey, there.” I smile with a wave. “How are you?”
When her gaze locks with mine, it knocks the breath from me. Her smile widens as she waves. “Hey, there, neighbor. How’s the staging coming along?”
“Almost done; you’ll have to come over and give me your opinion on the set-up.” What in the hell am I saying? This isn’t an episode of House Hunters; besides, she already has a home, so just ask her out already.
She lingers in her driveway before answering me. “Sure, that sounds great, but it’ll have to be after I run to the school.”
“School? Are you going back to college?” Please tell me you’re modeling for the frat calendar because I would buy the entire lot from them.
“Not me,” she tilts her head. “Mia and Taylor start preschool this week. That’s if Taylor doesn’t play escape from Alcatraz with the locals.”
There it is. The head tilt that owned me my whole life, even when we were her kid's age, it’s all she ever had to do to get me to agree with her about anything. My chest tightens and fills with the heaviness I knew would eventually come; I’m sure her ex will be around to see this with her.
“Ah, yes, of course.” I drag in a deep breath and raise my head again. “I wish them well.”
“The twins or the teachers?” She winces.
“Touché.” I watch her eyes sparkle when she talks about her children; she’s in her element and shines every time.
She moves closer to me but not close enough for me. “I hate doing it, but the extra time I’ll get to work now will definitely come in handy. They keep growing, and so do the bills.”
“I can’t imagine; I know my parents kept saying I was gonna make them go broke just buying food when I was growing up.
” This is the conversation I could’ve waited on having with her.
I simply don’t want to hear about her ex-husband, and it’s gonna take a lot more time by the apparent ache in my soul that I’m feeling right now. Ouch!
She wanders into my driveway, making her way over to me. “Most days, I’m okay with handling everything, but I’m finding it harder as they grow to stay on top of it all. I feel like the worst mom ever.”
“I don’t see it; I think you’re incredible.” I can’t help myself and inhale her delicious scent as she gets closer; she smells like strawberries and champagne, crazy. But what’s even more insane is the peace she brought with her; it’s overwhelming.
“Maybe, but I believe you just don’t see it. How did our mothers make it look so easy?” She touches my hand and quickly removes it.
“I’m not sure, but I know you’re amazing; Mia and Taylor are lucky to have you.” I bite my lip when I realize she’s watching my mouth; her lips part, and I find it intoxicating and sexy as hell.
The tip of her tongue sweeps over her mouth. “Oh yeah, I forgot I have something I need to do, so I better go.”
With that, she spins around and hightails it back to her house like she’s stealing my newspaper or something. I haven’t moved from where she left me, still trying to figure out what the tension is between us.
“That woman’s gonna be the death of me; I just know it.” I run my hand over my face to gather myself in hopes of calming down. Hunter makes my blood boil in all the right ways, and sooner or later, I’m going to blow.
As I hit Highway Seventeen just as the school buses crowd the road, I guess I should’ve paid better attention to the time than my neighbor.
“Damn. Why do I keep getting so nervous around her?” I lay my head back, waiting on the light to change. A flower shop just ahead catches my attention just as the traffic begins moving again; I should swing by and grab some for dinner tonight.
“It would be nice if Hunter was there tonight, but then again, keeping her at arm’s length is the better plan.
” I flip my signal light on and take off, so I don’t have a chance to change my mind.
“How can one woman make me this nervous? I’ve gone up against giants in the courtroom, but Hunter is my kryptonite. ”
I run into the florist, picking the first thing I see to take with me.
As I drive around the old neighborhood, my mind is flooded with memories of Raith and me growing up together.
We stayed into trouble, “Momma used to say it was no wonder I become an attorney because one of us would need help one day.”
Eventually, I stop by and grab some papers to check the classified ads. If I plan to get the house on the market, I need to figure out a price to get back to my life. “Being home with Hunter next door is proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be.”
The sun begins to fall into the ocean, letting me know it’s time to head over to Raith’s. “Alright, you need to get control of yourself and stop painting over Hunter like you’ve never seen a woman before.”
I pull into Raith’s driveway and park right behind Hunter’s SUV. “There you go, Black. Put as much room between you and Hunter as possible.”
As I climb off my ride, Raith bolts out of the house, flipping me off the entire way. “Man, it’s so fucking good to see you.”
“I can tell; nice welcome sign you’ve got there.”
“What the hell ever!” Raith pulls me into a bear hug, slapping my back as hard as he can. “C’mon, outback, this bunch is ready to eat, and the beer is cold.”
“Let’s do it!” My chest tightens as I scan the yard for Hunter. The minute I lock eyes with her, her smile brightens, and my head spins. Hunter’s beauty still makes me dizzy and takes my breath away.
Raith interrupts my thoughts, dragging me back to reality. “Man, have I missed you? It’s so good to see you, brother.”
“Hell, it’s good to see you too.” I grab a beer from the cooler in front of us. There are five children running around and playing, three girls and two boys. “So, which one of these screaming banshees is yours?”
“Can’t you tell? I know you’ve met Taylor.” Raith points in the direction where Taylor and Hunter are swinging. Her long hair billows in the wind behind her.
“What?” I shake my head, turning to him. “Of course, I see him on the swing set, but I haven’t had a chance to see Mia.”
“You can’t miss her; she’s her mom.” Raith quips.
“No shit.” I scratch my beard, thinking about how gorgeous Hunter has always been, and then Mia runs across the yard in front of me. Her long hair sways behind her, just like Hunter’s does. “She’s her mother, for sure. By the way, how is she doing?”
“She’s good.” Raith frowns as he looks over at Hunter. “Considering she’s raising twins and working full time, she’s always handling things her way.”
“Calm and cool,” I can’t help but smirk. “unless she’s wearing a towel.”
“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that.” Raith’s brows knit tightly; he throws his shoulders back with defiance. “Hell, Hunter handles her shit and always has. She’s amazing, and I’m proud of her for leaving that fucking asshole.”
“So, what did happen with that? I thought he vowed to treat her like a queen.” I clear my throat as my thoughts grow dark.
Raith adjusts his feet, turning to the side. “It didn’t last long; he found a different woman to love.”
“He cheated on Hunter?” I growl, and Raith’s eyes dart to mine.
His voice now matches mine. “With women and drugs, which is his true mistress.”
“Son of a bitch.” My words tremble as anger grips me. “She doesn’t deserve that; Hunter’s amazing.”
“That she is, my friend. Keep your hands to yourself, Black.” Raith rears back on his heels.
“My hands are right here, shithead.” I bristle, walking away. “If memory serves, you never said anything about hers.”