Chapter 11
Kay was sitting out on the terrace typing away on her phone when I got back from my morning jog. The sun was still hidden behind a string of clouds, and the air was a shimmer of muggy heat.
“Morning,” I said, stretching my arms over my head.
“Good morning.” She put her phone to the side and smiled. “And? How was it?”
For a second I wondered if she was referring to yesterday evening, before I realized that she didn’t know where I’d been.
“Good,” I replied, glancing at my smartwatch.
I’d run for two and a half miles and stayed at an optimal heart rate. Well, with the exception of about ten minutes ago, when I started brooding. I’d run by Vince’s house and had thought of our encounter in his bedroom. Our shared walk home.
“Everything okay?” Kay’s voice tore me out of my thoughts.
“Yes, yes, all good.” I looked up from my watch, bent forward, and touched my toes. The stretch was intense, almost painful, and I could feel it all the way through my calves. “How was your date?”
“It wasn’t a date.”
“Your dinner with your good friend.”
“Nice.”
“Nice,” I repeated, making no secret of my amusement.
“What about your evening?”
It was a simple diversionary tactic, but I let it go. After all, I had made up my mind to talk with Kay anyway. I’d even thought of the words I’d use. Last night in bed, this morning while jogging.
“I was at the barbecue over at the Greenfields’.”
Kay’s expression was indecipherable, somewhere between confusion and curiosity.
“You didn’t tell me that both of us were invited.”
She looked truly surprised. “I didn’t think it would interest you. The last time you saw Vince Greenfield he accused you of being my Trojan horse.”
“I think he’s realized that that was a bit out of line.”
“You think?”
“Well, I mean, he did invite us to his barbecue and all.”
“That’s no excuse.”
“But it’s a kind of concession.”
Something I didn’t know how to interpret flared in her eyes, and I wondered if I’d gone a bit too far in my defense of Vince.
“Who else was there?”
“Friends of Vince’s.”
“Vince.”
The slightly mocking tone of voice she used made me feel like I had to justify myself.
“He’s not much older than me. I’m certainly not going to call him Mr. Greenfield.
” Although it came out much more easily than I’d have expected, once again I could feel myself blushing.
“Did you have anything to do with none of the other neighbors showing up?” Kay didn’t beat around the bush, that’s why I knew she wouldn’t take my directness the wrong way.
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“He invited all his neighbors, but not a single one showed up.”
She snorted. “And he’s surprised?”
“Well, a few said that they would but then didn’t. That’s a bit weird, right?”
“I don’t find that weird at all. Maybe he shouldn’t have tortured his neighbors with his endless sawing.”
“Sander.” I took a deep lunge. “He’d only borrowed it and needed to give it back.”
She shot me a searching look. “Might your sudden understanding for Vince have anything to do with the fact that he’s attractive?”
“What? No!” I made a face. “He’s not…”
She raised her eyebrows doubtfully.
“Okay, he’s hot,” I said, and this time clearly went red in the face. “But that’s not the point.” I took a moment to collect my thoughts. “I simply think that your little feud is unhelpful to everyone involved.”
She raised her hands in an innocent gesture. “I didn’t start it.”
Before things could turn into a chicken-or-the-egg kind of debate, I said, “But you haven’t done anything to end it.”
“I’ll end it as soon as he gives up his whole hostel idea.”
I forced myself to stay calm. And changed my strategy. “How would you have acted if someone had gotten in the way of you opening your tennis school?”
“Oh, please, Lou! That is something else entirely.”
“Why?”
“My tennis school is neither in a residential area nor does it make any noise. I made a point of that while looking for the right place. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with expecting the same thing from others.”
Okay. Dead end. Or?
“You had a choice of where to go. Vince inherited the house.”
“And I have no problem with him living there,” she said, getting steadily angrier. “Or working there. He can do whatever he wants. Build surfboards, open a tattoo studio…”
“A tattoo studio?”
“Whatever. As long as he doesn’t open a hostel.”
“It was a hostel in the past already. Did you know that?”
“It was a little two-room B and B. That’s different.”
“Okay, I give up.” I sounded more frustrated than I was. Maybe that’s why something like remorse flashed in Kay’s eyes.
“Lou,” she said softly. “I really don’t want to argue with you. Especially not over something that doesn’t have anything to do with the two of us.”
“So, you’re admitting that the whole thing is absurd.”
She sighed, but there was a touch of amusement behind it. “You can be just as insistent as your mother. Anyone ever tell you that?”
“Yeah. My dad.” I grinned.
She lowered her eyes. When she looked back up, she was wearing a gentle expression. “I admit that the whole thing has gotten a little out of hand. It was the third night in a row, and I was simply done. And I had a headache.”
“I get that. It would have annoyed me too.” I let a few beats pass before taking a risk. “You could always withdraw your complaint.”
The fact that she didn’t reject the idea out of hand surprised me. Instead, she gazed off into the distance. Her fingers drummed the tabletop thoughtfully. “I’ll think about it.”
“Really?”
“Really,” she replied with a smirk.
“Thanks.” I bent forward and blew her a kiss.
“All I said was that I’ll think about it,” she said playfully.
“That’s good enough.” With a satisfied smile, I made my way inside to take a shower.
“If your comeback doesn’t work out, you could consider a career as a mediator!” she called after me.