Dear Neighbor

by River Laurent

  She shook her head gently. “You can take as much time as you need. I will put this clipboard down on the table. The photograph is face down and when you are ready you can turn it over. The photo will show your brother lying down. He has some head trauma, but his face is unmarked. There is also some bruising on his neck.

  Tracee nodded slowly and laid her hands on the table with their beautifully manicured pale nails.

  “Take as much time as you like,” Ruth said softly. “There is no hurry at all. I am here to help you.”

  “I’m sorry you to have to be here,” Tracee said.

  Ruth shook her head and smiled kindly. “Don’t be sorry. I consider my job an honor and a privilege. Birth and death are natural. Some people are around at the beginning of a person’s life and others are there at the end.”

  Slowly, Tracee lifted one corner of the photo and turned it over. Her brother looked nothing like her. His hair was matted with blood on one side and there was a bruise on his neck, but otherwise, he looked like he was sleeping. For a long time, Tracee stared at the photo. The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. I could hear my own heart.

  Then she took a shuddering breath. “Yes, that’s Mickey.”

  The woman reached over and touched Tracee’s hand and Tracee jumped and shrank back. An expression of surprised hurt crossed the woman’s face and I nearly wanted to tell her about Tracee’s germ phobia.

  The woman gave Tracee details of where she can go to get counseling and help if she needed and then she stood to leave.

  “You can go now if you want,” Tracee said to me. Her hands were shaking.

  “No, I’ll stay with you.”

  She looked at me gratefully. I stayed with her until she felt well enough to leave. It was nearly three o’clock and the air was chilly outside. I called a cab and dropped her off at her apartment before going back to mine.

  I got out of the elevator and walked slowly to my apartment. I felt strangely drained. Seeing Tracee that way shocked me. Is that the fate that awaited me one day? So alone I have to call one of my staff if I get into a moment of terrible pain?

  I kept seeing her white face, her lips trembling.

  When I tried to hug her, she stood in the circle of my arms like a piece of wood until suddenly a dam broke inside her and she held me tightly and sobbed like a baby. How lonely her life must be?

  I fished out my key and Max’s door opened.

  “Are you all right?” he asked from across the corridor.

  I nodded.

  We stood staring at each other for a few seconds. Then he crossed the space between us in great strides and pulled me into his strong arms. I could feel the heat coming from his body, smell his aftershave, and hear the steady beat of his heart. It felt so safe and right. I wanted him so much it hurt, but I knew I couldn’t have him.

  I felt hot tears start rolling down my face.

  I didn’t really know why I was crying. I wasn’t close to Tracee at all. Maybe it was just the human connection. Her sadness that had temporarily rubbed off on me. He never said a word, until I pulled away from him.

  “Do you want to come to my place?” he asked.

  I shook my head. I was too confused about everything. Him. My life. My priorities. I knew one thing for sure. I didn’t want to be like Tracee fifteen years from now. If I kept hooking up with guys like Josh and Max that was exactly what I was staring at.

  “I think it would be a mistake for us to continue seeing each other.”

  Something flashed in his eyes, but so quickly I couldn’t tell what it was, especially the way I was feeling. Then he went still. “Why?”

  “I’m too confused about everything. I just broke up with Josh, and I don’t even know how I really feel about it. I don’t want to go from his bed into yours. I think I need some time to evaluate my life, and where I’m going.”

  His brows drew down. “Fair enough.”

  “I’m sorry if I led you on. If you don’t want to come to the party with me tomorrow, I’ll understand.”

  “No, I’ll take you to it. There’s no fucking way I’m giving either of them the satisfaction of having a laugh at your expense.”

  My heart beat a little faster at the determined expression on his face. “You will?”

  He nodded. “Sure I will.”

  I stared at him. He was so beautiful. I wanted to reach out and touch his unsmiling face. “So we’re friends?” Something inside me hurt to ask him that.

  He shrugged one shoulder. “Yeah.”

  “Thank you, Max.”

  “No problem. See you tomorrow?”

  I was too choked up to speak. I just nodded and went into my apartment.

  I turned around to close the door and he was just standing there.

  “Goodnight, Mimi. Sleep well.”

  “Goodnight, Max,” I whispered. Then I shut the door on him. That night I made up my mind. I would go to the party tomorrow with Max and then that would probably be it for us. The truth was I could never be friends with him. I had complicated things by getting close to him. Now it would kill me to see the parade of women he brought to his apartment. Especially now that I had a taste what he was like as a lover. I wished that he would sell to the developers and move away. I thanked God we had not gone all the way, but the thought made my heart ache.

  31

  Mimi

  “Are you sure this looks all right?” I turned to the side once again and checked out my almost bare back.

  Megan was watching me from the edge of my bed. She smiled at me in the mirror. “I’m gonna need to break out the thesaurus to find compliments I haven’t already used.”

  “I feel like I’m showing too much back.”

  “What’s wrong with showing too much back? You have a sensational back. If it were cut that low in the front, then we’d have to talk.”

  “If it were cut that low in the front, I’d get arrested.” I shook my head, fretting. “Is it a little too much skin for the St. Regis though? I don’t want anybody thinking I’m working, and I don’t mean as a server.”

  Megan frowned. “It’s sexy obviously, but in a classy, elegant way that would be totally acceptable at the St. Regis.”

  I faced the mirror again, chewing my lip uncertainly. I was never this insecure.

  With an exasperated sigh, she fished through a tote bag full of accessories she’d brought with her. “Here. If it makes you feel better, use this.” She wrapped a silver shawl around my shoulders and stood back. It went beautifully with the strappy silver stilettos she lent me after making me promise to care for them like I would my own child. Friendship was friendship, but a good pair of shoes were forever.

  I stepped back, taking in the full picture. The dress was navy blue with a halter neck. The front was completely demure and classy, but it was completely backless coming dangerously close to flirting with the top of my thong. It didn’t seem like the dress should stay in place, but it was so beautifully tailored it did, even when I sat.

  I smoothed down the front of the dress, where it came down to just above my knee. I had to admit; the slim cut hugged my figure and made me feel like squeezing my shoulders forward and blowing sultry kisses like those bombshell movie starlets from the fifties. I wondered what Max would make of this dress. I thought of his burning gray eyes roaming hungrily over my body.

  “Where did you go just then?” Megan asked as she plugged in my curling iron.

  “Nowhere. I was right here.”

  “No, you weren’t. You looked worried. Are you worried about something? Is it that woman Tracee?”

  “No.”

  “There are lonely, sad people like her in every big city. You’re nothing like her.”

  I nodded. “I know.”

  “So, what you are worried about?”

  “I’m not worried,” I denied.

  “Bull. Try again.”

  “I’m…I was…um…thinking. Wondering.”

  “About Josh?”

&nb
sp; “God, no.”

  “Good, because he’s not worth another minute of your life.”

  “He’s not worth my life? Then why am I going to this party again?”

  She sat me down on the dining chair she’d pulled into my bedroom and started working on my hair. Her sister was a stylist and had taught her a million tricks, which explained why her natural curls never looked frizzy or unkempt even on windy or humid days.

  I draped a towel over my chest and started with my makeup while she separated my hair into sections and pinned it up all over my head.

  She waved the curling iron around to make her point. “To show whats-her-face that you’re okay. To rise above the mean little shits who seek to drag you down and be gracious in your good fortune.”

  “Good fortune?”

  “She’s settling for Josh. You’ve got Max,” she told me.

  “I haven’t got Max,” I reminded.

  “She doesn’t know that,” she said merrily.

  “Tonight, you will go out there and enjoy yourself. Show her you’re doing just fine.” I saw a twinkle in her eye before she continued, “And if you happen to do a little canoodling with a guy about a million times hotter than Josh could be in his wildest dreams, well…”

  “There will be no canoodling,” I shot back.

  “And you wonder why I think of you as an old lady.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head with the expression of a disappointed mother.

  “You’re assuming he’ll even want to canoodle with me. I told you, he agreed that we’d be friends.”

  “Friends, my ass. Honey, when he sees you looking as good as you’re going to look when I’m finished with you, you’ll be lucky to make it to the party.” She winked at me in the mirror.

  “I don’t think so.”

  Her sigh echoed throughout the room. “What is it about Max that pushes you away like this? From what you’ve told me he’s funny and charming. And he swooped in to save you when Josh was being an insensitive asshole. I’m sorry, but I don’t know why you didn’t wake up in his bed this morning.

  She doesn’t know I very nearly did.

  “Well, I guess I’m just going to need to hang around here until he comes and find out for myself.”

  “Don’t you dare,” I threatened.

  She snorted with laughter. “If you don’t think I’m not gonna stick around to get a look at him, you’re insane.”

  32

  Mimi

  I sighed. “Fine, but don’t say or do anything that will embarrass me.”

  “I wonder why he’s still unattached.”

  “Maybe he’s got a dead girl in his closet that he cuddles every night.”

  “Don’t be silly. Maybe he’s been burned in the past. You know how that feels.”

  “Or maybe he’s obsessed with his mother and no woman will ever measure up.”

  She laughed. “He’s probably too busy for a relationship, or he’s waiting for someone as special as you to come along.”

  “Or the truth. He’s a serial womanizer.”

  “Not everything has to be so serious, Mimi. It’s okay for you to have a little fun, you know.”

  “I can have fun without sex, thanks. Sex with Josh is what got me into this mess. I followed my sex drive and look where it got me.” I looked into my best friend’s eyes, reflected over my head. “Please, let me heal up a little before I get back out there, okay.”

  “Of course. You do what feels good to you. I shouldn’t push you like I do. I just want you to be happy.”

  I reach back and touch her hand. “I know you want what’s best for me.”

  “I love you, Mimi.”

  “I know. I love you too, Megan.”

  She laughed. “Geez. How the hell did we get here?”

  I laughed too. “No idea, but you know what would make me happy right now?”

  “What?”

  “A whole carton of chocolate ice cream and a pack of cigarettes.”

  “You haven’t smoked since graduation.”

  “It’s never too late to restart a bad habit. I have to do something for my nerves and I can’t chew on my nails since I just got them done.”

  “Just relax and let me work my magic.”

  And she did, curling and twisting and pinning until my hair was arranged in a curly mass on the back of my head. I couldn’t have done something like that in a million years—I’d have burns all over my fingers and a bird’s nest to show for it if I tried.

  One thing I could do though was makeup. The smoky eye I gave myself looked pretty awesome with scarlet lips.

  Megan was right, I thought as I stood up. I looked great. After the damage I did to my credit card with a manicure, pedicure, new dress, and purse, I damn well should. I’d be paying off my night out for a long time, but if I pulled this off with my pride intact, it would be worth it.

  There was a little piece of me—maybe more than a little piece—that wanted to make Josh sorry for what he’d done. I wanted him to look at me tonight and regret cheating on me.

  “Thanks, Megan,” I said touching my hair. “You’re like a real-life unicorn. Just too good to be true.”

  She made an exaggerated bow.

  “What time is it?” I asked.

  “Three minutes later than when you asked me last time,” she muttered, as she cleaned up our mess.

  “God, I’m nervous,” I said, laying my hand on my stomach.

  “There’s nothing to be nervous about. You look stunning.”

  I slid my feet into her five-inch, pencil-thin heels and did a little tour of my bedroom to acclimate myself. “I have butterflies.”

  “Get over it,” she said without turning around.

  “Maybe it’s nausea.”

  She whirled. “Don’t throw up on the shoes, or I swear to God our friendship is over.”

  “I’m glad to know where I fall on your list of priorities.” I sat down, my knees like jelly. “I can’t believe this has me so worked up. I wish I hadn’t run into them that day. I wish Max hadn’t interfered. I could have just turned them down and that would have been that.”

  “And what would you be doing tonight instead?” She sat beside me, patting me on the knee.

  “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be ready to throw up on your shoes. That much I know for sure.”

  “You’re going to a fabulous party, instead,” she said firmly. “With a guy who makes you laugh. If nothing else, you will have a great time together. Forget the reason you’re even there. Just have fun.”

  I looked out the window nervously. “What’s the weather like outside?”

  “And now I’m a meteorologist,” she muttered, checking an app on her phone. “It’s chilly. Clear. No rain, thank God. I didn’t do your hair for nothing.”

  “What time is it now?” I got up, pacing.

  “It’s almost eight. He’ll be here any minute. Would you please calm down?”

  “I don’t know what it is,” I admitted. “All of Lillian’s friends probably know who I am. They know Josh and I were sleeping together. What if they start something with me?”

  “You’ll call me and I’ll get there and kick some ass,” she growled. “But I don’t think it will come to that. This isn’t a revenge story.”

  “I hope not.”

  “Besides, you won’t be alone. Max knows what’s up. He’ll protect you. I just have a feeling about him.”

  As if on cue, the doorbell rang. The sound of the bell must have triggered my bladder since I had to pee all of a sudden, but I didn’t dare leave Megan alone with Max—I didn’t trust her mouth. She scrambled to her feet to answer while I checked my reflection once more.

  “Hi,” I heard Max say, surprise in his voice. “I’m here for Mimi.”

  She didn’t reply right away. I turned to see why and instantly understood. He took my breath away, too. Something deep in the pit of my body roared to life, while I pressed my lips together to contain the helpless groan that threatened to slip out of
my mouth. I started rethinking my “no sex” rule then and there.

  33

  Mimi

  I couldn’t have described him in all his glory if I tried for a week. There just weren’t words in the English language, to describe the aura that seemed to surround him. Gorgeous, sexy, debonair—I could have gone on and on, but it wouldn’t have been nearly enough.

  All I could do was admire how majestic he looked in his black suit, the collar of his white shirt open at the throat just like it had been that night on the front steps. He wore a black trench coat with a gray scarf that matched his steely eyes. How were other men at the party going to cope with all this masculine perfection?

  His eyes shifted from Megan to me, and I wondered if I imagined them widening just a little bit.

  “Wow,” he breathed.

  Every cell in my body tingled at that single sound, that one-syllable word coming from his mouth. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand to attention. A shiver ran through me as his eyes took me in from head to toe.

  “Do I pass muster?” I murmured.

  He didn’t say a word. He just kept staring.

  “So, I’m Megan,” my best friend said, still standing at the door. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Oh!” Max chuckled, then shook her hand. “It’s good to meet you. Max Black.”

  “I know,” she said, sounding a little giggly. I told myself that couldn’t be her. She was the most together person I knew. Men didn’t make her giggle like that. I rarely made her giggle and I was her best damn friend.

  “Well, this is great, but I think we should go. We don’t want to miss the effigy I’m sure Lillian and her friends are burning in my honor.”

  I pulled my coat from the rack, and Max was by my side in a moment to help me put it on. Did I imagine his hand lingering on my shoulder? It felt pretty good, imaginary or not.

  “I’ve got your back,” Max assured me. “Nobody’s burning you in effigy while I’m around.”

  “I feel so much better now,” I joked, but when I looked at him—we were a bit closer in height, thanks to Megan’s shoes—he wasn’t smiling. He meant it. For once, he was being dead serious.