Jill loved her lawnmower. It was from a garage sale she visited when she first moved into town next to Elena. She felt she got a good deal on it, and it rarely gave her any trouble. She especially loved how it was easy to use, and that it definitely got the job done fast and right. The only thing not so good about it was that it was on the older side. However, with proper care, she was told by many people that it would still last a long time.
With the garage door open and lawnmower pushed out, she tried starting it. The lawnmower sounded like it was about to run, but then quit. Not thinking twice, Jill just tried again. Again, it about took off, but then died.
Hmm. Maybe it needs more gas.
She opened the fuel cap to check inside. It did appear a little low so she added some more.
Let’s try this again.
Jill pushed the choke button down three times and then gave a yank on the cord. At first Jill thought she had it.
But she didn’t.
The lawnmower sat there in front of her, completely dead.
Why won’t you start?
She stood up, looking down at the contraption, trying to think of what else she could try. It was times like this when she did miss having a man around because she certainly wasn’t capable of fixing machines like this.
Just then she heard a noise coming from next door. When she glanced up, she saw Brian making his way over to her.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Maybe. I was going to try to get the grass cut today, but this here lawnmower won’t start.”
Looking down at the lawnmower that Jill pointed to, he could tell that it had seen better days. “Do you mind if I look at it?”
“No. Go right ahead.”
Jill stepped back so Brian could have all the space he needed. She ended up leaning on her car, arms crossed. Where she stood allowed her to meticulously watch Brian as he squatted and began tinkering with various things on the lawnmower. From what she gathered, he knew exactly what he was doing.
“Aha,” Brian concluded.
Jill came closer to him and asked, “So what’s wrong?”
“It needs a new spark plug.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep. As soon as you get a new one in there, it’ll be as good as before.”
“What kind of spark plug does it need?” she asked, completely clueless as to what that even was.
“You know what? Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it for you.”
Jill shook her head, and stated, “I can’t let you do that. Just tell me what I need and I’ll get it myself.”
Brian gave her a serious look. “Jill?”
When she looked into his eyes as he looked at her, she almost had to turn away. It was as if his gaze burned right down to her core. Barely able to answer back, she asked, “What?”
Keeping his eyes on her, tone remaining serious, he said, “I was just getting ready to go to the store anyway. Let me do it for you.”
With a sigh, Jill conceded.
Brian figured out what spark plug he would need and then told Jill he would be back shortly.
Well, what should I do now? Jill thought.
She went over her mental list of things she wanted to get accomplished today and decided she would get some weeding done while she waited.
On her hands and knees, plucking out the harmful plants, Jill lost herself in the mesmerizing look Brian gave her just moments before. What bothered her most was that she feared she was beginning to feel something towards him.
But how do I stop?
---------------
Brian made the quick trip to downtown Ashwin where he was fortunate to find a parking space right in front of the hardware store. Before exiting the vehicle, he took a quick moment to reflect on how much this place had changed. The building before him looked run down and dirty. Looking through the giant window he could tell the inside wasn’t much better. On the door itself he noticed a ‘For Sale’ sign.
Doesn’t look like business is going that well, he thought sadly.
When he entered the store, the same old familiar doorbell chimed to signal his presence. Looking above at the signs to figure out where he needed to go, he quickly moved forward to get his shopping done. The store wasn’t stocked well, but thankfully it still had all he needed.
The last item was the spark plug for Jill’s lawnmower. He ambled toward the right area when out of nowhere the storeowner finally greeted him.
“Brian? Is that you? Welcome back, buddy!”
“Hey, Johnny. How are you?”
The older man standing before him sighed heavily. “Well, okay. Things could be better though, as you can see.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely not what I remember.”
Johnny chuckled. “I remember you coming in here all the time with your dad. You were quite the helper!”
Brian smiled.
“Anyway, is there anything I can help you find?”
Shaking his head, Brian said, “No. I think I can figure it out.”
“Okay. If you need me, just yell.” Johnny slowly walked off, his age definitely showing.
Brian continued his journey to the spark plug area, hoping what he needed could be found. All the missing parts and supplies were depressing. It made him grateful for what he had back home.
Scanning the spark plugs, he found the one he needed. It was the last one, but there nonetheless. He took his items up to the counter where Johnny was sitting down.
“Did you find everything?”
“I sure did. Thank you.”
The owner slowly rang up each item, finally giving the total to Brian.
When the complete transaction was squared away, Brian asked, “So you’re selling?”
“Yep! Know anybody who may be interested?”
Brian shook his head. “I don’t even live around here anymore.”
“Oh, I know. I’m just eager to get rid of the place.”
“Why?”
“It’s just too much for me nowadays. Plus, ever since they built the chain big box store fifteen minutes from here, no one hardly stops by. That’s why I don’t keep too many things stocked.”
“I see. Well, good luck.”
“Thank you, Brian. You have a good day now, you hear?”
Brian waved and told him the same.
Driving back to his mom’s home, he couldn’t help but think of all the potential that was there for that hardware store.
Hopefully it’ll get into the right hands and they’ll bring it back to life like it used to be.
---------------
Jill heard Brian’s car engine coming up the driveway, signaling his return. She glanced up from the work she was doing to confirm it was true. Standing up and brushing off all the mess she made, she began walking back towards her lawnmower where Brian was already working on the fix. “Did you find what you needed?” Jill questioned.
“Sure did.”
Fixated on the job at hand, Brian offered up no other words and not even a look. He instead stayed busy doing what he needed to do to solve the problem.
Jill tried watching so that if this should happen again she could handle fixing it herself. However, her eyes and mind strayed more on Brian than on what he was doing. She had to admit that he was of more interest to her than fixing a lawnmower anyway.
Not long after, Brian had everything put back together. He got up and said, “That should do it.” He pressed the choke button and pulled the cord. The lawnmower began purring on the first try. More importantly, it stayed running.
Relieved, Jill thanked him.
“No problem,” he smiled.
She turned the mower back off so that if anything else was said between the two of them, they could hear one another.
“Better be careful. It may not turn back on now,” Brian teased.
Jill didn’t catch his playful tone. Instead her eyes bulged out of her head. “Seriously?”
Brian laughed. “No, I’m kiddin
g. You should be good for a while now as long as nothing else quits on you.”
Jill smacked him on the arm as she said, “Don’t do that!”
“Ow,” Brian winced.
Again, Jill looked alarmed and Brian laughed all the harder.
“That didn’t hurt, did it?” Jill asked plainly.
“Nah, I was just playing.”
Both of them calmed down, and Brian remembered he had some other things he needed to get done. “Well, I should probably get going.”
“Thank you again for fixing this for me. You’re my hero for today,” Jill declared with a smile.
“Anytime, Jill.”
Brian moved closer to Jill and she could feel her heartbeat start to race, not knowing what to anticipate.
He gently took her hand in his and with sincerity he said, “With as much as you’ve done for my mom, this was nothing. I owe you so much more than this. So when I say anytime, I mean anytime. Please don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it.”
Jill cleared her throat for a quick second because of the heat his touch induced in her. “Okay,” she finally breathed out with a nod.
Brian let go of Jill’s hand, conscious of wanting to be careful with her; to take things really slow. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off or do something that would make her want to avoid him. He was thankful for everything that did happen, and counted it as a win for now.
But Jill didn’t want him to let go.
At his release she yearned for his hand to return. There was something in the way he touched her, looked into her, that was different than she had ever experienced before.
Breaking her thoughts, Brian again mentioned he should go. And with a wave and good bye, off he went.
Jill didn’t start up the lawnmower again until he was back inside his mom’s house. Just like before, it took only one try to get it going.
The whole time Jill mowed her grass she thought about how nice it was for Brian to have helped her. He definitely didn’t have to, and she would have understood completely if he hadn’t. But he didn’t even hesitate to do so; in fact, almost demanded to help.
Each step Jill took with a smile all because of Brian.
8
Brian glanced around each room, double checking to make sure he had everything he needed for his trip back to Ashwin. This had been a shorter trip back home, but one that had to be made nonetheless. Being an owner had its perks, but also its responsibilities.
As he packed the last of the remaining items into his suitcase, Brian thought about his return to Ashwin. His mom had been hinting towards finding a home where she would receive professional care if needed, which meant he might be doing some shopping around. He did not look forward to that one bit.
On the flip side, he did look forward to seeing Jill again. She was like an added bonus when staying with his mom.
Eyeing his friend, he wondered how Jill would react to seeing him. He knew his mom would be thrilled because it had been a long time, but wasn’t sure what Jill would think.
I guess I’ll find out.
Deep down he was hoping his friend would be a pivotal figure in helping move things along. The last few months had been good, but he wasn’t where he wanted to be with Jill. She was definitely warming up to him, but he still didn’t have her trust, her heart or anywhere near her hand in marriage.
I’ve got to step up my game, he thought to himself, smiling at his friend.
He zipped up his suitcase and turned everything off. Walking towards the door he said, “Come on, Buddy. Let’s go.”
---------------
Jill loved it when Ashwin experienced an Indian summer. Even though fall was well underway, the temperatures and amount of sun there was on days like today made it feel more like the end of August and not the end of October.
Deciding it was a good day for a run around the park, Jill laced up her tennis shoes and walked out the door. Immediately she felt the warmth of the sun hit her skin, and she breathed in the fresh air. She made her way to the park, walking first so she could warm up her muscles.
Going out for a run was a great way for Jill to process her thoughts. She did her best thinking while going through and around Ashwin City Park. This park was one of the best perks to living where she did. It was shaded and situated within a square; twice around equaled a mile. There was also a path that ran in between to give users options on how to navigate. Ashwin City Park was very ideal for runners, and Jill made use of it as often as she could.
Her first lap around the park, Jill’s thoughts revolved around her job and how Elena recently quit. Although she knew it was coming due to Elena’s age and condition, and she wasn’t working much anymore anyway, it still stung. Work would be different knowing that she was permanently gone.
She didn’t know what to make of Elena talking about going to a home with assisted living either. Jill understood to some extent that the available care right on site was probably a comfort to Elena, as was the lack of home ownership responsibilities. But having her leave and someone new living in her house was a funny feeling to Jill. Life as she knew of the last couple of years almost seemed to be crumbling little by little.
Suddenly she wondered how Brian might be processing everything. After all, it was his mom; his childhood home.
I think he comes back soon!
The last few months Brian had come and gone a couple of times, each time Jill taking his place in watching Elena and helping her with whatever needed to get done. Usually Jill didn’t know exactly how long he would be gone for, but based on past experiences, it had to be within a day or two that he would arrive back in town.
She didn’t know where she stood on Brian. Excited for him to come back? Yes. Attractive? Most definitely. A good man? Absolutely. Could she see herself with him? This is where it got tricky.
A part of her wanted to maybe pursue a relationship because he was definitely different than Mark, and her dad for that matter.
But she was scared. Scared to give all of herself to only be hurt in the end once again.
I definitely can’t risk going through that again.
Closing in on another lap helped her decide that she was for sure set in remaining single the rest of her life. The risks far outweighed the rewards in her opinion. Realizing that once everything with Elena was said and done that Brian would more than likely be gone from her life for good just proved her whole stance.
Out of nowhere a dog came running up to Jill, nearly tripping her. “Whoa!”
Immediately Jill stopped. She crouched down to pet the golden retriever who seemed to be very friendly. Enjoying the attention, the dog sat down and began licking Jill’s hand.
“Nice boy,” Jill began, now scratching behind the dog’s ears. “Where’s your mommy or daddy?” Knowing the dog couldn’t actually respond, she looked in all directions to see if anyone was searching for what they lost. Right behind her was a man jogging towards her who must have been the dog’s owner.
Brian?
“I see he found someone he likes,” Brian said a little louder than normal, as he was yet some distance from where Jill and the golden retriever waited.
“Hey, Brian! Is the dog yours?” Jill asked, confused. Not once in all the conversations that she’s had with him or with Elena has anyone mentioned there being a dog.
“Yep!”
Brian finally reached them and crouched down to the dog’s level. Immediately the dog licked Brian’s face, which didn’t seem to bother him one bit.
“Oh, I didn’t know you had a dog.”
“Yeah, I guess it just never got brought up.”
“How long have you had him?” Jill questioned.
“Um, about three years. I think anyway. He was a stray puppy at the time I got him. One day I found him in my yard and I couldn’t get rid of him. No one claimed him either so here we are a few years later.”
“Wow. Where has he been while you were gone?”
“I had a friend wa
tch him, but this time around I decided just to bring him. My mom loves this dog to pieces.”
Brian started rubbing behind both of the dog’s ears and talking to him in a different voice. It reminded Jill of how someone would talk to their baby, and she found it kind of endearing. After all, it was the same way she talked to her cat on occasion.
Giving them space, she stood up. “He seems really nice. What’s his name?”
“Buddy.”
“Gee, how generic,” she teased.
Brian chuckled a little, but still seemed more into showing affection to his dog than anything else.
Until the dog turned to Jill and started licking her hand again. The move took Jill by surprise. “Hey, Buddy,” she said.
“He seems to really like you, Jill,” Brian observed, smiling.
He gave the dog a little pat on the head and said, “Come on, Buddy. Time to get back.”
“I’ll join, if you don’t mind,” Jill offered.
“We’d like that, wouldn’t we, Buddy?”
Buddy gave a small howl as if he were saying yes.
The three of them started heading back towards their homes. As they were walking, Jill and Brian talked about his trip back home, and Jill asked when he arrived in Ashwin.
“We actually just got here. I thought it would be nice for Buddy to go for a walk, having been cooped up and all for such a long ride.”
“Oh, nice,” Jill approved, smiling.
Brian thought about how this was the perfect way to return. He got to see Jill who, though sweaty and in workout clothes, looked stunning, and there was something special about the way they walked back together, his dog walking nicely and calmly by their side. He felt as if they were family going for a leisurely stroll on a beautiful day.
Stopping at the front yard of Jill’s house, Jill mentioned she had to go to the store to pick up a few things. “Do you need me to get anything for you?” she asked.
Next Door Neighbors Page 7
