400 First Kisses

by E. L. Todd

  Cypress paced back forth and gripped his skull at the same time. “This is big, guys. Fucking huge.”

  “Shh,” Ace snapped. “The kids, Cypress.”

  “Whatever.” Cypress stopped walking and looked at us. “Yesterday, Bree and I had an argument—”

  “And you got laid?” Blade asked. “Yeah, we’ve heard it before.”

  “Shut up before I punch you.” Cypress stared him down with his cold gaze, his words not a bluff.

  Blade sighed. “Then get on with it.”

  “She hit her head on the stairs,” Cypress said. “I took her to the hospital, and they did a scan. Everything was normal. But when she woke up this morning…she remembered everything that happened yesterday.”

  I actually got chills. My arms prickled as my hair stood on end. A cold draft entered the house, and all I could hear was the background noise of colored pencils against paper.

  Blade was in shock too. He stared at Cypress like he hadn’t heard anything.

  Ace covered his mouth with his hand, his green eyes expressing the disbelief we all felt.

  I was the first one to come up with a response. “She remembered?”

  “Yeah,” Cypress said with a nod. “She remembered me. She remembered the fall. She remembered all the details.”

  “Did you tell her who you were?” Blade blurted.

  “No,” Cypress said. “I was going to take her inside my house and show her everything but…what if it’s not permanent? What if she forgets everything tomorrow? I wanted to give it another day to make sure it’s not a fluke.”

  “I doubt it’s a fluke,” I said. “It’s just like the first time she hit her head. It’s permanent.”

  “Fuck, I hope so,” Cypress said under his breath.

  Ace shot him another glare. “What did I just say?”

  “Ace, it’s okay,” I said. “We’re under extreme circumstances.” My girls had heard every cuss word under the sun, and they knew it was wrong to repeat them.

  “I’m their uncle. You aren’t,” Cypress snapped. “I can say whatever I want.”

  “I’m their uncle too,” Ace said defensively. “Asshole.”

  “Me too,” Blade said. “Don’t pull that marriage card out.”

  As cute as it was that they were fighting over my daughters, it was unnecessary. “Guys, forget the girls. Let’s focus on Bree right now.”

  “What do we do?” Ace said. “Wait until we see what happens tomorrow?”

  “She’s going to call me,” I said. “I’m surprised she hasn’t done it already.”

  “If she does, just act like everything is normal,” Cypress said. “If she remembers everything tomorrow…I’ll figure out what I’m going to do.”

  Ace opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. He twisted off the cap before he took a drink. “Are you just gonna tell her everything?” He leaned against the counter and crossed his ankles. “That’s a pretty heavy first conversation.”

  “It is,” Blade said in agreement. “You tell her you’ve been married for the last few years, and she’ll flip. The last thing she remembers is you sleeping with some other chick. She probably won’t even believe you.”

  “We’re all the proof she needs,” Amelia said. “It’ll be hard, but she’ll come around.”

  Cypress crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the window. His chest rose and fell heavily, and his eyes were filled with a million emotions. “I’m gonna get my wife back…” He covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath. When he pulled his hands down again, his eyes were wet and reflective.

  Blade walked over to him and patted him on the back, silently comforting his friend.

  “Almost there, man.” Ace set down his beer and stood on his other side. “You didn’t give up on her. Now everything is gonna be alright. No more getting laid once a month.”

  Cypress chuckled, dispelling the emotion in his eyes. “Yeah, that’ll be nice.”

  “And I’ll have my sister back,” I whispered. “My nieces will have their aunt back. It’s gonna be such a shock to her…all the time she lost. We’ll all have to be patient.”

  “We will,” Ace said. “She was always an amazing friend to us. We’ll give her all the time she needs.”

  Cypress looked at me, and I knew what was coming next. He crossed the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me, giving me a bear hug that was both emotional and joyful. He rested his chin on my head and released a quiet sigh. “We’re finally getting her back.”

  I squeezed him hard. “I know.”

  10

  Bree

  Now all I could ever think about was my obnoxious neighbor. I wondered when he was home and what the probability of me running into him was. I had always thought Cypress was a great guy. I did fall in love with him for a reason. But when I caught him getting birthday sex from some other woman, when he had just had sex with me earlier that morning, I was so out of my mind livid.

  I really wanted to kill him.

  All the respect I had for him vanished in that minute. I felt used and worthless. I was doing something sweet for him, and he was screwing his ex. I didn’t put up with cheaters—ever. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t be civil to the guy.

  It wasn’t like he was evil.

  He was still a good person.

  But once a manwhore, always a manwhore.

  Simple as that.

  I got ready for the day then walked outside. I never locked the front door because there was no necessity. The only kind of crime that happened around here was petty, like people leaving trash on the beach. I had reached the bottom step when Cypress emerged out of his house.

  “Hey.” He walked down his steps and reached the road, and his dog was nowhere in sight. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning.”

  “How’s your head doing?” Today, he was in black jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. The dark colors looked great against his fair skin.

  “Good. Haven’t needed any painkillers, so I can’t complain.”

  He stood in front of me and placed his hands in his pockets. He gave me a look that was different from all the previous ones he’d given me. He stared at me without blinking, like he was staring right into my soul.

  I had no idea what had brought that on. “Well, I’m gonna head to work. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Wait, hold on.” He came closer to me and pulled his hands out of his pockets. “How about we get breakfast?”

  “Why would we do that?” I didn’t mean to sound rude, but the question was sincere. “Just because we’re neighbors doesn’t mean we need to be friends.” The last time I saw him, I slapped him across the face and then slammed the door on him. It wasn’t exactly good closure.

  He clenched his jaw. “No, we don’t need to be friends. But wouldn’t it be easier if we were friends? We don’t have to avoid each other. Plus, we have a lot in common.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, I’m sexy and you’re sexy.” He winked.

  I rolled my eyes. “I hope we have more in common than that.”

  “We have great taste in real estate.”

  I nodded. “True.”

  “We’re both business owners.”

  “Really? What do you own?”

  “That Mediterranean place, Olives. It’s on Ocean.”

  “Oh, cool. I love that place.”

  “And you own Hippopotamus Café?”

  “How did you know that?”

  “Amelia told me.”

  “Oh…” I guess he’d already run into my sister. My sister hated him more than I did. I doubted that conversation went well.

  “So, how about breakfast?”

  “I was actually going into work right now.”

  “Well, I’ll go with you.”

  His insistence was alarming to me. He wasn’t even this enthused when we were together. “Really, it’s okay.”

  He started walking toward town. “Really, I insist.”

  I raise
d both eyebrows before I caught up to him. The only reason I wasn’t screaming at him was because he’d been sweet to me when he took me to the hospital. I already told him off when he cheated on me, so I didn’t need to keep being rude to him. “What’s this about?”

  “What’s what about?”

  “You always trying to spend time with me. I know you aren’t an idiot who thinks we could ever get back together, so what’s your other reason?”

  “Never get back together, huh?” he asked as he turned and walked up the hill.

  “Obviously. Not that I’m implying that you want me.”

  He didn’t say anything.

  “So what’s your reason?”

  “Maybe I’m just a nice guy who enjoys your company.”

  “Nah, that can’t be it. I’m a little annoying.”

  “A little?” he asked with a laugh. “You’re a huge pain in the ass. But you know what? You’re also cute as hell. Balances it out.”

  “Since those are both true, I’ll let that go.”

  He chuckled, and when he did, he wore the cutest smile on his face.

  I tried not to be affected by that swoon-worthy grin. I despised him for hurting me, but my body couldn’t deny he was the sexiest thing on the planet. I still hadn’t met a guy who could compare to him.

  When we reached Dolores, we turned left and headed deeper into town. We turned right on Ocean then walked inside Hippopotamus Café, which was already busy with a line of customers. The only time I walked into this place without it being busy was around two in the afternoon. Other than that, there were always people everywhere. Tables needed to be bussed, trays needed to be taken away, and food needed to be prepped.

  “How about we eat together before you start?” Cypress asked. “Your poached eggs are amazing.”

  “Thanks. And you just made my stomach growl.”

  We ordered our food then sat down with the Polaroid number that hung on the metal stand. We had our cups of coffee, and shortly afterward, they brought our food. Cypress took his coffee black like I remembered. I needed a ton of cream in mine. Otherwise, it was too strong. He had a few bites, but he looked at me the entire time.

  “What?” I finally asked.

  “You’re directly in my line of sight. What else am I supposed to look at?”

  “The rest of the restaurant…”

  “There’s nothing in here as pretty as you are.”

  I was pathetic for actually enjoying that compliment. This guy did the unforgivable, and I shouldn’t care about anything he had to say. “Seeing anyone?”

  “No. You?”

  “Not right now. I’m surprised Vanessa isn’t still around. Unless she’s a booty call type thing.”

  He sighed quietly to himself.

  “I’m sorry, did that annoy you?” I asked incredulously.

  “No, I deserved it,” he said calmly. “I just wish I could go back in time and take it back. You have no idea how much that memory haunts me.”

  “I wish that more than you do.”

  He took another bite before he looked at me. “Yeah?”

  “I told you I loved you, didn’t I?” I dropped my gaze because I couldn’t look him in the eye. “You were the love of my life.”

  “And you’re still mine.”

  I focused on my fingers, watching the way I moved my fork around the plate. The conversation had become heavy unexpectedly. I didn’t know how to get out of it now. “Well, that was a long time ago. All we can do is move on.”

  “I wish you would forgive me for it.”

  I drank my coffee because I couldn’t get myself to do it. I didn’t hate him, but I would never forget how much he hurt me. “Forgiveness is unnecessary. I managed to get over you, and now I’m in a good place in my life.”

  “You’re over me?” he asked quietly.

  “What? You thought I would still be in love with you a year later?”

  He drank his coffee without breaking eye contact. “I think when you love someone, you never really stop loving them.”

  “Maybe. But you never loved me if you cheated on me. So what we had was never real.”

  He bowed his head in shame. “I did love you, sweetheart. It was a stupid mistake. Wasn’t worth it at all.”

  “But yet you fucked her anyway.”

  He crossed his arms and looked at me apologetically. “I’m not the same guy I used to be.”

  “I doubt much has changed in a year. Once a cheater, always a cheater.”

  “Now, that’s just not true.”

  “I have no reason to believe otherwise.” If he thought we could have a calm breakfast together, he was ignorant. Cheating exes couldn’t be friends, even if they were next-door neighbors.

  He pinched the bridge of his nose before he rubbed his palm across his smooth cheek.

  I didn’t want to sit there with him anymore. I appreciated him for helping me the other day, but we would never move forward. After he’d hurt me, I was a wreck for three months. I’d thought he was the man I would spend the rest of my life with. Instead, he was the man who’d shattered my heart. I’d never been the same since that horrible afternoon. “I should get to work…”

  Cypress didn’t try to stop me. “Have a good day.”

  I walked off and ignored him, wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible.

  Amelia came into the office a few hours later. Her hair was pulled up in a loose bun, and she was in jeans and a white top. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” When I looked at her, I thought she seemed different, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. She definitely looked thinner, but I wasn’t sure how that was possible. Maybe it was just her clothes. “How’s it going?”

  “Good. The rush finally died down. Do you need any help in here?”

  “No. Just doing the orders.”

  “Actually, I did them the other day.” She opened the folder to show the list of items.

  “But we do that on Tuesdays. Today is Tuesday.”

  “Actually…today is Friday.” She pointed to the calendar above the desk.

  “Oh…” How did I miss that? “Then never mind. That saves me the hassle.” I shut the binder.

  “True. Now you get off early today.” She took the seat against the wall and pulled out a granola bar. Her wedding ring was missing from her left hand, but I assumed she forgot it. Evan hated it when she forgot to wear her ring. She took a few bites and enjoyed her mediocre lunch.

  “Why don’t you order something here?”

  “I get tired of eating the same thing every day. Besides, these are pretty good.”

  I checked the schedule for next week. “So, you know how I told you yesterday Cypress is my neighbor?”

  “Yeah…”

  “We got breakfast together today, and he kept bringing up our relationship. I find it hard to believe he wants to get back together, but…I’m not sure why he keeps bringing it up.”

  She took another bite and kept eating. “Hmm…”

  “Don’t you think it’s weird that he moved next door to me?”

  “It’s a strange coincidence.”

  “I don’t know if I believe it’s a coincidence. I mean, what are the odds of that?”

  “Pretty slim,” she said with her mouth full. “But I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

  “Not worry?” This wasn’t my sister at all. “You hate him more than I do.”

  “Hate is a pretty strong word…”

  Now this wasn’t adding up. “You told me you wanted to rip off his balls and shove them down his throat. Direct quote.”

  “Well, that was right after it happened. There’s been a good amount of time.”

  “Whatever. If Evan ever did that to you, I’d rip off his balls and set them on fire.”

  She faltered in mid-bite before she kept chewing.

  “How are things with Evan, anyway? Any date nights?”

  “Things are good…”

  I’d known my sister for a long time. I alway
s knew when something was bothering her. “Amy, what’s up?”

  “Nothing,” she said quickly. “I should get going. I have pick up the girls.”

  “From where?” It’s not like they were old enough to be in school.

  “The sitter.” She walked to the door. “Just go easy on Cypress. Losing you was punishment enough.”

  I couldn’t disagree more. “I’ll think about it.”

  By the time I walked home, it was almost sunset. The lights wrapped around the trees on Ocean were on and bright, illuminating the street where everyone walked to their favorite restaurants for dinner reservations.

  I wore my dark green jacket as I walked down the hill to my street. My hands were inside my pockets, and I used the remaining light from the setting sun to guide me. In Carmel, there were very few streetlights, so walking in the dark could be difficult. But you could always see the stars at night, so it was a perk.

  I turned onto Casanova and walked passed the houses until I passed Cypress’s. He was sitting on the porch with his dog, sipping a glass of wine. His dog immediate hopped up and ran to me, his tongue hanging out. He jumped up on his hind legs and placed his paws on my stomach and let out a quiet bark.

  “Wow, you’re very friendly.” I kneeled down and gave him a good rubdown. Even though I hated Cypress, that didn’t mean I had to hate his dog. He was way too cute. I scratched him behind the ears and got a wet kiss in return. “What’s his name?”

  Cypress sat with his leg crossed, his ankle resting on the opposite knee. “Dino.”

  “Ferocious. Doesn’t suit him at all, but it’s cute.”

  “I want the other dogs to be afraid of him.”

  “Good luck with that,” I said with a chuckle. I gave the dog another pat before I stood up. I’d seen Cypress just a few hours ago, and we didn’t end the conversation on the best terms. But if we stuck to being friendly neighbors, we should be able to tolerate one another. Anything more intimate than that was just too complicated. “Have a good night.”

  He held up an empty glass. “Join me.”