by S. E. Babin
“Charlie. Stop while you’re ahead. You’re just making me angry.” His sister frowned at him. She shook her head, black hair falling in a sheet around her shoulders.
“You stop, Will! Jesus, you act like you’re the only person in the world. People rely on you at work. They look up to you, but now it’s like navigating a mine field around all your grouchiness.”
Will laughed with bitterness. She was right, and they both knew it. But the only thing that could make him feel better was now shacked up with an Adonis. She took great pains to avoid him and only left when she thought he either wasn’t home or wasn’t paying attention. Nine times out of ten he knew it and watched her discreetly, his heart aching to go over and pour his feelings out on her porch. Pride kept him from doing so because, God help him, she looked happy for the first time since she’d moved in. Leo came in and out each night from work. God knows what he did—male supermodel, savior to women and children—something annoying, probably. Jealousy didn’t become him. It was above him, but he couldn’t help the feelings of rage every time he saw the two of them together. It was time for him to move on and start thinking about pursuing a healthy relationship. Living next to Katie, seeing her every day with Leo, was starting to give him an ulcer.
His sister droned on and on—some psychobabble crap he tuned out as soon as she started, but then he heard the word neighbor and every part of him went into hyper-alert.
“What?” he asked shortly.
His sister’s eyes widened and then narrowed as she honed in on what he’d focused on. “Your neighbor,” she said slowly. “I’m going to talk to your neighbor.”
“No, no, you are most certainly not going to talk to my neighbor, Charlie.”
She grinned then, and Will knew he was screwed. “So your neighbor knows what’s going on? Interesting.”
Will tried to act nonchalant. “I never talk to my neighbor, Charlie. We don’t know each other from Adam.”
“Really? I’m going to have to judge for myself because that’s the only thing you’ve heard this entire conversation.” She strode over to the window and parted the curtain. “Who lives there?”
Will shrugged. Charlie had always been too observant for her own good. “Some lady and her boyfriend.”
His sister turned a sharp eye to him. “In all the time you’ve lived here you’ve never talked?”
“Not much,” he answered. “I see them sometimes when I’m outside. Other than that they keep to themselves.”
“Mmm,” his sister said, but closed the curtains. “All right…” She spread her hands wide. “If you don’t want to talk, I can’t force you. But I’m warning you to get your head out of your ass before you start losing employees.”
“Yes, Mom,” Will said.
His sister leaned over and grabbed Will in a fierce hug. “I love you, you pain in the ass.”
“Ditto. Now leave me alone, please.”
His sister tugged on her jacket. “Honestly, Will. Who’s ever going to marry you when you act like a Neanderthal?” She grinned and winked at him as she headed out the door. He watched her get into her car, but noticed her taking a long look over at Katie’s house. She wouldn’t give up on this. And if she thought Katie had some information, she’d be sure to knock on her door when Will wasn’t home. Will rolled his eyes at his sister’s persistence and shut the door. He went back into his bedroom and changed into his shoddy clothes to go out and mow the lawn. It was Thursday, after all. Maybe today would be the day he finally got a glimpse of Katie.
* * * *
The air was still cold against his skin even while pushing the mower. He shivered, wishing he would have chosen a heavier jacket. It took everything inside of him not to stare over at Katie’s house like a peeping Tom as he walked repeatedly past her window. There was no movement inside of the house that he could tell, but with the new curtains on and the shades pulled tightly, he wasn’t able to see much at all anymore. Probably for the better, because every time he caught a glance of her, he felt his heart skip a beat and the old familiar sense of self-loathing invade him.
The door to Katie’s house opened, and Will almost stumbled over his own feet. Not that he was counting or anything, but he hadn’t seen Katie in six weeks and three days. She walked out alone, trying to avoid eye contact as she walked to her car. Will wasn’t about to let her get away so fast. He released the handle on the mower and walked quickly over to her. Katie picked up the pace, so Will broke into a jog.
“Katie!” He watched as she tried to hit the right key, but failed because her hands were shaking so much. Her shoulders slumped and he heard her intake of breath before she turned around to face him. She was prettier than he remembered. And just as angry. Her blonde hair fell in waves, longer and shaggier. He reached up to touch it, but snatched his hand back as Katie flinched.
“What do you want, Will?”
He laughed shortly. She didn’t really want to know what he wanted. It would take hours to explain. He settled for the most important thing. “To apologize.”
She tilted her face up to him, blue eyes curious. “For what?”
“Come on, Katie. We both know for what. It’s important for you to know that Holly meant nothing to me.”
Katie waved her hand in an impatient gesture. “Why are you even telling me this?”
Will took off his ball cap and ran his fingers through his hair. “Because it’s important to me that you know I’m not a jerk. I might act like one sometimes, but I don’t mean to. Seeing you that night threw me off balance.”
“This is unnecessary. You have the right to live your life, just like I have the right to live mine. We’re both grownups. I don’t care about Holly or whatever you two may have gotten up to. I’m with Leo. Happy with Leo. And that’s what matters to me.”
Will’s heart was breaking into a million pieces. He’d thought he was prepared for this moment, but he secretly hoped she’d drop her purse and rush into his arms. “I know that, too, Katie. But neither one of us can deny there was an attraction there.”
Katie crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. ”Purely physical, I’ll give that point to you. Nothing else, though.”
It was Will’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “And are you going to deny walking up to my table that night just to be polite? Or were you curious about the woman I was with?”
Katie blushed and mumbled, “I had to go to the restroom.”
Will grinned. “Sure you did. Let’s just be honest with each other. We parted badly. I screwed up, you were pissed and you took the first decent thing that came available.”
Katie quivered in anger. Shit, he thought. Again. Why must he always say the dumbest things?
“So you think I was so heartsick over you that I took a substitute?” Her eyes sparked blue fire and her fists clenched at her sides. “You think you’re so great that any woman would just fall to pieces over you? What is that saying about me, you prick? What is that saying about Leo?” By now she was screeching loud enough for the neighbors to start peeking out their windows.
Will shrugged. “Can’t say I care much what that says about Leo. But I do apologize for inferring anything negative about you.”
Katie glared at him. “Take your apology and shove it up your arrogant ass.” She turned away from him, but Will grabbed her arm.
“Katie, I—” What could he say? Hadn’t he said enough to ruin things between them? He pulled her closer to him, causing her to stumble into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, tightening them when she struggled. “Please stop. Listen to me.” He pushed her slightly away from him, still holding onto her arms. Her blue eyes filled with tears, whether of frustration or anger he wasn’t sure. “I’m a complete idiot when you’re around. I won’t begin to try and understand what you see in him. I won’t pretend that it doesn’t make me want to scream every time I see him come into your house. But most of all, Katie, I won’t keep torturing myself with this. If you think Leo is the one for you, I will back of
f and leave you be. And once that happens, I’m moving on. So you need to think long and hard about this. Once I’m gone, there’s no going back.”
Katie shoved him away. “There’s no decision to be made there. See you around, Will.” She spun on her heel, opened her car door, got inside, and peeled gravel out of the driveway. He stood there watching her speed away, regret and sadness running through his veins.
* * * *
Several miles down the road Katie was still shaking in anger. It had been weeks since she’d last seen Will. Honestly, she wasn’t sure it would ever be long enough. Things with Leo were easy—uncomplicated and comfortable. She could be herself with him now. She might not love him yet, but she knew it was just a matter of time. The more time she spent with him, the more she saw how much his humanity was growing. It was a strange situation. He’d dropped from the sky and commandeered her home. It would drive most people insane.
Leo was made for her. It was evident every time he looked at her. But, if she were being honest about everything, the more human he became, the more their relationship felt real—warts and all. Leo was beginning to work late, caught up in all the investment stuff with Mel. She didn’t have a clue what that entailed, but it sounded complicated enough for her to not inquire too much about it.
But when he came home, their conversation was still lively. He was still attentive and loving. And he was a firecracker in the sack. Katie thought back to that fateful night she and her friends put together that list. She was grateful, yes, but she also wondered what life would have been like if Leo had never come around.
Would she and Will have been an item? To be honest, she didn’t think so. He was infuriating on a cellular level, and he always managed to say the most insulting things to her. While he never confessed his undying love, there was no mystery about whether he liked her. Or, her body, she should say. Will most definitely wanted to sleep with her. Katie snorted. How complicated would that get if she slept with someone next door and it didn’t work out? If it were this awkward now, it would only get worse.
The fact that Will gave her an ultimatum was curious. It was almost like he was waiting for her all these weeks. He was persistent for someone only interested in sex. Will caused a myriad of jumbled emotions inside of Katie that she didn’t want to examine too closely.
She was happy, damn it. Wasn’t she? She slammed her fists against the steering wheel.
Yes. Yes, she was. And if there was any doubt inside of that statement, she tamped it down thoroughly and concentrated on the drive. It was girls’ night. And she was out of groceries. Again.
* * * *
Will was still outside when Katie came home, her arms loaded with bags of food. It was déjà vu and he couldn’t help himself. He sniggered. There was no way in hell he was helping her up those stairs when she tried to carry too much. Just like she was doing right now.
He watched as she lurched to and fro, her face beet-red. One bag ripped, spilling canned goods out around her. She tripped on a particularly vicious can of green beans and went down hard. Will sighed and strolled over to help her, against his better judgment. He leaned down to help her up, and much to his surprise, she accepted the hand.
“Thanks,” she muttered and dusted off the knee of her blue jeans. Will bent down to gather some of the cans as Katie took the rest of the bags to her porch. She walked back down to help and accepted the cans he held out to her.
“Have fun tonight.” He turned to walk away.
“Thanks,” she said again and hesitated. “Maybe you’ll bring me some kolaches tomorrow?”
Will stopped in his tracks, his shoulders stiff. He turned back to her. Katie looked almost hopeful, but Will shook his head. He was an all-in kind of guy and would play second fiddle to no one. “Sorry, darlin’,” he said. “That ship has sailed. You’ve got another guy to do that for you now, don’t you?”
Katie flinched. She nodded once and turned to open her front door. Will turned back around and fired up the weed whacker. The noise drowned out his jumbled thoughts, and he forced himself not to watch Katie carrying the rest of her groceries inside.
* * * *
Katie wanted to slap herself. Kolaches? Why in the world would she even say that? She wasn’t the cheating kind, and she wasn’t someone who would string someone along. On purpose, that is. She didn’t think she’d strung Will along. There was really nothing between them at any time. One heated kiss in the night and arguing for the rest of the time. That did not a relationship make. She should have let Will just walk away. They couldn’t be friends. That much was obvious. The memory of him standing on her porch that morning handing her coffee and kolaches haunted her thoughts. He was so handsome. And sweet. What had happened to that?
Katie looked at the piles of groceries sitting on her kitchen counter and made a decision. They were going out tonight. She hoped her friends were up for it. She was tired of sitting in the house never getting out anymore. Katie picked up her cell and started dialing.
Mel, the first and most important, answered on the second ring. “I’m so glad you called,” she said breathlessly. “I’m not going to be able to make girls’ night tonight.”
Katie held the phone out from her ear and eyed it with suspicion. She put it back and said, “I’m not sure I heard you correctly. There’s no cancellation on girls’ night!”
Mel huffed a laugh. “It’s this cannabis research. We should be finalizing all the numbers soon and I need to stay here and show I’m a hard-working scientist.”
This money must be important to her, Katie thought. She worked a lot, but Katie hadn’t seen much of Mel since all of this investment stuff got kicked off. “Well, I guess. But girls’ night isn’t going to be the same without you.”
“Well, of course it’s not,” she said. “I am girls’ night.”
“Oh ye of low self-confidence.” Katie laughed. “All right. Have fun. Bring home the bacon.”
“I’m trying,” Mel said. “Oh, by the way, Leo’s here right now. I’m showing him some of the lab equipment and processes. Something to do with releasing the money. No idea. Finance boggles my mind.”
Katie’s eyebrows rose. “Leo’s there?” He’d been spending an awful lot of time at Mel’s work. Unfortunately, Katie didn’t know much about investments so she wasn’t sure if it was a normal thing or not. But she trusted him.
“Mmm-hmmm.” Mel sounded distracted. “Listen, I gotta run. The boss is coming down the hallway. I can hear the impossibly loud clacking of her skyscraper heels.”
“Okay,” Katie said, but Mel had already clicked off the line. A knot of apprehension was beginning to form in her stomach. She trusted Mel with her life. Did she trust her with her boyfriend? Yes, yes she did. So why was she starting to think something wasn’t right? Katie shook her head and focused on the mundane task of putting the groceries away. She’d worry about Mel and Leo later. If there was anything to worry about, that is. When she saw Leo tomorrow, she’d ask him.
Once she’d finished, she picked up the phone to call Piper and Sherry. It was like some weird cosmic fluke that neither of them could make it. Katie slumped against the sink and tossed the phone onto the counter once Sherry hung up. Were they all drifting apart? She frowned, but made up her mind. Everyone she cared about was too busy tonight, but Katie wasn’t going to sit home and mope. She was going to get fancied up and go out to dinner and maybe for a drink. She thought about calling Leo, but he sounded busy and she didn’t want to disrupt Mel gaining the money she so desperately needed.
With her mind made up, Katie shook off the foreboding feeling and went to dig through her closet for something pretty.
Chapter 12
Leo trailed behind Mel as she chatted animatedly about her research. He wasn’t sure if it was possible for him to care less about cannabis science, but he would never tell Mel. He knew how much it meant to her. He planned to offer her the money, but every time he thought about writing the check out to her and calling it a day, he b
acktracked and thought of some new cockamamie excuse for why he couldn’t give it to her.
She didn’t have a clue. It made him feel terrible. She obviously loved her job, the research she was able to do, and the newest findings to come out of her meticulous experiments with cannabis. And Leo had a full bank account, more than full, ready to be used. He watched as her face lit up over some particularly innocuous beaker. He didn’t mind that he never retained anything she said. He minded that his obsession with Katie’s friend was beginning to obscure his judgment. It was unfair to him, to Mel and especially to Katie.
Mel touched Leo’s arm. “Are you okay? You looked like a space cadet there for a moment.”
Leo laughed self-consciously and then reached over to touch the spot where her hand had just touched. “My apologies. I’m fine. What were you saying?”
Mel tilted her head back, her long, tan neck exposed, and laughed. He smiled, loving the way it sounded. “You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said for hours, Leo. How are you supposed to go back and tell the bank what they need to know?”
She was gorgeous, but she wasn’t anybody’s fool. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out. It’d be helpful if you could type me up some notes, though.”
Mel grinned. “Already done. I’ve got them in my desk. Let’s finish up here and I’ll grab them for you.”
“Mel,” Leo began and hesitated.
She tilted her head in curiosity. “Yes?”
He fidgeted, not knowing where to put his hands. His brand-new human heart sped up and lurched. All of these new sensations and emotions were enough to make him feel like his head was about to explode. “Are you seeing anyone?”
