Just Neighbors

by Charity Ferrell

  Kyle Calling.

  Maybe he is drunk and wants to remind me of how much he hates me.

  Or maybe he’s ready to hear me out.

  I take a deep breath of courage before answering, “Hello?”

  “We have a situation.”

  A crappy situation from the tone of his voice.

  “Jesus, did Trey get busted shoplifting again?”

  “It’s your sister.”

  My blood runs cold anytime those words are spoken. “What?”

  He groans, and I can imagine him running his hand along his forehead like he does when he’s stressed.

  “She got picked up for possession. With her record, she’s most likely not going home tonight.” He pauses as faint yelling comes from the other side of the phone. “She wants to talk to you.”

  Of course the screaming maniac is her.

  Her inebriated voice suddenly slurring on the other line stops me from telling him I have nothing to say to her.

  “Chloe! Tell your boyfriend to get me out of this hellhole!”

  Oh, now, she wants me to date Kyle.

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I answer flatly. Unfortunately.

  “Your fuck buddy. Whatever,” she counters with urgency.

  I frown. She’s saying this in front of people in the station.

  Perfect.

  “Where are the kids?” is all I answer.

  “The kids? You’re worried about them when I’m about to go to jail! What kind of sister are you?”

  Jesus. This chick. How are we related?

  “Yes, I’m worried about your children. I need to pick them up, considering you won’t be able to,” I reply, not bothering to answer about helping her out. Let her sit there all night or longer for all I care. She’s not my main concern.

  “They’re at school,” she finally answers.

  “It’s too late for them to be at school.”

  “Then, I’m not quite sure where they are at the moment. You know their schedule better than I do.”

  “Jesus. I need to go. Hand the phone back to Kyle.”

  “No! Not until you fix this for me!”

  I hang up.

  A few minutes later, my phone rings again.

  “This’d better be Kyle, or I’m disconnecting the call again.”

  “It’s me,” he answers. “Never thought I’d hear you say that on the other line.”

  “Me either,” I mutter. “So?”

  “She won’t see a judge until tomorrow, concerning her bail … if she’ll even receive one. The guys who arrested her said she asked her boyfriend to look after the kids.”

  “So, she knows where the kids are. She just wouldn’t tell me.”

  “Or she doesn’t remember. She’s drugged out of her mind. I’m surprised she knew who you were. Roger somehow wasn’t carrying anything. My guess is, he gave it to Claudia, so we couldn’t book him, too. You and I both know that dude isn’t someone I’d trust with my children. Call Trey and pick them up. Gage can go with you if you’re concerned about your safety. I’ll have someone keep you updated about Claudia.”

  “Don’t worry about sending Gage. I’ll be fine and figure everything out.”

  “Good luck, Chloe.” His tone isn’t one filled with intimacy. He’s concerned but still cold. He’s doing his job, treating me as he would anyone else in this situation, but it’s not the man who told me he was falling in love with me. He’s no longer the man I was falling in love with.

  “And, Kyle?” I say, hoping to catch him before he hangs up.

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for the kids, and it’s my job.”

  I grab my purse and keep my phone to my ear while walking to my car. “Right … I guess.” I stop to find the right words. “Do you … do you think you can stop by and talk tonight or tomorrow?”

  “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  And it’s his turn to end the call.

  I call Trey as soon as I get in my car, and he answers with the first ring.

  “Where are you?” I ask.

  “Mom’s,” he mutters.

  “Who’s there with you?”

  “No one. We got back from the Y a few hours ago.”

  Claudia and I set up a schedule where we take turns picking them up from school or the after-school program.

  I start the car and reverse out of my driveway. “How did you get home?”

  “We walked.”

  I’m going to kick Claudia’s ass. She could’ve at least asked me to pick them up.

  “Why didn’t you ask me for a ride?”

  “I don’t want to call you all the time, and I’m mad at you at the moment.”

  “I’m coming to get you. Your mom has to go out of town for a few days, so you get to stay with me.”

  He sighs and lowers his voice. “I already know she was arrested.” His voice is filled with disappointment, and I have a feeling it’s more for me lying to him again than Claudia’s arrest.

  “Yes, she was arrested. How did you find out?”

  “It was here in the trailer park.”

  “You were home?”

  “No, but everyone told me when we got home. Roger said we’re supposed to stay with him and not to call you. He left for a beer run about ten minutes ago.”

  “I’m on my way. Get yourself and Gloria ready.”

  When I pull up, they’re waiting for me outside with bags in their hands. I wish I could say this was the first time we’d done this, but it isn’t. Call it a routine for us Fieldgains.

  “Mommy’s boyfriend told us not to leave!” Gloria says when I get out of my car.

  “Yeah, well, Mommy’s boyfriend can get over it,” I tell her, scooping her up in my arms.

  I turn around and notice the squad car pull up across the street. I see Gage on the driver’s side.

  I strap Gloria into her car seat while Trey gets in.

  “Give me a sec,” I tell them before heading over to the squad car.

  Gage rolls down his window. “He’s not here, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

  I shake my head and lie. “I wanted to say thank you.”

  His face turns neutral, but his words are harsh. “You should’ve told him, you know.”

  I sigh. “It’s complicated.”

  He nods. “I understand complicated. I’ve told him to talk to you, but he’s stubborn. Don’t give up though.”

  “Aunt Chloe!” Trey yells.

  I turn around to look at him.

  “We’d better get going before Roger gets back!”

  I nod and then glance back at Gage. “Thank you—again.”

  Trey is sitting in my living room, throwing a football in the air and catching it, when I walk in after putting Gloria to bed.

  He sets the ball aside. “So, uh … the mayor is my dad?”

  I tighten my sweater around my chest and slump down on the couch.

  I called Trey after he hung up earlier. He’s young and confused. He didn’t answer my call, but he did text, saying he was okay but needed time to clear his head and had a test to study for. I told him okay, but I’m still not prepared to have this conversation.

  “Yes,” I reply.

  He slowly shakes his head in disbelief. “How? I don’t understand. He’s … him … and Mom is Mom.”

  “Trust me; you’re not the only one confused.”

  When I was sixteen, Claudia got drunk and opened up about her relationship with Michael. They’d met at a job fair. Claudia’s probation officer had forced her to go look for a job. Instead, she sat in the back parking lot and smoked. That was where she met Michael, who was sneaking out to do the same. They’d talked, hit it off, and exchanged numbers.

  He hesitates before asking his next question. “Is it true you made him pay you money not to tell anyone?”

  I grimace. “I don’t think this is an appropriate conversation for a teenager.”


  He appears annoyed at my response. “I already know you did.”

  “It sounds worse than what it was. We didn’t hold a gun to his head. He’d offered. He wanted to make sure you were taken care of.”

  That’s the truth. Michael paid Claudia from the beginning, but she took it upon herself to demand more with the threats. With how much money he’s given her, I’m surprised he hasn’t gone bankrupt.

  His face scrunches up. “Is Kyle mad that I’m his brother?”

  “Of course not,” I assure with a soothing voice. “Everyone was just taken by surprise.”

  “Did you break up because of it?”

  I suck in my cheeks and tilt my head toward his book bag on the floor. “You need to do your homework, and we’ll talk about this another time. It’s been a long night.”

  “Kyle was a good dude. Too bad he couldn’t be my big brother when I was growing up.”

  I clutch my sweater around myself tighter, nearly ripping it. “I’m sorry for keeping it from you.”

  He only nods, grabs his book bag, and pulls out a notebook. “What happens next … with the whole Mom situation?”

  Ease pumps through me for him not asking more Michael-related questions.

  “You’ll stay here until we figure something out,” I state.

  His face brightens and then falls. “Roger said Mom told him we could only stay with you if you paid her bail and got Kyle to drop the charges on her.”

  “I can’t convince anyone to drop drug-possession charges.”

  A flicker of a smile passes over his lips, but he attempts to hide it. “Maybe, we can stay with you now.”

  Twenty-Two

  Kyle

  So much has happened in the past few days.

  The town is torn on their thoughts about my father. His scandal is nothing out of the ordinary with politics, so him having an affair and illegitimate son won’t affect him professionally, but those secrets will alter his public image—our family’s public image.

  My father left town for a conference and won’t be back for a few days. He hasn’t answered my calls but did take Sierra’s. She was a daddy’s girl growing up, and I think his affair has hurt her more than the rest of us children. He apologized profusely.

  When I visited my mom, she was in the kitchen, and stacks of papers sat in front of her—legal documents, receipts of money transactions, and papers covered with texts. She demanded the documents or threatened a divorce. My father surprisingly had his attorney drop off everything. When I asked if she was leaving him, she only shook her head and grabbed another piece of damning evidence against Chloe.

  I sat down and skimmed through them with her, grimacing with every check made out to Chloe for thousands and thousands of dollars. My mom hasn’t commented on my involvement with her, but I won’t be inviting her to dinner in my mother’s home again. Shit. Inviting her to dinner, period.

  When I went back to work, all eyes were on me. People had questions but were too timid to ask them. Then, Claudia was brought in, making everything worse. She talked shit to me the entire time the arresting officers booked her. She announced I was having sex with her sister and threatened to release more family secrets if I didn’t get her out of trouble.

  I didn’t.

  Her threats only sped up her booking process.

  “Give them to me, you stupid cunt!”

  The loud voice wakes me. I throw some clothes on, grab my gun, badge, and phone, and rush outside to find Roger standing in front of Chloe’s house, throwing rocks at it.

  Not again.

  I look away from him to see Chloe standing on the porch in her robe, begging him to leave.

  I walk closer, and it’s no surprise Roger is wasted off his ass. He drops the rocks in his hand when he notices me approaching.

  “What’s going on here?” I ask.

  “He’s trying to make me give him the kids,” Chloe shouts, worry clear in her voice.

  Roger takes a step forward, causing me to do the same and block him from getting closer to Chloe.

  “I told the little shitheads not to leave,” Roger slurs. “Claudia said they couldn’t stay unless she bailed her out. She didn’t, so I’m here to collect the brats.”

  “They’re not going anywhere with you,” Chloe answers, her hands going to her hips. “Keep throwing rocks at my house all you want. I’ll call the cops.”

  “Why haven’t you called the cops?” I ask her.

  She shrugs. “I didn’t know what was going on at first. I came out here, saw him, and figured asking him to leave would be easier than involving the police and having every town bigmouth talking about it tomorrow.”

  “Roger, you need to call someone to pick you up,” I demand. I want him gone, but he’s too drunk to drive anywhere.

  “Fuck you, dude,” he spits. “Go back home. You have nothing to do with this. Don’t you hate her now?”

  “I’ll call one of my friends and ask them to pick you up then.” I grab my phone. “You can keep your girlfriend company.”

  He lets out a cruel laugh. “At least my girlfriend doesn’t keep secrets from me.”

  I freeze up at his words.

  I can’t help but laugh at myself for my stupidity.

  I pull out my phone and call the station while making my way up to Chloe’s porch. Douchebag can’t say or do anything. Dude is dumb but not dumb enough to fuck with a police officer.

  The police cruiser pulls up five minutes later, and they arrest him for public intoxication and disturbing the peace. Chances are, he’ll be out tomorrow if he makes bail.

  “Thank you,” Chloe says when Cliff and Pete leave, Roger in the back of their cop car.

  Standing on her porch, I nod in response. I should walk away and go back to my house, but for unexplained reasons, I can’t. The need to make sure she’s okay, not shaken up, is there … and so is the need to be near her.

  I’m so fucking conflicted, and I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t miss her.

  Fuck, do I miss her.

  I miss our mornings, both before and after we started a relationship, our arguing, our sex, the conversations that somehow convinced her to open up to me.

  I miss Chloe Fieldgain, but I fucking hate her at the same time.

  The porch light shines over us as she leans back against the front door, and I take in the fluffy pink slippers on her feet.

  “Are you ready to let me explain myself?” she asks, letting out a breath. “I gave you that chance.”

  I slip her a glare. “You did, after a goddamn decade, so I’ll call you when that time comes.”

  She grimaces. “Grow up, Kyle, and let’s act like adults about this, okay? We’ve both made mistakes.”

  “What’s there to explain?” I snap back. “It’s clear as motherfucking day. I pissed you off in high school, so you got your revenge by blackmailing my family.”

  She advances a step from the door into my space. “You think that’s why I cashed the checks he offered us? Over teenage heartbreak?”

  A chill hits my core. “I want you to be honest with me.”

  “Always,” she says with no hesitation.

  Liar.

  I decide against calling her out for it. “Were you ever going to tell me?”

  “I don’t know. The more I trusted you, I think, yes, I would’ve eventually.” She peeks up at me with a sad face. “Thank you for controlling Roger.”

  “I did it for the kids,” I halfway lie.

  “I’m sorry for all this, you know. I never wanted to hurt you or your family. That was never my intention. My feelings for you have been pure from the very beginning. It’s going to kill me to watch you walk away from me.”

  She stands up on her tiptoes and presses her face into my neck. I can’t stop myself from cupping her ass and shifting her close. Her teeth tug at my earlobe, and I don’t hesitate to follow her when she leads me into the house to her bedroom.

  Twenty-Three

  Chloe

&nbs
p; I have no idea what I’m doing.

  I don’t seduce men.

  I mean, I didn’t until now.

  A lamp shines in the corner of the room next to my bed, giving me a good view of him. I place my hand over Kyle’s mouth as soon as he shuts the door behind us and push him against it. I’ll prove to him in every way possible that our feelings are real and not to walk away.

  He removes my hand. “You’re the screamer, babe. I’ll be the one forcing you to be quiet.”

  Facts.

  I smile in return. He doesn’t do the same. The stare on his face is packed with pain and desire. He wants me but doesn’t. He believes me but doesn’t. He wants to work this out but doesn’t.

  Everything I’m reading on Kyle is confliction.

  Let me prove it to you.

  I sink to my knees, hastily undo his pants, and lick the length of his cock the moment it springs free. A deep groan leaves his mouth before he catches himself and bites into his lower lip, masking the sounds of his pleasure. It’s a shame. I want to hear every word and moan leaving him, but the kids can’t hear us. I capture him in my mouth, sucking hard, and hope to erase the hate he has for me. He’s smooth as I attempt to use his dick to deep-throat my way back into his heart, as pathetic as it sounds. He won my forgiveness by orgasm; maybe I can do the same with him.

  He grows harder with every stroke from my mouth. I get lost in the act and don’t tear myself away until he speaks. “Stop, Chloe. This isn’t going to finish with my cock in your mouth.”

  When I stare up at him, he’s taking me in with cold eyes and a guarded look. That’s when I realize he hasn’t touched me. His hands aren’t in my hair. This is the first time he’s never touched me. Instead, he’s made this impersonal, as if I were a random chick he was about to fuck in the restroom of a bar.

  I need to give him more.

  I rise up on my knees, gripping his thighs, and kiss up his chest—over his tee, his neck, his jaw, moving my way toward his lips. He subtly turns his face away from me.

  “Kiss me, Kyle,” I embarrassingly plead. “Touch me.” Forgive me. “Fuck me.”