Next Door Knight

by Nicole Flockton

  She reached up and smoothed his furrowed brow. “There are lots of people who will listen, apart from me. Some are right in that building over there. All you have to do is take a leap of faith.”

  Oh boy, what had she just said? She’d committed to being there for him. But she’d never gone back on her word before, and she wasn’t about to start now, no matter how scared she was that she couldn’t help him when he needed it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After a long, emotional day with Caleb, she’d been hoping for a nice, calm evening at the restaurant. Of course, fate had other ideas and she’d had to deal with her temperamental head chef, a new hostess who cried at the drop of a hat, and a couple of impatient diners who hadn’t wanted to wait five minutes while they cleared a table for them. It had taken some fast talking, but she’d smoothed everyone’s ruffled feathers.

  Unfortunately, collapsing on her bed and sleeping for twelve hours was a luxury she didn’t have. Dreaming about it was allowed though.

  As she walked into her kitchen, she noticed the living room light was still on. Why was Dad still up? Had something happened to him? Had he fallen and not been able to get up? If he had fallen, perhaps he’d knocked himself out.

  Stop it.

  Willow scampered down the hallway to meet Kerry. If there were anything wrong, her dog would be letting her know.

  “Hey, girl,” she said as she bent down and picked her up, cuddling into her warm body. “Did you have a good night?”

  Willow nuzzled her neck as she pushed her little legs against Kerry’s belly in an attempt to get higher on her shoulder.

  “I don’t think you’ll get much higher. I’m not that tall.” She chuckled as she walked to the living room. She found her father asleep in front of the television, the sound low. She popped Willow down, turned the TV off, and wandered over to where Dad lay asleep.

  “Hey, sleepyhead, come on! Time to wake up and go to bed.”

  “Loretta?” her dad mumbled, and he blinked a couple of times. “Oh, hey, sweetie, it’s you. Sorry. I guess I feel asleep.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. The chances of Mom waking him up in the last couple of years of her life would’ve been pretty slim. Her ability to move independently had been taken from her three years prior to her death.

  “Yeah, you did. How come you didn’t go to bed earlier?”

  Dad struggled to sit up a little straighter and reached over to the pile of papers on the side table. “I wanted to wait until you came home. There was something in the mail for you I wanted to talk to you about.”

  Since when did her dad look through her mail? She was an adult. She made her own decisions. Sometimes they weren’t the best decisions, Winthorn being one. But ever since she’d gotten herself away from him, she’d finished college. Purchased a house. Found a dream job.

  Caleb.

  Well, she didn’t know if she had Caleb, but there was definitely a connection between them. One they’d each acknowledged feeling.

  She held her hand out for the letter. “Can I have it please?”

  Her father handed over the envelope. It was still sealed; at least he hadn’t opened it. But why did he want to talk to her about it then?

  Kerry looked at the return address. “Huh? Lawton and Lawton. They weren’t Mom’s lawyers, were they?”

  “No. That’s what concerns me. Why do you have lawyers contacting you? Are you up to date with your student loan and mortgage payment?”

  Kerry resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was thirty years old. If Dad hadn’t broken his legs, he wouldn’t know anything about the letter. “Yes, Dad, I’m up to date. My student loan is pretty much paid off. Because I only had one semester to go, I only had to take out a small loan to cover the cost of the course and books. The mortgage is automatically deducted from my bank account, along with all my other bills.”

  She ripped the envelope open and pulled out the piece of stiff yellow paper. Unfolding it, she tried to make sense of the legalese printed on the sheet.

  After the third read, her blood began to boil. “The sneaky, low life bastard. How could he do this to me?”

  “Who and do what?” Dad asked as he stood beside her on his crutches.

  “Winthorn Hartigan the third, that’s who. He’s demanding I repay him the money he spent on me while I lived with him. The conservative amount is thirty thousand dollars. The letter says Winthorn believes it’s more but is willing to be generous and not ask for the full amount. Oh my God, what a jerk. Can he do this to me? Can he make me pay him back for when I was living with him?”

  Her dad wrapped his arm around her shoulder, leaning on her, and she stumbled a fraction before gaining her balance. Nothing good would come of it if they both tumbled to the ground. “I’m not sure, Kerry. I don’t think so. It’s not like you were married or anything.”

  “But we lived together for more than seven years, Dad. Would that make it a common law marriage?”

  “I think we need to speak to a lawyer.”

  She sighed, tiredness seeping into every pore of her body.

  This isn’t over, Kerry. Mark my words. You’ll regret not taking the time to talk to me tonight.

  Seemed Winthorn made good on his threat. She did regret not talking to him that night. But would it have made any difference? Clearly, he wanted money from her. Money she didn’t have.

  “What am I going to do?” she whispered. If she did have to pay him back, she’d have to sell her house. Or she supposed she could check into how much equity she had in the place. The inheritance she received from Mom had been a substantial amount, meaning she only had a small mortgage. But the last thing she wanted to do was refinance. She could probably afford a higher mortgage payment, but it was one she didn’t want.

  “Kerry, sweetie, it’ll be fine. We’ll work through this together. I’m not going to let that bastard do anything more to hurt you again. I may have let you down by not seeing what was right in front of me, but not this time.”

  “Thank you, Dad. I love you.”

  “I love you too, sweetie,” he responded and kissed her on the forehead. “Now I think the best thing would be for us to get some sleep, and in the morning we can read through it again and plot a course of action.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Once she was happy that Dad would be able to get into bed without any issues, she gave him another hug and headed to her room, pausing in the doorway. “You know what, Dad?”

  “What sweetie?”

  “I know it sounds terrible, but I’m kind of glad you hurt yourself and had to come stay with me. I like having you around.”

  “Me too. And I like being around you too.”

  “Night, Dad.”

  “Night, Kerry. Sleep well.”

  *

  Kerry staggered into the kitchen the next morning, wishing she loved the taste of coffee, because a shot of caffeine would be what she needed right now. Sleep had been elusive, as she’d suspected it would be after reading the lawyer’s letter.

  Willow had wandered out a few minutes ago, and the second her four little legs carried her in through the doggie door, Willow would be demanding breakfast.

  Opening the fridge, Kerry grabbed out the can of food and scooped a portion into the ceramic bowl and set it on the floor where Willow would find it when she came back in.

  Kerry flopped into a kitchen chair and laid her head on the table over her crossed arms, her eyes drifting shut, but she kept her ears open for the telltale clipping of her dog’s nails on the tiled floor.

  Today was her day off, and her initial plan had been to make use of the massage voucher Dad had given her when she’d gotten her job. But now that plan was out the window. Calling lawyers and hopefully meeting with one to determine that Winthorn didn’t have a leg to stand on was on the schedule now.

  Why the hell was he coming after her for money? It wasn’t like she asked him to pay for everything. He wouldn’t let her work. Wouldn’t let her out of the hou
se to try to make a contribution to their funds.

  Whenever she’d approached the subject after she’d dropped out of her final semester of college, he’d told her she was his princess and he wanted to look after her. Give her everything she wanted. In the end, she gave up trying to get a job, but one thing she did do was make sure she didn’t spend hours shopping at the most expensive stores in Dallas.

  The request for the reimbursement of thirty thousand dollars she’d supposedly frittered away made no sense.

  Dammit, she wanted her mind to stop buzzing with questions. Questions she was well aware the answers to might not be what she wanted.

  She yawned and glanced at the clock, sitting up straighter. Twenty minutes had passed since she’d walked into the kitchen. Over twenty minutes since Willow went outside.

  “Damn dog. She hasn’t gone over to Caleb’s, has she? He said he’d fix the gap she got through,” she muttered as she strode back to her room to put on something other than her pajamas to go searching for her dog.

  “What’s up, sweetie?” Dad called out.

  Pausing, she took two steps back and poked her head around his door. He’d propped himself up on one elbow and looked like he was about to attempt to get out of bed.

  “Nothing.”

  “Didn’t sound like nothing.”

  She sighed. He’d only badger her if she didn’t spill. “Fine. It looks like Willow’s escaped again. I don’t know what it is about her need to go hassle Caleb.”

  Dad chuckled and settled himself back down again. “She loves him, and as much as he doesn’t want to admit it, she soothes him.”

  “Well, I wish she wouldn’t disappear on me though. What if it weren’t Caleb living next door? What if it were a horrid person who complained when she barked and threatened to do something about shutting her up permanently?”

  “You don’t have to worry about Caleb doing anything like what you’ve suggested. He may have tried to push Willow away when he first started looking after me, but she won him over. There’s no way he’d hurt her. Plus, if it weren’t Caleb living next door, she wouldn’t escape.”

  “I hope you’re right, but I’m sure he doesn’t want to be constantly bothered by her little out-of-the-blue house calls. I’ll be back in a few, then I can get started on breakfast for you. We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.”

  “Invite Caleb over for breakfast. It’s the least you can do,” he called as she disappeared into her room.

  Yeah right, like Caleb would want to come over for breakfast after baring his soul to her. Conversation had been sparse on their walk back to the center.

  She grabbed a pair of shorts from her drawer and shoved her legs in. All through her shift, she’d been tempted to send him a text to see how he was doing. She’d held back because she didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable for sharing his secret with her.

  She slipped her feet into her flip-flops and grabbed one of the leads she had in her room. Grabbing her keys off the hallway table, she flicked the lock and pulled the door open.

  “Ooph,” she mumbled as she walked into a wall of course dog hair and a sense of déjà vu swept over her like a warm cocoon. Stepping back, she looked up and smiled. “I feel like we’ve done this before.”

  Unlike last time when Caleb all but shoved Willow into her arms, he shifted the dog higher on his chest and laughed. “Yeah, I’m getting the same sensation.”

  Willow had the biggest doggie smile on her face, as if to say, Look, Mommy. I brought you a treat.

  A treat indeed. Caleb hadn’t bothered to put a shirt on, so his shoulders glowed golden in the early morning sunshine peeping through the trees.

  “I’m so sorry about her bothering you again,” she said as she waved Caleb inside. “I thought you said you were going to fix the place where she came through.”

  If she hadn’t been watching him, she wouldn’t have seen the slight flush rising up his neck and blooming across his cheeks. “I, uh, haven’t got round to fixing it yet.”

  Interesting. If she didn’t know better, she’d almost think he hadn’t repaired it on purpose. But then that would mean he wanted Willow to continue to visit him, and she couldn’t quite believe that to be true.

  “Can I tempt you into staying for breakfast as a way of thanking you for not being annoyed with her surprise visits?”

  Caleb put Willow on the ground and she scampered off down the hall. He stood a hairsbreadth away from her. Her line of vision was filled with a well-defined, slightly hairy bare chest. Without conscious thought, she placed her hands against his pectoral muscles, the skin warm beneath her fingers. No wonder Willow was smiling happily. Who wouldn’t want to be snuggling up to this chest?

  His fingers closed over hers and she wondered, for half a heartbeat, if he was going to push her hands away. Instead, he squeezed them, forcing her gaze up to meet his.

  Heat flared in their dark depths. “Morning, Kerry,” he murmured before lowering his head and capturing her lips.

  The last thing she predicted would happen when she opened the door and ran into him would be that a few minutes later she’d be wrapped up in his arms and they’d be sharing a warm kiss on her doorstep. She definitely could get used to it.

  It registered that the door was still open and they were giving quite the show to anyone who walked past. Managing to squeeze her hand out from between them, she reached out until she connected with the lump of wood. She gave it a push, and the door slammed shut with a resounding thud.

  She was aware of Willow barking in the background, but her focus was totally on the man in her arms. The way his mouth moved over hers. He, too, had shifted and his arms now banded around her, bringing her flush against him. His desire for her evident in the hard ridge of his erection against her belly.

  Maybe Willow was playing matchmaker with her and Caleb. Willow was the only reason she’d run into Caleb all those weeks ago. Perhaps Dad had been right, if Caleb didn’t live next door, her dog would stay in her backyard.

  A throat clearing finally penetrated the hazy fog his kiss had cast over her. A fog she didn’t want to dissipate. She wanted to hug it close; she’d never experienced the wave of emotions tumbling through her when she’d been kissed by anyone else, even Winthorn, and for a time she’d thought he was the one and only for her.

  Caleb slowly withdrew his lips, but he didn’t relinquish his hold. If anything, he tightened his grip. “Morning, Ron. How are you this morning?”

  Mortification replaced her desire. How could she have forgotten her dad was a few feet away? Even as a teenager, she’d never been busted kissing someone. It had to happen when she was thirty, a homeowner, and held down a responsible job. And not once but twice Dad had caught them kissing in the hallway.

  “I see Kerry found you and Willow.” She didn’t need to turn around to see if Dad was smiling. She heard it in his tone.

  “You could say that.”

  “I take it you’re joining us for breakfast?” her dad asked, as if she weren’t standing in Caleb’s arms not three feet away from him.

  Determined to get herself back in charge of things, she wiggled out of Caleb’s arms. He turned his back quickly so her dad couldn’t see the front of his sweats, as the light flannel did nothing to hide his arousal. If she weren’t so embarrassed herself, she’d laugh at the situation.

  Straightening her shoulders, she looked her dad in the eye. His eyes twinkled, and he winked at her.

  “I’m just going to the kitchen.”

  “Sounds good, sweetie. We’ll be there in a few minutes. I think Caleb needs a little time to, uh, compose himself.”

  “Oh. My. God. Dad, you did not just say that!” Her cheeks burned brighter than the burner flame in the kitchen at the restaurant. As she stomped past him, he laughed loudly at his own joke. Caleb joined in, and she mentally threw her hands up in the air.

  Men.

  Last night, she said she liked having Dad live with her. Now she wasn’t so sure. There was a
reason adults lived by themselves and not with their parents—no unwanted interruptions. Although interrupting her and Caleb probably wasn’t a bad thing. His kisses shocked the hell out of her, especially after how tense things between them had been last night.

  She pulled out the carton of eggs and package of bacon from the fridge. Give her a smoothie or an apple any day. But Dad liked to have a cooked breakfast, so she broke some eggs into a bowl, added milk, and began to whip them together, her gaze falling on the letter sitting in the middle of the table. She should move it. For a few minutes, her mind had shed the worries and she savored being held by Caleb.

  As if drawn by an invisible force, she walked over to the table and looked again at the letter. The black typeface blurred together.

  “Can I help with anything?”

  The bowl slipped, but she caught it before it could crash to the ground. “Jesus, Caleb, don’t scare me like that.”

  Her heart pounded a million miles an hour. “Sorry. I thought you heard me come in.”

  Tucking the bowl tighter against her body, she reached for the letter on the table. The last thing she wanted was for him to see what trouble was knocking on her doorstep. Unfortunately, he was quicker.

  Her breath whooshed out when it looked like he was going to hand it to her, but then he pulled the paper out of her reach.

  Damn.

  *

  Caleb read the words for a second and then looked up at Kerry. A stricken expression highlighted her features along with the faint pink hue of embarrassment.

  “What’s all this about?” he asked. He didn’t have any place inquiring about the contents. A letter he shouldn’t have picked up in the first place. He was well acquainted with keeping his life private, but this was Kerry. The woman he was beginning to care for. He couldn’t deny he’d been delighted to see Willow sitting on his back porch when he opened the door to her bark.

  Now he couldn’t help but wonder if the dog didn’t have an ulterior motive for her unannounced visit to his place. Somehow, some way, Willow had known her owner was troubled and had come looking for him.