The Good Guy on my Porch (Catalpa Creek #3)

by Katharine Sadler

  “This place,” I said, all honesty. “I visited it while I was in college and I just knew…It was the first place that felt like home to me, the first place I truly felt I belonged.” She touched a finger to her tiny nose and nodded. “Plus, I love all the outdoorsy stuff I can get into. You must be a pro at just about everything since you grew up here.”

  She crinkled her brow. “Not even a little bit. I like to look at all the pretty from a distance. Up close there are bugs and thorns and sweat.”

  Her words surprised me so much I laughed. “Sweat?”

  She looked down her nose at me. “Don’t judge.”

  “I’m not judging,” I said, though I kind of was judging. “It’s just that this is such an outdoorsy town, I assumed you’d be into outdoor stuff.”

  “I know it’s shocking to find out I’m not like everyone else,” she said, sarcasm laced delicately through her words.

  “You should come out with me, sometime. It’s pretty here, but it’s breathtaking out there.”

  She paused, her mouth open, her lips glistening. I was so distracted I almost didn’t hear what she said. “I’ve got a policy of never turning down a new experience so, I’ll go. When?”

  “When’s your day off?” I had a few ideas about some easy hikes with amazing views, something simple so she wouldn’t run screaming.

  “Sunday and Monday. You probably work every day.”

  “The spa is closed on Monday. We’ll go then, if it’s not raining.”

  She nodded, her gaze shifting around the front yard like she was looking for an escape. I was a nice guy, it’s what every woman I’d ever dated had said about me, and I should have let her off the hook, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t give up the chance to spend the day with her, to be in her orbit a little longer.

  “We’ll go on a hike and then you can take me to do something that you like and I hate.”

  Her smile was brilliant. “Really? What do you hate?”

  A feeling washed over me in that moment, the same feeling that had hit me the first time I’d driven into Catalpa Creek, the mountains giving way to the green, gorgeous valley and the town. A feeling of being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. “I hate all kinds of things. What do you love?”

  She considered, lips pursed, fingers tapping on her knee as the night got darker around us and her face became harder and harder to see. “What about musical theater? Most of the men I know hate that.”

  “I’ve never been. Never had the slightest desire to go.” She was offering me something I’d probably hate and yet I felt like she’d just given me a gift.

  “The college is putting on Mary Poppins in a couple weeks. We’ll go see that if I survive your torture hike.”

  I stuck out my hand, bumping her arm in the dark and felt her small hand slip into mine. She pulled it away as soon as we’d completed one quick shake and stood. “I’m heading to bed. Have a good night, Oscar.”

  “Good night, Dilly.”

  I stayed outside for a while after she’d gone in. I listened to her bang around in her half of the duplex, wondering what she did before bed, what her nightly routine consisted of. Finally, when she’d gone quiet and the lights in the front of her house had gone out, I stood and went inside my own half of our duplex.

  ***

  The front porch was occupied when I walked up, take-out container in hand. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Dilly sitting on the top step, but my youngest sister, just two years older than me, her light hair glowing in the early evening sunlight, her smile shaky but hopeful. I bit back a sigh. The whole reason I moved from my one-bedroom apartment to the duplex was because my family had a habit of dropping in to visit without warning. I’d thought moving four hours away from them all would have stopped that habit, but they viewed Catalpa Creek as the ideal get-away from the hectic city life of Northern Virginia and had somehow managed to visit more often than they had when I’d lived thirty minutes away.

  I sat next to my sister. I was going to have to install a porch swing or walk around with pollen-covered pants all the time. “This is a nice surprise,” I said. “How are you?”

  Molly, my only unmarried sister, who was usually cheery and energetic, couldn’t manage to hold onto her smile. “I just wanted to get out of the city for a bit. Is it okay if I stay with you?”

  I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a side hug. “You’re always welcome to stay here, you know that.” I let her go so I could face her. “But I can tell you’re upset. Did something happen at work?” Molly was the most career-oriented member of our family and that was saying a lot. She’d been working in politics for years and had high aspirations. I suspected her goal of being elected senator next year was just one step on the way to her real goal of being the first female president.

  “Work’s great,” she said, her voice catching. She sat up straighter. “I’m just really tired, Oscar. Maybe we can talk in the morning?”

  I led her inside and showed her to the guest room. Getting it ready for company was one of the first things I’d done after I’d moved in. I just hadn’t expected the company to arrive so soon. “Are you hungry?” I asked as Molly set her bag down on the bed.

  “No, thanks. I stopped before I got here.”

  She threw her arms around me in a hug so tight I almost couldn’t breathe. I hugged her back, fully worried now that something was really wrong with my little sister. “You know you can talk to me, right?” I said. “I want to help.”

  She stepped away, wiping her eyes, and turned back to the bed. “I’m fine. Really. I just needed to get away for a while.”

  I left the room, feeling like I was letting her down, and took my dinner to the front porch. It was a nice night and I didn’t want to disturb Molly by banging around in the kitchen while she was trying to sleep. It had nothing to do with wanting to be there when Dilly got home. Nothing at all.

  When Dilly started up our walk, she didn’t see me at first, she was lost in thought, her frown fierce.

  “Rough day at work?” I asked

  She looked up, her big eyes widening a bit as she realized I was there. “Work?” Her gaze sharpened still more as she digested my words. “No, everything’s fine there. How are you?”

  “I’m great. Just waiting for the sun to set. Want to join me?”

  Her smile made my heart stutter. “Sure. I’ll just run in and get something to eat. I’m starving.”

  She hurried inside, and I picked up the book I’d brought out. I read two pages before Dilly was back, a bowl of neon-orange noodles in her hand. She dropped down next to me. “What are you reading?”

  I flipped the book cover closed so she could see the title. “It’s about the mental benefits of yoga. I’m taking a class at the university.”

  “Are there a lot of mental benefits? Will I get smarter if I start doing yoga?”

  “Maybe,” I said. “But I’m pretty sure that toxic sludge you’re eating would counteract any benefits.”

  She smiled, not the least bit offended. “But this toxic sludge tastes so good and it’s so easy to make. Or reheat in the microwave in this case.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think I’ve eaten mac and cheese from a box since I was a kid. I don’t even remember what it tastes like.”

  “It tastes like heaven. Warm and cheesy and filling. The perfect comfort food.”

  I wanted to ask if she needed comfort, but her head popped up from her bowl and she pointed at the mountains. “It’s starting,” she said around a mouthful of orange noodles.

  She had terrible taste in food and worse table manners, but she was still the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. The sunset was particularly spectacular, with an almost blinding array of bright sunlight and purples and pinks.

  “I haven’t been to the other side of that mountain since I was a kid,” she said, her voice low, like she was speaking to herself.

  “Why not?”

  She looked at me, her expression inex
pressibly sad, but she smiled quickly, chasing the sadness away like it had never been there. “I’ve had no reason to go. I have everything I need here.”

  “There are some pretty cool things to see on the other side of the mountains.”

  “I’m sure there are,” she said with an easy smile. “But I’m a simple girl.”

  She yawned. “I’m beat. I’m going to hit the hay. See you Monday for our torture session?”

  Relief washed through me that she’d remembered and that she still planned to go with me. “I’ll pick you up.”

  She grinned and hurried inside.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Dilly

  “Yes, Mom,” I said, phone hot against my ear. “I’m at home, curled up with a book. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

  “Okay, dear,” she said, her voice choked. I could tell she was having a bad day, and guilt washed over me. “You’re such a good daughter. Thank you for staying inside today.”

  “Of course. I’ll see you tonight for dinner.”

  She cleared her throat. “You know I want to see you, honey. I just…I have such a bad feeling. I don’t want you to risk walking or driving tonight. Maybe next Sunday?”

  I bit back a sigh. I loved my mother, I did, but she made it nearly impossible to like her. “Okay, Mom. I’ll see you next week.” I hung up feeling relief at saying goodbye, guilt about feeling relieved, and worry that she might be having a worse day than she’d let on. Worry that the next time I called she wouldn’t answer the phone, that she was starving herself or sick. She’d seemed so frail lately, both mentally and physically, and I didn’t know how to help her.

  “You dragged me into this,” Carrie called from the rail of the bridge where she was strapped in, ready to bungee off the side. “Get your butt over here and cheer me on.”

  I shoved my phone into my back pocket and hurried over to stand behind my friend.

  “I can’t believe you convinced her to do this,” Lance, Carrie’s other best friend, said, grinning, camera at the ready.

  “You’re going to do awesome, honey,” I said, ignoring Lance. He was a good guy, but he was uber-protective of Carrie. We butted heads because I was always pushing Carrie to step out of her comfort zone and he was telling her she was amazing just as she was.

  Carrie twisted to look back at me over her shoulder and smiled. Then she leapt off the side and roared like she was a marauding warrior. She fell and bounced up, laughing and screaming all the way. My stomach bounced with her and my hands shook. I was going to be sick. I couldn’t do this.

  “You okay?” Lance asked as they pulled Carrie up. “You don’t look so good.”

  “I’m great.” I forced a smile. I would never let on to either of them how terrified I was, because then I’d have to explain why I needed to do this, why I needed to push myself, and I wasn’t ready to tell either of them my whole sad story. “Are you ready to do this?”

  Lance was already in his helmet and harness. “I was born ready.” He literally skipped over to take his place and I swallowed hard against rising bile, my vision going blurry. Maybe I’d gone too far this time, maybe I’d —

  Carrie plowed into me, wrapping her arms around me and bouncing up and down. “That was amazing! I’m so glad you talked me into doing it.”

  I hugged her back and she hurried over to celebrate with Cody, who was off to the side with May. He and May had already jumped and had both acted like it was nothing more than taking a leisurely leap into a swimming pool.

  I watched Lance jump and realized what a terrible idea I’d had agreeing to go last. I was going to die of nerves before I made it over the railing of the bridge.

  As Lance bounced and rose, I strapped into a harness and put on a helmet. One of the staff members made sure everything was tight and then I was on the other side of the rail and they were hooking me to the bungee. My heart raced and my insides flipped like I was on a roller coaster. I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t…I pictured my mother, locked in her small apartment, terrified to leave, terrified to live. I closed my eyes and I leapt.

  When I opened them, the ground was rushing toward me. It was exactly what it would feel like to fall from a great height, to know my end was near. It was what my mother feared more than anything else. I faced it and then the bungee caught me, and I soared back up again, the view of the valley below incredible. A laugh bubbled out of me and then another, and then I screamed for the pure joy of being alive.

  Once I was back on the bridge and with my friends, the adrenaline and the joy rushing through me were like the best kind of drug. I’d been afraid, but I’d done it.

  “I’ll ride back with Dilly,” Carrie said, pressing a quick kiss to her husband’s cheek. “We haven’t had any girl time in a while.”

  Cody waved and got into his jeep with May and Lance, who blew us each kisses before he got in. He didn’t even ask to ride back with us, which was one of the many reasons I could never truly hate Lance. He understood that my friendship with Carrie was different than his, and he didn’t ever try to intrude on our girl time.

  “That was the most amazing…” Carrie sighed. “I’m so glad you made me do that. I feel like I could rule the world right now.”

  I laughed, caught up in the same rush of adrenaline and joy. I also felt stronger, not strong enough to take over the world, but to get through every day without fear, to not end up like my mother. “I’ve never doubted for a moment that you could rule the world,” I said. “You should run for office.”

  I could honestly see Carrie in politics, changing policy and making the world a better place. She laughed like I was silly. “I think I’ll stick to teaching. I heard from Norma Jane that you and Abram broke up, you okay?”

  “Of course. He and I were just having fun. It wasn’t serious.”

  I’d been lying to Carrie for so long, I barely gave it a thought. Carrie had enough people in her life who needed her to take care of them, who needed her to listen to them whine about their problems. Besides, if I explained that I’d liked Abram because he didn’t expect a long-term, serious commitment from me, I’d have to explain why I was never going to get married or have a family like she did. I’d have to explain about my mother’s demands on me and it was far too late to tell Carrie any of that. “Once I found out he’s married and has kids, it was less fun, so I ended it.”

  She gasped. “What an asshole.”

  “Pretty much. He claims they have an open relationship, but I can’t be the woman taking a man away from his wife and kids, no matter what kind of arrangement they have.”

  “I’m so sorry, Dilly.” I could feel her sympathy in the car like a suffocating thing. She knew I’d lost my dad when I was a kid, knew I’d lived with my aunt for a few years in high school, but she knew nothing about my mom. As far as Carrie and the rest of the town was concerned, my mom worked from home and was an eccentric recluse. That’s the way I liked it. I kept my eyes on the road, my smile brittle.

  “It’s fine. Really. I never thought we were soul mates or anything.”

  “That’s good,” she said, but her tone suggested she didn’t believe me.

  “Is Kayla going to prom?” Carrie had adopted Kayla and her younger brother and sister before she and Cody got married last year.

  Carrie filled me in on Kayla’s prom plans, on what the two younger kids were doing, on the progress of Cody’s vineyard, which sounded like a ton of work and stress, but which Carrie and Cody both seemed to adore, and on her job teaching at the local high school.

  I was happy for her, she’d given so much to so many people, she deserved every happiness. As I pulled onto main street in Catalpa Creek, she sighed. “I’m starving, want to get something to eat?”

  “I could eat,” I said, since I wouldn’t be going to Mom’s for dinner. “BBQ?”

  “Sounds good to me. I was so nervous about plunging to my death, I haven’t eaten anything all day.”

  “Me, either,” I said with a laugh. I pulled int
o the lot outside the local BBQ joint, nearly empty at three in the afternoon, and she swung her head to look at me.

  “You didn’t seem nervous at all. You’re not afraid of anything.”

  It made me a little sad that my very best friend in the world didn’t know me, at least not well enough to tell when I was afraid, but it also relieved me. Like if I admitted to my fears, if other people knew about them and talked about them, I’d start to spiral and end up just like my mother. I’d rather die at the end of a bungee cord than live the way my mother did. Other people believing I feared nothing helped me believe I was fearless. “We jumped off the side of a bridge into a canyon. Of course, I was nervous.” Nervous, not afraid. Never afraid.

  She grinned. “Well that makes me feel like less of a wimp.”

  I led the way into the BBQ shack, waving at people I knew as we made our way to our favorite table in the back. At three in the afternoon, most of the diners were seniors I’d met through my work at the library.

  We placed our orders and chatted about the books we were reading. Because of Carrie, I had a pretty wide reading taste and I liked to think I’d expanded her reading list as well.

  “Norma Jane told me Aubrey’s friend, Oscar, moved in next door,” Carrie said after our food had been delivered. “She said Abram had him arrested?”

  I rolled my eyes. Gossip was one of my least favorite things about small town living. “Abram was a jerk to call the police, but I’m sure he wouldn’t have done it if he knew Oscar was the new renter. It was a simple misunderstanding.”

  She grimaced. “Rough start for a new neighbor. Have things been crazy tense between you two?”

  I shrugged. “It’s been fine. I brought him muffins to apologize and we’ve become friends. He’s my sunset-watching soul mate.”

  Her eyes widened and she almost choked on her mouthful of pulled pork. “Soul mate?” she asked, once she’d gotten hold of herself. “You don’t believe in soul mates.”