by Hadley Quinn
I’d meant it as a joke, but I knew my brother wouldn’t take it that way. He was way too protective of me to allow that kind of insult to myself.
“You kind of need at least twelve cats to have that title,” he scowled. “And you don’t like cats, so I’m not worried.”
“I like dogs. I could have twelve dogs.”
“Not worried.”
“Rabbits. And I would just let them mate over and over.”
He hesitated just briefly. “Still not worried. You hate bad smells, and they shit all the time.”
“Fish.”
“It’s a tank of water. Not a problem.”
“Twelve fish tanks.”
He rolled his eyes. “Like you’d want that much work.”
He had a point.
“My parents’ neighbor just had a litter of puppies,” Boxer cut in. “If you want a dog, I could reserve one for you.”
He seemed sincere in the offer, but I tossed my head back and laughed. “Are you guys seriously worried I need a damn animal to keep me company? Do I seem that pathetic?”
I stared at all three of them, intent on receiving an answer. All three shook their heads in disagreement.
“It’s just an offer, Jo. I didn’t mean to offend you.” Poor Boxer. He looked like I’d just insulted his manhood.
Waving it off, I stood to retrieve a menu from the fridge. “How ‘bout we order pizza.”
Food, the ultimate distraction.
~
Drew and his friends left two hours later. It was difficult to admit, but I was sad to see them go. I really liked having them over. But…maybe they could see something I was too stubborn to admit?
What if I really was on my way to crazy cat lady status?
To get rid of the worry, I turned on some music and forced myself to empty two more boxes. Once I got into the “housekeeping” groove, I continued with cleaning the floors. As I swept the kitchen, I actually considered getting a pet. It would be nice to have another living thing in the apartment with me. That sounded pitiful, but it was tempting.
But if I got a dog, I’d have to walk it outside every day. And bathe it. Vet bills. Destroyed furniture? No, definitely not a puppy. Preferably an adult dog from the pound—one that was ugly and dying and no one wanted. If anything happened to it, I couldn’t be blamed.
I could start with that, right?
Sighing, I thought against it. After a shower, I plopped on the couch again and opened my laptop to finish my blog for the week. See? I had a hobby. I didn’t need an animal to fill a void. It would probably create more havoc in my life than it was worth.
Thunk, thunk, thunk!
I jumped when something knocked against my wall. It took me several seconds to realize it wasn’t in my apartment, but on the other side of it.
“Turn it down,” a man’s muffled voice said through the wall. Thunk, thunk, thunk! “It’s too loud, turn it down.”
I sprung from the couch and hurried to my speakers to turn them off. It really wasn’t on that loud. Plus, I’d had it on for over an hour. Why bitch about it now?
“I’m really sorry!” I hollered to the wall, waiting for a reply. Nothing. “I didn’t realize the walls were so thin.”
Still no reply, so I moved back to the couch.
“Now you do,” the grumbled response came. “Keep it down.”
Normally, I’d just ignore something rude like that, but really? What an asshole. Like I said, I wasn’t sure what kind of neighbors I had yet, but that wasn’t a good start to finding out.
Against my better judgment, I left my apartment and headed for the one next to me. Knocking on the door, I coaxed myself to be polite. Don’t make the situation worse. Just apologize and be the bigger person.
The door cracked open a few inches, with the chain still attached. He had a chain? How come I didn’t have a chain? A pair of hostile eyes narrowed at me, matching the incensed frown on his face. “What?” he snapped. “Can’t you read the sign?”
Sign? I took a step back, my eyes drifting to a simple plaque above the doorknob. No soliciting.
“I’m not selling anything—”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re about to solicit in some form. Read a dictionary. S-o-l-i-c-i-t. Learn some vocabulary.”
He slammed the door in my face.
I froze in disbelief. What the fuck? I exhaled the breath I’d been holding—air that was full of fury and choice words. Read a dictionary?
What a dickhead!
I pounded on the door, allowing his verbal abuse to fuel my rage against the gray painted wood. “I know what solicit means, you tool. I only came by to apologize for the music being so loud.”
The door jerked open again, this time without the chain, and his full frame was in view. “To which you’d probably be asking for my tolerance, asking me to pardon your rude, insensitive behavior. Therefore, you’d be soliciting for my acceptance of your apology. Like I said, read the sign.” He jabbed a finger toward it to emphasize.
The nerve! And the sad part, I was too stunned to have a witty reply. I could only stare at him—the audacity of a crabby human who, sadly, lived next door to me.
Shit. The guy was my damn neighbor, and I was going to have to put up with him for who knows how long? I figured I should probably walk away and forget anything ever happened. Having a feud with a neighbor was not on my list of priorities.
But…I couldn’t help myself. His self-righteous aura grated on my last bit of reserved kindness.
“I don’t know what crawled into your skid-marked panties and died a horrible death, but I was only trying to be neighborly,” I retorted. “Excuse me for not realizing I was being such a bother and then had the humility to express my regret. But you know what? I’m not sorry. So kiss my ass.”
“Ooh, takebacks?” He actually smirked. “Since you called me a tool, should I say, ‘I know you are but what am I?’”
I could feel my face turn ten degrees hotter. This guy was the ultimate shitface, and I wanted to slap him silly. But he was right. I’d fed him the opportunity to counter with something just as childish.
Taking a silent breath, I forced myself to make a calm response. “Hello, neighbor-in-2D. My name is Jolie, and I live in 2C. It’s nice to meet you, I hope we can be friendly and respectful to one another. I’ll keep my music down, but let me know if I can do anything else to help out.”
That was hard. Way too hard. Faking it wasn’t my strong suit. Unless it was in bed. I guess I could thank Chris for my Oscars in that department.
For the first time, my bitchy neighbor took his time with a reply. And also for the first time, I took a moment to study more than just his snarky expressions. He was about six-foot and clean shaven with stylish light brown hair. And he wasn’t some cranky old fart; he couldn’t have been much older than I was. He also had the most piercing green eyes I’d ever seen, and regrettably, had such striking features, I almost uttered beautiful out loud.
Because he was.
He leaned a shoulder against the door frame, his dark lashes narrowing once again. “Hmm, Jolie, eh? Your name definitely suits your exterior but…” He gave me a smug smile.
Insult. That was an insult. He was basically saying I was pretty on the outside but not on the inside.
Fine. Didn’t need his approval anyway. “Pretty much,” I agreed with a casual shrug. “And I’ll be surprised if your name isn’t Connard.” I let it soften off my tongue perfectly.
He laughed. Really hard. It almost made me laugh because it was seriously funny to watch him let go like that. I knew he could be mocking me again, but I truly think I caught him by surprise.
“Touché,” he said, nodding his head with amusement. “I think we just became best friends.”
Guarded, I assessed his change in mood. I called him an awful name in another language, and he wanted to be friends? God, I almost hated the opposite sex sometimes. Or even females. Okay, people in general.
When I still hadn’t r
esponded, he added, “Well, Jolie-in-2C, my name is actually Harlan. Nice to meet you. At this point, at least.”
He held out his hand. Was I supposed to shake it? Refuse it? Was this a game or test I was supposed to pass in order to keep this BFF status?
“Or not.” He winked, withdrawing his hand when I wouldn’t touch it. “Enjoy your evening. Just…keep the music down.”
He shut the door gently the second time around, leaving me standing there gaping at the dismal gray barrier again.
That was definitely going into the blog.
~3~
“You know, maybe you both just expected too much from each other,” Anna suggested before sipping her coffee. “I hear that’s a huge problem for, like, ninety percent of marriages. People expect instead of appreciate.”
I mulled over that theory as I stirred my mocha latte before snapping the lid back on. Sounded probable. But the only thing I ever expected from Chris was to be treated like I mattered. I kind of thought that was a given when it came to relationships.
Especially marriage.
“My brother’s friend, Boxer, thinks I was too nice. He told me Chris took me for granted, and in my desire to please other people, I let him.”
Anna stared at me until she blinked. “Whoa, who is this Boxer person because first of all, he’s right, and second of all…Boxer? That’s his name?”
“Yes,” I smiled. “And don’t ask me what it means because I don’t know.”
She pursed her lips. “The mythical dragon-dog?”
I had no idea what the hell she was talking about.
“Anyway, what’s his real name?” she asked.
“Don’t know that either.”
“Is he hot?”
I scoffed but could feel my face turn warm. “He’s way too young for me.”
Anna’s pretty mouth dropped open. “Oh, goodness, he is hot! How hot are we talking here?”
“It…I…ehh…Jesus, I don’t know. But like I said, he’s way too young.”
“Your brother is in college, so he’s gotta be over eighteen, right?”
“Anna.”
“I’m serious. How old is your brother? And his friend?”
I shook my head, already regretting we were even talking about it. “Drew is twenty. I assume Boxer is at least that, too.”
“Hmm, not legal for drinking but legal for pleasure!”
She’d blabbed that boisterously and several heads turned our way. Fortunately, I didn’t know a single person in the café.
“Jolie, listen to me.” Anna squeezed my hand from across the table, her deep blue eyes dancing wildly. “Do you like this guy?”
“No.”
“You answered that way too quickly.”
“Because I don’t like him.”
“You’re interested, but you’re stuck on the whole little-brother’s-friend ordeal, right?”
I didn’t answer.
“Jo, I’m going to revert back to one of our previous conversations. Get back on the fucking horse.”
“It’s not so simple,” I argued. “I feel like I’ve wasted the last eight to ten years of my life, and then I’m supposed to risk doing that again?”
“Think of everything you’ve learned instead.”
“Only what to avoid in people. That doesn’t exactly go in my favor when assessing a guy. I have too many cynical observations. And I feel like I’ve turned into a bitch.”
“You’re not a bitch. You’re just...cautious.” Anna exhaled before taking time with her coffee. Then, it was as if she had some sort of revelation when she met my eyes with elation. “This youngster could be exactly what you need. You’re the older and wiser one; you call the shots.”
I almost spit out my latte. “Youngster,” I hissed. “Wow, that doesn’t sound creepy or anything.”
“Come on, Jo,” she laughed. “There is nothing wrong with dating someone younger than you. And hey, Chris was six years older than you; maybe that was the problem. You don’t need someone to control you; you need someone who’s fun and treats you as an equal.”
“Agreed. But I want someone on the same page as me. I don’t really care about age or any superficial shit like that, just someone ready to experience life the same way I want to.”
“That sounds dreary.”
I gave her a look. “Dreary or not, it’s kind of crucial.”
“Okay, I see what you mean for, like, big stuff. Goals, family, career, who does the dishes and all that. But experiencing it ‘the same way,’” she used air quotes, “is totally not what you want. Let there be common interests, but let there be a lot of differences, too. That’s what makes life exciting.”
“I get what you’re saying, and that’s how I went into a marriage, but matching up what’s a ‘good’ difference and what’s a ‘bad’ difference kind of takes time. I want to laugh and have fun with someone every day, but really, all that matters to me is someone who puts this first.” I patted over my heart for effect. “I don’t want to feel like some guaranteed commodity in life again; there needs to be some effort.”
She nodded pensively. I was glad she was agreeing with me until she said, “But don’t forget a big dick. That’s important, too.”
I groaned while Anna downed the last of her coffee and stood. I knew she needed to pick up her six-year-old from ballet, so I rose and followed her to the exit.
Anna held the door for me. I followed her out, and admitted, “I’d love nothing more than to have a ginormous cock inside me-Oof!” just as I smacked into a male body turning into the coffee shop.
I froze, not even realizing I’d dropped the last half of my latte until the guy bent down to pick it up for me.
He said nothing—just handed the paper cup to me, lid still in-tact—until my eyes traveled from his hands, up his tattooed biceps, and settled on his stubble-dusted face.
And a pair of familiar dark chocolate eyes jolted me from the inside out.
“Jo?” he asked, seeming alarmed. He even took a step back.
Anna was speaking, pulling me away from the doorway so a couple could enter the café. But her departing words were just a tunnel of mumbles before she left us standing there, staring at each other.
“JoJo?” he asked again.
I swallowed but forced a smile, his nickname for me pummeling my chest even harder. “Josh?”
I couldn’t even believe it. Josh Cameron. My boyfriend from high school. And whoa, had he changed. He was a few inches taller, more filled out, and the tattoos were the last thing I ever expected to see on him. I couldn’t help my eyes from drifting to the ink peeking out from his t-shirt.
His movement caused me to focus on his face again. He leaned back to study me from top to bottom, not even subtly. “You look…different.”
Different? What the hell did that mean? I was the same height, had the same brown hair, same hazel eyes, and same inkless skin. I hadn’t changed much—not like he had.
And was his voice an octave deeper?
I became insecure. I didn’t like the way he was looking me over, and furthermore, he hadn’t smiled a single time. That wasn’t the Josh I remembered. Josh Cameron from ten years ago was friendly, polite, and most of all, smiled for no reason.
This guy just stared at me with a stone-cold expression.
I shifted uncomfortably. “Um, so, how have you been?”
He cocked an eyebrow at me. At least that was familiar. He used to do the funniest things with his eyebrows to make me laugh. But this eyebrow action was all wrong. It wasn’t quirky or fun.
It was full of caution.
He finally answered, “I’m fine.” I waited for him to continue, but he didn’t.
“Well, good. I guess.” I cringed inside. Awkward.
What the hell? Sure, I hadn’t seen him in ten years—not since the day we graduated and mutually agreed to go our separate ways—but why was he being so cold? A normal Josh would have hugged me by now, asked how my parents were, asked how I was doing...a
nything other than staring at me like I was plagued.
My patience quickly wore thin, because the last thing I felt like doing was going out of my way to make someone else happy. That was the old Jolie. The new Jolie was sick and tired of always being the one to make an effort.
The new Jolie was tired as fuck from trying so hard.
“All right, Josh, well, it was nice seeing you.” I shrugged, trying to shake myself of the annoyance I felt. “I need to get to work.”
Giving him a halfhearted wave, I brushed past him. I expected him to say something to keep me from leaving, but nope. Nothing. And I refused to look back at him, either, for fear I would seem weak and insecure.
What an asshole. Two in one week? I was on a roll.
~4~
“What a dick. And he didn’t even ask where you worked or where you lived? Or how many kids you might have?” Anna shook her head at my summation of running into Josh. She had texted me last night, but I’d been too exhausted and promised I’d fill her in at work.
“Nope, nothing.” I stuck another bite of cinnamon roll in my mouth and leaned back against my chair. Seeing her disapproval was validating. I’d been wondering what the hell I ever did to that guy to deserve such a cold reunion.
“Maybe he was super bitter,” Leslie added. “Did you, like, break his heart?”
Leslie was one of our younger waitresses—a bit newer than me but also a better server. I liked her, even though her valley girl personality sometimes rubbed me the wrong way.
“No, I didn’t break his heart. Both of us were going off to college, and we decided it was best to skip the long-distance relationship.”
Anna shook her head. “I don’t know what it was, Jo, but you should fix that shit and jump that man’s bones STAT.”
Leslie giggled, but I was not too keen on Anna’s assumption that I thought Josh Cameron was deserving of my body.
“That man is probably a monster in bed,” she added, nudging me for my agreement.
I wanted to be done with the conversation and get back to work, but we’d just opened for the day and it was a Tuesday. Anna wasn’t even there to work, just to pick up her paycheck before her dinner shift that evening.