The Professor Next Door (Cider Bar Sisters Book 3)

by Jackie Lau

  But now, eating dinner with someone else in her building seemed like a novelty.

  She felt slightly unsettled, but still more relaxed than she had earlier. Her aunt’s phone call was a distant memory.

  She chatted with David for a little longer. They made plans to meet again next week, and Nicole found herself looking forward to a simple dinner far more than she ought to.

  * * *

  On Wednesday, David was checking his mail—nothing but a flyer he didn’t want—when someone said his name from right behind him. He startled and dropped the flyer.

  “Sorry,” Nicole said, reaching to pick it up.

  They headed to the elevators together, and he tried not to stare at her. She wore a long winter jacket and a black beret tilted on her head. It looked stylish and sophisticated on her, whereas his hat had ear flaps.

  It baffled him that she was giving him her Friday evenings.

  Although maybe she went out afterward. Their dinner together could be just the start of a long night, and then she’d meet friends for drinks.

  He hadn’t heard any noises through the wall last weekend, though that didn’t mean she hadn’t brought someone home. It was possible to have sex in places other than the bedroom...

  No, he shouldn’t be thinking about that.

  The elevator doors opened and they stepped on. This was the first time they’d taken the elevator together since they’d gotten stuck.

  She made a show of holding her breath as they approached the thirteenth floor, then released it when they got to their floor.

  “Success.” She smiled at him over her shoulder.

  God, she was gorgeous. No one should be able to make a beret and winter coat look that good.

  “David?” she said, putting her hand on the elevator doors to hold them open. She’d stepped onto their floor, but he was still on the elevator, flustered.

  He didn’t usually think of himself as the absent-minded professor.

  “Right.” He walked out of the elevator and followed her down the hall.

  There was something about Nicole that always made her seem sophisticated, even the time he’d seen her in pajamas. Put together, but not like she was showing a mask to the world. No, not at all.

  He liked that, the contrast between the sounds he could hear from her bedroom on occasion...and the woman walking in front of him now.

  “See you on Friday.” She gave him a little wave as she put the key in her lock.

  “See you,” he said.

  * * *

  On Thursday at five o’clock, David was in his office, considering a little light cleaning. His office wasn’t in bad shape; it wasn’t one of those offices with papers and books everywhere, teetering towers that threatened to collapse at any moment.

  Not that he made fun of Murray for that.

  Well, not too much.

  Professor Murray McRae, who was nearly two decades older than David, was his closest friend in the Department of Earth Sciences. Murray had been very welcoming when David had started at the university, in part because he was pleased that David was taking over teaching his first-year class.

  Anyway, David usually left around five or five thirty, but the two times he’d run into Nicole had been when he’d left later than usual. Yesterday, it had been thanks to a curriculum meeting.

  Maybe he’d start coming in later than eight in the morning and leaving—

  No. He was acting like a schoolboy with a crush, even though it was less than two weeks until his fortieth birthday.

  He didn’t need to resort to changing his schedule just so he had a chance of running into Nicole and spending two minutes with her. She was having dinner with him tomorrow.

  But those shelves sure did look dusty...

  He put his glasses on and took a closer look.

  No, he couldn’t justify it to himself.

  He left work right away and didn’t see Nicole by the elevators, which was more of a disappointment than it should have been.

  Chapter 7

  Friday after work, David knocked on Nicole’s door, his heart beating a touch fast.

  She opened the door and smiled at him. She was wearing lounge pants and an off-the-shoulder blue shirt, and she managed to look like she could be in an ad.

  “I brought dessert.” He held out a small box.

  She’d said she would figure out dinner this time, but they hadn’t discussed dessert. He hoped this didn’t ruin her plans.

  But she looked delighted when she opened the box.

  He’d spent an embarrassing amount of time researching places to buy dessert in the area. The pastries weren’t large, but they’d likely be very rich. One was full of chocolate in many different forms, and the other—

  “What’s this?” she asked, pointing at the white and orange one.

  “Mango mousse, white chocolate, and coconut.”

  “Ohh.”

  She really did him in when she made noises like that.

  Nicole took lots of pleasure in her food. Like she took pleasure in...

  Stop it.

  She’d given no indication that she saw him that way, and he wouldn’t make things weird. He suspected if Nicole wanted someone, she’d be very clear about it, and he liked that about her.

  No, he realized now that she was a little lonely, like he was.

  And he hated that she’d be lonely.

  “What did you get for dinner?” he asked.

  “Dan dan noodles from the Sichuan place a few blocks south.”

  She served the noodles into bowls and passed him chopsticks as well as tea. After pouring herself a glass of red wine, she sat down beside him and groaned as she had her first bite of noodles.

  “Good?” he asked mildly.

  “So good. I haven’t had these in months—I don’t know why. I used to go every two weeks when I first moved here.”

  “How long have you lived in this building?”

  “A year.”

  He nodded. “I used to live closer to the university, but when I decided to buy...”

  “Oh, you own your place? I don’t.”

  “I bought it after I got tenure.”

  “I should look into buying something. Real estate is so expensive in Toronto, but I think I could afford it now. There’s something that’s stopping me from doing it, though, and I’m not quite sure what.”

  He didn’t want her to move. He wanted her to stay right next door.

  But, of course, he didn’t say that.

  There was a pause in conversation as she enjoyed her noodles and sipped her wine. It was terribly erotic to watch her eat. To watch her enjoy herself.

  Stop lusting after her!

  “How was your week?” he asked. “Any news from your family? Did your grandma show up with more Christmas balloons?”

  She chuckled. “No, but she and Kelsey recorded a short dance.”

  “To which song?”

  “I don’t know! Something very popular with young people. I guess I’m too old to know these things now. What about you? How was your week?”

  He didn’t know what to tell her. His life sounded so boring. But it didn’t seem like she expected anything exciting.

  “Um,” he said, “I found a good poke place near campus?”

  When it came time for dessert, Nicole decided she wanted to try both pastries, so she cut them each in half. She alternated between bites of the two desserts.

  “Did you like them?” he asked once she’d finished eating. He couldn’t help feeling nervous, as though her verdict was of the utmost importance.

  “Mmm, yes. They were really good.” She licked some of the mango mousse off her lips, and it seemed slow and sensual to him, but she probably wasn’t thinking about that at all.

  “Which did you prefer?”

  She tilted her head to one side. “I couldn’t possibly decide. Guess I need to eat more to help me figure it out.”

  Playfully, she reached for his plate; he still had a few bites left.r />
  He pulled the plate back.

  She reached for it again, and he was almost about to let her have it, because even if he had a weakness for sweets, he had a bigger weakness for her. That silly schoolboy crush.

  He let go of the plate, then realized she didn’t have a steady grip on it.

  The small plate tumbled to the floor, where it shattered.

  “Oh my God,” she said. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s yourself you should be sorry to. I was going to let you eat it. And it’s your dish, and it fell on your floor.”

  Nicole looked at the plate on the floor, then looked back at him.

  She had a gulp of wine and started laughing, covering her mouth so the wine didn’t spew out. She finally seemed to swallow, but then she snorted, which made her laugh more.

  There was something about her being so unselfconscious that made him smile, and then he was laughing along with her.

  “This is what I get for being greedy.” She hopped off the chair and started cleaning up the mess. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get your pastries.”

  She winked at him over her shoulder, which he found flirtier than he should.

  The next day, when David returned from the pool, he found a small box in front of his door. There were two pastries inside. The same ones he’d bought for Nicole the previous night, except they were half the size of the ones the bakery served. Bigger than what he’d had left before the little accident last night, though.

  There was a small handwritten note inside the box.

  Here’s your share, she’d written, followed by a little heart.

  Did that heart mean something?

  Surely not.

  Still, he didn’t throw out the note.

  * * *

  As Nicole indulged in late-morning pastries, she started to have regrets.

  She’d ended that note with a heart, hadn’t she?

  She groaned.

  After finishing her pastry and coffee, she tiptoed out of her unit and into the hallway, as though going on a secret expedition.

  She looked over at his door. The box was already gone.

  Dammit.

  * * *

  At their next Friday dinner, Nicole thought David might say something about the note, but he didn’t—he just thanked her for the “suspiciously small” pastries—and she was glad. Her brain had made a little slip-up, that was all. Perhaps he hadn’t even noticed the heart.

  Besides, it was hard to obsess about it too much when she was eating this incredible moussaka. The bechamel sauce was rich, so she wouldn’t be able to eat a ton of it, but...

  Oh, who was she kidding. She was eating this whole piece.

  She’d just set down her fork when the phone rang. Her grandmother.

  “Go ahead and answer it,” David said. “I don’t mind.”

  She picked up the phone. “Hi, Po Po.”

  “Did you see me, Nicole? I was in another Popsicle.”

  “Listicle, Po Po.”

  “Ah, whatever, they are all the same. Eliza says videos are inappropriate, but she is being silly. They are so much fun. Kelsey reads me comments. People say I am cute! What are you doing right now?”

  “Just finished dinner.”

  “Can I speak to David? I want to ask him a question.”

  What could Po Po possibly want to ask—

  Wait a second. How did Po Po know she was with David right now?

  “David’s not here.”

  He gave her a look, and Nicole smothered a laugh.

  Though apparently, she didn’t do a good enough job of it.

  “He is definitely there,” Po Po said. “That’s why you are laughing.”

  “No, he’s not.”

  “Fine, fine, keep lying to your po po. Just make sure he does something nice for you on Valentine’s Day, yes? It’s on Sunday.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “He should get you a big bouquet of the prettiest flowers.”

  “I’ll tell him.”

  “Okay, I will let you go now because I think you are on a date.”

  “It’s not a date...” Nicole trailed off. Her grandmother had hung up the phone.

  She turned, then realized David was no longer beside her. He’d stood up to get something out of the fridge.

  “Cheese tart for dessert,” he said. “They opened a new location of Cheese & Me at Empress Walk last month. Do you wanted it chilled, or should I heat it up?”

  “I like cheese tarts warm.”

  She tried not to drool, but when the large tart came out of the oven, she couldn’t help it. She wiped her mouth with a napkin, hoping David didn’t notice.

  And when she broke off a piece of the crust and dipped it in the middle of the tart...

  OMG.

  “This is amazing,” she said, being rude and speaking with her mouth full.

  “I’m glad you like it.” He sounded very serious about that, like it was very important to him that she enjoy this tart.

  There was only one tart, so they shared—it certainly ought to be big enough for two. If Nicole hadn’t eaten all that moussaka and pita with baba ganouj, she could have eaten the whole thing, but as it was, she was full, and she didn’t want to deprive David of his share of dessert, like she’d done last week.

  These dinners had been an excellent addition to her life. David was a relaxing person to spend time with, unlike her family, much as she loved them. And he kept supplying her with excellent desserts.

  She’d been feeling less lonely these days, though there were still moments...

  All she needed in her life now was a no-strings-attached sex partner.

  She put that thought aside as she remembered something. “Sunday is Valentine’s Day, which means it’s also your birthday.”

  “It is indeed.”

  “Do you have plans?”

  He shook his head.

  “We should do something!” The words were out of her mouth before she’d thought it through. “When was the last time you went out, other than having a poke bowl for lunch? That doesn’t count.”

  “I think I had dinner with another prof early in January?”

  “David,” she scolded. “You need to get out! You go out even less than my friend Charlotte, which is quite a feat. Though Charlotte does work from home, and you must see lots of people at work.”

  “Going out on my birthday has always been a little awkward since it’s Valentine’s. Restaurants are busy.”

  “We won’t go out for dinner. We’ll do lunch. You can pick the restaurant, how about that?”

  Nicole left an hour later and began the arduous trek—ha!—back to her apartment.

  For the first time in years, she was really looking forward to Valentine’s Day.

  Chapter 8

  It was strange being in a restaurant with David.

  Thus far, their relationship—their platonic relationship—had consisted of going over to each other’s apartments to eat, but now here they were, out in public.

  Nicole felt slightly disoriented.

  Maybe that was more because she was actually out at a restaurant with a man on Valentine’s Day than anything else.

  It was a Japanese restaurant that specialized in udon. David’s choice. She had a sip of water, picked up her menu, and—

  “Oh my God,” she whispered.

  David glanced up at her. “Did you say something?”

  She looked down at her menu so she didn’t stare at him.

  “You wear...glasses,” she stammered.

  “For reading, yes.” He sounded amused at her reaction, but she didn’t dare look at what was written on his face.

  Because for some reason, she found him really fucking attractive with glasses. They were dark frames, nothing fancy, but...

  What was happening to her?

  She squirmed in her seat and gripped the menu. She really needed to get laid. That must be why David in glasses was making her flushed.

 
; In Nicole’s experience, if she wasn’t particularly attracted to someone when she met them, it was unlikely to change. So the fact that her mouth was dry and her skin was hot... Yeah, that must just be because she hadn’t had sex for a while. Nothing to do with David.

  Satisfied with her reasoning, she skimmed the menu, but she couldn’t stop herself from sneaking covert glances at him. He was studiously reading his menu and probably retaining more information than she was.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “The, um, udon.” She still had no idea what the menu said; she just knew there were many udon options.

  “I’m getting the curry udon with tonkatsu.”

  “I, uh...”

  She was distracted when he brushed an errant piece of hair out of his eye. He needed a haircut, and she suspected he would get one soon, as David didn’t seem like the sort who’d put off something he needed to do.

  Finally, she managed to concentrate on the menu for a full minute.

  “I’m going to have the cheesy baked udon,” she said at last. It came with shrimp, and it sounded decadent.

  He nodded, as though approving of her choice, and she squirmed in her seat again.

  After the waitress took their orders, David put his glasses away, and Nicole finally felt like she could breathe again.

  Yep, for next weekend, her priority would be having sex.

  She clinked her water glass against David’s. “Happy birthday. What number?”

  “Forty,” he said.

  “Oh, wow. That’s a big birthday. And to think, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have gone out at all. Good thing you’ve got me as your neighbor.”

  “Yes. Fortunate indeed.”

  * * *

  Thump. Thump.

  David had been about to doze off when the thumping startled him into alertness.

  There were some muffled words, which might have been “Just like that,” but they could also have been something completely different.

  He hurried out to the living room, but the knowledge that Nicole was right next door, having sex...likely naked...

  Or if she wasn’t naked, her dress might be hiked up, her panties pushed to the side.

  Fuck. He was already semi-hard.

  He headed to the washroom, in desperate need of a cold shower. When he shucked off his clothes and stepped under the cold spray, he couldn’t hear her anymore, but he still kept picturing her.