by Kitty Parker
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 by Kitty Parker.
All rights reserved under Kitty Parker. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, or distributed in any form or by any means including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
"Matty! Watch out!" Daisy calls out but it's too late and the five-year-old slams into the two men coming down the stairs, the impact of the hard body knocking him backwards. She is carrying two bags of groceries in her arms and doesn't reach him in time.
"Watch it, kid," one of the men growls.
There are two men and he's the older of the two, stocky and muscular with a shaved head and a nose that looks like it's been broken a few times. He smells like cigarette smoke and beer and he doesn't even stop as he turns and heads down the next flight of stairs. She pushes herself closer to the wall as he walks past her.
The other man is a bit younger than the first with too-long dark hair and a tee-shirt that shows off the muscles in his arms.
He doesn't say anything but he stops and picks Matty up, setting him on his feet once more.
"Thank you," Daisy smiles at the man as she finally reaches the landing.
"Thank you!" Matty exclaims excitedly, Daisy having already taught him manners.
The man just grunts though and doesn't say anything as he continues on down the stairs after the first man and Daisy tells Matty that he has to be more careful when he's running.
…
She had always wanted to be a mother. She just hadn't expected it to happen as soon as it did but she had made mistakes and decisions and now that she is a mom, she won't change it for the world. Matty is her entire world and she loves him more than anything.
Her parents have always been a big help, of course, once they got past their anger and disappointment. They helped her in any way they could and while she attended culinary school, they would watch Matty during the day. She worked as hard as she could and went year-round so she could graduate sooner rather than later and she was convinced that for three years of her life, she ran on two hours of sleep every night.
But it was worth it in the end because she was able to graduate and she had been able to save some money living with her parents. Her parents had been unsure about her and Matty moving out and getting their own apartment but Daisy was ready. She was ready to start living her life and raising her son without relying on her parents so much.
The apartment is small with two tiny bedrooms, one window that seems to always be stuck shut and a bathtub drain that seems to clog at least once a week but it's home and they love it. The elementary school where Matty attends kindergarten is just a block away and the kitchen gives her enough room for her business. They're not rich by any means but she is working hard to give her son a comfortable life and that's all that matters to her.
…
It's not the first time she's noticed the neighbors across the hall. They're loud. Or at least one of them is. The older of the two. He's always coming back at all hours of the night, loud and clearly drunk, banging into the walls as he walks and more than once, whatever female companion who he has brought back with him has been pressed against Daisy's door as they kiss for a few minutes before he drags the woman into his own apartment.
The second one is much quieter. She never hears a peep out of him. He leaves the apartment in the mornings and gets back in the afternoon and Daisy can't help but wonder what his job is. And the only reason she knows his schedule is because she works from home and she's always been observant of those around her.
She doesn't know anything else about the two men. She doesn't even know their names. All she does know is she prefers the much quieter of the two.
…
She loves working from home. She's able to walk Matty to school and pick him up at lunch. The kindergarten classes either meet in the morning or the afternoon and he's in the am class. His teacher is Ms. Espinosa and Rosita is young and funny and all of the kids and parents love her. It's her first year teaching full-time and she made a promise to all of the parents on the first day that she would do her best not to screw their children up too much.
Daisy loved her instantly.
Daisy waits in the hallway for class to end with other parents and when the door bursts open and students flood out, Matty doesn't. Curious, Daisy walks to the classroom and pokes her head in. He is sitting on the floor, his tongue pursed through his lips and he's attempting to tie his shoe. Rosita is kneeling beside him, watching with an amused smile.
"Hey," Daisy says, earning their attention.
"Hi," Rosita smiles and gets to her feet, walking towards her. "I told him I could tie it for him but he wants to do it himself."
Daisy laughs a little. "Greene's are very stubborn," she informs her.
"You bake cupcakes, right?" Rosita asks, swiftly changing subjects.
"Yes," Daisy nods. "Right now, I'm just an online bakery from my kitchen. Hopefully, someday, I'll have enough money saved for my own store."
"My 25th birthday is coming up and I would love cupcakes," Rosita says.
Daisy tries to hide her elation. "Here," she pulls out one of the business cards that her brother had given her for a birthday present that year from her purse. "You can go online and look at what I make and place your order there, too."
"Perfect. Thank you!" Rosita takes the card with a beaming smile.
"Got it!" Matty exclaims as he bounces to his feet.
"Good job, Matty," Rosita holds her hand out and he happily slaps it.
Daisy laughs. "See you tomorrow. Come on, Matty." She holds her hand out and he takes it, giving Rosita one last wave as they leave the classroom.
As they walk home, Matty kicks at a rock and runs ahead to keep up with it. Daisy watches him with a close eye and Matty kicks the rock to the bottom step of their apartment building where he is sitting, smoking a cigarette.
"Hi!" Matty greets him excitedly, happy to see him as if Matty has always known him.
The man looks at him for a moment. "Hey," he grunts and Daisy notices that the next drag he takes from his cigarette, he turns his head and exhales so the smoke's not near Matty. And then, even though the cigarette isn't nearly finished, he then flicks it away. His eyes glance up to Daisy as she comes to stand behind Matty.
"Hi," she smiles politely. "I'm Daisy and this is Matty."
Matty grins widely and sticks his hand out. The man looks at it briefly and then with a little smirk, he reaches out and shakes it.
"Jack," he offers gruffly.
Daisy's not sure why but she thinks that name fits him perfectly.
He gets to his feet, towering over them both, and without a word, he steps down onto the sidewalk and then begins walking away.
> "Bye, Jack!" Matty calls after him happily.
He doesn't turn around or act as if he has even heard. Matty doesn't seem to mind and he jumps up the steps of the building. Daisy's not sure why she keeps watching Jack's retreating form but she can't seem to bring herself to look away.
…
She knows his last name is Belton. The mailboxes in the lobby are labeled with their last names. She is Greene in apartment seven and he is Belton in apartment eight. Jack Belton. She thinks of his name over and over again as she mixes the batter for her chocolate peanut-butter cupcakes.
She thinks of his long hair in need of a cut and the grey hairs on his chin and she wonders how old he is. He doesn't seem that old at all. Older than her but maybe by not that much. She thinks of the way his arms look in the tee-shirts he wears and she's never considered herself a girl into muscles but she certainly in now after seeing Jack Belton's arms.
She thinks of the way she had nearly shivered when he had spoken his name. His voice was low and rough and it was delicious.
She then thinks of how long it's been since she's had sex and that is probably the only reason she can't stop thinking of the man who lives across the hall.
…
Daisy has always loved Halloween and Matty is the same way. He's been planning his costume for a month now and Daisy has made sure that she has executed it as well as she could. She probably got high off all of the grey spray paint but when she slips the cardboard box over his head and sees Matty's smile explode, she knows it's been worth it.
"I'm the coolest robot ever!" Matty exclaims as he looks at himself in the full-length mirror hanging on the inside of Daisy's closet door and she laughs, nodding in agreement.
"Ready to go?" She asks and he runs out of the bedroom.
Matty looks forward to trick-or-treat night as much as he does to Christmas and his birthday and before Daisy can even close their apartment door, he's knocking on door number eight. It takes a moment but then they both hear the tumble of locks.
"Trick or treat!" Matty exclaims the instant he sees Jack and he holds up his pillowcase.
Jack looks at him for a moment and then he slowly shakes his head. "Sorry, kid," he says and that's all he has to say for Matty's smile to drop from his face.
"Come on, Matty," Daisy says, trying to usher him away from the door and down the hall.
"Wait," Jack suddenly speaks before they can leave.
They stop and he's gone for a moment, disappearing into the apartment, and Daisy can hear some rustling around. The apartment is a mirror image of hers. Just reversed – the little entrance hall and the kitchen just to the left of that where her kitchen is to the right. She's not sure what they're waiting for but then Jack appears again.
"Here," he says and drops a wrapped Ding-Dong into Matty's pillowcase.
Matty's smile instantly returns again. "Thank you!" He looks up at Jack as if in awe of him and Jack gives his head a nod before taking a step back into the apartment.
Before he closes the door, his eyes flick to Daisy and she smiles at him, hoping her smile conveys how much this little action of his meant to both Matty and her, and he stares at her for a moment before giving her a slight head nod and closing the apartment door.
…
She drops Matty off at kindergarten and then drives to the grocery store. She loves this town because it's small and walking to most places is possible but she always takes the car when she goes grocery shopping.
It's still a little empty at this early morning hour and she grabs a cart, taking her time as she walks through each section and up and down each aisle. She buys fresh fruit and vegetables and fresh meat from the butcher and tries to buy somewhat healthy things because she's a baker and she obviously has a sweet tooth but she tries hard to make sure that sweets aren't the only thing she and Matty eat. But she also stocks up on sugar, flour, butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar because these are things that pay the bills.
She leaves the baking aisle and heads towards the dairy case for milk when she sees him. He's holding a basket in his hand and he's grabbing a half gallon of milk. She wonders if she should just pretend she doesn't see him but she knows she can't do that. She's not designed that way. So instead, with a smile already blooming across her face, she pushes her cart towards the milk cases and towards him.
"Hi, Jack," she says and his head instantly turns towards her. He stares at her with hard eyes for a moment and she feels her cheeks blush. "I'm Daisy, your neighbor…" she tells him and she feels embarrassed because she's never considered the possibility that he doesn't remember her.
He gives her a weird look then. "I know who you are," he says with a slight frown. "Jus' wasn' expectin' to see you here right now."
"I just dropped Matty off at kindergarten and shopping this early is the best time," she says, her smile once again appearing on her face. "What about you? Aren't you usually at work?"
He gives her another look at that; probably wondering how she knows where he's supposed to be and when. "Been workin' so much overtime lately, my boss said that he's bound legally by law to give me a day off. He gave me three," he then shrugs and Daisy laughs a little at that.
She's about to ask him where he works but then her eyes fall to his basket and the contents inside. A loaf of white bread, a jar of peanut butter, a bag of potato chips and now the milk.
"Would you like to come over to my place for dinner tonight?" She hears herself blurt out before she even really realizes it.
…
Daisy isn't sure why she's so nervous. Actually, that's not true. She knows exactly why she's nervous. She hasn't had anything to do with a man in so long. Not since getting pregnant with Matty and after that, she didn't have time for anything else.
But now, she's invited Jack over for dinner and she can't believe he actually accepted. She had just planned on chili for dinner and she's still going through with that and she's making fresh cornbread, too. Even though she doubts that Jack is the type of man to care, she spends the morning, cleaning the apartment, stopping to go pick Matty up and once they're back home, she tells him to pick up some of his toys from the living room.
She notices how excited Matty is once she tells him that Jack's coming over for dinner. Matty has men in his life – her daddy and older brother, Shawn, and brother-in-law, Nathaniel. But never a man not related to them before and Matty seems to like Jack so much. Not that it matters much because Jack is just their neighbor and he's just coming for dinner and that's all this is.
She's told Jack to come over at five and at exactly five, there is a knock on the door. Matty runs to answer it and Daisy is right behind him, turning the lock and opening the door to reveal Jack Belton standing in the hallway. He's wearing the jeans and tee-shirt he had been wearing in the store that morning but Daisy can smell the scent of clean soap, too.
She smiles at him. "Hi," she says and commends herself for not acting as if she has a thousand butterflies flapping around in her stomach.
"Hey," Jack gruffly offers.
"Hi!" Matty exclaims and then grabs Jack's hand, pulling on him. "Mama made chili!"
Jack looks at her. "Smells good," he offers in his grunt and she smiles.
Matty pulls Jack into the apartment, excitedly wanting to show him all of his Halloween candy and his collection of dinosaur toys, and Daisy still feels nervous as she closes the door and follows them into the living room though she has no idea. This is anything. It's just her neighbor over for dinner and it's not like she wants it to be anything anyway.
"Would you like something to drink, Jack?" She asks. "I have water, iced tea…"
Jack is quiet for a moment and then looks to Matty. "What are you havin'?"
"Apple juice," Matty grins and Jack nods, glancing back to Daisy.
"I'll have some of that, too," he says and Daisy smiles as Matty giggles.
…
She's relieved her son is just like her and is a little chatterbox. She normally would be, too
, but Jack is making her so nervous, she feels like she hardly remembers how to eat let alone carry on a conversation.
And it's not as if Jack's doing anything that makes her nervous. Him just being there is doing it. He sits at her kitchen table and eats his bowl of chili and slice of cornbread and he's just such a man. His mere presence takes up the entire room.
Matty talks the whole meal, telling Jack all about kindergarten and how his mama is a baker and bakes from the kitchen and he asks Jack question after question with a five-year-old curiosity that would rival that of any lawyer's.
But in doing so, Daisy finds out things about him that she has wondered. The other man in the apartment with him is his older brother, Cletus, but Cletus's been away for a few days and when he says that, Daisy notes it has been quieter in the hallways at night. He's been living in town for a few months and he works as a mechanic at one of the auto garages.
He doesn't talk a lot but any question that Matty has, Jack answers.
He has two bowls of chili and three pieces of cornbread and Daisy wonders if he really likes her chili or if he's just tired of eating peanut butter sandwiches.
After dinner, Daisy tells Matty to go get himself ready for bed and she'd be there in a minute. They are both taken aback when Matty suddenly leans in and hugs Jack around the waist. Jack freezes and doesn't move but Matty doesn't seem to notice.
"Bye, Jack!" He calls out as he runs to his bedroom.
Daisy walks him to the door. "Thank you for coming," she says and the butterflies haven't left her stomach all evening and now, standing close to him once again, they are wild.
"Thanks for havin' me," he says, looking at her face for only a second before he looks away again. He can't seem to look at her for too long. "He's a cool kid," Jack then grunts and Daisy smiles because she couldn't agree more.
He stands in the doorway for another second and she wonders what it is about this man that she doesn't want him to leave just yet. But Jack turns then and heads back across the hall, going into his own apartment and closing the door without looking back at her, and Daisy stands there for another moment before she is finally able to close her own door.