Boxer Next Door

by Summer Cooper

  “Hey!”

  I looked up automatically at the call. It might not have been meant for me anyway, but there just outside the café’s entrance was a woman. I didn’t know her, but she was looking right at me with a frown. When I met her gaze, she stepped closer.

  “Um… I’m sorry, do I know—?”

  “Don’t get too close to that woman,” she said. “Did you know she killed her husband? Don’t let yourself be next.”

  My jaw dropped, and I gaped at her. I didn’t know what she meant, and before I could gather my wits to ask, she was leaving. By the time I thought to go after her, she was out of my sight.

  What the fuck?

  12

  Kenji

  “Who the fuck was that?” I muttered to myself, frowning at the way the woman had gone.

  There was no point in following after her. I didn’t see where she went once she was out of my sight, and I wasn’t in the mood to run around the place looking for her. My good mood had suddenly been ruined, and I cursed her in my mind. I stomped over to my car and jumped into the cab, slamming the door closed behind me.

  What did she mean?

  That was what bothered me, what I was trying hard not to think about. Of course, the only person she could have been talking about was Lydia… but that was impossible because I knew Lydia couldn’t be the kind of woman to do something like that. Her ex-husband was just a piece of shit that disappeared on them after he filed for divorce; it didn’t mean she’d killed him.

  “Fuck,” I growled to myself, hitting my fist against the steering wheel.

  I didn’t know who the woman was, and there was no way to find out. I couldn’t exactly take this to Lydia, and I didn’t know anyone else in the town, no one close enough to talk to. I moved here after purchasing the studio and the house because it was cheap, and I was going to get a new start.

  This was not the start I’d wanted. The one woman I find myself attracted to in a long time… and she was a black widow?

  Fuck that!

  I’d lingered too long. I turned on the car and drove home. There was no point in wasting my time worrying about it by myself. Besides, it just wasn’t freaking possible, right? She would have been arrested, she’d be in jail. She was a lawyer! That had to mean it was impossible.

  “That woman was just crazy, or jealous, or whatever,” I muttered to myself. “People rant about stupid shit all the time when it’s someone they don’t like. Just don’t listen to a thing she said, Ken.”

  I did my best to push it out of my mind, though a traitorous voice in the back of my head couldn’t help pointing out that most people don’t go around telling others that someone they were with is a murderer.

  When I got home, I practically threw myself into work to keep my mind occupied. I hung around the front, close to the window so I could see what was happening outside. When I heard the rumble of a car, my heart thumped hopefully, and I looked outside. It happened a couple of times before I saw her car sliding into her driveway.

  I wanted to head over there immediately. Not to start demanding answers like a crazy person, but even though I was trying not to be, I was worried about what I’d heard. The moment I saw her get out of the car with her son, though, I decided to wait for the little guy to go to sleep.

  “I’m so sorry Bryson,” I apologized as I watched him run after his mom into the house, knowing he wouldn’t hear me but feeling like I had to, anyway. “Sorry I’m thinking this about your mom…”

  If only that woman had left me alone! Why didn’t I keep walking?

  It was already too late to un-hear what she’d said.

  I was restless, moving around the house trying to find something to keep myself occupied, something simple so I wouldn’t accidentally hurt myself. When it was around Bryson’s bedtime, I went next door. I waited on the doorstep for a full minute before knocking on the door. Lydia opened almost immediately and was surprised, then grinned at me.

  “Hey! I was starting to think you might have been too busy to come today. Come in! Bryson and I just finished eating. I don’t know if you’ve had dinner yet, but there are leftovers if you—” She turned as she spoke, heading for the kitchen, and I closed the door behind us and followed her.

  “It’s fine Lydia. I didn’t just come here for you to give me food.”

  She gave me a disapproving look. “In other words, no, you didn’t eat, right?”

  I pursed my lips. After all the worry I’d been going through since lunch, when could I have eaten?

  “Let me warm something up for you quick,” she went on. “Just sit down and wait for me, okay? It won’t take long.”

  Any other time I would have protested, but I moved silently over to the dinner table and sat down in the same place I’d sat yesterday. I watched as she served up a plate, put it in the microwave for a minute, and then brought it over to me.

  “Eat up, okay?” she said, smiling. “I need to clean the dishes.”

  I didn’t miss the slight strain around her eyes, but she had turned away and headed to the sink before I could ask what was wrong.

  It was probably work, I thought. I hadn't planned on asking her about what that woman said before.

  “I kinda expected you to come by earlier,” she said from the sink with her back still to me. “After our lunch date today. Were you too busy?”

  I hummed, chewed quickly and swallowed before answering. “You could say that. I also didn’t want to bother the kid, so I hoped I’d gotten his sleep schedule right…”

  Lydia chuckled, and the sound had me relaxing unconsciously.

  “He always claims he’s not tired, but he clocks out at roughly the same time.” She threw me a smile over her shoulder. “Thank you, for giving him consideration. I don’t know what to tell him if you keep coming by so frequently.”

  Frequently… That part of my plan hadn't changed, even though I was a little weary now. Still, with how Lydia was acting and how tired she looked, probably from her job, it was hard not to believe her over some stranger, even though I couldn’t say I knew her all that well.

  I finished eating before she was done with the dishes and picked up what I’d used to go over to the sink and help. She gave me a thankful smile as I took my place beside her, and we finished washing up quickly.

  “You look tired, Lydia,” I said.

  She sighed. “Just had a difficult case in the office in the afternoon. I left early because I didn’t want to leave Bryson on his own and his usual babysitter is on some trip for her school, so I just worked from here.” She grimaced. “I wouldn’t have been much company if you’d come earlier, and I need an early start tomorrow, too.”

  I sighed myself, feeling some disappointment, even if it was tinged with relief. “It’s fine. I think I’ll just head back home and get something done before I go to sleep myself. I can call you tomorrow?”

  She gave me a grateful look for my being so understanding, and my body moved without thinking. I wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug, then pecked a light kiss on her forehead, only to still when I realized what I was doing. We’d done things a lot less innocent yesterday, but this was just a little too intimate for me. She was looking up at me in wide-eyed surprise, and I shot her a quick smile before leaving.

  I got outside, and the words that had been repeating in my mind for most of the afternoon were back again. She killed her husband…

  That woman from earlier… who was she? Why would she stop a stranger and say something like that? I couldn’t possibly be the only person Lydia hung out with; I’d just insisted on hijacking her lunch break this one time because I was impatient to see her.

  Damn. Today had been a day full of worries.

  This was a question I could try to find answers to without involving Lydia. I went into my house and up to my bedroom. I sat down at my desk, booting up the computer and going online. I tried to find the information I wanted, coming up with several search questions, but none of them brought up anything related to
the town. I was just about to hit my keyboard when something occurred to me, and I pulled out my phone.

  Maybe he could help.

  I had this friend from back at my old place who was on the police force. If there were someone that could find this kind of information, it would probably be Adam. We hadn't talked since I’d left, but he picked up pretty quickly, and his voice when he greeted me was as friendly as usual.

  “Hey, Ken! I was starting to wonder if I’d have to track your ass down to get you to contact me!”

  I chuckled at Adam’s exuberance. “Sorry about that. Things have been busy, and I’m still settling in. The place needed a lot of work, and there’s the studio…”

  “So how are things over there? If you need help, I can probably get the weekend off and drive down.”

  I knew he meant it, but I would never impose like that. The drive was long, and there was no need to bother him when I was managing just fine by myself.

  “That’s nice of you, but I called you for a different reason. Can you do me a favor?”

  “Sure, man. Shoot.”

  I took in a deep breath. “Okay, so I have this neighbor—”

  “Is it a hot woman?” he asked, cutting in.

  “She is,” I admitted, and rolled my eyes when he laughed at me. “I think there might be something there between us, but something happened today…”

  I explained everything, and he was silent as I told him about the incident from this afternoon.

  “So, what do you think?” I asked. “Am I just being paranoid because of what that woman said? This woman is so sweet, you should see how she is with her kid. And she’s beautiful. Could she really be an evil murderer?”

  I was incredibly skeptical, but I couldn’t help worrying. The real issue was why someone would make an accusation that huge.

  “What has she told you about the husband?” Adam asked. He was taking this seriously, too.

  “Not much,” I muttered. “She told me he left them. There was a divorce, and then he just disappeared off the face of the earth. She didn’t tell me how, or where he went, and as far as I know, no one’s heard from him since.”

  13

  Lydia

  Finally, it felt like my life was back on track. I felt like I was truly happy for the first time since Mike said he wanted a divorce. Even with Bryson around, I couldn’t help feeling a bit lonely. That was gone now, though.

  The reason for it was, of course, Ken. Although for a while Ken seemed a little distant. I wasn’t sure what the problem was, he’d just get distracted when we were together, and I wasn’t sure we were close enough for me to ask, so I’d kept my mouth zipped.

  But he didn’t stop coming to see me. Sometimes, he’d even join Bryson and me for dinner, though usually, he came after my son had gone to sleep. He was busy getting his new boxing school up and running, so I figured that was it. He’d hired someone to help him out, an instructor/trainer, and most of Ken’s time was spent in the studio.

  His nights were spent in my bed. He was there every night, and I wasn’t exactly complaining. And just like that, weeks passed.

  At work one morning, I wondered how worried I should be.

  Ken and I had been growing close. Work even seemed like less of a chore because I had Ken to look forward to in the evenings. But he was slowly growing to mean so much to me. It was dangerous letting someone—anyone—this close to me knowing they could easily leave. As much as the two of us had a lot of fun, there was no commitment. We didn’t talk about what exactly was going on between us. He could decide to stop it, or he could find someone else, someone younger with a lot fewer responsibilities and a lot more free time.

  I lived in fear of that. But I didn’t try to talk to him about it, either. I wasn’t nearly that brave.

  Besides, there was no way I could be falling in love with him. We were just having a little fun! Ken was too young; much younger than me. People would notice, and it wouldn’t be pretty.

  That was the conclusion I came to with myself. But I was still worried. When lunch came around, I called my friend Annara to meet me at our usual café, and I rushed out of work so fast people stared at me. I got there faster than I usually did, arriving before she did. I waited impatiently for her.

  “What has you so wound up?” she asked curiously as she sat across from me. “You’re practically vibrating in your seat. It would be funny except I’m kind of worried. Just how much coffee have you had?”

  I rolled my eyes at Annara’s quip. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for her dry brand of humor.

  “I haven’t had any coffee, I’m just in need of some serious girl talk, and my lunch break only lasts for so long.”

  She looked at me with pursed lips for a moment, then lifted a hand to hail a waiter.

  “We might as well order now, then,” she said, arching an eyebrow at me.

  Our usual waiter showed up, and we ordered our usual. Occasionally, we’d pick something different from the menu, but I didn’t have the patience for that today. He wrote it down and went back quickly, seeming to notice the atmosphere between us.

  “All right,” Annara said, folding her arms on the table and focusing on me. “What exactly has your panties in such a twist, huh? I thought you were happy.”

  I grimaced. “Yeah, I am. That’s the problem.”

  Her eyebrows shot up, and she gave me an incredulous look. “Lydia, this better not be over something so stupid, like you don’t think you deserve happiness or anything like that.”

  I shook my head quickly. “No, it’s nothing like that. Annara, I think I’m falling hard for this guy.”

  I didn’t mention the ‘L’ word, but Annara was smart, and she knew me well. She could guess what my problem was and how serious it was, so she didn’t give me an answer immediately. As impatient as I was, I forced myself to keep my mouth shut and wait for her to speak. The waiter came back with our food and left before she had something to say.

  “Has he said anything? Have the two of you even talked about… anything?”

  “He comes to my house in the evenings, and we sleep together, Annara. Where do we get time even to talk?” After that first time, he didn’t even spend the night. We’d done the deed, cuddle for a little bit, and he would be gone before I fell asleep. I thought it was pretty considerate because I still had work and a son to take care of, but now I was reading differently into things.

  Was he really into me, if he wouldn’t even spend the whole night in my bed?

  “Then you really should find some time to talk. This bothers you, and it involves the two of you.”

  I grimaced, picking at my food. “I would sound stupid if I suddenly tried to talk about this, wouldn’t I? I’m not trying to push him away…”

  “Well, has he made any indication that he doesn’t want to be with you? Or that you’re nothing more than a convenient booty call?”

  My expression turned sour at her wording. “I don’t know, Annara. I’m not as good as that subtle shit as you are, you know. I was with Mike for years, and I couldn’t tell he was going to suddenly ask for a divorce and leave me.”

  “But Ken isn’t Mike,” she reminded me. “And if you’re really worried, what you need is to talk it out. Besides, what would be so wrong about it? I’ve seen him a few times and, damn it, Lydia, I’m so fucking jealous of you. That man is fine.”

  I frowned at her. “He’s also way younger than I am, Annara. As in, more than a decade younger. It shows now, and it’s only going to get even more visible as time goes by. He’s a man growing into his prime, and I’m practically an old lady robbing the cradle!”

  Unexpectedly, Annara laughed at me, and I glowered.

  “Are you worried people would see you as his sugar momma or something?”

  I hadn't even thought that far, but now she’d put it in my mind. I glanced around to make sure no one around us heard that, feeling my face heat. Fuck! This woman was supposed to be my friend, why would she even say that to me!


  She sighed, seeing my reaction. “Lydia, calm down. Think about it. Ken may be younger, but has he done anything to make you think he’s immature? That he won’t think about things seriously?”

  I pursed my lips as I thought about it. It took a long moment, but then I was shaking my head. No, he’d never done anything like that. Quite the contrary, in fact. Ken was serious and had this outlook on life that a lot of people around his age wouldn’t have. A lot of kids these days at that age were just out of college and getting into the working world, still getting over their college days. He was so much more mature than I’d been at that age.

  Ken was also intelligent, and every time he and Bryson met, my son adored him as much as Ken seemingly adored my son. I loved seeing them both together, especially the times when Ken would show him how to box. My son’s face would light up, even though I’d been against it at first.

  “No,” I said slowly. “Ken is so awesome, Annara, you have no idea just how much. He would be the perfect man if he weren't so much younger than me.” I groaned and dropped my face into my hands. “Why couldn’t he be even five years older? I could handle it if he were at least in his thirties!”

  Annara just snorted. “Whatever you say. And how about you, hmm? Just how much of yourself are you giving into this?”

  I looked up at her with a pout. “Of course, I’m holding a part of myself back. I just lose a little of myself each time, and it’s starting to worry me… I mean, at my age, falling head over heels in love would be stupid.”

  Annara gave me a look as we silently finished our meal, and I had to rush back to work, or I’d be late. I kept worrying throughout the afternoon, until I had to collect Bryson from school.

  Ken arrived home just as we did, and there was no time to hide before Bryson was dragging him to our backyard. I followed the two of them and watched from the doorway as they mock sparred. I left them to keep myself busy before it was time for dinner, and when I turned the light on because it was starting to grow dark, they were still there, having fun, even as their breaths steamed in the chilly winter air. My heart swelled with both warmth and worry.