Next Door Neighbors

by Hoelsema, Frances

  Then his mind shifted to her appearance: hair pulled up in a messy ponytail, a white t-shirt that had dirt smudges all over it, and jeans that were clearly made for moments like this. Brian focused on those jeans for a moment because they accentuated her legs, and on her upper right thigh in the back he noticed a pretty decent-sized hole. His thoughts started spinning out of control and he knew that he had to calm himself down. Though she appeared dirty and worn, Brian found Jill attractive all the more.

  As he drew closer, he heard her singing a song. He listened to her soft, angelic voice singing something about seeds. As cute as it was, he couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “I’d join in, but I’m not quite familiar with this song,” Brian teased with a smirk on his face.

  Startling her after all, Jill fell backward with a stifled yelp, looking up at the one who was standing in front of her.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you!”

  Jill brushed a runaway strand of hair away from her face and stood up. “Oh, it’s okay. I just didn’t realize you were there, Mr. Montgomery.”

  “Mr. Montgomery?” Brian chuckled. “Please, call me Brian.”

  Jill shook her head as if she just remembered that. “Right. Right. I’m sorry.”

  “No problem. I just don’t want things to be so formal between us.”

  Brian enjoyed a quick smile from Jill until she suddenly appeared alarmed. “Is everything okay? With your mom and everything?”

  “Don’t worry. She’s fine. I just wanted to give you back your casserole dish.”

  “Oh, that!” Jill had completely forgotten about the dish already. “Here, I’ll take it.”

  Brian handed it to her and watched her gracefully bring it to her side steps. As she walked back towards him, he was able to get a glimpse of how her t-shirt fit snuggly in some areas, complimenting her generous curves. Not allowing himself to get too worked up, he quickly changed gears and thanked her for the meal.

  “You’re welcome,” Jill smiled as she crossed her arms. “Did you enjoy it?”

  “It was probably the best thing I’ve tasted in a long time. I love biscuits and gravy, and never knew someone could make a casserole out of it.”

  “Well, I’m glad you liked it. And see, that sausage gravy packet was important so I’m glad you found it,” Jill pointed out.

  Both of them shared a small laugh.

  Brian put his hands in his pockets and said, “Hey, I really appreciate everything that you’ve been doing for my mom. She’s told me many wonderful things about you, and the awesome meals that you bring her. It means so much to me that she has someone here to take care of her when I can’t.”

  Jill acknowledged his sincerity and appreciated it. At the same time, though, she couldn’t imagine it being any other way. “Oh, it’s nothing really. Your mom has helped me out so much. I feel like I’m only doing the very least. I wish I could do more.”

  “No, no! I can’t tell you how much of a big help you’ve been!”

  Jill gave a half smile. “I just hope she gets the help she needs and deserves. I feel so bad for what she has to deal with on a daily basis.” There was a lull in their conversation when Jill added, “Speaking of help, how long are you going to be in town for?”

  Brian hesitated a moment before answering, “You know, I’m not sure.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “I mean, my best guess would be maybe a couple of months. I want to make sure I get everything taken care of for my mom and a good sense of how she’s doing before I head back.”

  “That makes sense,” Jill agreed.

  “Speaking of which, I should probably get back inside to her.”

  Jill motioned over to the seeds she had yet to plant and playfully said, “Yeah, and these seeds aren’t going to plant themselves.”

  A slight breeze crossed between them, and once again Jill had a loose strand of hair fall before her eyes. She reached for it and placed it behind her ear, this time leaving a smudge just above her left eye.

  Brian noticed it and tried telling her by pointing at his own identical spot on his forehead, but the couple of times he did only made Jill confused and not quite sure what he was trying to get at. Finally, he just asked, “May I?”

  “Um…” Jill muttered before Brian took action.

  A quick lick on his right thumb, he reached out to Jill’s face and gently wiped away the dirt. Afterward, his hand remained in place as he gazed into Jill’s eyes.

  It had been a long time since someone had touched Jill the way Brian was. She didn’t remember that a man’s brief and tender caress could feel as good as it did. However, she wouldn’t allow herself to enjoy the moment for fear of where it might lead so she quickly glanced away and took a step back.

  That’s when Brian realized he had overdone it. Trying to act as if nothing happened, he smiled and announced, “There. Got it.”

  “Oh, thanks, Mr. Montgom…I mean, Brian,” Jill said shyly as she felt her neck and face begin to heat up, something that had absolutely nothing to do with the sun beating down on her.

  “My pleasure,” Brian stated in a husky voice. “See you around?”

  “Probably,” Jill nodded.

  “Great.”

  Brian walked back to his mom’s house, a smile on his lips and a spring in his steps, leaving Jill to get back to her gardening.

  And, oh, the singing!

  As he opened the door, he took a quick glance back towards Jill who was down on her knees in the dirt again. Listening carefully, he was sure he could hear the soft, sweet voice barely echoing among the slight breeze that blew through his hair.

  Like the birds that chirped near one of the bird feeders that his mom had hanging on a clothes line in her back yard, Jill’s song was music to his ears.

  4

  A few weeks had gone by, and Jill had successfully kept herself busy. This way she didn’t have time to think about Brian and his kind gesture.

  Or have the opportunity to see him.

  Any occasion she did go to Elena’s house, she made sure his vehicle was gone first. The way he made her feel, in the very short time that she had known him, scared her, and she took every possible avenue she could to avoid him so that nothing further could transpire.

  As Jill put some final things in her gym bag, she heard her cell phone go off in the living room below. Racing down the stairs, and almost tripping on her cat as she turned the corner, she saw that it was Amanda and answered on the last ring. “What’s up, Amanda?”

  “We’re coming to your place.”

  “You’re what?”

  Jill was confused. The girls had all planned on going to Amanda’s house, not hers, for their yoga class. Amanda was a yoga instructor on the side, and any days that she was open she liked to invite all her friends over to have a class. That was where Jill was about ready to go until there was apparently a change of plans.

  “My house is a no go. Too many renovations going on,” Amanda informed her.

  “Why didn’t you tell us all earlier?”

  “I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but Derek told me this morning that he didn’t want anyone over.”

  Derek was Amanda’s husband and someone Jill found hard to talk to. And from what she has heard from Amanda before, Derek could be a bit on the controlling side, which this scenario proved even further.

  “Well, then why not Becky’s or Jessica’s house?”

  Jill was trying desperately to not have yoga at her place. The space was not the greatest for what yoga required, and she really didn’t want to appear to be having a party of some sort. In fact, her number one goal was to remain as low key as possible while at home so as to not draw any attention whatsoever.

  “Becky’s husband is home with one of the kids who’s sick, and Jessica has an even smaller house than you. So your house it is!”

  Ugh.

  Not wanting to cancel and be a party pooper on her friends, Jill obliged.

  “We’ll be t
here in fifteen minutes, okay?”

  “All right,” Jill said begrudgingly. “Bye.”

  I guess I don’t need my gym bag anymore then.

  Jill went back up the stairs and emptied the bag. She put the bag away and donned her yoga attire. As she headed back down the stairs, she put her hair in a ponytail and began preparing her house for a fun, yet relaxing session of yoga.

  ---------------

  “All right, ladies. Corpse pose,” Amanda instructed.

  All four of the girls got to a lying down position, flat on their backs with arms on the side, palms facing down. Jill closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, making sure that her breaths were deep and slow. This was her favorite pose because she could literally feel all her stress leave her body.

  Everyone had stayed in corpse pose for about two minutes until Amanda’s softly, yet lively voice announced, “And done. Good job! Class dismissed.”

  It was interesting to Jill that even though Amanda was teaching among friends, she still acted as if she didn’t know any of them; that they were just some students who happened to sign up for her class that day. She had to give Amanda credit for the professionalism she exhibited at all times when it came to teaching yoga.

  Becky asked, “Jill, may I have some water?”

  “Sure! Does everyone else want some too?”

  Jessica and Amanda both nodded.

  “Okay. How about I get the waters while you guys turn off the music and get my furniture back in place?”

  Each woman agreed and then went on to do what was necessary. When Amanda turned the CD off, a muffled sound from next door could be heard.

  Thud, thud, thud.

  Silence.

  Thud, thud, thud.

  This rhythmical sound kept repeating itself to the point that Amanda’s curiosity got the best of her. Jill getting the water, and Becky and Jessica talking amongst themselves, meant she could quick peek out the side window through the blinds without anyone noticing. Right away she saw where the noise had originated.

  “Hey, Jill?” Amanda called.

  Jill had just gotten done putting ice in the cups and was about to pour the water in when she heard her friend. “What?”

  Almost like a love-struck teen, Amanda said, “Looks like we’re not the only ones doing some exercising.”

  Becky and Jessica quickly stood near Amanda to take a peek for themselves. Meanwhile, Jill finished putting water in the cups and walked back towards them, puzzled.

  What in the world are they all looking at?

  “What do you mean?”

  Amanda gave a nod towards next door and answered, “Your neighbor.”

  Jill passed out each cup and took a quick peek for herself. On top of the roof toward the edge closest to her own house kneeled Brian about ready to put in another nail. Right away Jill noticed his bare chest that glistened of sweat from working in the heat. She enjoyed watching his muscles move with every thump of the hammer; how strong and accurate he was. Down below, wrapped around his waist, was a tool belt that covered his tight jeans, and up above his black hair was damp while small drops of sweat feel down the sides of his face.

  Realizing her thoughts, she quickly looked the other way, wanting the subject to be changed. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about Brian. So, cup in hand, she went to sit on the couch. The other three girls also found a place to sit, the four of them forming a semi-circle in the living room.

  “So our next class will be back at your house, right?” Jill asked Amanda, trying to divert everyone’s mind to something new.

  “Probably, but tell me about him,” Amanda insisted.

  Well, that didn’t work.

  “Who?”

  “Don’t play dumb. You know who.”

  “Brian? What about him?”

  Jill really didn’t think there was anything to say about him. After all, she hadn’t really been around him much thanks to her own meticulous planning.

  “Well, is he nice? Do you see him often?” Amanda spouted out.

  Then she, Jessica and Becky all leaned in closer, each waiting for some juicy details that they thought they would get. Jill seriously thought she was back in high school.

  With a sigh, she briefly went over as much as she knew. She was careful not to divulge too much information, however, because there were some things that no one else needed to really know.

  “You should go see him now,” Amanda encouraged with a smirk.

  Leave it to Amanda to always try to set me up.

  “Yeah, it looked like he could really use some refreshments,” Becky added.

  “Give him some of your homemade iced tea,” Jessica suggested.

  I do make a really good homemade tea! Wait, I can’t believe I’m letting them talk me into this! No, I won’t let them.

  “Girls, I’ve got you over. I’m not going to just ditch you and talk to him. I can always talk to him later.”

  “Oh, it’s okay!” all three of them beamed in unison.

  “Why do you guys want me to go over there so badly?” Jill’s question almost came out as a whine. She felt as if she was getting picked on. But she had to admit she kind of liked the idea.

  It would get me away from these three for a bit!

  “Come on, Jill. I – we know you want to,” Amanda teased.

  Jill thought about it for a brief moment more. “Fine! But it’s just to offer him some of my tea and that’s it! I’ll be right back.”

  Amanda, Becky and Jessica gleefully shrieked. Jill gave each of them a stern look, and headed towards her kitchen to fetch the tea.

  I could use some fresh air anyway!

  ---------------

  It had only been a few weeks since Brian arrived in Ashwin, but he already felt like he was right at home. As June was coming to a close, the temperatures were climbing to be right around what he was used to on a daily basis. And there was nothing better than being with his mom again. The two of them now had many opportunities over the past few weeks to reminisce the many memories they both shared, and to look through the various scrapbooks Elena had put together over the years.

  Brian had also found himself staying busy doing what he loved to do most: home repairs. He was very hands on and maintenance minded, and today was no exception. Seeing as there was no chance for rain and the temperatures were not too unbearable, Brian felt that it was finally time to pay a little attention to the roof. There were just a few spots he needed to reshingle so he knew that it wouldn’t take that long.

  Deciding to go without a shirt that late morning, he stepped outside of the house and walked over to the one-stall garage, tool belt securely fastened around his waist. It was in the garage that he found a box of nails and a ladder tall enough to get him on the roof.

  On his way to the front of his mom’s house he noticed Jill had company over. There were times he tried to come up with a good reason to visit her, but had no reasonable excuse. His mom mentioned she had stopped by a few times, but each time he had been out. Day after day he kept hoping she would stop by when he was actually at home, but day after day passed with no such luck. Replaying in his mind, yet again, every bit of interaction that they had had, he was pretty certain he didn’t do anything wrong. But the fear still nagged at him that perhaps she was avoiding him.

  Maybe I should just invite her over!

  After that idea had popped into his head, he suddenly remembered his mom’s birthday was coming up.

  I could throw her a small dinner party! What better excuse could there be for seeing Jill again? Still, what if she turns me down?

  Musing over that dilemma, Brian climbed up the ladder to assess the situation on the roof. There weren’t too many spots to fix so he estimated an hour or so would be all that it would take. Not wanting to waste any time, he got right to work, pounding nails into the new shingles.

  When he had reached the side closest to Jill’s house, things got interesting. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that someone w
as peeking out at him. With a minute turn of his head, he found, to his dismay, that it was not Jill, but rather her company. Although flattered, deep down, Brian wanted Jill stealing glimpses up at him, not some random women.

  Oh well, just stay busy.

  Except he ran out of nails. Brian stepped down the ladder so he could go and grab some more from the garage. When he reached the ground, he caught sight of his next door neighbor. He was pretty sure he had never smiled as wide as he did at that moment. Brian could tell that she had just gotten done doing some sort of exercise seeing as her clothes screamed “workout”, and her messy ponytail swayed from side to side with each step that she took towards him.

  But despite all that, she still looked like an angel in his eyes.

  “Hey, Jill!”

  “Hi. I know it’s awfully hot out and you’ve been busy working so I thought I’d bring you some of my homemade iced tea.”

  Brian glanced at the cup being offered, and had to admit it did look appealing. “Thank you! It looks good!” He took the cup and gulped half of it down. “Ahh,” Brian sighed in enjoyment and satisfaction. “That is good. Is there anything that you make that is awful?”

  Jill gave a small laugh. “I’m sure there’s got to be something.”

  “Well, I’ve yet to find out.”

  Sensing that statement may have been out of line, he shifted gears. With a slight nod of his head towards Jill’s house, Brian coughed, “Looks like we’ve got some fans.”

  Jill quickly glanced at her house. She only saw one last blind lowering down, but knew exactly what was going on. “Yeah, I’m sorry about them.” Jill stood in front of Brian shaking her head, not sure how to explain her friends.

  “It’s okay. I’m flattered really.”

  Brian smiled mischievously, but Jill didn’t seem to notice. Instead she switched subjects to his mom. “How’s Elena?”

  “She’s doing okay. She has her good and bad days, you know?”

  “Well, if there’s anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask. I know you’re busy doing some things for her too so if she needs help with something let me know.”