Daddy Next Door

by Judy Christenberry

  “I’ll be right back.” He had a suspicion that Jennifer wouldn’t let him in again, once he’d left her apartment. So he intended to hurry and get back before she could change her mind.

  He really wanted to see the old movie.

  At least that’s what he told himself.

  NICK KNOCKED ON THE DOOR the next day at the appointed time. To his surprise, his knock was greeted with excited barking.

  When the door opened, Jennifer appeared ready to leave.

  “Wait a minute. I heard barking. Do you have a dog?”

  “Yes, we do,” Jennifer said with a smile.

  “I haven’t seen one before. When did you get it?”

  “This morning. Now, can we go?”

  Missy pushed the door open wider. “Daddy, look at our dog!”

  A puppy almost as big as Missy pushed its way into the doorway.

  Cries not to let the dog escape, coming from within the apartment, had Nick bending down to impede the animal’s progress. “Whoa, there, big guy. Where are you going?”

  The dog began licking his hand and trying to jump on his chest, and he petted it as he stood, moving it back into the apartment. “A yellow lab?” he asked Jennifer.

  “Yes, blond like the girls.”

  “And you.” He reached out and tugged playfully on her own blond locks. The second his fingers brushed her skin, though, playful took a backseat to exciting. He pulled his hand away.

  “Yes, of course. I wanted them to have a pet.”

  She spoke matter-of-factly as if she was unfazed by the electricity sparking from his light touch. Didn’t she feel it? Was he the only one singed from the contact?

  Putting a leash on his thoughts, he asked, “Won’t he need more room? Dogs of this breed like to run a lot.”

  “He can run around the backyard. Diane is going to take the puppy and the girls outside and let them play.”

  “Who’s Diane?”

  “Diane, come meet your new neighbor,” Jennifer called.

  A woman approximately Jennifer’s age—late twenties—stepped to the door and Jennifer introduced Diane Black the upstairs neighbor living over Jennifer’s apartment.

  “Are you one of the flight attendants?” he asked.

  “No, they live in the apartment over yours. I work at a bank.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I hope you enjoy spending time with the girls and their new dog.”

  “We’re already off to a great start. Come on, girls, let’s take the puppy outside.”

  Jennifer and Nick watched as Diane took Annie’s hand and led the parade toward the back door.

  “I haven’t even had a chance to look out back. How big a yard is there?”

  “It’s good-sized. Are you ready to go?”

  “After you,” he said, and stood back so she could close the door and lock it. Then he asked, “What made you decide to get a dog?”

  “I thought a dog would help the girls believe this is their permanent home. They still have trouble believing they won’t be split up again.”

  “I think you can understand that.”

  “Of course I can. But I’m doing everything I can think of to settle their minds.”

  “Except find them a daddy?”

  She glared at him as she moved into the sunshine. “We don’t need a daddy!”

  “I’m convinced,” he said with a shrug. “Missy is the one you need to work on.”

  “It’s difficult when you’re encouraging her to call you daddy!”

  “Sorry, but she’s hard to resist.”

  With a sigh, Jennifer said, “Don’t I know it.”

  “Let’s take my car. I need to learn the way so I can go visit Grace on my own.”

  Jennifer stopped and looked at him. “You would do that?”

  He shook his head. “You are hard to convince.”

  “It’s not something most men would do on their own.”

  “Aunt Grace was good to my mother and helped her in the difficult times after my dad died. I kind of feel I owe her.”

  The explanation obviously satisfied Jennifer because she had no further comments. She got in the car and directed him to the facility.

  When they entered, she approached the front desk. “We’re here to visit Grace Windomere. Can you tell us her room?”

  “Yes, it’s 308, but she’ll probably be in the main room with the other residents watching television.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Aunt Grace never watched much television,” Nick murmured.

  “Maybe she enjoys it now,” Jennifer replied, moving down the hall after they got out of the elevator. They came upon a large room with a big-screen TV.

  “There she is,” Nick said, pointing across a sea of white hair. He approached her, sliding between the wheelchairs lined up in front of the television.

  “Aunt Grace, how are you doing?” he asked softly, kneeling down beside her chair.

  She turned to look at him. Then she squealed like a small child. “Nicky! What are you doing here? Is Mary here with you?”

  “No, Aunt Grace, Mom is dead, remember?”

  “Oh! Oh, yes, I forgot,” she said, her eyes filling with tears.

  “It’s all right, Aunt Grace.”

  “But the babies!” she protested.

  “You mean the terrible triplets?” Nick asked with a grin.

  “Oh, yes, right. They were so adorable. Did they come with you?”

  “No, they’ve kind of spread out. But Jennifer, your neighbor, came with me. You remember her, don’t you?”

  Jennifer bent over and hugged Grace’s neck. “How are you, Grace?”

  “I’m f-fine, I guess. I can’t seem to find my way home, though. Are you taking care of my apartment?”

  “Your nephew is living in it, remember?”

  “My nephew?”

  “Me, Aunt Grace,” Nick hurriedly said. He could see the suspicion come back into Jennifer’s eyes.

  “Oh, yes, Jennifer. I told Nick he could live there until the lease ran out. Is that okay?”

  “Of course it is, Grace. That will be fine.”

  “And, Nicky, I want you to take good care of Jennifer. She’s all by herself, you know. That was my job, but now I live here.”

  “I’ll take care of her, Aunt Grace, I promise.” He couldn’t stop himself from grinning at Jennifer, knowing he’d see resentment on her face. But he was wrong. He saw tears in her eyes.

  Grace turned back to watch the television and he kissed her goodbye, telling her he would come visit again soon.

  Jennifer bent to kiss Grace goodbye, too. Then they went back to his car.

  Once they were on their way, he looked at Jennifer. “Why did you tear up when Grace asked me to take care of you?”

  “My grandmother asked Grace to take care of me. I miss her.”

  “How long ago did she die?”

  “Two years ago.”

  “That’s about when my mother died.”

  “But you have sisters.”

  “Yeah, when I see them. One is still in Lubbock, where I was living, one is in Fort Worth, recently married, and one is in New York City.”

  “New York City? Why?”

  “She always had visions of conquering the world, and to her the Big Apple is the world.”

  “How’s she doing?”

  “Pretty well, the last I heard.”

  “But at least you have family,” she said sadly.

  “Wait a minute. Didn’t I meet your mother yesterday?”

  “She doesn’t count.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because she married my dad for his money. She had breeding, but he had cash. He basically bought her.”

  “And your dad?”

  They divorced. He remarried and had one son. Then he died.”

  “So you have a half brother?”

  “Technically, but the only time I’ve seen him was at Dad’s funeral. I tried to contact my dad before his death, but he told
me that his family had nothing to do with me and my mother.”

  Nick frowned. “That was rather harsh.”

  “It was to me, but he didn’t seem to think so.”

  Nick couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to take her hand in a comforting gesture. When she didn’t pull away, he ran his thumb over the top of her hand like a caress. He had to admit, he liked touching Jennifer. Maybe too much.

  Apparently so, because she squirmed and turned to look out her window. He put his hand back on the wheel. He needed it to turn, he told himself.

  After that, silence loomed, until Jennifer said in a small voice, “Alzheimer’s is a horrible disease. I can’t believe I didn’t see the signs in Grace.”

  “It’s in the early stages. For now she’ll be able to stay in assisted living, but there may come a time—”

  “I know.” She shook her head. “She always seemed okay to me. Sure there were times she forgot things, but—” she laughed “—don’t we all? Heck, I forgot my own daughter in the hallway!”

  Nick laughed with her and it helped ease the tension. “They’re doing remarkable things with medication today. Who knows, maybe Aunt Grace will be one of the lucky ones. Till then, I’ll visit her and call her and, if I need to, remind her who I am.”

  She turned to look at him; he felt her eyes on him and met her gaze. “You’re a good man, Nick. I’m sorry I doubted you.”

  He held her gaze way too long for safety’s sake. But he couldn’t help himself. Those big blue eyes invited him in, like sirens on the sea, and in them he saw the depth that was Jennifer. The emotion, the character. Jennifer Carpenter was a complex, feeling woman—and he wanted to take days, months to get to know her every nuance.

  He had to settle for a few minutes, because they arrived at the fourplex.

  “Back at the ranch,” he joked. Then he sobered. “Thanks for coming. I enjoyed the company. Now, will you inform the owners about the lease or shall I?”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  They got out of his car and Nick happened to look at the other buildings on Yellow Rose Lane. “Hey, are those fourplexes, too?”

  “Yes. The same architect designed them.”

  “Do they have the same owner?”

  “Yes.” Abruptly she started walking toward the building. “I have to go see about the kids now, Nick. Bye.”

  She hurried inside as if she were retreating from something threatening. He’d only been asking about the other buildings because they so closely resembled the one they lived in. He guessed the builder had figured out he’d run up on a good thing.

  As he entered the fourplex he shared with Jennifer, Diane and a bunch of flight attendants, he heard little-girl screams and a puppy barking. Jennifer was receiving a warm greeting.

  His own apartment was silent. And that was what he wanted, wasn’t it? He’d need the silence to work. Well, maybe not. He’d done a lot of his work with the television on some sports show he didn’t want to miss.

  Either way, he had to get busy. According to his agent, the second book was supposed to be harder to write. He’d already gotten his proposal approved, and he didn’t want to lose the lucrative contract.

  It had taken a huge leap of faith to give up teaching and set out as a first-time writer. But Nick had no one else but himself to support, so he took the plunge. His first work landed him an agent and, shortly thereafter, a sale to a major New York publisher.

  When they’d bought his second proposal, he jumped at Grace’s offer to sublet her apartment and move to Dallas, where he could save money and do nothing but write in a place where no one knew him or what he did.

  He didn’t mind leaving the bad memories back in Lubbock, either. After all, getting jilted was hard to forget, especially when it had to do with him being a teacher. His fiancé had finally decided he wasn’t ever going to make the kind of money she needed and had left him. Nick had thrown himself into his writing, shutting out everything else. He found that story ideas came easily and he had a stockpile of characters he wanted to write.

  He only hoped people wanted to read about them.

  He looked around for the box that held his computer. No time like the present to get that set up and get to work.

  It was time to get his mind off the blonde and onto his book.

  JENNIFER HAD INVITED Diane to lunch upon her return. She already had made some chicken salad and now fixed the sandwiches quickly, asking the girls to go wash up while she did so. They’d left the puppy out in the enclosed backyard, happily chewing on a rubber ball.

  “Did everything go all right?” Diane asked as she watched Jennifer work.

  “Oh, yes, it was fine. He really is Grace’s nephew. She has early Alzheimer’s and tends to forget things. She asked him about his triplet sisters as if they were still babies.”

  “He has triplet sisters? My, that must’ve been fun,” Diane exclaimed, sounding lonely suddenly. It reminded Jennifer that she didn’t know a great deal about her neighbor.

  “Didn’t you have any brothers and sisters?”

  “No. I was an only child. If I ever marry, I don’t intend to have just one baby.”

  “I don’t blame you. But I’m glad my parents didn’t have more children. That would just be more people who’d be unhappy.”

  “My parents were good, but they both had demanding jobs and they enjoyed each other so much, I was kind of an afterthought. Not exactly the way to bring up happy children.”

  “No, I wouldn’t think so.”

  Jennifer set a plate of sandwiches on the table and poured chips in a bowl.

  “Can I help?”

  “Sure. Would you get five glasses and fill them with ice? I made lemonade to go with our sandwiches.”

  By the time the girls got to the table, everything was ready.

  “I’m starving!” Missy announced as she plopped down in her chair.

  “Me, too,” Steffi agreed.

  Annie just smiled at Jennifer.

  “Aren’t you hungry, too, Annie?” Jennifer asked.

  Annie nodded.

  After everyone was served, Missy said, “I think there’s enough left over for Daddy. Do you want me to go see if he’s hungry, too?”

  “No, Missy, I do not!” Jennifer exclaimed before she calmed herself. “Nick is not your daddy. And he does not have to take every meal with us. He has his own kitchen.”

  “But—” Missy began.

  “Eat your lunch, Missy!”

  Diane waited until she thought the girls were occupied before she asked softly, “What does Nick do for a living?”

  “He’s a teacher.”

  “And he can afford that apartment on a teacher’s salary? They must be getting more than I thought.”

  “He’s getting it at Grace’s rate, which is affordable for anyone. When the lease expires in eleven months, I imagine he’ll be moving out.”

  “Oh, I see. Where does he teach?”

  “I don’t think he’s gotten a job here yet. He moved here from Lubbock, I believe he said.”

  “That’s a long way to move without having a job lined up.”

  “Yes, it is, but I’m sure he’ll find something.” She refused to worry about Nick Barry. He was a grown man, not some little boy that needed to hang on to her hand.

  “Um, why does Missy think—”

  Diane’s cautious question caught Jennifer’s attention. “She seems to think that there’s a daddy in every family. Since we didn’t have one, she thought she’d snag the first man she found. It was Nick. She wrapped herself around his leg and screamed that she’d found the daddy.”

  Diane stared at her before bursting into giggles. “And he still speaks to you?”

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” Jennifer let a smile play about her lips as she remembered the night she first met Nick. “He not only speaks to me, he seems to be involved in this family all the time. He even watched a movie with us last night after I accused him of not being Grace’s nephew.”


  She didn’t need to verbalize all his good qualities to realize Nick was quite a man. She’d come to that conclusion a few hours ago. He was kind and considerate, easygoing and attentive. And he had a great sense of humor. Come to think of it, all the attributes she wanted in a man.

  But she didn’t want a man. Not now. Her life was the girls and being their mother. There was simply no room left for a man. No matter how amazing he was.

  “Maybe he’s just lonesome,” Diane said softly.

  “Maybe you should ask him out,” Jennifer suggested. She did her best to ignore the protest that rose in her throat.

  Chapter Five

  Several days passed without any contact between Nick and the little family next door. He listened for them going in and out, but he heard nothing.

  The only thing to break the monotony of his days was Diane knocking on his door one evening, offering to show him a restaurant or two in the area, if he liked to eat out in the evenings.

  Diane seemed very nice and very smart and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so they went out that night to a nice barbecue place that he enjoyed. He tried to make conversation with her, but mostly he asked questions about Jennifer. Unfortunately Diane wasn’t forthcoming.

  They parted company at the bottom of the stairs, but there was nothing romantic there. Not like with Jennifer. He hadn’t been able to get her out of his head all evening. For days.

  Was he crazy? The woman was telling him no as many ways as she could. But he couldn’t keep his thoughts away from her. Every movement she made seemed poetic, a thought he’d never had about any other woman. Her smile was like sunshine on a cold day. And she kept him from doing his work too often.

  A loud noise out back stopped him from working one afternoon. He got up and went to the bedroom window that looked out on the spacious backyard. Built on a knoll, the house was flanked by a wide deck that covered the entire back of the fourplex. Beyond that was a yard of perfectly tended grass.

  When he looked out the window, he saw a big truck pulled up along the fence. A man was arguing with Jennifer in the backyard alongside a stack of boxes.

  What had she bought now?

  The kids and the dog were dancing around, making conversation difficult, based on the number of times Jennifer turned around to quiet the noisy foursome.