by Claire Adams
“Was that Ryder?” Sayler asked.
“Yes”
“Why the fuck didn’t you answer?”
“I would rather get let down via voicemail. I cannot believe I am treating this like a breakup. We golfed together twice,” I stammered.
“Put it on speaker. I want to hear what he says.”
I opened my voicemail and set my phone to speaker.
Hey Jenna. I have unpacked a lot of shit and I have a nice house setup here finally. I have a brand new grill and I was going to “throw some shrimp on the Barbie”, as they say Down Under. I made a delicious apple pie that I would hate to eat alone. I was thinking we could skip the golf lesson. Do you want to come for dinner? Let me know.
I was surprised that it was anything but ditching me.
“What are you waiting for Jenna? Call him. He sounds hot and he definitely sounds interested. Weren’t you just talking about an apple pie? It must be a sign. You both like to bake apple pie.”
I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have time to date a guy since I started school soon. What would one date hurt though?
“I guess I could just see where things go. I will just text him back and ask for his address. I can’t believe I am doing this Sayler. I am going to be off to college soon,” I told her. “Do you have a beer or a glass of wine around to get me through the awkwardness I’m feeling?” I joked.
“Jenna, seriously. This is the Lindner house. We have the finest canned domestic beer you can pick up for under $10 a 6-pak and an assortment of wines by the box.” Sayler smiled.
I laughed. “So here is what I wrote.”
Send me your address. Scared to be shown up by a girl on the driving range? What can I bring? Fire extinguisher? LOL
“Sounds fine to me,” Sayler said.
I pressed send. Seconds later, my phone beeped. It was a text from Ryder.
“He’s anxious,” I said.
“No. He’s just prompt. Let me read it.” Sayler grabbed my phone. She was silent as she read his reply.
“Wow. Your address is 629 Lewis Ave., correct?” Sayler asked.
“Yes, that’s it why. Just read the damn text.”
I took the phone and stared at the text.
Just bring you. 627 Lewis Ave. Point Pleasant neighborhoodJ
“That must be wrong. That is right next-door to my – holy shit Sayler. He is the guy my mom thinks is hot. He is the fitness freak with the sex books. Shit. I can’t have dinner with him.”
“Why not? It’s convenient. If you stay the night you can sneak back in and your mother won’t even know.”
“He’s planning to cook out. My mom will see us and then she will be involved in my business.”
“You said your mom was having dinner at your brother’s house. She will not be home. I don’t see what the big deal is Jenna. So the guy likes sex. Maybe he can teach you a thing or two. I think it is another cosmic sign.”
“When did you get all new-agey? If there is a sign, it says DANGER – Enter at your own risk.”
“Come on Jenna. We will look back at this in a year and realize what an opportunity you were given. Just have dinner with him. It’s fun – no commitment.”
“Let’s head upstairs and raid your closet,” I suggested because I had nothing to wear.
“Fuck that Jenna. When is the last time you went shopping for yourself?”
“Um – a few days ago,” I said.
“You deserve something new anyways. You won’t fit into my shit. I have never seen you in such good shape,” Sayler said.
“I’m just going to wear jeans and a tank top. It’s hot as hell so I will probably wear my hair in a ponytail.”
“No Jenna. No ponytail. Your hair is beautiful and you appear more womanly when it’s down. I still can’t believe I convinced you to chop it off last year. Sorry about that.”
“It was a little devastating but I can look back on it now and laugh. I think it’s your turn next. I have plans to make you over before I leave for school,” I said.
“Save the effort Jenna. It’s like putting lipstick on a pig. Let’s focus on tonight. Be prepared to fill me in on all of the details. YOLO Jenna.”
“Don’t ever use YOLO again.”
“Well, it’s what you should be thinking right now.”
“Whatever you say Sayler.”
I drove home and I entered at the side door because I didn’t want Ryder to see me. He would be surprised to find that I am his next-door neighbor. I was interested to hear him explain the sex manuals.
My mother was just leaving when I walked in the house.
“Hey Jen.”
“Hey mom.” I smiled.
“I saw our new neighbor today. I’m telling you. The man is blistering hot. He must be having a special guest tonight. I saw him setting up a table on the patio and it looked romantic. I suppose we are out of luck – at least we will have a fine view of perfection,” she said.
I laughed uncomfortably. “You are going to Jonathan’s for dinner tonight correct?”
“Yes that’s the plan. He will drive me home so you will not have to worry about me. Are you going out?” my mother asked.
“I am going to see a movie and hang out with Sayler.” She used me to lie to her Mom so I was just returning the favor.
“All right, well, have a great time. Last one home locks the door.”
“Got it mom. I am going to go upstairs to shower and change so have a good time,” I told her.
When I was done with my shower I put on a sky blue tank top and jeans. As suggested by Sayler I wore my hair down. I slipped on some strappy sandals and the usual silver bangles. I looked at myself in mirror and said, “Here goes nothing.”
Chapter Seven
I grabbed a pint of vanilla ice cream to have with my pie before I left. I walked out the side door and around the block before arriving at Ryder’s door with a very soft pint of ice cream.
I knocked at the door.
Ryder answered the door. He was fresh out of the shower and his casual buttoned up shirt was open. He smelled…heavenly.
“You look beautiful. I didn’t hear you pull in the driveway.” Ryder gave me a friendly hug and a peck on the cheek.
“I don’t live far from here. It is a good evening for a walk.”
“I thought I saw your green car across the street. I suppose you don’t have the only Kelly green Kia Sol in the neighborhood.”
I chuckled. “I guess not. I should get this ice cream in the freezer. It’s kind of melting. I will run into the kitchen real quick,” I said without thinking.
“Go right ahead Jenna. It seems like you have been in this place before.”
I was going to play along with this game for as long as I could take it.
“No. The floor plan is typical. Wow, great pie. You will have to share the recipe. What type of apples did you use?” I knew they were granny smiths – the green ones.
“I forget the name – they were red of course,” Ryder said.
We were both full of lies.
“I see you have boxes of books and empty shelves. Why don’t I help you unpack?”
“You will have plenty of unpacking to do when you get to school. I will get to the rest of my shit eventually.”
Ryder had cleared all of his medicine bottles so I missed an opportunity to ask about them. I had not seen as many medications since my father’s illness. My father was dying so it made sense. Ryder appeared healthy and vital. I was sure he was not dying. There were many ailments and conditions that he could have had. Maybe he had stuff for his joints because he was so active.
Ryder was marinating the shrimp so I wandered about the house. Of course, I pretended that I had never been inside before.
“You don’t mind if I check things out – do you?” I asked.
“Not at all. I’m an open book,” Ryder answered back.
I knew he was lying because I didn’t even know his age. His hair was not grey. Although the color of
his hair would not be a clear indicator of his age. I was over analyzing things.
“I can see you have a viewing room. The screen takes up an entire wall.”
“Yeah, I like to relax to a movie. I binge watch a lot of television. I am usually way behind and every five days or so I catch up,” Ryder said from the kitchen.
“What are you watching these days?”
“I love House of Cards. I am a fan of Kevin Spacey and I love Robin Wright. She has been a favorite since Princess Bride. I am sure that pre-dates you.”
“I have seen The Princess Bride Ryder,” I said and laughed. “So, you think she’s hot?”
“Yeah. She is older than you are, by about 20-years but there is a resemblance. It’s a compliment in case you were wondering.”
“Thanks Ryder.” I smiled but he didn’t see as I was in the other room. Good thing because then he would know I was interested in him.
“What do you watch?”
“I am the same. I binge watch a lot of stuff. I have been into Game of Thrones lately and I am going to start watching Orange is the New Black when I get a chance. When I was young my mom got me all of the good animated features on DVD. I keep those around and pop them in occasionally. They will be antiques soon. Finding Nemo is a favorite.”
I sounded like a kid mentioning the cartoon flicks. It was my attempt at a little honesty.
“I love Nemo. My mantra is just keep swimming,” Ryder commented.
“Not a bad one to live by,” I told him. ”Ryder, do you plan on a guest room back here. It’s pretty much empty. I see you have an office and a bedroom. Add on the viewing room, living room, dining room and kitchen and you seem to have an extra.”
I wondered about the room. In the back of my mind I envisioned it as a love palace in which he would entertain his friend Sammy or Amelia from the club. Maybe he would add a stripper pole. As far as his bedroom went, it was sparse except for the bed. Maybe I was too focused on the bed. I did not want to get ahead of myself and think we would end up there.
“Yeah, I have some ideas about that space. I will tell you about it later. If you want to come in here, I can put you to work. Are you any good at throwing together a salad?”
“Very good. I was a vegetarian for about a week. For seven days, I lived on salads. My friend Sayler was eating a burger in my presence. I almost tackled her for a bite of the thing. I realized that pigs, cows and goats were a part of the food chain and not my friends. I retained a knack for building the perfect salad.”
I walked into the kitchen. It looked like a tornado had touched down. Simply marinating some shrimp had become quite the project. I tore up some fresh romaine and made a light Caesar dressing. When the shrimp was safely on the skewers, we headed outside. Ryder was wearing an apron, which I thought was extremely charming.
It was odd being in the shadow of my own home. I had a direct view of my bedroom.
“I love shrimp on the grill. My pal Leo lives on Pelican Island. He has a Johnboat that he takes out on the river. He nets these himself. He gets oysters as well. We will have to roast oysters sometime. Do you like them?”
“They’re an aphrodisiac aren’t they?” I asked.
“I think it’s a myth. I find that anything can be an aphrodisiac if eaten with the right person. Take shrimp for example.”
My hands began to sweat.
There was a slight breeze outside and the heat of the day had diminished. Still, things were heating up on Lewis Ave.
“To answer your question – yes I like oysters.” I smiled. I liked that he assumed we would have the opportunity to roast oysters in the future.
“If I open a bottle of wine will you share? I don’t want to assume you drink alcohol. I was in Western Europe last year and I had fun selecting some bottles. I keep them on hand and they remind me of my trip and the fun we had.” Ryder eyes got big and I knew he realized that he said we.
“Were you joined by Sammy?” I asked bluntly.
“Yes Sammy came over for a couple of weeks,” he stuttered. “You are fixated on Sammy.”
“Not fixated. Just curious.”
“I am going to get that bottle of wine. I have a nice pinot gris. I picked it up in Rovere della Luna. It is a spot in Northern Italy. Sound Okay?”
“Sure anything. The shrimp is delicious and I love the fresh tomatoes. They are easy enough for me to grow. It is something about the soil here but people who live in New Jersey say they have the best tomatoes. I bet they say that about every state that grows the things. Along with zucchini, tomatoes are my only crops,” I said.
Ryder poured me a glass of wine. The glasses were free of water stains and suited perfectly for white wine. It was a definite step up from the boxed wine in a tumbler I tasted at Sayler’s all the time.
“Interested in watching a movie after we eat some pie?” Ryder asked.
It was beginning to sound more and more as if we were on a date.
“Yeah. We can discuss what to watch over desert,” I replied.
“I have a theory about movie watching on dates.” Ryder sealed it – we were officially having a date.
“I think I know what you are going to say. It leaves no time for conversation; therefor it is a bad idea.”
“No smartass. I think watching a movie or television is a great way to get to know a person better. There are certain to be differences but similarities too.”
“Yes Ryder, you can also find something out about another person’s age. It can be particularly helpful if the date is secretive,” I shot back.
“Give me one example.”
“If the person likes horror, there are usually sequels in the genre. Are you for example a Friday the 13th lover or were you still in diapers when it came out? You may know Part Five better.”
“You can’t use that trick on me. I don’t like horror flicks. I like a good film noir. I like Rebecca with Olivier, Body Heat from 1980, Basic Instinct, Fargo and shit like that. You can try to find out my age on that one but it is impossible. There is nothing in the past 15 years because they haven’t made one.” Ryder was proud of his answer.
“Basic Instinct. You really like blondes.”
“I do like Blondes. But I am most fond of the scene where she flashes her pussy.”
My hands were drenched with sweat. Sweet Jesus.
“You are such a man,” I said and laughed nervously.
“Yes. I am and proud of it.”
Ryder was silent. His green eyes shot through me.
“Jenna.”
“Yes, Ryder.”
“I’m 48-years old,” he announced and laughed as he walked inside to get my pie.
I knew was lying.
****
“You can’t go wrong with Apple pie a la mode. It is comfort food at its finest. The crust is flaky. Where did you get the recipe?” I asked.
“My Grandmother.”
“It is fun seeing you make a fool of yourself but at I’m an honest person. I am keeping a secret from you…I will share mine if you agree to do the same.”
“I suppose I will tell you my real age and that’s all. It is painful to see you struggle with trying to find out what it is.”
“Deal.”
“This is a big deal for me. It is for you to know only,” he teased and chuckled. He was having fun messing with me.
“I will not tell a soul.”
“I am 33. As a bonus, I will give you my sign. I’m a Capricorn.” Ryder breathed a fake sigh after he shared the top-secret detail of his life.
“You should be proud of your age. You seem like you are 25,” I said.
“I think that’s a compliment so I will accept it. Thanks. Now you. Are you secretly a man who has had good surgery? Those tits look genuine.”
I laughed and took another sip of wine. He was really trying to make me blush. Ryder refilled my glass.
“My secret is much better than yours but it’s harmless. My mother and I live next-door.”
“You wha
t?” Ryder was confused.
“My mom told me there was a hot new man moving in next-door. She suggested I bring something by. A gift to welcome you to the neighborhood. I didn’t put a great deal of thought into it. I got a pie and brought it over. You were not here so I snooped around. When you sent me your address…I was stunned to find out you were the hot man next-door.”
“At least she thought I was hot. What does you mom look like?” Ryder joked.
“Shut up!” I giggled. “You were going on about your homemade pie so I couldn’t resist. You are so secretive and I saw an opportunity to play your game.”
“That explains a lot like the car across the street. I guess the good news is that I have a good view of your bedroom window.”
I giggled again. “So what’s with all of the sex books?” I managed to ask after I finished laughing.
“What sex books? The movers said they had some of my things mixed in with another’s. It must be his shit you saw.” He winked.
My heart pounded against my chest. I needed to change the subject.
“You must admit, this crust is pretty good considering it has been in the freezer for a year.”
“To be honest Jenna, I couldn’t give a shit how the pie tastes. The pleasure is in watching you eat it.”
Oh. My. God.
I couldn’t find the right words to say in response so instead I stared at the moon that was nearly full. Although the moon and the stars seemed like a cliché romantic moment, it truly was.
Knowing his age was a start. It was a small piece of the puzzle that was Ryder Curran. I was eager to learn more. I was also getting a little drunk.
Ryder disappeared for a moment and I soaked in the ambiance.
“Are you ready for a movie? I bought this house for many reasons. Mostly, I liked the way the doors in the media room open onto the patio. It’s like watching a movie outdoors.”
“I guess this is a test to see if we are compatible. What movie are we going to watch?” I asked.
He chuckled. “How about the Notebook?”
I was surprised.
“Sure, okay.”
“I’m kidding. I will do many things to please you but watching a chick-flick is not one of them.”