The Neighbor

by Gerri Hill

  Well, she was being ridiculous, she told herself. She couldn’t avoid her forever. Best to get it over with now than to wait until Tanya and Derrick were here. Get it over with, talk about it if they needed to, then get back to normal. Because normal was what she wanted.

  So she opened the doors, pleased by the coolness of the morning after such a hot day yesterday. She strode purposefully around the pool and into the grass, taking note of the good job Laura had done with the lawn. She walked over to her spot by the fence and paused, taking a deep breath before speaking.

  “Hey…you out there?” There was only a slight pause before she heard Laura answer.

  “I am.”

  “Feel like company?”

  “Sure. Come on over.”

  Cassidy smiled. That all seemed normal. Laura sounded the same as always. Maybe there wasn’t anything to talk about after all. She made her away around the shrubs at the side of the house and onto the driveway in the front, walking up to the gate. She punched in the code and waited while it opened, then went out onto the road and over to the Morrisons’ place. As was the norm, the lawn here was perfectly manicured, the flowers bright and vibrant…reminding her that she’d not even taken a glance at her own flowerbeds, the ones that Laura had worked so hard on.

  Laura gave her a welcoming smile. Cassidy returned it, wishing now that she hadn’t avoided her yesterday—last night.

  “Hey.”

  “Good morning.” Cassidy sat down. “I see your bird feeders are active.”

  “You just missed me throwing a stick at a squirrel,” Laura said with a grin. “He was chasing off my cardinals.”

  “Wonder why I haven’t put a feeder up?”

  “Because your yard girl would be in charge of filling it during the week and your yard girl has enough to do.”

  “Speaking of that, the yard looks nice…as always.”

  “Thank you.” Laura took a sip of her coffee, eyeing Cassidy over the top. “You got home late last night.”

  “You saw me?”

  Laura nodded. “I was out here. I saw your lights.”

  “Yeah…I had some work I needed to finish up,” she lied. “Then grocery store on the way here.”

  “You came alone?”

  She was sure Laura meant the question to be indifferent or at least sound that way. But her tone was a little guarded, almost as if she was afraid of the answer. Cassidy was so glad that she hadn’t given into her insecurities and invited someone along. She met Laura’s gaze, surprised by the uncertainty she saw there, surprised that she couldn’t pull away from that gaze.

  “I’m alone, yes.” Laura turned away quickly but not before Cassidy saw a flash of relief in her eyes. She leaned forward, resting her arms on her thighs, her gaze on the feeders and not Laura. “You still coming over today? Pool?”

  “Ribs and chicken.”

  Cassidy laughed. “I see where your priorities are.” She leaned back. “How’s your hand, by the way?”

  Laura held it up. “It’s fine. Healing.” Laura rubbed a finger across the bandage. “I keep this waterproof bandage on it so it’s fine.”

  “Good. Did you get your mother in the pool this week?”

  “I did. Twice. Thank you.”

  “Are you still trying to drown her?”

  “After her exercises, I actually got her up on a float, but she made me keep her in the shallow end. She’s doing really well in the water. I can’t thank you enough for letting me use your pool as therapy.”

  “It’s no problem. I’m glad it’s helping.”

  “You want another cup?”

  Cassidy hesitated. She had a ton of things to do before Tanya got there at noon. But the prospect of spending a few more minutes with Laura was too tempting.

  “Yeah, that’d be good. Then I’ll need to go. They’re coming over about noon or so. I need to get the beans on.”

  “Is there something I can bring? An appetizer or something?”

  “I picked up a couple of dips at the store.”

  “Deviled eggs?”

  “Sure, that’d be great. I love deviled eggs.”

  Laura reached out to take her cup and as she handed it over, their fingers touched. Their fingers touched, their eyes locked together, and damn…just like that, it was back. Laura looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t. She turned and went into the house. Cassidy let out a breath and closed her eyes.

  I’m attracted to her. And on the heels of that…Laura’s attracted to me.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Laura felt a tad guilty for leaving her mother alone, but as her mother had told her, Saturday was just like any other day. Except, she’d added, that she would be having leftovers for dinner. Laura had promised to make it up to her tomorrow by roasting a chicken in the oven. In turn, her mother had promised to make the gravy for their mashed potatoes. It was a win-win in Laura’s opinion.

  And despite the little bit of awkwardness between them that morning, she was looking forward to spending the afternoon with Cassidy and her friends. Well, mostly with Cassidy, which was turning more dangerous with each encounter. Because…

  I’m attracted to her.

  So much for spending the week trying to forget about it. All it had taken was a few minutes together…a few minutes, an innocent touch, and Laura had fallen into her eyes and couldn’t get back out.

  But she needed to, she told herself. She needed to push this aside—push it away and keep it away—and forget about it. Because there was only one way this could end…badly. She would lose the friendship she and Cassidy had, yes. But she would also lose her heart and she was too damn old for a broken heart.

  She wasn’t one of Cassidy’s “women.” She was a simple yard girl who barely knew which fork to use at dinner. She rolled her eyes. Okay, so that was an exaggeration but still…as she’d told Cassidy last weekend, she wasn’t sophisticated, she wasn’t worldly. She ran in a whole different circle from the women—and friends—that Cassidy surrounded herself with. Laura simply didn’t fit in. She didn’t want to fit in.

  So, in order to maintain the friendship she and Cassidy had between them, she would dismiss this silly attraction—for both of them—and hopefully, it would go away—for both of them.

  She stood now on the patio, the plate of deviled eggs in her hand. Should she go over already? She could hear voices at the pool, but if Cassidy’s company had just gotten there, should she wait a respectable amount of time before joining them. What was a respectable amount of time?

  “You’re being ridiculous,” she murmured.

  She stepped off the patio, then paused. What if she was dressed wrong? Was walking over in her swimsuit and a cover-up too little? She had her bag over her shoulder with dry clothes for later…should she wear them now and change into the swimsuit later?

  “Hey…you out there?”

  She smiled at the fence. “Yes.”

  “Well, come on over already.”

  She walked closer to the fence. “I don’t know if I’m dressed properly.”

  She heard Cassidy walk closer too. “I’m in a swimsuit, shorts, and flip-flops.”

  “Bikini?” she asked hopefully, the question out before she could stop it.

  A pause. “No,” she said slowly. “Would you like me to be in one?”

  Damn. Laura cleared her throat. “Never mind. I’ll be right over.”

  She heard Cassidy’s quiet laugh as she turned away.

  “Idiot!” she muttered as she rolled her eyes. Yeah, she was doing a great job of pushing her attraction away. A great job.

  When she walked around the back to the pool, Cassidy was chatting with an attractive dark-haired man, so she went directly to the outdoor kitchen and fridge, putting her eggs inside.

  “You must be Laura.”

  She turned, finding a petite woman with sandy brown hair coming out of the house. Laura nodded. “Yes, Laura Fry.”

  The woman held her hand out with a smile. “I’m
Tanya Grayson. Good to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Laura’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”

  Tanya smiled. “All good, I assure you. I’m Cassidy’s assistant, but we’re also friends.” She motioned to where Cassidy was. “That’s my husband, Derrick. Cassidy actually introduced us. She knew Derrick from college.”

  “Oh, so you go way back then.”

  “Yes, twenty years or more. We’ve been married seventeen.” She leaned closer. “Cassidy was in our wedding, if you can picture that.”

  Laura laughed. “Bridesmaid dress? Oh, I’ve got to see a picture of that.”

  “Consider it done!”

  “What are you two laughing about?” Cassidy asked as she came over. She smiled at Laura. “Hey.”

  “Hi.”

  “She wants a picture of you.”

  Cassidy grinned. “You told her about the wedding, didn’t you?”

  “I did.” Tanya turned back to her, still smiling. “They were lilac-colored, shoes to match.” Then she laughed. “And a big, floppy hat. The look on Cassidy’s face is so like ‘I’m going to kill you when this is over with’ that I break into a fit of giggles every time I see it.”

  Laura laughed again, surprised at the blush on Cassidy’s face.

  “You will so not share that picture with Laura.”

  “I so will.”

  “And you wonder why I haven’t invited you over before.”

  “Oh, please. I’m just thankful you were able to squeeze us into your busy social schedule.” Tanya touched Laura’s arm. “I hope you have a swimsuit on under that. I’m ready to get in.”

  “You two go ahead,” Cassidy offered. “I’m going to show Derrick my gym.”

  “Have you had a tour yet?” Laura asked Tanya.

  “Not yet. I think Cassidy is stalling. It’s huge.”

  “Yes, it is. I’m surprised she doesn’t get lost in it.” Laura pulled off her top and kicked her flip-flops to the side of the table where a familiar bucket of beer sat.

  “A lot of it the designer added on his own. I think she got tired of fighting him,” Tanya said. “He called daily.”

  “I love the kitchen, though. And have you seen the pantry? It’s as big as a bedroom.”

  Tanya laughed. “Yes, she did open the door so I could see. Cassidy loves to cook.”

  They walked down the steps in the shallow end of the pool. The cool water felt good as the hot sun beat down on Laura’s shoulders.

  “I understand you’re responsible for these lovely flowers.”

  Laura nodded. “I went a bit overboard, I think.”

  “They look great. Cassidy is very proud of them. Especially the flowerbed that she claims she helped build. Is it true?”

  “It’s true. I made her do the hard part—hauling stone.”

  “Well, everything looks great. I’m envious. I have a brown thumb. As Derrick told me once, I’d probably kill a plastic plant!”

  “I get it from my mother. She’s always had a green thumb.”

  “She lives next door too, right?”

  Laura nodded, wondering just how much Cassidy did tell Tanya about her. “Technically, I’m living with her, not the other way around. When her husband died, she needed help here. She’s partially disabled,” Laura explained.

  Cassidy and Derrick came out and Derrick’s eyes were wide. “Man, you should see that gym. I want one!”

  “Sure, honey. As soon as you start using that treadmill you just had to have,” she said with a laugh. “This is Laura. Laura…my husband, Derrick.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Derrick said with a nod.

  Laura smiled, then slid her glance to Cassidy. “Coming in?”

  “Yep. Let me get some floats.” She pointed at the bucket of beer. “Want one?”

  “If everyone else does, I will.”

  “Count me in,” Derrick said as he dove in off the side.

  It turned out to be one of those relaxing, stress-free days that Laura loved. As Cassidy had promised, Tanya and Derrick were “normal” and Laura enjoyed both of them. They made her feel as if she were old friends like they were, including her in the conversation as they told stories of when they’d first met. Laura got a glimpse of the younger Cassidy and judging by the tales she heard, she had been quite a handful back then. Cassidy, in turn, seemed almost embarrassed and tried to shift the conversation away from herself as often as she could.

  All in all, it was a fun afternoon in the water and by the time six rolled around, she was feeling quite relaxed, having had three beers. The deviled egg tray had been mostly devoured, leaving only a few left on the plate. The dips and chips that Cassidy had put out were nearly gone too, but Laura still found herself ravenous as she smelled the delectable aroma coming from the smoker.

  “That smells delicious.”

  “That’s the third time you’ve said that.”

  Laura smiled at Cassidy. “So?”

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  Cassidy smiled and shook her head. “You can’t possibly be.” She reached out and teasingly rubbed Laura’s stomach. “There’s room for one more egg in there, I think.”

  She didn’t take her hand away immediately, and as their eyes held, Laura wished she was brave enough to wear a bikini. If she was, then Cassidy’s hand would be resting on her skin instead of her swimsuit. She finally found her voice when Cassidy slowly removed her hand.

  “No. I’m saving every bit of room for ribs and chicken. I may even skip the potato salad.”

  “I made dessert.”

  Laura arched an eyebrow. “Something decadent?”

  “It involves chocolate.”

  Laura’s mouth watered. “I love chocolate,” she said quietly.

  Cassidy leaned closer. “I guessed that about you. Glad I was right.”

  Laura found her gaze lowering to Cassidy’s lips as she smiled, then she forced them back up, immediately being captured by Cassidy’s. God, she was doing a horrible job of pushing this attraction away, wasn’t she?

  Cassidy leaned closer, her voice little more than a whisper. “I’m still attracted to you.”

  Laura’s heart jumped into her throat, and she didn’t dare take a breath until Cassidy had turned away, heading over to the smoker, presumably to check on the progress of dinner. She spun around, trying to collect her thoughts when she found Tanya watching her with a bit of an amused expression. She felt a blush light her face, but she returned Tanya’s smile and walked over to her.

  “Where’s Derrick?”

  “He went to change into dry clothes.”

  “I guess it’s time, isn’t it?”

  “I suppose we have to. It’s been such a fun afternoon,” Tanya said. “You are so different from Cassidy’s usual friends, and I mean that in a very good way.”

  “I haven’t actually met any of her friends.”

  “Consider yourself lucky.”

  “Well, there was the one woman she brought out here…Ashly, I believe. I was out working in the flowerbed and Cassidy came home early. I was a filthy mess.”

  Tanya glanced over to where Cassidy was, then looked back at Laura. “I hope I’m not out of line for saying this, but you and Cassidy…you have this energy between you. It’s very noticeable.” She smiled. “Also very cute.”

  Laura felt another blush threaten, and she hoped she managed to stave it off. “An…an energy?” She laughed. “No, no. I’ve seen the women Cassidy’s been with. Trust me, I am not her type.”

  Tanya again looked at Cassidy. “That’s the problem with my hardheaded friend there. She thinks she knows who her type is, but she has no clue.” She looked back at Laura, holding her gaze. “You like her, don’t you?”

  Laura could blow off the question if she wanted to. She could dismiss it. She could lie. “Yes.” She turned her gaze to Cassidy, watching her. “I wish I didn’t.”

  “Cassidy is hard not to like.”

  “And no doubt she�
�s left a string of broken hearts behind.”

  “No doubt. She’s looking for the love of her life. Looking in all the wrong places, as the old song goes.” Tanya tilted her head. “And what about you? Single, too, I’m assuming?”

  Laura nodded. “Yes. We seem to be looking for the same thing.”

  Tanya surprised her by reaching over and squeezing her forearm gently. “Don’t give up. It’s worth waiting for.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Laura was barely able to stop herself from snatching a rib off the platter while Cassidy cut them with the electric knife. Cassidy laughed at her.

  “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t do it.”

  Laura knew she was playing with fire, but she simply couldn’t resist. She moved closer, moving her eyebrows teasingly.

  “You have no idea what I’m thinking.”

  Cassidy paused in mid-cut, a smile on her face. “You’re coveting my ribs…among other body parts.”

  Laura laughed. “Oh, I love your modesty!” Laura met her gaze. “You’re right. I can’t wait…to taste…your ribs.”

  Cassidy leaned closer. “Are you flirting with me?”

  “Of course not. I don’t flirt.”

  “Because I think you are.”

  “You’re delusional,” Laura said with a smile as she swiped a rib. “I was simply distracting you.” She took a bite and moaned. “Oh my God. It’s like…melts in your mouth.”

  “I see someone couldn’t wait,” Tanya said as she came out of the house, dressed in dry clothes. She, too, took a rib off the platter.

  “Hey…both of you, stay away from my ribs!” Cassidy said with a laugh as she slid the platter away from them.

  “Wow,” Tanya murmured as she chewed. “Fabulous. You’re pretty good at this.”

  Cassidy grinned as she met Laura’s eyes. “I’m very good.”

  Laura laughed. “Again…your modesty—you’re far too humble.”