The Neighbor

by Gerri Hill

  Cassidy looked out the double doors, finding Claudia and Amber sitting under an umbrella. Laura was in the pool, fighting with her float again. Her hair was wet and Cassidy imagined her jumping into the pool, trying to cool off and douse the flames that had been consuming them only minutes earlier. Ten more seconds.

  She smiled and looked at Erica. “I could fall in love with that woman.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Laura paused at the back door, trying to collect her thoughts before going inside. The others were still out by the pool. She could hear voices from across the fence. The steak, as usual, had been cooked to perfection, as promised. The vegetable medley—lightly sautéed—was crisp and flavorful. The baked potato was soft and fluffy. In defiance—after seeing Claudia cut hers in half and skip the butter and sour cream—Laura had lathered hers with so many additional calories, including cheese, that she was almost afraid to eat it. And now, after having dinner with her, she knew why Claudia was so skinny. She barely touched the little half of the potato and only cut three small bites from the steak, eating two. It was a damn shame.

  But the mostly silent dinner was enough to make her want to end the evening early. She’d helped clean up but gave a rather hasty goodbye to everyone, including Cassidy. Cassidy had offered to walk her home, but she’d declined. One look into her eyes had told her that Cassidy hadn’t forgotten their encounter in the pantry. And of course, neither had she.

  She leaned her forehead against the doorjamb. Ten seconds away from an orgasm. Good God…in the pantry! When she jumped in the pool, she wouldn’t have been surprised if the water had started boiling. Never in her life had someone’s kisses affected her that way. Of course, they were doing a little more than kissing, weren’t they? She closed her eyes, swearing she could still feel Cassidy’s hands on her breasts, her fingers rubbing her nipples…her tongue doing all sorts of wonderful things to her.

  “Jesus…”

  She stood up straight, feeling her pulse racing again. Perhaps it was good that Cassidy had company. If she didn’t…they’d be in bed right now. And Laura wasn’t sure she was ready.

  “Oh, please,” she muttered, knowing she was lying. She’d been ready in the pantry, for God’s sake! Ready and willing.

  But now what? She didn’t think they could take baby steps with this, not after what happened earlier. Did she even want to take baby steps? No. But Cassidy had company. And her company usually didn’t leave until well after noon. Cassidy would no doubt be leaving then too. They would have no time alone. To talk. Or…whatever.

  She finally pushed open the back door and went into the kitchen. She heard the TV on and was actually glad that her mother was still up. She looked around the kitchen, noticing that her mother had cleaned up the dishes from her solitary dinner—leftovers that Laura had assembled for her to microwave. She felt a twinge of guilt. She would have rather been here with her mother than suffer through dinner with Cassidy’s friends. Of course, she wouldn’t have missed the pantry episode for anything.

  She went into the living room, finding her mother in her recliner. She turned her head when Laura walked in.

  “You’re home already?”

  “Yes. I couldn’t take it any longer.”

  Her mother muted the show she’d been watching. “What’s wrong?”

  “They weren’t very nice to me—her friends.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad. You had such a good time with Cassidy’s other friends.”

  “Very different than Tanya and her husband. There were three of them. They brought a woman who Cassidy used to date…hoping to set them up again.”

  “Oh, I see. And how did that go?”

  Laura sat down in the other recliner and popped the footrest out. “I wanted to drown her,” she admitted with a laugh. She looked at her mother, her smile fading a little. “I…I really like Cassidy. We…we kissed.”

  “Again?”

  “Again?”

  “Well, I saw you last night.”

  Laura felt a blush on her face. “You saw us? You could have turned away!”

  “I could have, yes, but it occurred to me that I’ve never seen you kiss anyone before.”

  Laura shook her head, dismissing her mother’s comments. “I’m very attracted to her.”

  “I would hope so. I saw that there were tongues involved.”

  “Mother! Oh my God!”

  “What? I’m just saying…”

  Laura held her hand up. “Don’t. Just don’t.”

  “Tongues, Laura Sue. It’s not like we’re talking about sex or anything. Are we?”

  “We most certainly are not!”

  “Well, then…go on. You’re attracted to her.”

  “Yes. But I’m not anything like the women she dates. They’re all girlie-girls. Thin. Fashionable. Lots of makeup. They barely eat enough to sustain a bug.”

  “Well, we know how you like to eat.”

  Laura raised her eyebrows. “You think I’m fat, don’t you?” She patted her full stomach. “I just ate a huge steak and a thousand-calorie baked potato. It’s like she’s trying to make me fat.”

  “Did you ever think that maybe that’s one of the things she likes about you? You say she loves to cook. What fun is it to cook for someone if they’re going to eat like a bird?”

  “I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”

  “Laura Sue, you’re not fat. You get too much exercise to worry about that.”

  “That’s another thing. I don’t even have a job. These women? They appear to be successful, competent, professional women.”

  “You have a job. And I thought you were interested in expanding your business.”

  Laura laughed. “Expanding my lawn service business? I know. I just haven’t gotten around to it.”

  “Well, we do let things go, don’t we? I still haven’t set up a date for the painters yet.”

  Laura let out a deep breath. “I’m going to get hurt.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes. She’s going to break my heart. Then it’ll be awkward living here next door. I’ll lose my one yard job. Your pool therapy will come to an end.” She sighed again. “All because she’s like the best kisser ever.”

  Her mother laughed. “That’s how it’s going to play out? What about the alternative?”

  “What alternative?”

  “She falls madly in love with you. You move in with her and I still get my pool therapy.”

  Laura smiled. “Got us getting married, do you?”

  “Wouldn’t that be wonderful, Laura Sue?” her mother asked wistfully. “I always worried about you being alone.”

  “I’m only thirty-eight, Mom.”

  “And how old is Cassidy? I’d guess early forties.”

  “Forty-four. Young enough to still look really good in a bikini.”

  “So you kissed again? In front of her friends?’

  “God, no! In the pantry, of all places.”

  “The pantry. How on earth?”

  “It’s as big as my bedroom.”

  “Oh. So up against the canned goods then?” her mother teased.

  “It was a really good kiss. Let’s just say that if her friends hadn’t been there…”

  Her mother grinned. “So are we going to talk about sex now?”

  Laura pointed her finger at her. “You have a one-track mind.”

  “I’m a widow. And for your information, Frankie and I had a very active sex life.”

  “Ew…I don’t want to know.”

  “Your father and I did too,” she continued.

  Laura stared at her. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’m sorry that I…that I disappeared from your life. That was selfish of me.”

  Her mother nodded. “Yes, it was. I know you didn’t understand…I know you disliked Frankie.” She waved her hand in the air. “I…I just wasn’t good alone. I was used to your father taking care of things. And yes, Frankie had his faults…but he loved me.”

  Laura leaned her h
ead back. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “Those are years we won’t get back and I’m sorry.”

  “You’re here now, Laura Sue. You’re here now.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Cassidy punched at her pillows again. It had been a long, stressful day, yet sleep wouldn’t come. She still felt restless. Restless because—besides the few stolen moments in the pantry—she hadn’t had a single second alone with Laura. And Laura had left so quickly after dinner, Cassidy hardly had time to say goodbye…a very public goodbye which consisted of nothing more than a smile and a nod. Of course, she had offered to walk Laura out, but Laura had politely declined. And why? Because they both knew that if they were alone…in the dark…with the full moon filtering through the trees…

  Cassidy closed her eyes, remembering the scene in the pantry. God, Laura had been so…so ready. Cassidy could feel the wetness between her thighs. She could still hear the quiet moans, the almost desperate hold Laura had on her. Cassidy never meant to take it that far. She had simply been craving a kiss, a touch. She never expected it to turn into all that. Not that quickly.

  But it had. And she wanted more of it. Much more.

  She rolled over and picked up her phone. It was 12:48. Laura would be asleep. She pictured her in bed, curled on her side, her eyelids fluttering while she dreamed. She held the phone to her chest. She was forty-four years old. How was it that Laura could make her feel like a teenager? So, despite her better judgment, she called her. After three rings, she very nearly hung up but before the fourth, she heard a very sexy, sleepy voice in her ear.

  “You better be calling because you miss me. I was in the middle of a very good dream.”

  Cassidy grinned. “Was I in your dream?”

  “Yes. We were very naked. And we weren’t in the pantry,” Laura murmured.

  Cassidy heard the muffled sound of the sheets, and she imagined Laura shifting, perhaps sitting up against pillows. She found herself doing the same.

  “Yes…I missed you,” she said. “You left in a hurry.”

  “I’m sorry. I couldn’t take it anymore. Your friends hate me.”

  “Hate is not the right word, Laura. It’s just that Claudia is their friend, and they wanted a nice, tidy foursome. I think Erica was trying to highlight the differences between all of them and you.”

  “And she succeeded.”

  “Yeah, she did. She made me see just how shallow they all are. Laura, when I first told Tanya about you, when we were first becoming friends, I told her how different you were from my usual group. Good different. I told her you were…real. Genuine. You don’t hide behind anything. There aren’t any pretenses with you.” She gripped the phone tighter. “I’m a little out of my comfort zone here,” she admitted. “I’m used to being in control. I’m not used to this…the way you make me feel. I’m not used to wanting someone this badly.”

  “I want to make love with you.”

  Cassidy felt her stomach clench into a tight knot, felt her heart jump into her throat. “You scare me,” she whispered.

  “You’re afraid I’m going to steal your heart?”

  Cassidy swallowed. “I’m afraid you already have.”

  Laura was quiet for a moment, and all Cassidy heard was the sound of her breath. “I’m afraid…I’m afraid I’m going to fall in love with you.”

  “I’m afraid that you won’t.”

  Again, there was only a slight pause before Laura spoke. “Can you call in sick to work on Monday?”

  Cassidy smiled. “Is that what you want?”

  “As soon as your friends leave tomorrow, I want to come over. I want to spend the day with you.” A pause. “I want to spend the night with you.”

  Cassidy felt her heart hammering in her chest. “Yes.”

  “Good. Now get some sleep. You’re going to need your strength.”

  And just like that, Cassidy sank back under the covers, a smile plastered on her face. Laura wanted her to stay home tomorrow. Laura wanted to make love with her. She closed her eyes, letting her imagination take her there.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  “God…will they ever leave?”

  “Why are you so anxious? It’s not even noon.”

  Laura stared at her mother. Should she tell her? Should she tell her she was anxious for Cassidy’s friends to leave so that she could go over? Go over and…

  “I probably won’t be home tonight. At all.”

  Her mother’s eyes widened. “Oh?”

  “I know since I wasn’t here yesterday to cook for you that I probably should today…but…well…”

  “You’re going to have sex?”

  “Oh my God! What is it with you and sex?”

  “Still blushing at thirty-eight. That’s so cute!” She waved Laura’s protest away. “Don’t worry about me. There are still some of those frozen dinners in the freezer.”

  “You will not eat a frozen dinner. I can make a casserole or something, then all you’ll have to do is heat it,” she offered. “Or I can make—”

  “Laura Sue, we just had breakfast. I can’t even think about dinner yet. Quit worrying.”

  “I just feel guilty leaving you alone again.”

  “You have a budding romance to enjoy. Do not worry about your mother.”

  “She…she called me. Last night. Well, this morning, really.” Laura twisted her hands together. “Remember when I said that I was afraid she was going to break my heart? Well…she’s kinda afraid of the same thing.”

  Her mother reached out and grasped Laura’s clenched hands, tugging her down into the chair beside her. “Falling in love is a scary thing. It’s wonderful and scary at the same time.” She smiled. “Like being on a roller coaster…you’re at the very top, you crest the highest peak, then you plunge down into God knows where…so fast, you’re screaming and laughing at the same time. Falling in love is like that. You’re afraid of what you’re feeling. You question it. You doubt it.” Her mother squeezed her hands tightly. “Laura…I saw the two of you together Friday night. The way you look at each other, the way you tease each other…I don’t think either of you has to worry about a broken heart. Go spend the day with her. Spend the night with her. Explore this love that you’re starting to feel for her.”

  “Oh, Mom…I love you. I don’t say it nearly enough.”

  “I know you do, honey. I love you too.”

  Laura wiped at the corner of her eye where a tear had escaped. Then she smiled. “I’m still scared, though.”

  Her mother smiled too. “It’s just like a roller coaster, Laura Sue. Enjoy the ride.”

  “Thank you, Mom. You’re the best.”

  A moment later, the front doorbell rang, then knocking was heard. They looked at each other.

  “You think that’s Cassidy?” her mother asked.

  “No. She would come back here to the patio.”

  Laura got up and went through the house to the front, peeking out before opening the door.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Hey, sis.” Carla smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “I had a free day. Thought I’d come visit.” She walked into the house. “Where’s Mom?”

  “Kitchen.”

  Laura stared at her retreating back, then leaned against the door with her eyes closed. Of all the days for Carla to pop over. She pushed off the door and followed her, forcing a smile to her face when she joined them in the kitchen.

  “I haven’t seen you in a while, but you look great,” Carla was saying to her mother.

  “I feel darn good too. I never thought I’d enjoy the pool so much.”

  Carla’s eyes widened. “You don’t swim!”

  “Water therapy,” Laura corrected. “Cassidy’s pool next door.”

  “You’re afraid of the water,” Carla reminded their mother.

  “Oh, Laura Sue tried to drown me at first, but we’re over that now.”

  Laura rolled her eyes. “I think it was you who tried to drown me the other day.” She l
ooked at Carla. “She flipped me off my float.”

  “It wasn’t on purpose. I couldn’t touch bottom. I may have panicked.”

  “You think?”

  Carla sat down at the table. “It’s so nice that you two are getting along. At first…I was worried.”

  “You want something to drink?”

  “Oh, a Coke, if you’ve got it.”

  Laura looked at the clock, wondering if Cassidy’s company had left yet. “So…you had a free day?”

  “Yes. Movie day for the kids so I thought I’d drive down.” She took the Coke from Laura. “Thanks. Anyway, I thought maybe you two might like to take in a movie too. Then we could grab a late lunch or an early dinner. You want to?”

  Laura and her mother exchanged glances. No, she wanted to do no such thing! But she couldn’t very well tell her sister that she had tentative plans to…to have sex this afternoon! She looked away from her mother, feeling a blush trying to sneak up to her face.

  “Well?” Carla asked again.

  “I would love to,” her mother said in a cheerful voice. “But I think Laura Sue has plans.”

  She turned her gaze to Laura. “What kind of plans?”

  She swallowed. “Well, Cassidy has invited me over…to…to…”

  “Laura Sue is in the pool all week, but when Cassidy is here, she likes the company,” her mother supplied, a smile playing on her lips. “And dinner too, so it would be nice to take in a meal with you, Carla.”

  Carla eyed her suspiciously. “It’s Sunday. Doesn’t she go back to Dallas on Sundays?”

  “She’s not working tomorrow,” Laura said quickly. “So…what movie are you going to see?”

  “I don’t even know what’s playing. Are you sure you don’t want to go? As Mom said, you can get in the pool any day of the week. Of which I am very jealous,” she added.

  “No…I already promised her. But you two have fun.”

  “Okay…what’s going on? You’re acting weird.”

  “I am not acting weird.”

  “Mom is about to break out into a fit of giggles and you’re blushing!”

  “Oh…God,” she murmured.

  “She’s having sex,” her mother blurted out.