The Nice Guy Next Door

by Haley Zaragoza

  “No idea. Do tell,” he says in a dramatic voice. He places his chin on his knuckles as if he’s never been more interested in anything in his life.

  “Tyrannosaurus Wrecks!”

  He doesn’t respond. He just blinks at me for a moment, but then I see the light in his eyes as he gets the joke. His mouth twitches ever so slightly, but he manages to hold it together. Dang it. I really thought that one would get him.

  “You need help,” he says, and then he takes a bite of his sandwich. I follow his lead, and holy smokes, he was right. This is the most amazing grilled cheese of my life. I’m taking mental notes in my head. Crap-ton of butter, no more cheapo bagged bread, bacon!

  Halfway through my sandwich, his doorbell rings, and we both jump up from our barstools and race to the door like our favorite celebrity is waiting on the other side. He grabs his bowl of full-sized candy bars, and I grab my Laffy Taffys. The kids at the door whoop and holler for Jameson’s candy bars, and most ignore my candy. One girl takes a few with a pitying look on her face. What’s wrong with these kids? It’s free candy!

  Jameson pats me on the shoulder and shakes his head. “Don’t feel too bad,” he says. “Once my candy bars are gone, a few kids might actually want your reject candy.”

  I roll my eyes and cradle my bag of candy in my lap. I pull one out and look at the wrapper. “Oh, Jamesyyyy,” I sing to him.

  “No, not again,” he groans. “Is this how it’s going to be the entire night?”

  “Yes,” I say and clear my throat, getting ready to tell the joke. He gestures for me to get on with it. “Why do fish always sing off key?” I ask, desperately trying to contain my giggles. I don’t wait for him to say anything before answering, “You can’t tuna fish!”

  He covers his mouth and coughs to cover up his laughter. Success! I jump up and start dancing in celebration of my victory.

  “That was not a laugh! I coughed!” he argues.

  “Nope. You were just trying to be sneaky.”

  “Give me one of those,” he demands, snatching the bag from me. He reaches his hand in and pulls out a piece of candy. “Oh, this is too perfect. What building has the most stories?”

  “I don’t know!” I say, excited he’s getting in on the fun now.

  “The library,” he says with a raised eyebrow.

  We both burst into laughter, and I grab a Laffy Taffy from the bag.

  “Oh no. Jameson, I think someone we know hand-picked these jokes for us,” I say before reading it. “What did the skunk say when the wind changed?”

  “This is creepy…”

  “It’s all coming back to me now,” I say, and then I burst out into a rendition of the Celine Dion song while Jameson holds his hands over his ears. I’ve been told a time or two that my singing voice is less than stellar. I’m under no false illusions that he’ll hear my singing and go all melty over it.

  He grabs my hands that I’m waving around dramatically and pulls me against his chest, then he covers my mouth with one of his hands. “Woman, you have to stop singing. You’re going to make my ears bleed.”

  I bite his hand for the insult, and he screeches like a little girl. He looks down at me with a sparkle in his eye, and I want to be the one to make them sparkle like this every single day. I want all of my evenings to be just like this with him.

  We haven’t kissed since that day two weeks ago because I’ve respected his wishes and taken the time to think about what I want. And here and now, I’m deciding that what I want is Jameson Lane.

  I sit up straighter so that my face is right in front of his. He takes a deep breath and cradles my neck with his hand. I place both of my hands on his cheeks and lean in to press my lips to his. It’s not a long kiss. I keep it short and sweet to gauge his reaction.

  “Have you decided what you want?” he asks in a whisper.

  I nod my head and say, “I want to give us a shot.” He pulls me in for another kiss, and this time, I pour all of the love I have for him into it. Yes, love. I’m nowhere near ready to say it to him, but it’s there.

  We’re interrupted by another round of trick-or-treaters, but once our candy is distributed, we go right back to the couch and spend the rest of the evening wrapped in each other’s arms.

  I stay awake into the wee hours of the morning. I’m going to regret it in the morning when Lo comes bouncing into my room to tell me all about the Halloween party she went to tonight.

  But I can’t help it. Tonight was magical, and I’m floating on a high. Inspiration has struck thanks to Jameson, and I have to write it all now, or I won’t remember it tomorrow. My hero and heroine are in that dreamy phase of their relationship. Everything is going swimmingly. There are rainbows in the sky, puppies are running around in all their furry cuteness, and goodness, is that a unicorn? If this were a movie, this would be where they insert the cheesy montage. Things could not possibly be better for the two love birds.

  Chapter Twenty

  Jameson

  I’ve spent every free, waking moment with Millie for the last three weeks. Seth and Colby keep sending me texts, claiming that I’ve abandoned them. They’re throwing phrases like “bro code” in my face. Things I haven’t heard since high school.

  What can I say? I’m a man in love. I’m constantly having to hold back my feelings for her because I don’t want to scare her and send her running for the hills. Just a month ago, she was bound and determined to live her entire life in solitude. Our relationship is a big change of direction for her, so I’m taking it slower than I want to. I want to marry the woman tomorrow and take care of her for the rest of her life, but that’s the exact opposite of taking it slow.

  When I’m not with Millie or working, I’m still spending my time trying to figure out who’s stalking me and parking outside Millie’s house in the middle of the night. I went out one night with my flashlight and a weapon. They drove away and haven’t come back since. Unfortunately, the car’s plates are from Kansas and registered to someone I’ve never heard of.

  I don’t know how long this will go on, but I’ve now got the local PD working on it in addition to my friend at the sheriff’s department. There’s not a whole lot to go on. We can’t go to random people’s houses and accuse them of stalking and threatening me without evidence that it’s actually them.

  I’ve been scared to be out in public with friends and family. I don’t want this person to see them with me and use them to get to me. It’s especially dangerous for Millie since they’ll know she lives next door to me. I hate that they know where I live. I hate that they probably already know that she means something to me. I hate all of this.

  I close my computer and walk up to the counter of the coffee shop to get a refill before I head out to my mom’s house. Millie and Lo are meeting me there for lunch. Yet another thing for Seth and Colby to rag on me for. Mama used to invite them over for lunches and dinners all the time, but now it’s Millie and Lo.

  In reality, they were just over at Nana and Pops’ house last Sunday to watch the football game. They’re just sore that they have to “share custody” of me with Millie now.

  Millie’s car is already in the driveway when I pull up in front of my mom’s house, so I chug my coffee and run inside, hoping that Mama isn’t pestering Millie for information about our future plans. News flash! There are no future plans because she’d most likely run screaming for the hills if I were to even hint at life-long commitment.

  The sight I’m met with, however, is vastly different from what I imagined. All three women are in the kitchen, wearing aprons, cooking away, and belting it out to a Journey song. Millie is using a wooden spoon as her microphone. Thank goodness it’s not a real microphone. That voice doesn’t need to be any louder than it already is.

  When the song ends, I clap, and all three women jump in surprise to find me standing in the doorway. I go to Millie’s side and land a kiss on her cheek.

  We all hear the front door open and shut and turn to see a man walking to
ward us. It’s Greg, the man Mama’s been dating for the last month. I shake his hand and then shove my hands into my pockets.

  “Jameson, you know Greg, of course,” Mama says as she bounces around on the balls of her feet. I nod my head, and she goes on to say, “Well, we’re getting married!” She pulls a ginormous ring out of her pocket, places it on her finger, and waves her hand around so that no one can actually get a good look at the thing.

  Greg wraps his arm around Mama’s waist and plants a firm kiss on her cheek. They gaze at each other with huge smiling faces.

  Millie grabs Mama’s hand and holds it still in front of her face. “Holy cow, this is a rock! Lo, come look at the size of this thing!” Lo goes over and gapes at the diamond on my mom’s finger.

  Greg is a family doctor here in town. He’s had his very successful practice for twenty years. He can afford to spoil her, and it appears that he is enjoying doing it. However, it seems entirely too soon for an engagement.

  “Mama, can I talk to you in the other room?” I ask, and I give Greg a sheepish look. I don’t want to rain on their parade, but someone should point out the fact that they’ve only been dating for a month.

  “Go ahead and say it, Jameson. We both know it’s coming,” Mama says and crosses her arms across her chest.

  “Okay,” I say and take a deep breath. I don’t want to do this with an audience. “Don’t you think you’re moving too fast? It’s only been a month. How well do you really know him? He could be an axe murderer—no offense,” I say and look at Greg standing next to Mama.

  “None taken,” he says and waves a hand in front of him. Mama whacks him in the stomach. They should take a lesson from me and Millie. Sure, we spend a lot of time together, but we’re talking and getting to know each other. Granted, it’s only because of Millie. Perhaps, I’m being a tad bit hypocritical.

  “Jameson, I’ve known Greg since high school. If he were going around murdering people, I think we’d all know by now,” Mama says with a roll of her eyes. “The truth is, I’ve been halfway in love with the man for years, and I decided to finally go for it. He’s the best decision I’ve ever made besides you, and I’m not holding back anymore.”

  I hear Millie sniffling next to me and look over to see tears pouring down her face. She sees me watching her and says, “Stop. It’s just the onions,” before hustling out of the kitchen to the bathroom down the hall.

  “There aren’t any onions in here,” Lo says, scratching her head in confusion as she glances around the kitchen.

  “Okay, Mama. If you’re happy, I’m happy,” I say and kiss both of her cheeks. Mama beams up at me, and the happiness and peace written all over her face tells me everything I need to know. I’ve known Greg for a long time. He’s been my doctor since he first opened his practice. He’s a good man, and I know he’ll treat her right. The whole axe-murderer bit was a tad on the dramatic side.

  I go to the bathroom where Millie has locked herself in and knock on the door. I’m determined to figure out why my mom’s announcement has upset her.

  “Go away,” she says through the door.

  “I just want to talk to you,” I beg her. Leaving her to cry on her own feels wrong. I hear the lock on the door click, and then the door cracks open a tiny bit. She peeks out at me through the crack, and the tear streaks staining her cheeks break me. I push the door open and force my way in.

  I wrap her in my arms and say, “Tell me what’s going on.”

  She doesn’t answer immediately, and it takes all of my willpower to not push her. Eventually she says, “Your mom.”

  “I’m gonna need you to expand upon that.”

  “She’s been able to open up to Greg. She’s not afraid anymore. Why can’t I feel that brave?” she asks. Her voice cracks, and more tears pour down her face. I cradle her face in my hands and wipe the tears with my thumbs.

  “Millie, my mom is forty-nine years old. It has taken her my entire life to finally risk her heart with a man.”

  “So, you’re saying it’s going to take me, like, thirty more years before I’ll feel brave enough?” she says in a squeaky voice.

  “Gosh, I hope not. That’s a long time for me to have to wait. I’d be sixty-one,” I joke. She looks at me with narrowed eyes. “All I’m saying is that no one’s rushing you, not even me. You’re on your own timeline.”

  Millie takes a deep breath and rolls her shoulders back. “Okay, let’s go back out there. We don’t want them to think any funny business is going on in here,” she jokes.

  Millie has a lot to work through, and it bothers me that she’s just brushing her feelings under the rug. I want her to talk to me and tell me what’s really going through her head so we can move forward. Who cares if people are in another room, waiting for us? Let them wait all day if necessary!

  One of these days, I’ll hold her down and force her to talk to me and listen to me when I tell her that she’s wonderful and I love her and I’m not going anywhere—not now, and not in fifty years. She won’t believe me at first, so I’ll probably have to hold her hostage and say it over and over again until it finally sinks in.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Millie

  Tess showed up insanely early for story time again, thank goodness. She’s helping me set up craft supplies and lending a listening ear while Hannah entertains Lily and Riley. After being home with two tiny humans all day every day, she needs someone to talk to almost as much as I need a listening ear.

  “Sorry for ranting to you so much,” I say after telling her the multitude of reasons I am scared to admit that I love Jameson.

  “It’s okay. Great, actually. If you only knew how often I have conversations about poop, you would know that this is like a mini vacation for me,” she says with a tense laugh. I turn from the table where I’m organizing crayons and colorful cotton poofs to get a good look at her.

  She has bags under her eyes, and her hair is a frizzy mess. “Are you okay?” I ask, concerned for my friend.

  “What? Yeah, I’m great. Look at those cute kids over there! I made them!” she says, pointing at her girls on the other side of the room. She has a dreamy look as she watches Lily run around while Riley’s head turns side to side, watching her. “Let’s get back to talking about you and Jameson, though.”

  “What else is there to say? I’m crazy about him, but I don’t know if I can be what he wants. He’s ready to settle down and have a family, and I’m still terrified. And what about Lo? What happens to her if the two of us do get serious?”

  “Listen, Millie. It’s okay to be scared. Most people are at least a little scared when they’re doing something new. But Jameson is a good man. I’ve known him since we were kids, and let me just say, they don’t make many like him. Don’t miss out on someone like him because of fear. I can say with complete confidence that he will handle your heart like it’s a piece of fine china given to him by the Queen of England herself.”

  The rational side of me knows what she’s saying is true, but my heart is still palpitating thinking about it. Jameson is kind and honest and good. Everything that a sane woman would be chasing after.

  It’s not his goodness that I doubt. I’ve seen enough of him to know for a fact that he’ll treat me right. But no one can guarantee that nothing will ever happen between us that could cause us to separate. No one can guarantee that we’ll both live until old age. My dad’s cancer proved to me that life is unpredictable and it’s best to guard yourself against it.

  I’ve already been hurt too many times in the past: a mother who didn’t want me, friends who decided I wasn’t worth their time, a father who was healthy one day and then dying the next. I’m only twenty-six. How much more can I stand?

  “I can see you overthinking everything,” Tess says.

  “I am not…”

  “Yes, you are. Don’t go do something drastic, okay? Just take it day by day, and see where it goes.” She rubs my arm in a comforting, motherly gesture. It must be something that wome
n innately pick up after having children.

  I nod my head and give her a quick hug as I notice families beginning to trickle into the room. Moms direct their children to sit on the rug in the center of the room as they take a seat in the chairs against the walls. I laugh as they breathe a sigh of relief that, for a short time, someone else is in charge of the rowdy crew. I love doing story time. It’s why I wanted to become a librarian.

  “Alright, who wants to play with instruments?” I ask the kids and watch as all the caretakers collectively die a little inside.

  It’s late at night, but I couldn’t get to sleep. Five million thoughts were playing on an endless loop in my mind, so I decided to get up and do a workout. That only made me more awake, though. So, here I am, at 2 AM, staring at my bedroom wall, thinking about the next twists and turns I want to write in my novel.

  My heroine is being a little angsty at the moment, and I’m not sure how I’m going to resolve the issue. She has to come to her senses at some point. She kicked the poor guy to the curb, and she’s floating on that ‘I don’t need no man’ high because she’s angry. Rightfully so—our not-so-perfect-after-all hero has been keeping some pretty big secrets. She should give him a chance to explain himself, but she is so obstinate and headstrong that she’s making Jane Austen proud from her grave.

  Just when I think I’m starting to figure something out with the plot, there’s a strange noise outside my window. It sounds like a ginormous animal is crawling around in some bushes. It better not be another skunk. Animal control said they took care of that thing. Do skunks travel in packs? I cannot go through that again. Hannah still sniffs me and laughs hysterically every time she sees me.

  It sounds like a flower pot gets knocked over, and I jump out of my bed. I’m not crazy. Something—or someone—is definitely out there. I throw on a hoodie and slip on my sandals before exiting my room.