The Boy Next Door: A Standalone Small Town Romance (Soulmates Series Book 3) (13 page)

Chapter 24: Connor

“She’s on to you,” I said after I closed the door.

“Is what just happened written all over my face?” Laney asked,
pulling her shirt off and turning it inside out.

I grabbed her and pulled her to me. “Are you sure you want to
put that back on?” I asked, pressing her back against the banister. “I could
make it worth your while to keep it off.”

Her chest rose and fell in front of me, and I felt her nipples
pucker through the thin fabric of her bra.

“I’m sure you could,” she said. “But didn’t you take some kind
of oath?”

“I did, yeah, but I can’t seem to remember why at the minute.”

“Quit while you’re ahead,” she said, pushing me away.

I stepped back, a sly smile still on my face. “That must be the
shittiest advice ever invented.”

“Unless you’re gambling,” she said, pulling her shirt on the
right way. “Then it’s great advice.”

I headed towards the back door where Sarge was chewing a rawhide
bone. “When was the last time you gambled?” I asked, opening the door to let
him out.

“I gambled on going out with you last night,” she said, walking
towards me in bare feet.

Seeing her in my kitchen with her blonde bed head framing her
blue eyes made me feel too much. It hurt bad enough the other day, but now that
I’d had her again- now that I knew she was sweeter and sexier than ever- it
hurt even more.

Why did she have such a hold on me? After all the women I’d been
with, why was she was still the one who made me want more, crave more, need
more.

“That wasn’t really a gamble, though,” I said, pulling my house
call bag out of a closet by the back door and setting it on the counter. “You
knew we’d have a good time.”

“No I didn’t,” she said. “It could’ve been totally awkward and painful.”

“Painful?” I opened the bag and sifted through it with my
fingers to make sure I had everything I might need to examine the kittens.

“You could’ve dug stuff up and thrown it in my face.”

I lifted my eyes to her. “Like what? The fact that you broke my
heart? That would’ve made for a shitty night out.”

“I would’ve deserved it though.”

“I disagree,” I said. “Besides, you already know that, and I’m
not sure what you’ve been telling yourself over the years, but most of our
memories are good ones.”

“I know,” she said, lowering her voice. “Trust me, I know.”

“Plus,” I said, closing the bag. “I care about you, and the last
thing you need right now is me piling on when you can’t change the past
anyway.”

“Right.”

“Regret is pain relived,” I said. “Not pain relieved.”

“So true.”

“And you might have regrets, Laney, but I don’t.” I turned to
look out the picture window behind me. Sarge was sniffing along the back fence,
his tail wagging like it was hooked up to a motor.

“You don’t have any regrets?” she asked.

“Not about what happened with us,” I said. If anything, I was
proud of how I handled myself. It would’ve been regrettable if I’d left without
telling her how I felt, but I’d laid it all on the table.

I figured nothing good could come from hiding my feelings away. Love
always seemed to me like the kind of thing that needed fresh air, the kind of
thing you should give away every chance you get.

As far as I was concerned, that was the only way to live if you
ever wanted it to come back to you.

And perhaps the fact that I’d given so much love to Laney all
those years ago was why she’d crossed my path again. There was no way of
knowing.

Regardless, part of me really wanted to ask if she had any
regrets about us, about the way she handled it, about the blow she dealt that
changed the course of our lives.

But I said I didn’t have regrets. I never said I didn’t have
denial.

And if she was happy with her actions, I sure as fuck didn’t
want to hear about it.

I just wanted to see her smile, make her laugh, and if luck was
on my side, make her come again.

Because that brief encounter was like reliving all the best
nights of my life at once, and I was desperate for my next high.

A few minutes later, I called Sarge inside, gave him his bone
back, and headed over to Helly’s with Laney.

“Oh there you are,” she said when she saw us. “I was beginning to
worry Laney might have started remembering and forgetting again, and it would’ve
taken you another half hour to make it over.”

Laney gave Helly a hug and spoke softly in her ear. “You’re
hilarious, you know that?”

Helly craned her neck back. “There’s nothing hilarious about me,
young lady. You’re the one who’s so silly you need the boy next door to help you
get dressed.”

“Like you’ve never accidentally put a shirt on inside out,”
Laney said.

“Of course I have,” Helly said. “Which is why I don’t appreciate
being bullshitted.”

“So where are these kittens?” I asked.

“Behind the shed there,” Helly said, pointing before turning
back to Laney. “All I’m saying is that if you want to sleep out, at least have
the decency to let me know so I don’t worry.”

“I didn’t sleep out,” Laney said. “I went over this morning.
Connor-”

I turned to look over my shoulder.

“Tell Helly I only stopped by this morning.”

“It’s true,” he said. “She only came by this morning, and I can
assure you she did absolutely no sleeping at all.”

Laney groaned.

“That’s what I thought,” Helly said, looking back at her. “No
sleeping at all.”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” Laney said. “I don’t
have to tell you when I wake up and if I need to go to the bathroom in the
night and what time I’ll be home.”

“No,” Helly said. “Of course you don’t. But as a guest in my
home, it sure would be thoughtful of you to say good morning when you wake up
instead of sneaking around like a sixteen year old girl.”

I knelt down by the kittens, afraid that if I looked back, I
might get called out for my crooked grin.

“I trust you at least went to the door instead of climbing in
through the window like you used to?” Helly asked.

“Of course I used the door,” Laney said. “And why do you even
know about the window thing?”

Helly laughed. “Because I wasn’t born yesterday, honey, as you
well know.”

“I’m sorry,” Laney said. “I should’ve said good morning.”

“Thank you,” Helly said. “Apology accepted. And I shouldn’t have
teased you for your early morning booty call, but I felt it was within my
rights.”

I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Laney had her red face
in her hands. Then I turned back to the kittens, picking them up and checking
their eyes and ears.

“How are they?” Helly asked.

“They look healthy,” I said. “Except for this little grey one.”

“What’s the problem?” Laney asked, crossing her arms.

I looked over my shoulder. “She’s blind.”

Chapter 25: Laney

Amber looked straight out of a fifties sitcom as she approached
my outdoor table at Mimi’s Café.

“I hope you weren’t waiting long,” she said, pulling out her
chair. “I thought I’d just drop the kids off and, well, you know how mothers
are-”

She flinched despite the fact that I smiled politely.

“Anyway, how are things?” she asked. “I can’t even tell you how
much I’ve been looking forward to this.”

“Me too,” I said, pouring some ice water into her glass.

“We should make this a regular thing.”

“We should,” I said, leaning back in my chair.

“That was your cue to tell me you’re staying in Glastonbury
forever because you can’t bear the thought of missing one of my parties.”

I raised my eyebrows. “To be fair, your Fourth of July party
should’ve been in the pages of House and Garden Magazine.”

She clasped her hands in front of her. “You are so sweet to say
that.”

“Any joy with the lawn?”

She shook her head. “It still looks like a flag. Dave is furious.
I thought the paint would wash away at the first rain, but it’s holding
strong.”

“Well, between you and me, staying has crossed my mind, but I
don’t think Helly can take living with Neo much longer.”

“Neo?”

“The blind kitten we found behind the shed.”

She furrowed her thinly manicured brows. “You called it Neo?”

“Yeah, like in the Matrix.”

“I know. Dave loves that movie,” she said. “But isn’t Neo
supposed to be, like, The One who brings peace?”

“Yup.”

Her eyes grew wide. “That’s a lot of pressure to put on a
kitten.”

I smiled. “I know, and he’s totally not rising to the challenge.
He is, however, the one who brings hilarity.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“I mean, I know I shouldn’t laugh at him because he’s disabled,
but he’s genuinely good for at least one solid belly laugh a day.”

Her smile dropped. “Please don’t tell my daughters that. A
kitten is just about the only thing they haven’t realized they want yet.”

“Sure.”

“And I thought Helly loved cats?”

I shrugged. “She likes cats outside.”

Amber cocked her head. “And she can’t make an exception for a
little blind cat?”

“She has been,” I said. “But it’s not fair to ask her to do that
much longer. Plus, she’s got so many crystals and jewel bellied trolls and
wicker statues around that it’s hard on Neo. He has trouble navigating around
all her crap.”

“Ahh. I can see how that would be tough for him,” she said. “And
as far as Helly, her reluctance to have cats inside contradicts the fact that
I’ve always been positive she’s a witch.”

I laughed. “I’m sure she was in one of her lives, but she’s not
practicing now as far as I know.”

Amber made a face like she was carefully processing the information.

“Oh before I forget,” I said, reaching into my bag. “I brought
you something for the girls.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said. “It’s bad enough that
Dave and I spoil them rotten.”

“Pocahontas,” I said, holding up one wig. “And Mulan,” I said,
lifting the other.

Amber’s face lit up.

“They’re second hand,” I said. “But I figured they wouldn’t mind.”

“Of course they won’t,” she said, taking them from me. “If
anything, they’ll start worshipping you so much they’ll need a Laney wig next.”

“You don’t have to say they’re from me-”

“What? Of course I do! They already think you’re a celebrity.”

I furrowed my brows. “Excuse me?”

“We’ve been going down to check out your mural at least twice a
week. They’re so excited about what you’ve done so far.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “Well, not Suzie, cause she doesn’t get excited
about anything besides ear infections these days, but-”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s fine,” she said, raising her red nails towards the sky.
“Or at least, I spend so much time thinking about it, I’d rather not talk about
it now.”

A teenage waiter brought some bread to the table, and we ordered
two Waldorf salads and an order of fries to share.

“You know what I really want to talk about?” she asked.

I took a piece of soft French bread and tore it in half. “What?”

“How things are going with Connor.”

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.

“Ha! I knew it. You guys are so sprung.”

I squinted. “Maybe not sprung.”

“Yes, sprung. Totally. I’ve been telling Dave this would happen.
You’ve been soulmates all along.”

I lifted a hand between us. “Wait a second. You’ve been telling
Dave what would happen?”

“That you guys would pick up right where you left off.”

I swallowed.

“But he didn’t believe me,” she said. “He thinks you hurt Connor
too bad for anything to happen.”

I pursed my lips.

She reached for her water. “But it’s all happened anyway, hasn’t
it?”

“Dave doesn’t approve, does he?”

She swatted my concern from the air. “Dave’s just worried about
his friend.”

“And you?”

She crunched an ice cube and set her glass down. “I think Connor
can handle himself.”

I nodded.

“And I think you’re too smart to make the same mistake again.”

“What mistake?” I asked.

“The mistake of taking him for granted when he’s literally,
like, the most eligible bachelor ever.”

“Mmm.”

She craned her neck forward. “You wouldn’t hurt him again, would
you?”

“I never meant to hurt him in the first place.”

“That’s irrelevant,” she said. “What I’m trying to say is that, while
it’s obvious you guys are good together, he’s ready for something serious, and
if you can’t be that, you shouldn’t lead him on.”

“I’m not leading him on. I’m just trying to figure out what I
want.”

“Sure.”

I leaned back in the metal chair. “Besides, he told me he
doesn’t regret how things ended with us.”

“Please tell me you don’t believe that.”

“Why shouldn’t I? He said it to my face.”

She shook her head and poured some olive oil into a shallow
dish. “Maybe he doesn’t regret that he proposed, but I’m sure he regrets that
you said no.”

I stuffed some bread in my mouth.

“Not that you can really regret other people’s actions,” she
said. “Because that could make a man crazy-”

“You seem really sure about this.”

She shrugged. “He and Dave have been best friends since there
were firetrucks on their underwear.”

“Right.”

“Don’t make that face,” she said. “The past doesn’t matter now.
You’re getting a second chance to realize how good you are together.”

“And I’m taking it.”

“I know you are,” she said. “And I just want you to know I
approve. I mean, I know you can’t be in another person’s relationship, but you
guys were sickly sweet at our party on the Fourth.”

“It’s like no time has passed. It’s kind of crazy.”

“Crazy good?” she asked.

“I just don’t want to get ahead of myself.”

She narrowed her bright green eyes on me. “What do you mean?”

“Just between us-”

She nodded.

“I’m not convinced I deserve his forgiveness even if he’s
already given it to me.”

“He has,” she said. “And no offense, but I don’t think that’s what
you should be worried about.”

I furrowed my brow. “What should I be worried about?”

“Figuring out how to forgive yourself.”