Right Next Door Read Online Free

them both; even Jeff shrugged in agreement.
    Robin would’ve liked to ask her new friend more about Cole, but his name didn’t come up again, and she didn’t want to seem too curious about him.
    After Heather left, Robin braced herself for the talk with Jeff about getting a dog. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well. It seemed that after waiting nearly ten years, a few more months was completely unacceptable.
    â€œYou promised!” he shouted. “You said I could have a dog when we moved into the house!”
    â€œYou can, sweetheart, but not right away.”
    Unusual for Jeff, tears gathered in his eyes, and he struggled to hold them back. Soon Robin felt moisture filling her own eyes. She hated disappointing Jeff morethan anything. His heart was set on getting a dog right away, and he considered the offer of a cat a poor substitute.
    He left the house soon afterward. In an effort to soothe his hurt feelings, Robin cooked her son’s favorite meal—macaroni and cheese with sliced sausage and lots of ketchup.
    She didn’t see him on the pavement or the street when she went to check half an hour later. She stood on the porch, wondering where he’d gone. His bike was inside the garage, and he’d already aired his views about playing with any of the girls in the neighborhood.
    It would be just like him to storm into his room in a fit of indignation and promptly fall asleep. Robin hurried upstairs to his bedroom, which was across the hall from her own.
    His bed was made and his clothes hung neatly in the closet. Robin decided that in another day or two, everything would be back to normal.
    It wasn’t until she turned to leave that she saw the note on his desk. Picking it up, Robin read the first line and felt a swirling sense of panic.
    Dear Mom,
    You broke your promise. You said I could have a dog and now you say I have to wait. If I can’t have a dog, then I don’t want to live with you anymore. This is goodbye forever.
    Love, Jeff

Two
    F or a moment, Robin was too stunned to react. Her heart was pounding so hard it echoed in her ears like thunder, so loud it seemed to knock her off balance.
    Rushing down the stairs, she stood on the porch, cupped her hands over her mouth and screamed frantically. “Jeff! Jeffy!”
    Cole Camden was standing on his front porch, too. He released a shrill whistle and stood waiting expectantly. When nothing happened, he called, “Blackie!”
    â€œJeff!” Robin tried again.
    â€œBlackie!”
    Robin called for Jeff once more, but her voice cracked as the panic engulfed her. She paused, placed her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, trying to regain her composure.
    â€œBlackie!” Cole yelled. He looked furious about his dog’s disappearance.
    It took Robin only a moment to put two and two together. “Cole,” she cried, running across the lawn toward him. “I think Jeff and Blackie might have run away together.”
    Cole looked at her as if she was deranged, and Robin couldn’t blame him. “Jeff left me a note. He wants a dog so badly and we can’t get one right now because…well, because we can’t, and I had to tell him, and he was terribly disappointed and he decided to run away.”
    Cole’s mouth thinned. “The whole idea is ridiculous. Even if Jeff did run away, Blackie would never go with him.”
    â€œDo you honestly think I’d make this up?” she shrieked. “The last time I saw Jeff was around four-thirty, and I’d bet cold cash that’s about the same time Blackie disappeared.”
    Cole’s gaze narrowed. “Then where are they?”
    â€œIf I knew that, do you think I’d be standing around here arguing with you?”
    â€œListen, lady, I don’t know your son, but I know my dog and—”
    â€œMy name’s not lady,” Robin flared, clenching her hands at her sides. He was looking at her as though she