The Good Neighbor Read Online Free Page A

though she wasn’t trying. She hadn’t meant to
look sexy this morning when she’d thrown on a t-shirt with faded
writing, or when she’d slid into a pair of faded jean shorts. And
I’m sure she’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail in a hurry, not
realizing how sexy it was that some wisps of hair had fallen
loose.
    “I wanted to stop by and see if you needed
help with anything. You know how movers can be. They throw it in
the house, you move it yourself later.”
    She laughed. “That’s true. They were great,
though. They put everything where I told them to. I wish they’d
stuck around and unpacked for me. That’s what I’ve been doing all
day.” She began walking away, asking, “You want something to drink?
I just made some lemonade. The kids’ favorite.”
    I followed her into the kitchen, where she
poured two glasses of lemonade and set them on the table. We sat
and drank.
    “So where are the kids?” I asked.
    “They’re out back playing on the swing set.
They love it here. In Dallas, we lived in an apartment, so they
didn’t have a yard. Even if we had, it would’ve been too dangerous
for them to be out by themselves like this. It’s nice to be able to
relax and not worry so much about them. I think they like the extra
freedom too. It’s all I can do to get them to come in at
night.”
    “Yeah, it’s definitely more relaxed
here.”
    Neither of said anything for a few minutes. I
noticed that even without makeup, she was one of the most beautiful
women I’d ever seen.
    Finally, she asked, “What do you do?”
    “I own a construction business.”
    “Are you on vacation or something? I mean,
it’s the middle of a work day.” She smiled. “I know it’s not my
business and I don’t want to be nosy...”
    “No. It’s fine. I don’t go into work anymore.
I used to, but I haven’t been in to the office in about a year now.
If there’s anything I need to do, I do it from home.” I hadn’t been
to work since Holly left. I couldn’t stand the questions or the
pity that I would receive there. To change the subject and because
I wanted to know, I asked, “What about you?”
    “Well, in Dallas, I was a secretary. But now,
Aunt Elaine left me healthy amount of money. I think I’m going to
stay at home with the kids for a while. See what that’s like.” She
smiled at me, and I got chills. Funny how I could get chills when
my heart had been warmed. “What about the other people on this
street? What do they do?” She put her elbow on the table, folded
her hand into a fist, and rested her chin on it.
    I leaned back in my chair. “Well, let’s see.
There’s Andy and Jill. They live on this side of me. Andy’s my best
friend. They’re both really great people. Jill’s a librarian, and
Andy works at a factory over in the Industrial Park. His crew works
swing shift.”
    “Swing shift? What’s that?”
    “He works two weeks on the day shift and two
weeks on the night shift. It’s weird, but he likes it.”
    “He’s the red-haired guy?”
    “Yeah. Jill’s the short, blond. They look
mismatched, but trust me when I say that they’re perfect for each
other.”
    “Do they have any kids?”
    I shook my head. I could see the
disappointment on her face. She was hoping for playmates for her
children, naturally. I hadn’t realized until now that there weren’t
any children on Hewitt Street.
    “On my other side, is a retired chef named
Louis. If you ever see him, you’ll know immediately who he is. He’s
a large man. He’s not home much, though. He travels a lot, mostly
abroad.” I got up and walked over to her pots and pans which were
hanging above her island. I looked through them and pulled a large
skillet from its hook. Holding it up to show her, I said, “This is
his.”
    She looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
    I pointed to the signature across the bottom
of the skillet. “This is Louis’ signature. This is from his line of
cookware. He also has several cookbooks on the