The Neighbor #3 (The Neighbor #3) Read online

  I tried waiting up for my mother. I thought she must have taken the scenic route with Claude. I was actually waiting up for my mother, which was weird. Before I fell off to sleep, I checked my phone. I had a text from Ryder.

  Miss U nxt W/E?

  Yeah right. I put my phone face down with the ringer and vibrator off and went to sleep.

  Chapter Six

  I woke up early on Sunday. I was still pissed at my mother for not telling me about Ryder sooner. My relationship with her could not compare to what was going on with him. I decided to accept her the way she was and make nice.

  I was going to the country club, so I dressed accordingly. I wore a pair of khakis and a pink, sleeveless polo. I lay in bed for fifteen minutes with cucumbers on my eyes to reduce any evidence that I had been crying. The 3-4 tumblers of cheap wine I’d had did not help me look refreshed.

  I found my mother at the kitchen table.

  “Good morning, Mom. You were out late last night,” I commented.

  “Keeping tabs on me?”

  “Just returning the favor, Mom. Hope you know everything about Claude Simmons. You never know. The man could be an ax murderer, or worse: he could be hiding a wife and kids,” I joked.

  My mother ignored the comment and returned to her crossword puzzle.

  “I am going to run errands, stop at the country club on Pelican Island, and return to school. Have a great week. I’ll let you know my plans for next weekend.” I grabbed my things and headed out the door.

  ****

  I had no errands to run, so I ended up driving around before hitting the country. I was nervous about seeming like some crazy stalker type woman. I had a life to lead and I had to fix the Ryder bullshit before moving on. Moving on was not what I wanted, but it was the only choice given the circumstances. I thought dating my professor was scandalous. Hooking up with a married man took it to another level.

  I parked my car next to Ryder’s Lexus. Of course, I peaked in the vehicle. Crumpled on the seat were a number of fast food wrappers. I told him a good diet was common sense, especially for a person with cancer, but he obviously wasn’t listening. The usual golf tees and spare golf gloves were scattered on the floor. Standing out like a sore thumb were two baseball mitts. One for Ryder and, presumably, one for the kid.

  A leather case sat on the front seat. Embroidered on the thing were the initials SHC. A tingle coursed up my spine. The woman must have been the mysterious Samantha or Sammy. Shit. I slammed my hand on Ryder’s car. It could not be more obvious. He mentioned Sammy on several occasions and other people in the club had mentioned her. I imagined the S was for Samantha and the C stood for Curran. Ryder could not have been more obvious. Everyone else knew about Sammy, making me look like a fool.

  Armed with this knowledge, Ryder had no option but to tell me the truth. I walked into the lounge, as I knew Ryder would enjoy a ceremonial draft after his round. He always sat by the large window so I would choose the bar. I did not want to embarrass him in front of his friends. I didn’t know why I gave a shit about his reputation.

  “Riko, I will have a glass of chardonnay,” I stated as I took my seat.

  Riko looked at me and smiled.

  “Whoops, I forgot. I’m not twenty-one. I guess that matters in your line of work. Make it a sweet tea.”

  “You got it, Jenna. I pay the mortgage with this gig so I have to make sure they don’t fire my ass for serving minors,” Riko said as he delivered my tea. “Should I throw it on Ryder’s account?”

  “No Rikko—ah, on second thought, sure why not.” I glanced at my watch and I had some time before Ryder was finished. “I will look at a bar menu too.”

  I decided to order a shrimp salad. I wasn’t hungry, but since Ryder was kind enough to foot the bill, I would indulge.

  “Hey Riko, have you seen Ryder’s Sammy lately.”

  “I have not. I wish Ryder would bring Sammy in. Gives a bit of fresh air to this place, if you know what I mean. Sammy has helped Ryder get through the past year. He is a lucky man.”

  I smiled and nodded my head. I wanted to crawl beneath my bar stool and cry.

  ****

  Ryder walked into the lounge. It had been days since I had seen him close up. I gulped hard. He looked fantastic. He was wearing washed out navy shorts and a white polo shirt. The light color emphasized his tan skin. His eyes were bright and happy. He must have had a good round, and whatever he did over the weekend had agreed with him. He was alone and Riko set him up with a beer. As Riko served him, he whispered in Ryder’s ear. Ryder looked in my direction. He shot me a huge smile as he hopped out of his seat.

  Ryder came to the bar and threw his arms around me. I flushed and my hands began to sweat. He felt so powerful. He felt better than ever. For a moment, I forgot the last forty-eight hours.

  “Jenna. This is the best surprise ever. I thought about you constantly. We left things kind of badly and you never returned my calls or texts,” Ryder said.

  He did not speak like a guilty man and his eyes were not lying. Boy was he good.

  “I stopped in to grab a bite to eat before I cruise back to school.”

  “I wasn’t aware that you had spent the weekend in town.”

  How could he have not noticed Sayler and me squealing? We were right next-door. Ryder was insulting my intelligence.

  “I was at my mother’s house all weekend, Ryder,” I spoke slowly as if to say Duh – I saw everything.

  “Oh.” Ryder was silent. He knew I had seen him with Samantha and his son.

  “Cat got your tongue?”

  Ryder still had his hand on my shoulder. He grew uncomfortable and put his hands in his pockets.

  “Cat—no, more like a mountain lion. You have eyes and you were right next door. I was hardly hiding.”

  “Yeah, Ryder, I saw you and Sammy and your son. I’m so confused. You owe it to me—come clean. I was fucking tortured watching you and your family frolicking. You must’ve seen and heard Sayler and me while we were hurling tomatoes at one another.”

  Ryder started to chuckle, which was annoying. Soon he broke into obnoxious laughter, which really pissed me off. I was prepared to smack the smile off his face.

  “Jenna, I understand the confusion but you are far off base.”

  “Don’t fucking patronize me…Professor Curran.”

  I pulled my hand back. I was about to slap him across the face. Ryder caught my arm on its way towards his cheek. He used my arm to drag me away from the restaurant into the kitchen. The cook looked up and then went back to chopping, as if it was something he was used to seeing.

  “Jenna, I can handle cancer and all that brings with it but I can’t handle being slapped in public. Okay, you can slap me now.” Ryder closed his eyes in preparation for my open-handed slap.

  “I can’t do it Ryder. I haven’t slapped a person since kindergarten—and he really deserved it. Are you ready to tell me the truth—the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

  “Yes, your honor. Will you go outside with me where we can have some privacy at least?”

  I extended my hand and Ryder pulled me along.

  ****

  We chose a spot on the sand facing the ocean with the golf course behind us. On any other occasion, it would have been a magnificent spot. The waves were crashing far from shore and their sound was all we could hear. The dunes provided a blind from any golfers on the course. We were completely alone – good spot to have wild sex but the thought of sand up my ass made me uncomfortable. Ryder and I sat on the sand facing one another. He cupped my hands and looked at me directly with his stunning green eyes.

  “Jenna, I was keeping a secret from you, but it is not what you expect. What you are thinking is far from the truth. The mythical Sammy is actually my nine-year-old son from a marriage that I started and finished years ago. You saw a trio, in some respects a family, doing the best they possibly could. The woman you saw is my ex-wife, Sally Housley. We are friends. I will tel
l you more about her later. She is not a secret, but it’s a long, boring story for another time,” Ryder said and then paused. I sensed he was waiting for my reaction.

  I gave away nothing. “Many thirty-three year old people have kids. By now, it is understandable that you would have an ex-wife. You are not unique. Why keep Sam a secret? It was apparent you are fond of him.”

  “I love Sammy, and once I get started talking about him, I won’t stop. I have turned to secrets because I want an authentic relationship. If women know I have cancer, they tend to take pity on me. When they find out I have a kid, they run for the hills.”

  “Why do you think that is?” I asked.

  He released my hands and started pacing.

  “I have heard it all. I have been accused of being a bad father, used up, or old.”

  “I don’t think you are used up and you are clearly not a bad father. You get points for creativity with the Frisbee golf course,” I said.

  Ryder laughed. “So you saw that? Okay, what about old?”

  I was starting to relax. “You are older, but that’s just math. I suck at math—remember.”

  “Yeah. You’re no Einstein when it comes to numbers.”

  I stood up and punched him in the arm.

  “You were going to get your hit in eventually.”

  “You deserved it. I don’t know if I can trust you again...”

  Ryder put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me intensely.

  “I have never lied to you about the way I feel. I was just so damn scared of losing you. There is just something happening here that I don’t think I have ever felt before. How about another try, without the deception?”

  I had heard about taking a leap of faith. I felt that I was about to take one.

  “I will try my best to believe in you if you try just as hard to be honest. I don’t really have a choice in the matter since you are my golf instructor, professor and you live next-door to my mother.”

  “What if I was none of those things? What if I were just Ryder?”

  “Hmm. I guess just Ryder would be fine.” I pretended to be disappointed.

  “Get over here smart ass and give me a kiss.” Ryder pulled me in tight and took me to the ground.

  We kissed in the sand, but it was not like the scene in From Here to Eternity. We shared a lingering kiss, but sand got in the places I feared. Despite the discomfort, I was transported by Ryder’s touch.

  “We need to work on your putting this week. Can it be arranged?”

  “This is meant to be a romantic reunion and you are talking to me about golf?”

  “We need to keep up appearances, and I am your instructor. Your putting sucks. Let’s go to the local putt-putt joint. You claim to be good at miniature golf.”

  “Okay coach. Call me tonight and we will set something up.” I pulled myself together and started to leave.

  “I missed you, Walsh.”

  I laughed.

  Chapter Seven

  Driving back to school, I felt as if I had dropped fifty pounds. I was light again. I guess I didn’t know how much Ryder had seeped into my everyday life. It affected how I got along with my mother, my BFF, Max, and everyone I met. Kelly from Kansas must have thought I was a real piece of work. I didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that a man had such influence on me. The scariest part was I didn’t have a choice. Ryder was becoming an important part of my life, if not the most important part.

  I arrived at Leach hall. Before I went to my room and tried to convince Kelly that I was normal, I checked my phone. I had received six messages from Ryder, each one sweeter than the last. I grabbed my gear and ran into the dorm.

  “Hey, Kel. Did you have a good weekend?” I bounded into the room.

  “It wasn’t bad. How was home?” Kelly asked.

  “It just dawned on me that I went home for the long weekend you were sitting here in Leach Hall. You’re two-thousand miles from home. I should have brought you home with me.” I felt like a terrible friend. “To answer your question, my weekend went from bad to horrid to spectacular.”

  “At least it ended on a positive note." Her tone was optimistic.

  “Yeah, Kelly, it ended very positive. Will you help me unpack some of this shit I grabbed from my mom’s house? She could be on an episode of Hoarders. I went through her medicine chest and got all sorts of stuff including this mouthwash. She had a couple so I snagged one. You are welcome to everything.” It was my last resort to drop hints to Kelly about her breath.

  “Thanks, but my folks travel so much that they have loaded me up with samples. I am exhausted from a packed weekend. They had a foreign film festival on campus. I must have watched 20 films. I am putting in my buds and checking out. The light won’t be a problem.”

  “Okay. We will catch up another time.”

  I had not slept well all weekend, so I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

  ****

  “Morning, Ryder. I will see you in class later this morning. I wish I had something exciting to say but I’m half asleep,” I mumbled.

  “I’m on my way to campus. I went online and I have options for putt-putt this afternoon,” Ryder said in a voice that was far too jovial for 7AM.

  “I want to be pink.”

  “Color choice is easy, Walsh. We have to choose a course and each one has its own theme. The one off the highway has the Seven Wonders of the World. I hear the hole featuring the Pyramids is crazy impossible. There is the African Safari course close to campus that has a petting zoo attached. They also have a pop music miniature golf place. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go into Justin Bieber’s hole. The options are vast,” Ryder said.

  I laughed. “Wow. You have really done your research. If they cover the Seven Wonders of the World, then what do they do with the other holes?”

  “You are the history student.”

  “I am a little behind in history, Ryder, and all I learn from your class is the history of sex.”

  “That would make a cool miniature golf course. I wonder what they would say if I proposed it on Shark Tank. I could franchise the thing. I could set up all kinds of holes both male and female. Of course, I would include one that looks like a mouth. With you as my model, I could craft a spectacular mouth.”

  We both laughed. “Well, if dating a student won’t get you fired, that idea will do the trick.”

  His voice changed. “You don’t seem as enthusiastic as I am about our golf adventure. Is there something up?”

  “It’s still early, Ryder, and I’m still in my jammies. It takes me a while to get used to the day,” I said.

  “Jammies? I can’t wait to wake up next to you again. We can linger in bed all day but you must know one thing…”

  “Yes?”

  “I have a strict no jammies policy in my bedroom.”

  “What if it’s cold?”

  “I’ll keep you warm, and I still owe you a new pair of panties. And again, I’m sorry about destroying the last ones.”

  “Don’t be sorry. You can take me shopping.”

  “Will you model them for me?”

  Now I was starting to feel awake. “Would love to.”

  “That’s what I like to hear. Anyway, I‘m driving down the highway and I’m hard as a rock. I miss your warm pussy. I almost tore your clothes off on the beach the other day. Can you talk me through this little problem? I can’t teach a class like this.”

  “Ryder, you aren’t getting phone sex when I am still waiting for the real thing.” I hung up the phone. I laughed as I imagined Ryder driving down I-26 with a hard-on.

  ****

  My first class was human sexuality with Ryder, which necessitated a shower. I had become accustomed to smelling like my mother’s bathroom. I picked out some peach scented shampoo and vanilla body wash. I would smell like a candy factory, but it was better than nothing. As I tuned on the warm water, I heard a familiar voice.

  “Hey, Jenna. It’s Eric
and I’m here without Diane. She sent me in with no shampoo. Any chance you have some I can borrow?”

  Bizarre, I thought. Even more bizarre that I came to think of hairy armed Eric as my shower buddy. It was a girl’s bathroom after all.

  “Yeah, no problem. I have some Orchard Peach Desire. It works, and if you like peaches you will love it,” I said as I passed the bottle under the divider.

  “Thanks, Jenna. Do chicks dig this scented shit?” Eric asked.

  “Some do. I have some vanilla body wash as well. You can rub this on Diane. She may be into it.”

  “I will give it a try. Um—her skin down there is sensitive. She is always getting some sort of infection. Do you know if this stuff is gentle?”

  Awkward.

  “I can’t say for sure. I have not used it internally, if that is what you’re talking about. FYI—they make oils and lotions especially for that area.”

  “Any ones in particular that you recommend?” Eric asked.

  “I will have to get back to you on that Eric.”

  “Cool. Diane’s birthday is coming up and I think it will be a nice treat.”

  I toweled off as I thought about my encounter with Eric. I would ask Max if he had made a visit to an adult store recently. My other option was to do my own research and I could take Ryder along. It would be the neighborly thing to do, helping Eric. Nothing wrong with helping a brother out. I walked back to my room.

  “Hey, Kelly. Good morning. What ya reading?” I asked my roommate as she lounged on her bed.

  “Not cramming for my mid-terms. I picked up some travel guides on France. Many of the films I recently watched were French and I am mulling over a visit. I might look into the foreign exchange program. Who knows? But it’s a dream,” Kelly said.

  “It’s a worthy dream. I dream I won’t flunk out of school.” I laughed.

  I figured I would change things up a little. I was tiring of neon and I thought it was a trend that was on the way out. I pulled on a red and white patterned skirt and a white sweater with a deep V-neck. The skirt was short with a dangerously high slit. I figured it wouldn’t work for a trip to Magnolia but it would be perfect for putt-putt. It would be perfect for Ryder—easy access. I threw on my signature silver bangles and my red Toms. I was overdressed for an early morning class but I didn’t care.