“It’s exercise. That counts,” I called after her.
She shook her head and walked closer to her door. “Keep telling yourself that.”
“You wanna grill some chicken later?” I wasn't sure why I had asked or where it had come from... It just kind of came out. Maybe I missed grilling out with Ryan, and I figured she had to eat something. Plus, I saw the grocery bags she’d brought in, so I knew she didn't have much in the way of groceries other than coffee, a few cans of soup, and a loaf of bread.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” she said before she walked the last few steps to her door and went inside without even looking back.
Shot down. I hadn’t exactly made nice with the new neighbor, it seemed.
I finished mowing then headed inside. After a long shower, I went about getting dinner prepared. I lit the grill and waited for it to heat up before I placed the three chicken breasts on it. I walked back in and put some brown rice on and threw a bag of green beans in the microwave to steam. I had to eat clean, and it sucked, once again jealous that Ryan could eat whatever he wanted. I cracked a light beer and sat in my lawn chair as the chicken cooked. I intended to prove I could be a good neighbor and fix her a plate even if she didn't want to eat it with me. And after I finished eating, that’s exactly what I did.
I carried the plate over and knocked on her door. She pulled it open and looked at me over the glasses resting low in the bridge of her nose. I smiled at the sight of a pencil stuck in the messy bun piled on top of her head.
“Yes?” she said as her eyes met mine.
I hesitated, caught off guard by the lump in my throat. “I brought you this. Peace offering?” I pushed the plate out in front of me.
A smile played over her pink lips. “Thanks.” She took it and let the screen door close behind her. I followed her inside.
“I had extra, and without Ryan here to eat it, it’ll just go to waste,” I tried to explain.
“Thanks again. I was just about to take a food break, so good timing.”
“From?” I asked as I watched her unwrap the plate and grab a plastic fork from a drawer.
She looked over at me as she lifted a forkful of green beans to her mouth then paused. “I'm working on securing a grant to help me study this new fungus that is killing the deciduous trees in the area.” She placed the beans in her mouth and chewed.
“I've heard Ryan’s dad talk about that. Causes root rot or something like that?”
“We aren't exactly sure why, but yeah, it seems to concentrate on the roots. I've seen it on branches before, but mostly it attacks the root ball.”
“Well, I hope you get the grant. I'll see you later.” I turned to leave.
She stopped me and said, “Thanks for this. I'll clean your plate and return it tomorrow.”
“No worries. I know where you live,” I smiled and then let myself out.
I laid in bed that night listening to her music playing quietly through my wall. When Ryan and I had planned this place, I hadn't thought about separating the bedrooms. When Ryan was there, more than once I had slept on the couch because of it. This was different, though. Her soft voice was muffled as she sang along and, to be honest, it was soothing. I closed my eyes and listened as she unknowingly sang me to sleep.
Chapter Six
Emerson
I finished my paper around midnight and proof read it quickly before getting the email ready to send it off. I had worked for hours and hadn’t even realized how quiet it was. I grabbed a cup of coffee, stuck it in the microwave, and waited. When it beeped at me, I pulled it out and headed out onto the back porch. The stars looked amazing, and I found myself wandering out into the yard with my head back just looking at them. The sheer magnitude of the little sparking lights brought a smile to my face. I stood out there and gazed at them until my coffee was gone. As I turned to make my way back to the house, a faint light in a window on Luke’s side of the house caught my attention, and I wondered if he was still awake.
I smiled thinking about the moment I opened the door earlier and found him standing there with a plate of food in his hands, and the way butterflies skidded through me when he looked at me. I couldn’t help but wonder how obvious I’d been and if he’d noticed how quickly I turned away so he couldn’t see the flush in my cheeks. I shook the thought from my head. It didn’t matter how good looking the man was; he stood for everything I was against. In both his work and his play, he was destroying the trees I was trying to save. I pushed him from my mind and headed back in the house to get some sleep.
***
I groaned when I lifted my phone to check the time. Yup, seven o’clock. I could see this sound was going to be my new alarm clock—chopping and hacking. I knew better than to look, but on my way to the bathroom I pulled back the curtain and looked anyway. I tried not to look at Luke, so I turned my attention to the now shirtless Ryan. He was cut and had a thinner, athletic build while Luke’s physique was thicker but still extremely defined. I don’t know what it was about the man, but damn Luke was pretty. It was hard to look away, so I forced myself to let go of the fabric and continue on to the bathroom. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I made my way downstairs and made a pot of coffee. I sat on the front porch and enjoyed the crispness of the early morning air, listening as the guys continued in the backyard. After my third cup, I stood to get dressed so I could run to town for some groceries. As I was turning, I caught sight of Ryan in my peripheral vision and stopped to say hi.
“Morning.” I heard his cheery voice cut through the silence.
“Hey.” I waved and reached for the metal door handle.
“What’s up for today? You finish your report?”
“I did. I am going to send it in today. It should be about a week until I hear anything.”