Bully Next Door
As she cooked the main, she got Hector cooking up the rice. She looked through his cupboards, finding what she needed to make a quick sweet and sour sauce. Throwing the sauce into the pan, she added in the tofu, which she quickly sliced into thin strips along with the carrots.
After adding the rest of the vegetables back in, she cooked it for a couple more seconds, and then she was done.
The rice, of course, had absorbed all the water. She used the spare plates and dished them both up.
Hector carried their food to the table, but he quickly disappeared back into the kitchen to come back with a couple of beers.
She kept her apron on, picked up her fork, and started eating.
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re magical in the kitchen?” he asked.
Verity chuckled. “It’s funny you should say that. It’s how my career started. You were watching my videos, and it was because my mom said that I’d make one hell of a television chef. She was convinced of it.”
“I’m so sorry to hear about … your mother?”
She felt a tightness in her throat. “Thank you.”
“I bet you miss her a lot,” Hector said.
“Yeah, I do. She was a great … supporter. She always had my back, and to be honest, she helped me figure out what I was doing half the time.” She wasn’t about to tell Hector that she’d started to work on this cookbook, and the truth was, she had about five recipes, and everything else sucked.
Her mother had always told her that she’d make one hell of a cookbook. This was her first and possibly only chance to make that a reality, and she couldn’t think of a single recipe to cook.
For as long as she could remember, all she had to do was think it, cook it, and it worked. Just lately, she couldn’t do it.
Her deadline wasn’t close yet, but with each day that passed, fear gripped her. She wasn’t going to tell Hector that the best meal she’d cooked in weeks was this one.
It was one of the many reasons why she’d left her city apartment and found a small place, in a small town, to try to escape the pressure. The daily life.
“It must have been nice to have a rock at your back.”
She found his words strange. “Didn’t you have a rock?”
He opened his mouth, closed it, and then sat back.
She guessed it was a topic that was very much closed.
Chapter Two
“Are you stalking her right now?” Sean asked.
Hector dropped the curtain and shook his head, realizing his friend couldn’t see him. “No.”
“Seriously? I’m getting this weird stalker vibe right now from you.”
“Fuck off. You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. You talk utter bullshit.” He burst out laughing.
“Does she look cute today?”
It had been a week since Verity had cooked for him, and like a stupid schoolboy, he’d called Sean straight away and told him about the whole experience. Sean was convinced he had a crush.
Personally, Hector knew he was certainly lusting after his sexy neighbor. Every opportunity he had to look at her, he took it. She spent a lot of time out in the garden. Most of the time, surrounded by notebooks and an assortment of folders. He also noticed she spent a great deal of time frowning.
Her little Jack Russell dog was running around the garden. Every now and then, the dog would jump into Verity’s arms, and her frown would disappear, but the moment the dog was off playing, her frown was right back into place.
He wanted to wipe the expression from her face. To make her smile, but he didn’t know how to do that. Hector wanted to talk to her. To spend some more time with her, but he couldn’t think of a single thing to say that would make that happen. He wasn’t the kind of guy who got tongue-tied around a woman, but here he was, and there was no excuse.
“Hector, you still there?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“I guess she looks real cute.”
She wore a white sundress that curved around her neck, giving the hint of cleavage. Her hair was bound on top of her head. She wore nothing on her feet. Glancing into his own yard, at his lonely pool, he wanted to invite her over.
“How do you … invite a woman over?” he asked.
“You’re asking me for dating advice?”
“You’re the only one I know who has dated.”
“Dude, do you think this is wise?” Sean asked.
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Well, you were a massive dick back in high school.”
Hector groaned. “I know, but I’m not that dick anymore. I’m a good … penis.” He frowned at himself and shook his head. “You know what, I’ve got this.”
“Hector, be careful, man. You’re supposed to be resting.”
“I feel great. Nothing is wrong, man. Honestly, it’s all good.” Hector hung up the phone, and then without giving himself time to think about what he was doing, and why it wasn’t logical, he made his way out into the yard, grabbed the small ladder, and moved it against the fence.