The Good Neighbor - Bettes Kimberley A. - Страница 17
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That whore! That’s fine. That’s okay. I’d get her. I had nothing else to do but wait. The longer I waited, the better it’d be, right? Waiting gave me more time to think of things I was going to do to her. Oh, the things I was going to do to her.
I watched out the window for a couple of hours, but Owen never left. Finally, I gave up. I wasn’t fond of wallowing in his leftovers anyway. The thought of having his gunk anywhere near my dick made my stomach turn. I’d go to bed for now and tomorrow night, I’d go over and show her what a real man can do. Owen’s ass couldn’t be over there all the time. He had to sleep. And while he was home sleeping, I’d be next door, banging the hell out of that broad.
22 Owen
As our breathing slowed, Carla snuggled up to me, resting her head on my chest. Just knowing that she was lying next to me naked was enough to get things going again. But I quickly stopped myself from thinking of anything that would chance ruining things between us. Sure, we’d just made love like crazed animals, but if I tried to take her again so soon, well, maybe she wasn’t ready for that.
“You don’t think badly of me now, do you?” she asked.
I assured her there was no way I would think less of her. We agreed that we really hadn’t known each other for long, but the feelings were there. It was as if we’d known each other forever. The level of comfort we shared said it all. Being together felt like home to us.
I stayed with her until she grew too tired to keep her eyes open. I promised to return tomorrow. She begged me to stay the night, which I wanted to do more than anything, but I knew she wouldn’t want the kids to see me here in the morning like this. It felt right for us, but would the kids feel the same way? I didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot with them. It would be a shock for them to see a relatively new man in their house, possibly even in their mother’s room if they got up before we did, and we didn’t want to put them through that.
I walked back to my house, glancing at Bernie’s as I passed. There were no lights on in any of the windows. I imagined him passed out on the couch, beer spilled all over him. I didn’t want to ruin the evening by thinking of Bernie, so I quickly put thoughts of him out of the way.
Instead, I thought of Carla. She was different from Holly in so many ways, yet alike in many ways also. Both shared the same wonderful qualities of kindness and warmth, intelligence and humor, and of course, breathtaking beauty. But unlike Holly, Carla was more outgoing. She was the type of person who’d never met a stranger, and probably never would. Holly had always been more reserved, more careful about people. I was sure that Carla was well aware of the possible dangers posed by strangers, but she still showed her compassion and was friendly.
And another similarity between the two was I loved them both.
I wondered if it was possible to really fall in love so quickly. I’d known Carla such a short amount of time. Was it enough? I worried that she was just plugging the hole in my boat, as Jill had put it, and that once the hole was truly fixed, the feelings would disappear. I didn’t want to hurt Carla in any way. I truly hoped that the feelings I had for her were genuine. They certainly felt that way to me, but what did I know? I’d only been with one woman before.
I’d hear people talk about their ‘rebound’ relationships and how they never worked out. Usually, people ended up hating the person they’d used as a rebound. I didn’t want that. I hoped enough time had passed since Holly that I was beyond the rebound stage. I wanted a real relationship with Carla.
I noticed Andy had already gone to work. The lights were off in the house. Of course the lights were off. It was after midnight and Jill was a librarian. Most librarians weren’t known to keep late hours.
I glanced over at Jenson’s house as I walked up the steps to my porch. I hesitated on the top step, considering doing something I never would’ve thought myself capable of.
I scanned the houses along the street and was satisfied that no one was awake, and even if someone was, they weren’t outside or even perched at the window. I looked back at Jenson’s house, taking note of the light cast from the street lamps and the shadows that fell between.
Was I brave enough? I would surely go unnoticed. It was late, and if I stayed in the shadows, I could slip over there virtually undetected by anyone.
I started down the steps and then decided I should probably take a flashlight. It would’ve defeated the purpose of slinking in the shadows if I’d been planning to use it in the normal way. But I wasn’t. The only person who’d be able to see the glow of the flashlight would be Jenson, and I was banking on him being asleep at this hour.
My stomach was full of butterflies as I walked down the sidewalk toward Louis’ house. I walked past the streetlight and crossed the street in the shadows. Glancing at Jenson’s house, I saw no lights on this side either. I felt more secure that he was asleep. I also felt safe assuming that his bedroom was upstairs, as was usually the case. I froze in mid-step as I remembered that he was old, and getting around for him wasn’t as easy as it was for me. What if he slept downstairs to avoid all the steps?
A knot replaced the butterflies in my stomach. I almost turned back and went home. But I wasn’t going to break in, so I didn’t think it would be a problem even if he did sleep on the first floor.
I glanced down the street once more to make sure I was the only one out. Then, I stepped off the sidewalk and into Jenson’s yard.
I walked quickly and quietly to the side of his house that faced the empty house where the elderly couple had lived. I could just see over the sill of the windows on the first floor. I peered into the darkness, unsure of what I was seeing. Leaning farther toward the window, I strained my eyes.
No luck. I flicked on the flashlight and slowly brought it up to the window. All I could think about was how horrifying it would be to bring the light up and have it illuminate the face of an angry Jenson, staring down at me. The image of him in my mind, all in shadows except for his pale face and white hair, glaring down at me caused me to pause for a moment. I nearly ran home, but I didn’t.
I let the light fall through the glass and scan the room. It wasn’t easy to see through the thick curtains. Disappointed, I walked to the next window, only to have my view blocked by blinds. The next window was the kitchen window and higher than the rest. I couldn’t see in it. I was beginning to see that this was all going to be for nothing. I wouldn’t be able to see in, although I really didn’t know what I was expecting to see. I walked around the back of the house, my disappointment growing.
That’s when I heard it.
23 Jill
I awoke on the couch sometime after midnight, angry with myself. I’d wanted so much to talk to Andy before he’d left for work. Now I’d have to wait.
He left a note on the coffee table professing his love for me, which I already knew. It made me smile anyway, though. I could never tire of him telling me.
I stood slowly, stretching and yawning. For the first time all day, I felt hungry. I didn’t want to chance upsetting my stomach, though. Maybe something light would be okay. Rummaging through the kitchen, I settled on buttered toast.
I still felt shaky and weak as I got the butter out of the refrigerator and a knife from the drawer. Hopefully, this would pass soon. I didn’t like feeling bad. But who did?
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