The Neighbor #4 (The Neighbor Romance Series - Book #4) Read online

  “I’m going to leave the two of you alone and I will take Potato for a walk. Should I have the dog shit on Curran’s lawn?” Claude asked.

  “No, Claude.” I laughed. “I’m not at that stage yet. I will keep you posted.”

  Claude put a leash on the dog and disappeared.

  “Now, Jenna, fill me in. Have you called Sayler yet?”

  “Yeah, I’m going to her house tomorrow.”

  “Good. After you’re finished feeling sorry for yourself, we will begin making this thing better. We will get you back in school sweetheart. I will challenge that dean of yours. He has never met Marnie Walsh.”

  “I will let you know if I need your assistance. I’m not sure the guy is ready for the likes of you.”

  I recounted my tale to my mother. I left out many of the spicy details. They were for Sayler’s ears only. We laughed and cried a little. As I sipped my enhanced coffee and spoke to my mom, I looked to Ryder’s windows. I was desperate for any signs of movement. I started to worry about his health. If he had suffered a setback in his cancer treatment, everything else would’ve been mute. My mind started going to very dark places.

  I went to bed that night and had very real dreams. I was relieved when morning came to and realized they had not come true—yet. I pictured myself at Ryder’s funeral. Everyone was there – Sammy, Sally, his golfing buddies, Riko from the club, and because it was a dream, Arnold Palmer showed up. I was in the dream too, decked out in yellow. I didn’t know where to stand or if I was there as his lover, student, or golf protégé. No one talked to me and they blamed me for Ryder’s death. He had no job and no insurance when he died, thanks to me.

  The morning brought relief and I called Ryder once more before I took off to Sayler’s house. I was sent to voicemail.

  “Ryder. It’s me again. I’m right next door at my mother’s house. I need to see you. This avoidance thing is ridiculous. I will be gone for most of the day with Sayler. Are you okay?”

  I hung up the phone and showered to go to Sayler’s.

  ****

  I stopped to pick up coffees along the way at the Coffee Shack. It was my old routine. It didn’t feel good, as I should have been moving forward not back.

  “Hey, Jenna. Haven’t seen you in a long time. What brings you back to our region? I thought you were a big time college girl now.” Rems smiled.

  “I never forgot where I came from, Rems. I’m taking a little break. I will have two grande coffees.”

  “Tell Sayler I said hello. I assume that’s where you’re heading. I miss her. I have been busy opening up a second location, so I don’t get out much. These are on the house again, and I hope your break goes well.”

  “Thanks a ton, Rems. Congrats on the new location,” I said as I sped away.

  I cringed. I felt like a huge failure. Even Rembrandt from The Coffee Shack was progressing in life, while mine has turned to a pile of shit.

  I pulled up to Sayler’s house and tiptoed in the side entrance. Her mother was likely still sleeping and I would probably find Sayler snoozing as well.

  I surprised when I walked into her room and she was awake. “Hey, Sayler. You are awake and you have cleaned this shit hole. What is the deal with you? Don’t tell me you have gone and grown up on me.”

  “Not really. I’m working in the administrative office at the community college. It’s not really my thing, but it’s helping to pay for some classes. I’m doing what I can…but we’re not here to talk about me. Fill me in on the Ryder Curran mess. You were in heaven with the guy a couple of weeks ago. I thought you two were taking steps forward as a couple while managing to keep it on the down low. You got the Sammy thing cleared up and from the intimate details you shared, the love train was moving smoothly down the tracks.”

  “Well, Sayler, the train ran off the tracks. It crashed and it was sold as scrap metal. Ryder and I were having a blissful date of putt-putt golf…and we kissed. It isn’t as though we were fornicating on the course. But, apparently, someone saw us and reported us to the dean. They threw the book at me, Sayler. They suspended me and might expel me, depending on the results of the investigation.”

  “Wow, bad. What about Rydery-pooh. Did they can his ass?” Sayler asked.

  “That is where it goes from bad to worse. I have no idea how this effected Ryder. I do know he’s not teaching human sexuality, though. I assume he was given a suspension. I have tried to reach him, but he’s gone underground.”

  “More Ryder drama. Remember what happened last time? You made assumptions and everything worked out after you spoke with him. Just knock on his fucking door. You can beat this thing together more so than if you’re apart.”

  “When did you get so smart?” I playfully knocked Sayler on the head.

  “I’m hoping to surprise everyone someday—you just wait. My big question is, who the hell narcs on someone for kissing a guy? Must be someone who’s jealous. Can you think of anyone? Maybe we can ask Max!” Her voice was thick with sarcasm.

  “Not in a million years, Sayler. I know we have a past, and a recent past at that, but in the end, we’re good friends. Max can be a little inappropriate and juvenile, but I love the guy. He is also growing up. He got into it with the wrong girl at school and it scared him. Ryder is very handsome and the freshman girls in class love him. He’s dynamic, engaging and he knows everything there is to know about sex. I haven’t given it much thought because I’m most afraid of losing my future and Ryder being disgraced in his field…shit Sayler. I’m concerned about me and Ryder.”

  “You have to go to Ryder. He is probably as afraid as you are, Jenna. He just has a different way of dealing things.” Sayler paused and gave me the once-over. “One bit of advice: you should change your clothes before you go knocking on his door. I just don’t think a South Carolina sweatshirt is appropriate. Wear something fun and flirty.”

  “Thanks, Sayler. When all this gets resolved, I want you to meet Ryder,” I said.

  “I feel like I know him already. Does he know that BFF’s share everything? I feel sorry for men. I don’t think they share as much with their friends.”

  “I don’t think they’re aware…They are men after all.”

  We both laughed. As usual, Sayler provided me with help only she could deliver. I was headed back to Lewis Ave. where I would get spruced up before going to Ryder’s house. I called Ryder one more time and had no success.

  Chapter Three

  I walked into my house after noticing Ryder’s Lexus in his driveway. Perfect, he was home. I showered and tried to spy on his bedroom, but he had the blinds closed.

  My conversations with Sayler and my mother had helped. Kelly was correct when she said I had support—even she had been helpful. In my brief time with Kelly, she had transformed from a roommate into a friend.

  It was early December by this time, but it was South Carolina, so it was balmy. I put on a blue flirty dress with a yellow cardigan. The dress was innocent with the cardigan and revealing without it.

  I flitted down the stairway.

  “Where are you headed, Jenna?” my mother asked.

  My mother was sitting on Claude’s lap. I had definitely walked in on something that was none of my business.

  “I have nothing to lose Mom. I’m heading to Ryder’s. I have already been kicked out of school, so I’m getting good at rejection. YOLO, as Max would say. Don’t wait up.” I winked.

  “We won’t be up for long,” my mom said.

  “WE? Ick. I don’t like thinking of my mother in that way,” I shouted.

  I couldn’t find shoes to match my outfit. The ones that I had in mind were buried in my luggage, which I had hastily packed without any sense of order. I walked next door in my bare feet.

  I stepped up to Ryder’s door. His doorknocker was shaped like a golf club. I bashed it against his door hard. I heard footsteps, but he did not answer. I banged a second time, and a third. I knew he was behind the door.

  I called out, “Ryder! It
’s me, but I’m sure you knew that. I’m not leaving here until you answer the door. This is a problem for both of us. I’m going to have Potato shit all over your front lawn. He had table scraps for dinner and it—”

  Ryder opened the door. “Don’t have the dog shit in my yard or I will have you arrested.”

  Ryder was wearing his old ripped jeans and he had on no shirt. I had never seen him with stubble before. He was wearing about three day’s growth and he looked hot. Beyond his amazing body and stunning face was something I had never seen, Ryder’s frown. His green eyes were not vacillating between moss green and hazel. All I could see were his beady pupils staring at me.

  “I have been calling you for two days. I was so concerned. You have some explaining to do,” I said.

  It wasn’t my intended first line. I wanted to jump in his arms and reassure him that everything would be okay. I wanted him to reassure me. I could tell from his body language that wasn’t going to happen.

  “Now that you’re in you may as well have a seat,” Ryder snarled.

  I was standing in front of a man I didn’t know. When he was lecturing on a mundane topic, he had never appeared as disengaged as he was now. There was no trace of emotion or animation in the man before me.

  “You rearranged the furniture. You changed around the rooms. The dining room and living room have flipped. I’m anxious to see what else you did.” I tried to keep my voice light and playful.

  “I had some time on my hands. I changed the sleeping arrangements. Sammy deserves the larger room so I swapped it with my own,” he said.

  “I guess I won’t be able to watch you sleep.” I laughed.

  My attempt at humor sank like an anchor.

  “Yeah. That is a little creepy.”

  “I didn’t come here to discuss your house. You know by now that we have an enormous problem to deal with.”

  “I know, Jenna. Whatever we had turned into a huge pile of shit. Our problems have to be handled separately, because they’re very different. I’m out of a goddamn job. I have a mortgage, child support, and health insurance to consider. You are on easy street. You are a childless student with a mom to pick you up when you fall. They will conduct a full investigation and find out we had more than a golf-instructor-slash-student relationship. I have heard of men getting into trouble by following their dick and I cannot believe I fell into that fucking trap myself,” Ryder said. He grabbed a Hilton Head sweatshirt and threw it on.

  I didn’t know where to start.

  “Whatever we had?” My voice was raised. “We did not merely share a night in the sack. We laid it on the line to be with one another. Don’t fucking patronize me, Ryder, as if I’m a clueless schoolgirl without a care in the world. My mother is just scraping by herself. College was my ticket out of a life teetering on the poverty line. I have loans to pay for college, which come due when I’m thrown out. I’m not going to be in a financial position to go to another school, but that won’t be an issue. No college will accept me after my suspension. You can sell some of your fancy gadgets and get a few extra bucks.” I stopped to take a breath.

  “Electronics don’t have much resale value. Everyone wants the latest and greatest technology.”

  I was pacing. I got confused about the new furniture layout. I thought I was going to hit a couch and I ended up crashing to the floor. Ryder extended his hand to lift me from the ground. The feel of his skin on mine was electric and I knew he felt it too. He quickly pulled back once he had me safe on my feet. It was as though his hand had touched a hot iron.

  “Thanks.”

  Ryder nodded his head.

  “So, do we stick with the golf instructor tale? We have to get our stories straight. I don’t know why, but Dean Meadows wants to take us down. He seems to think that having us kicked out will be a slam dunk.”

  “I don’t mean to patronize you, but you have no idea about university politics. People like Meadows don’t like men like me. He worked hard for his position and he assumes I took some sort of short cut. I work my ass off. I happen to come across as laid back and he sees me as a lazy, good-looking guy,” Ryder said.

  “It sounds as if you’re just giving up.” I felt deflated. “Wow, I guess I thought we meant more to each other.”

  “I let my priorities get mixed up. I slacked on things in life that matter like work, my golf game and Sammy.”

  “I’m not letting you get away with that, Ryder. If anything, I helped with each one of those things. I was an excuse to get you on the golf course and you worked on your game. I made work a thing you looked forward to. Our secret flirtation during class was fun and harmless. As far as your son goes, Sammy had a great time with us last weekend and I think he accepted me well. It was a little odd with Sally, but understandable. You were more disturbed by her than I was.”

  “Yeah, but have you forgotten that, during all of this, I have been battling cancer. It weighs on my mind now and again.”

  “Ryder, I think about your health every day. I don’t bring it up because you like to keep that portion of your life a secret. You kept it from me for a long time.”

  “I did, until you decided to snoop around my bathroom and read the labels on my pill bottles.”

  Ryder was lashing out. His guns were blazing and I was his target. I would have to suspend my sensitivity and let him rant. Some people reacted that way when they were scared. I folded my hands and placed them in my lap. I prepared for his continued barrage.

  “I’m not trying to hurt you Jenna and while we’re on the subject of cancer, I had a scan and some blood work done several days ago. I have an appointment next week with my oncologist. It is my 6-month look-see. If all goes well, I’m out of South Carolina. I’m going to sell this place and move to North Carolina.”

  “What about Sammy?” I asked.

  “I will remain close enough to see him every-other weekend. It won’t change things much.”

  I hesitated but I opened my mouth. “What about us?”

  “I’m moving to another state, not another planet. I will come back to Pelican Island on occasion. It isn’t as though we’re never going to see one another. I think we need some time to get both of our lives on track. You and I gave this thing a try, and look where we ended up. We are up the creek in a kayak without a paddle.”

  “Well, we were caught in a storm in one and we made it out together—remember?”

  “Of course, I remember. Those were good times. Don’t get all sentimental on me.” Ryder looked at me, as if I was a pathetic child.

  “Oh my god. You are being an asshole! We have been acting as a couple. I did not make up the intimacy we shared.”

  I stood up and got ready to storm out. I would’ve been upset, but I was too mad to let in those feelings. I looked down and remembered that I had no shoes on.

  “If your feet are cold Jenna, I can give you a pair of socks.” Ryder looked down.

  “No. I’m footloose and fancy-free—remember? Just tell me if you’re breaking up with me?”

  Ryder started to laugh.

  “I haven’t had a girl ask me that since I was a kid. Oh, sorry, you’re a kid.”

  “Fuck you, Ryder. I guess I will play the goddamn golf tournament without you this weekend. Have a nice life.”

  We had signed up for a golf tournament together. I couldn’t believe I was going to play the stupid sport without him.

  I pounded my feet as I walked out of Ryder’s house. It was presumably the last time I would be in the place. I slammed the door on the way out, which made Potato howl next door.

  Chapter Four

  I slept well, as my run in with Ryder proved exhausting. I felt that I stood up well to his ridiculous behavior. Hopefully, he would sleep on his decision to move without putting up some sort of fight. Moving would cost a ton of money, which he would be short on with no job. If he followed through with trying to salvage his reputation, he had the chance of getting a severance package from the university.

  I l
ooked at the clubs propped up against my wall. I intended to play the tournament at Magnolia with or without Ryder. The entry fee was already paid. First, I needed breakfast, I was sure my mother and Claude would be anxious to hear about my evening. I risked hearing about their night, but I decided to take my chances.

  ****

  “Good morning, guys. Can I join you for breakfast, or is this a private party?” I asked.

  I was wearing my South Carolina sweats, showing I had not given up the fight.

  “Don’t be silly. Grab a cup of coffee. Better yet, grab a seat and let Claude grab you some.”

  Claude raced to the coffee maker faster than a waitress in a crowded diner. My mom had trained him well.

  “I’m glad I have a chance to talk with you, Jenna. I got a call from the dean’s office today,”

  “What did they want? Were they checking to make sure I wasn’t hanging in my closet?” I laughed.

  “Don’t be so dark, Jesus. We have a meeting tomorrow at the dean’s office. It will be just you, the dean, and me. I said we would be there, of course. Does it fit into your schedule?” my mother asked.

  “I guess, but my only request is that you don’t dress like a hoochie mama.”

  “Hoochie mama? Is that how you see me?” She threw her hand up on her hip.

  “I’m only asking that you dress conservatively,” I said. “Help me out here, Claude.”

  I had stirred the pot in the Walsh household.

  “You always look lovely sweetheart. Your daughter only asks that you make an extra effort to tone things down a little. I know that you recently bought some new clothes to compliment your new figure. Save the hoochie outfits for me.”

  I wanted to puke hearing his sweet talk, but Claude’s comments were perfect to get her to dress like I wanted. I excused myself before I said anything else offensive. I ran up to my room and changed into a khaki skort and a black polo with neon pink accents. I grabbed my Callaway golf clubs and headed to Pelican Island.

  ****

  The parking lot at Magnolia Country club was full. I had signed up for the best ball tournament with Ryder. I was hoping a last minute change was acceptable because I was flying solo. Before I hopped out of my car, I took a glance at my phone. I was still mad at Ryder but I found it difficult to believe that it was over. He still hadn’t called.