“Well, working from home today.” I hesitated, not sure how much to reveal. Apparently my tone of voice gave it all away, because Kylie called me out.
“Spill, Jules. What’s up?”
Noah chose that moment to bring some deck furniture out, placing it on his back patio. I watched him for a moment as he carefully moved items around. The temperature must have warmed up, because his threadbare shirt clung to his back.
“So there’s this guy who lives behind me…”
“Yesssssss.” I could practically hear Kylie rubbing her hands together in glee. “I can’t wait to hear how you’re just being neighborly with this guy or whatever excuse you’re getting ready to spill. Jules, put your expertise as a romance writer to work and let’s go.”
My heart felt a tug as I thought of all the times we’d sat curled up on a couch, sharing the minutiae that made up our lives. “I miss you. When will we see each other again?”
Kylie let out a laugh combined with a sigh. “Well… considering I just got back from vacation, it will have to be a quick weekend trip, but soon. I’ll come down and check out your neighbor.”
I shook my head, thinking that was the last thing I needed. Kylie would be only too happy to join forces with Lou, and God forbid she meet Maeve or Maggie. “Well, in that case I better find a spot around here that has our rosé cider.”
“Hell yeah, you better. I expect nothing but the best,” Kylie said. “Now chickie, let’s chat about this neighbor of yours.”
Chapter 6
Best-Laid Plans
Noah
Tuesday was not shaping up as I’d envisioned. I had three meetings online to deal with some gaps in fundraising we had for this year. Those went according to plan. I talked to our local office out of Springfield to debrief about my last trip to Chicago. Addie was with me until Friday, and I’d dropped her off at school that morning and would race through the day to get as much done as possible before it was time to pick her up at three. My daily goal when I had Addie was that by the time she was at home with me, I was all hers and my work was done. All that was going like clockwork. So what wasn’t? A certain brunette accountant I’d expected to see this morning, or at the very least, talk to.
I’d figured I’d call Jules’s firm bright and early, find out what her hours were, and drop off my paperwork. Would I want to linger and talk to her for a bit? Maybe, but just to be friendly.
However, upon calling I had been told she was out of the office for the day. Weird, right? She hadn’t mentioned anything the night before. Even stranger was the text I had from Lou right after lunch. Hell, I hadn’t known it was even Lou at first—it wasn’t like she and I were texting on the regular. But unless someone was punking me, it was indeed the one and only Lou.
Unknown Number:Noah, this is Lou Williams. Sue told me you were looking for Jules. Heads up that she’s working from home today and lives directly behind you. Pop over and drop off your tax documents to her directly and she can get to work.
I’d replied after debating for a few minutes what to say.
Me:Hey Lou. Thanks for the text. Nice to know you are keeping your finger on the pulse of the town as always.
Her reply had been a wink emoji.
Ivy had told me what a meddling, if well-meaning, busybody Lou was. The text was clearly evidence of that. I should just ignore her suggestion and move on with life. So why was I considering it? Would it help Jules if I got her what she needed for my tax return? Would she even want to see me?
More importantly, why did anything involving this woman make me feel like a confused teen?
I sighed and decided to take care of some organizational items on my to-do list before making the call on whether to pop by Jules’s place or not. The day was unseasonably warm. I’d already mowed that morning, which seemed early for April but made sense due to the unseasonable weather we’d been having. I then got the spring beds ready for planting and moved some deck furniture to my back patio. Now for some tasks that didn’t involve manual labor. Laptop in hand, I grabbed a water bottle, some folders, and sunglasses before heading outdoors.
Settling in on the corner of an outdoor sectional, I took in a deep breath. Sometimes it was hard to believe I was back in the US, much less in this small town. It was so far from the life I’d known for the majority of the past decade. Well, twelve months in the familiar hell known as my childhood home had been a necessary evil because it allowed me to save enough money aftercollege to continue with my goals. But from there, nothing had been the same. My time in Malawi and Tanzania in Southeastern Africa had been the norm for the next five plus years of my life. When I decided to make my way back home eighteen months ago, I wasn’t sure if it was the right call.
I grew up privileged in that I had food, water, a roof over my head. From what I knew of Maslow’s hierarchy, I had the first level down pat. Well, except for you know—the love and support of my parents. Not sure why they decided to procreate and I supposed I should be grateful for it or I wouldn’t be here, but for the majority of my life it was apparent I was a nuisance. To say they weren’t present in Addie’s life would also be an understatement. I tried not to think about them much, they brought up too many bad memories.
Shaking myself from the trip down memory lane, I opened my laptop and looked at my list for this week. Cross-referencing that with Addie’s schedule, I began thinking through meals and outings we could do before Friday. Maybe someday I would feel like what I did with her was enough to make up for years of things I’d missed. Today, however, would not be that day.
The sound of a throat clearing caught my attention. Looking up, I saw Jules standing there, clearly feeling uncomfortable. I fought to keep my gaze neutral because the visual of her in leggings, some type of crop top or sports bra, and an unzipped hoodie had caught my attention, and I was having a series of more than friendly visions pop into my mind.
Jules is in my backyard, standing on my deck.The words whirled through my brain as I tried to imagine what had gotten her over here. Did Lou text her too? There was only one way to find out.
“Hey, Jules.” Did my voice sound too raspy? She didn’t know me well; maybe she wouldn’t notice. The flush working its wayup her neck, however, was something I clocked. Had to admit, I loved that she made it easy to read her.
She cleared her throat again, shifting from side to side. “Hi, um, Noah.” She paused, worrying her lip between her teeth before continuing. “Sue let me know that you called this morning. I, um, well, I decided to come over because I wanted to make sure you really wanted me to do your taxes and weren’t just appeasing my aunt Lou.”
I gave her what I thought was a reassuring smile. “So is that why you’re working at home today?” I nodded toward what I now knew was her house. “Avoiding any unsuspecting clients your aunt might send your way?”
