Chapter Four
Savannah
As I walkedhome, I berated myself under my breath. I couldn’t believe I’d acted like such an idiot. My only defense was that my new neighbor had the kind of good looks that rendered even the brightest woman utterly brainless.
It was a new experience for me. Most of my interactions with people were based on their emotions rather than their appearance. I always felt their mood before I even saw their face.
That hadn’t been the case with him. As soon as he opened the door, all I saw was his broad shoulders, beautiful face, and dark blond hair. I’d barely registered that his eyes were odd at the time, completely black as though the pupil had swallowed the iris. Which was weird. I shook off the peculiar thought. It was likely his eyes were just a very dark brown. When he stepped out onto the porch, I’d caught a whiff of his cologne or soap or whatever he used and nearly dropped the flowers I’d been holding out to him.
My new neighbor was stupid hot. As in, so hot it made me stupid.
I’d been so busy babbling that he hadn’t had time to reply to anything I said. I hadn’t even given him a chance to tell me his name! Though I doubted I would be using it anytime soon. If ever. My stupid hot neighbor would probably avoid me as often as possible. It was clear that he was already a loner.
When I went back inside the house, I crept to the window and glanced outside, torturing myself a little because I hoped he might be lingering on his porch. I shrank back from the window when I saw that he was indeed still standing in the same spot where I left him, staring at my house and holding the flowers I’d given him as though he couldn’t decide whether to toss them in the yard or carry them inside.
I groaned and leaned my back against the wall next to the window, sliding down until my rear end hit the floor.
“Could I be any more awkward?” I asked my empty living room.
My cat, Satchel, meowed as she came around the corner and made a beeline for me. She butted her head against my hand and meowed again, demanding that I pet her. I sighed and ran my hand over her head gently, stroking her soft grey fur.
“Hey, Satchel,” I cooed.
The look she shot me clearly showed her disdain for her name. Then she plopped down on the floor and began to lick her paw. Somehow she managed to make the feline gesture look imperious. Her demeanor was more suited to a moniker like Anastasia or Elizabeth, but the night I’d found her in the street she’d been so bedraggled and scrawny that she fit perfectly in my small bag. Hence the name Satchel.
“Mommy made a fool of herself in front of her sexy new neighbor,” I told her.
I knew that cats couldn’t roll their eyes, but Satchel came close. She gave me a look of disgust and trotted off toward the back of the house. Obviously, she felt no sympathy for my plight.
With a sigh, I heaved myself to my feet, rubbing my butt with one hand as the numbness gave way to prickles of pins and needles. I needed to get some exercise if sitting on my floor was enough to put my rear end to sleep.
The headache that I’d successfully ignored all afternoon reared its ugly head once again. The dull ache sharpened into a hot, piercing pain just behind my left eye. I stumbled back to my bedroom, kicking off my shoes before I stretched out on the bed. The room was blessedly cool and dark, so I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing.
Maybe after my nap I would feel better. Or maybe I would wake up and the entire humiliating experience with my neighbor would be a dream. I smiled a little. That would be nice. Maybe then I would have an opportunity to talk to him again without the babbling and awkwardness.
I settled deeper into the mattress and felt Satchel’s weight hit the bed a few seconds before she curled up into the small of my back. Despite her haughty attitude, she really was a sweet cat. She seemed to sense when I was having a rough day and would often offer me comfort.
With her warm, minute weight resting against me, I fell asleep.
The sound ofthe phone ringing woke me. Still half asleep, I fumbled for the receiver and lifted it to my ear.
“Lo?” I mumbled.
“Are you still sleeping?” Ava asked. “It’s nearly seven.”
I winced. I hadn’t meant to sleep so late, but I hadn’t set an alarm on my cell phone to wake me up. “Well, I’m up now.”
“So did you go see my new tenant today?”
I rolled over onto my back and rubbed my forehead. The headache behind my eyes had disappeared, but my embarrassment hadn’t. “Yeah,” I sighed.
“Uh-oh, that doesn’t sound good,” she murmured. “What happened?”
“Well, for one thing, you didn’t warn me how hot he was,” I accused her. “I could have prepared myself. Or stayed home. Instead I sounded like a babbling idiot. Oh, and I nearly dropped a vase of flowers on his foot, which thankfully he caught. Unfortunately, in catching the vase, he was also splashed with water.”
Ava laughed and I made a face at the phone. “I’m sorry, Savannah. I’m not laughing at you.”
Rolling my eyes, I replied, “Yeah, I can tell you’re laughing with me.”
