Page 3 of Only His

“You’re my new neighbor.”

“Yep,” I confirmed with a nod, grasping my hands together behind my back while I rocked back and forth on my heels. When he made no move to invite me in, I felt my good mood begin to deflate. With a sad smile, I started to back away. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it. I just… wanted to say hi.”

“Emily, wait.” I turned back just in time to see him take a step back and open the door wider. “You hungry? I just ordered pizza.”

“Starving. It turns out that moving is just as exhausting as it looks.”

That got a smile from him and an outstretched hand that was as good as any verbal invitation. I stepped inside, watching his frame from the corner of my eye as I purposely brushed against him on my way past. His posture stiffened, but I couldn’t tell whether it was from discomfort or something else.

He offered me a drink while we waited for the pizza to arrive. I took a seat and accepted the lemonade with a polite smile, frowning just a tad when he opted to lean against the counter with his arms folded across his chest instead of sitting at the table with me.

“Your parents must be upset that you moved all the way out here.”

The words were spoken carefully, but I wasn’t naïve enough to not sense the meaning behind them. He was fishing.

“Maybe a little, but I needed a change. Overall, they’re very happy for me.”

“How’d you end up here? In Uniontown, I mean.”

There it was. The question I knew was inevitable, but never really figured out a great answer for. I was hoping that I’d have more time to come up with something, but I could wing it.

“Well, I went to college for nursing and I got a job at the hospital here.” I stood up and started idly moved around his kitchen, taking in every little detail I could. “I wanted to stay close enough for my parents to be able to visit, so I applied at a bunch that were within driving distance.”

“Andthishospital was the only one that would hire you?”

“No, I had other offers. The pay was pretty much the same at all of them, but the hospital here offered me the most paid vacation time.”

A pang of guilt gnawed at my stomach as soon as the words left my mouth. Okay, so Ididtechnically apply at a few other hospitals for my parent’s sake since they started breathing down the back of my neck as soon as I graduated. But when it came time for those interviews, I’d leave the house and mysteriously get lost on the way there and end up catching a movie or hanging out at the food court in the mall for a few hours.

Whoops.

The accidents kept happening until the interview for the hospital close to David, and I was beyond relieved when they offered me the job since I really didn’t have a back-up plan. Dad was excited about the possibility of visiting his old friend whenever they came to see me and Mom was thankful that I’d know at least one person in my new town.

David nodded in understanding as I continued to peruse his kitchen. While I was doing my best to feign disinterest, I had an ulterior motive.

I needed to check for evidence of a woman. I didn’t think David had a girlfriend, but I also wasn’t sure how often he spoke to my dad anymore—or if that would even be information they’d discuss. I also couldn’t be certain that the news would trickle down to me even if my daddidknow.

From my very limited time in his house so far, it appeared to be just him living here. I kept my guard up just in case. By the time I turned back around to face him, David was staring at me through slightly hooded eyes. I froze to the spot, gulping when his eyes traveled back up to my face.

“You look different.”

“It’s been a while since you saw me.”

“I know. It’s been, what—two years? Three?”

“Four,” I corrected, turning away to avoid the suspicious look he gave me. “The last time I saw you was the day before you moved out.”

“Right,” he drawled, a frown forming once again. “God, I can’t believe it’s been four years. Doesn’t feel like it.”

David looked up to the ceiling, deep in thought, and I struggled to figure out a way to pull him back from whatever memories had taken hold. I wasn’t sure why I expected our meeting to be less awkward and more flirtatious, but the situation felt impossible for me to navigate. How was I supposed to turn this weird encounter into something totally different? And why in the hell did I expect this to be easy?

I felt foolish for being so naive. The feeling lasted long after the pizza arrived and we ate in a not-quite-comfortable silence. The only saving grace to the evening was the fact that every now and then, I’d glance up to catch David’s eyes glued to me intently.

That had to count for something, right?

“You’ve got some sauce on your cheek.”

Or maybe it didn’t.

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