Page 23 of Don't Bite the Boy Next Door
“Oh, my friend and I had somewhere to be, plans, sorry. I knew I would catch you tonight anyway.”
“John is a friend of yours?”
“No,” I laugh, “his name is Lars.”
“Really?” she shakes her head, “cos, he looks exactly like John.”
“Who is this, John?” I don’t remember any of her latest flames bearing that name.
“He’s a photographer. He was staying before Christmas at Mrs Kinley’s B&B on Detour Way. I saw him most nights at the bar, nursing a drink, talking to the locals. He wanted to know all the out of the way spots, historical houses too, that he could photograph for a new book.”
“Well, Lars has only just arrived,” I shake my head, “sorry for the confusion.”
“If you say so,” she shrugs. “Anyhoo, do you think you could drop off a receipt to your sexy neighbour on the way home?”
“A receipt?”
“Yeah for the funeral he organised for his comrade. I’d email it, but he’s even more backward than you and doesn’t have a computer.”
I laugh at her reference to my lifestyle.
“Shelly, living off-grid doesn’t make you backward.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she waves her hand. “Can you do it?”
“Yes,” I nod, “I’ll swing by his house on my way home and drop it into his letterbox.”
“Oh, uh, could you just give it to him, please? He specifically asked for it a week ago, and I forgot, my bad. I’d appreciate him getting it before he contacts the boss or something.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” I smile, “but yes, I’ll hand-deliver it.”
As I make my way through to the morgue to prepare for my new clients, I bite my lip, considering exactly how I will ‘hand-deliver’ Ryan’s letter.
‘I can probably knock on the door and leave it on the doorstep before he even walks the hall. But I haven’t seen him for three nights now, not since the night of his return from his father’s funeral, and I want to make sure he is alright – and get my fix, Jesus, I’m a Ryan junky.’
Later, several hours later, I am still arguing with myself over whether or not I should risk talking to him, as I walk up his porch steps and tap on his door.
Toto, inside, barks her head off and growls. I smile at the dog’s attempt at sounding scary, as I hear his footsteps. But my smile dies on my face as he jerks his door open, as though he is expecting something, or someone, threatening.
“Hi, ah,” I step back and hold the letter out at arms-length towards him, barely breathing so I don’t catch his scent, “I’m sorry if this is a bad time.”
“Tess,” he frowns, looking beyond me towards the car park and the forest. “I’m sorry. I’ve had a trespasser here the past couple of nights, or perhaps it’s just racoons,” he shrugs, seeing my worried expression. “Either way, Toto and I are on edge – I apologise if I startled you.”
“No, not at all,” I frown and turn, stepping lightly down the first three steps of his porch before turning back to him, now at a safe distance. “I just needed to drop a receipt off for you, from the funeral home. And you are probably right about the raccoons, I’ve had to keep my bin locked up in the barn since March – they are just so smart!”
As I say this, I can’t help but think maybe the raccoons find him irresistible too, I mean who wouldn’t? Especially seeing him standing here in the sweatpants I’d seen him in the night Pru and I had dropped off cookies. That night he hadn’t had a shirt on, and I think I might have devoured him if Pru hadn’t been here keeping me in check. Thankfully tonight he does have a top on, a pale blue t-shirt that sets his eyes to perfection.
‘Just so gorgeous.’
“Yeah, you are probably right,” he smiles, as usual standing casually, unaware of how I notice every movement, every breath, how I long to throw myself at him. “I don’t know what they might want in my yard, maybe water, but whatever, something is driving Toto crazy.”
‘I know the feeling.’
“You could put some water out for them,” I offer, “near the treeline – then they wouldn’t have to venture close to the house.”
He nods. “I could do that. Once I fix the well – at the moment I’m buying water in.”
“My well is a godsend,” I smile at him. “You might find yours just needs a big clean-out, and you will have fresh artesian water in no time.”
