Page 13 of The Man Next Door
“Everyone thought this man was so nice,” Louise began.
“That proves my point,” Zona interrupted her.
“Yeah, Gram. You’ve got to be careful. And you’d better be careful on this cruise, too. There are sweetheart scammers everywhere.”
“I’m aware of that,” Louise said stiffly, and Zona and Bree exchanged concerned looks.
“YOU SHOULDN’T LETGram go on this cruise,” Bree said to Zona later when it was just the two of them, standing out by Bree’s car. The new Bree, always bossy.
“She’s an adult. She can do what she wants. Anyway, she’llbe careful. Almost getting taken in by that scam artist opened her eyes.”
“That was scary.”
“It was,” Zona agreed. “It’s sad that there are so many creeps out there.”
“You would know, Mom,” Bree sniped, then muttered, “Sorry.”
Every once in a while, the bitterness spilled over like acid, and it always burned. “You’re right. I’m a walking cautionary tale,” Zona said.
“Which is why I’m never getting married,” Bree said forcefully. “I’m not even going to live with a man.”
That again. It wasn’t the first time Bree had made her declaration. She had serious trust issues thanks to Zona.
She sighed. “Your grandmother was right about one thing. There are still good people in the world. Not every man is a creep or a tool.” If she said it often enough, she might come to believe it.
“Enough of them are. Not worth the gamble,” said Bree, making her mother cringe. “Sorry. I shouldn’t use that word.”
“It fits,” Zona said.
“And the neighbor. You’re not—”
Zona cut her off. “Don’t worry. I’m not interested.”
“Good. Don’t even think about it, Mom. We don’t need any more man crap in our lives.”
Zona wished she could think of something, anything to say that would chip off the hard shell that had grown over her daughter’s heart. She couldn’t. She had a shell of her own to deal with. So, she settled for hugging Bree and telling her she loved her. It was what her mother had always told her.
Ha! Look how well that had worked. Sometimes love wasn’t enough to protect people from their own stupidity.
Chapter4
“YOU AND DARLING HOLD DOWN THEfort while I’m gone,” Louise said to Zona after Zona had unloaded her suitcases on the cruise ship’s dock at the San Pedro port early on Sunday afternoon.
“We will,” Zona assured her.
Darling had been left behind. He’d stationed himself on the couch so he could watch out the living room window, and they’d heard him howling as they backed down the driveway. Darling, who was still a puppy, was going to have a tough couple of weeks without his dog mom around to pamper him and with Zona gone at work during the day. Well, it was a dog’s life.
Yeah, and what a rough one. Meals, treats, his own personal trainer who took him for walks and kept him fit. No worries about replacing lost savings. Just eat, sleep, and romp. Boy, did that sound like a good life.
Zona shoved away the thought and turned over Louise’s suitcases to the porter who was organizing them. Suitcases were everywhere. Excited travelers everywhere. She couldn’t help but marvel at the fine-tuned system the cruise line had for moving so much luggage and so many people.
“While you’re keeping an eye on things, you might want to keep an eye on the new neighbor,” Louise added. The woman never gave up.
“You have fun,” Zona said, keeping the focus where it belonged, and hugged her.
“I intend to,” she said.
Louise was dressed for fun, wearing her favorite floral painted Skechers accented with a silver ankle bracelet she’d ordered online along with a flared skirt and a pink top with a matching sweater. She’d had her hair cut in a layered bob and she looked ten years younger than her actual age. She’d probably have at least three men trailing her all over the ship by the end of their first sea day. She was already looking over a well-dressed middle-aged man in jeans and a crisp white shirt rolled up at the elbows and loafers with no socks.
