Page 85 of The Man Next Door
She held out the container of cookies. “I come in peace.”
“More cookies?” He didn’t reach for it.
So much for that clever remark. “They’re oatmeal. I promise they’re not laced with rat poison.”
A corner of his mouth did lift at that, and he took them, then leaned against the door frame. “They got raisins in them?”
She nodded. “And cinnamon.”
“Those are my favorite,” he said. “Thanks.”
“I kind of figured we owe you.”
He did smile at that. “Is your mom... I mean, is she all there?”
“She’s now wondering that herself.”
He shook his head, looked heavenward. “Is she done spying on me?”
“She’s so mortified she’ll probably never look your way again.” Zona was tempted to add that he could hardly blame her mother for thinking the worst about him after what they’d heard coming from his house, but it was best to keep her mouth firmly zipped. It was hardly the time to point an accusing finger his way when there were so many pointing in the direction of her house.
“She’s got it in her head that I’m the devil.”
“Are you? I’m sorry, but it hasn’t exactly been quiet over at your house,” Zona added. So much for keeping her mouth zipped.
“If you’d known who I had over there, you’d understand. Anyway, she’s gone now. But not dead,” he added, making Zona feel foolish by association.
She blushed.
“By the way, when are you taking her dog to obedience school?” he asked.
Oh, yes, the other thorn in his side. “It’s on my to-do list,” Zona lied. They were going to have to get Darling signed up soon.
“Dogs need to be trained from a young age. That saying about old dogs and new tricks is true. And I’m not mansplaining. It’s just a fact.”
“I know. We’ll keep him off your yard from now on,” Zona promised. “I’m not letting him out unsupervised and I’ll try to get him signed up for some training. It’s just hard with everything going on.”
“Bring him over here one night and I’ll help you whip him into shape. I’d offer to come over there, but your mom probably doesn’t want a killer on her property.”
Zona’s cheeks burned. “I really am sorry about that. She’sbeen watching all these true crime shows. And then there was that man in LA who—”
He cut her off. “I know. I watch the news.” He took a deep breath. “Look, we all got off to a bad start. I’ve trained a couple of dogs. I’ll help you train yours. We can work out front. That way the whole neighborhood can keep an eye on me.”
Okay, he could stop rubbing it in anytime. She frowned.
“Sorry,” he said. “I mean it though. I’ll help you with your dog. Just to prove I’m not a dog-hater.”
“Good to know.” The scenes they’d overheard had been awful. “How do you feel about people?”
He frowned. “What do you mean?” Understanding dawned. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Oh, yeah. The shouting, right? We keep coming back to that.”
She didn’t say anything. Just waited for him to elaborate.
“She’s a spoiled drama queen and manipulative. I finally had enough and kicked her out.”
“But didn’t kick her.”
He scowled. “Or hit her. What’s with women these days? Do they really believe every man out there is garbage?”
