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Authors: Gretchen Galway

Tags: #A Romantic Comedy

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BOOK: ThisTimeNextDoor
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“And then he met Blair,” Mark said.

“I introduced them, and now look at her. Half the time I feel like I should apologize to her.”

He didn’t laugh. “I don’t think you should.”
 

That was sweet. “Blair’s never had any luck with guys. You’d think it would be the reverse, wouldn’t you? Small and petite, not an ounce of fat on her… but no. She’s always hidden herself behind a book, video games, the Internet, big sweatshirts, baseball caps, baggy jeans,” Rose said. “She never dated in college. After graduation, it was just work and hiding herself away at home, never wanting to go out.”

“Huh,” he said.

“Yeah, I know. You can relate.”

“Unfortunately.”

He would’ve been perfect for Blair. Something else to feel bad about. She punched the button to start the dishwasher. “Look, Mark, I’m obviously screwed up right now. The rest of the mess can wait until the morning. I think I need to be alone. Do you mind?”

He looked at her. His eyes were serious, grayish blue with long, curled lashes she would’ve killed for. “I’ll bring a ladder over in the morning.”

“No, don’t worry about it,” she said. “The list for the hardware store is getting ridiculous. I’ll get one in the morning with everything else.”

He picked up the duct tape where he’d placed it on the counter. “Don’t forget this, though.” Slipping the dish towel out of her hands, he replaced it with the roll of tape and folded her fingers over it. “You wouldn’t want to buy more than you needed.”

“Thanks, Mark. You’re a nice guy.” She walked him to the door, thinking someone so reclusive had to be eager to get out of the house, away from the social drama. The contagion of people.

“Lot more than you bargained for, aren’t we?” she said, pulling the door open.

He turned back and studied her for a moment before smiling and walking away.

She figured that was the last she’d see of him.

* * *

Mark confronted his mother in the upstairs bathroom while she was giving all three dogs a bath in the large spa tub. The jets kept them paddling furiously while the steam rose up around their pointy ears. His mother called it their aqua aerobics class.

“Funny thing,” he said, leaning against the wall next to the tub and crossing his arms. “You never forget to tell me when the mailman dropped off a package, if the meter reader came by, if a bird bumped into the front window. Yet you forgot to tell me one of our next-door neighbors came by to cancel her dinner invitation.”

She drizzled blue shampoo on Zeus's head and lathered his quivering body with both hands. He was the biggest one, dark brown with white feet, and not purebred Chihuahua or anything with its own rescue organization—which was why his mother kept him. Mark wasn’t convinced Zeus was a dog. Perhaps a guinea pig with a long nose. Who barked like a baby with a chest infection.

“Mom,” he said.

“You had a nice time, though, didn’t you?”

“Sure. Until the man they’re both in love with showed up.”

She dropped Zeus and twisted around to look up at him. “Both of them?”

“It’s a mess over there, trust me. Rose was doing me a favor in trying to keep me away.”

“From looking at your room, I’d decided you liked a mess,” she said.

“Very funny.”

Done with the swim, Zeus scrambled up on the tile ledge around the tub, body shivering, nails clicking. Mark swiftly captured him in a towel before doggy reflexes shook the water all over the place. Cuddling him to his chest, Mark rubbed some warmth into him. He was an ugly dude, but sweet as hell. Too bad he couldn’t keep that tongue in his mouth. Or open both eyes at the same time.

“I take it you’re talking about Johnny, Ellen’s boy,” his mother said.

“Everyone calls him John.”

“He finally came,” she said. “That’s good. Good for him.”

“After months of silence, the guy just shows up, no warning, big smile, waves his dick around—and he gets a prize?”

“Watch your language, please.”

He sighed, let Zeus lick his face. The only tongue action he’d had in a long time. “Sorry. But you’re too forgiving. He left Blair here to face it all on her own. And now she’s grateful—
grateful
—he’s decided to man up.”

“It’s a tough situation. Hard to do the right thing.”

Mark shot her a look. “You’re defending him?”

“No. I’m defending her.”

He rubbed Zeus between the ears. “She’s sweet.”

“I’m sure.” She shot him a sympathetic look. “What did they cook for you? I bet it was good.”

“Rose put the chicken in the dishwasher so we never got to eat it. And Blair went out with John.”

“Oh…”

“Then Rose got drunk and told me she’d been dating John when he got Blair pregnant.”

“Oh my.” She reached down to pull the drain plug. The remaining two dogs, Luna and Europa, rubbed up against her arm, desperate to escape. They found the drain’s slurping noise terrifying. She patted their backs, waiting for the water to drain, and in a moment the dogs were shaking and dancing in the empty tub with towels thrown over them.

“Yeah. So,” he said. “Next time, would you please give me my messages?”

“What makes you think they’re both in love with him?”

“I’m observant.” Mark set Zeus on the floor. The dog tore away to race through the house, rub his ears on the carpets, break outside to replenish his stink. Good idea. “I’m going out for a run. I’ll take Zeus with me.”

“You never know what could happen. John has a lot of explaining to do.” Holding Europa in her arms, she frowned at Mark’s frayed A’s T-shirt. “Didn’t you go shopping yesterday? Those shirts are
muy elegante
. Why aren’t you wearing one of those? I bet the red is very flattering.”

“You looked through the bags?”

“I hung it all up in your closet where it belonged. You left two thousand dollars worth of gorgeous new clothes from Nordstrom’s in a pile next to your laundry,” she said. “You make me look bad. People will think I didn’t raise you right.”

He kissed her on the cheek, wondering if it was time to get his own place. “Please don’t go through my things.”

“I’m sorry, but it was a crime to leave it there on the floor. Really, a crime. I bet her eyes lit up, didn’t they, when you went over for dinner? Quite a change from what you had on when you fixed the car.”

“I didn’t fix anything.”

“Wait until she sees you without them, though. Then she’ll really be impressed.”

Face flooding with heat, he handed her the dog towel. “I need to get out of here.”

His mother followed him out into the hall. “Wear the black shorts from Fite your brother gave you. They really show off your
you know what
.”

“Thank you, Mother,” he said through his teeth, ducking into his bedroom and locking the door. He didn’t hesitate to choose his baggiest, grubbiest basketball shorts. When he got back he’d start looking for a condo or something. Hell, maybe he could pick one out on his run; plenty of real estate on the market these days.

Her voice came through the crack in the doorway. “I meant your bottom, honey, not your penis.”

That’s it. I’m bringing my checkbook. I’ll be in escrow by the time I’m back to shower.

Chapter 6

AROUND NOON, BLAIR FINALLY CALLED Rose on her cell.

After scanning websites all morning for a job, Rose was sitting at the patio table on the rear deck, laptop and coffee in front of her, revising her résumé. Anything was better than reliving the night before in her mind. The way John looked at her over Blair’s shoulder, guilty but smug. The shock in Mark’s voice when he learned about their past. The bits of slimy poultry carcass still clinging to the silverware basket.

“I can’t talk much right now,” Blair said, “but I had to talk to you.”

“When did you get in?” Rose had stayed up until one-thirty, but that wasn’t late enough.

“It was late. We had a lot to talk about.”

“And you slipped out of here before I woke up this morning—”

“I didn’t even sleep. Just took a shower and got on the train.”

“God, you must be exhausted. Just give me the quick version.”

Silence.

Rose tensed. “That bad?”

“No, it’s good. For me. I mean, I hope it is. It is. But, Rose…”

More silence. Rose ran a hand through her hair, twisted a strand at her temple. “If it’s good for you, then that’s good. Don’t get upset.”

“Look, I’ll be home at six. We’ll talk then.”

“If you’re that afraid of talking to me, you’re either moving back to New York or he’s moving in. Which is it?”

“I want you to know, no matter what happens, you can stay in the house. He and I agree on that. Absolutely. We both feel horrible about what happened.”

As if it had been an act of God.
What happened.
Like a hurricane or cancer.
Whoops, that penis just fell right into the vagina, nothing we could do about it but ride it out.

Rose scrolled over her résumé and deleted PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGIST, 2003 - PRESENT. Best not to put the big lies in print. “No matter what happens, don’t feel sorry for me. Really, Blair, it just pisses me off,” she said. “And anyway, I’ve got a job starting Monday.” Given that it was only Wednesday, that gave her a few days to make it true.

“That’s fantastic. Where?”

“Oh, no. You’re tired. We can talk when you get home.”

Blair let out a breathy laugh. “Touché. All right, that’s fair. But like I said, don’t worry. No matter what you’ve got a place to live.”

“Just tell me. Is he moving in?”

A long pause, then, “Yes.”

“Soon?”

Blair’s voice couldn’t hide her happiness. “Yes. Soon. He’s… oh, Rose, he groveled. He really did. He… he cried. He told me about his therapist, who helped him see how much his panic and withdrawal had to do with his mother, and how he doesn’t know how I can forgive him but he’s willing to wait. He’s already reduced his hours at work so he can make the transition to California, and he has a business contact in Cupertino and Los Gatos or Los Mateo or, I don’t remember exactly, and…”

Rose let her rattle on, tuning out the details of John’s big revelation and plans for the future.

Damn it. Well, it was her own damn fault. She’d known when she moved out here there wouldn’t be any guarantees. She’d just expected to have a bit more time. “I’ll figure it out.”

“I’m so sorry,” Blair said.

“Not to be a bitch, but I’m getting sick of you saying that. You slept with my boyfriend. You got pregnant. Let’s move on.”

“I love him, Rose.”

“Better you than me.”

Blair squeaked out another apology and Rose hung up. Fighting the urge to hurl her laptop off the deck like a Frisbee, she walked inside, found the duct tape, the flashlight, and a chair, and went down into the basement.

John had looked good last night. Even better than usual, with his genial arrogance softened at the edges by the stress of the situation, his clothes worn from travel, his jaw shadowed with whiskers. He’d let his hair grow out past his ears and it suited him. The glasses were a nice touch, too; John Lennon the Venture Capitalist. Maybe he’d thought they would stop her from punching him in the face.

The chair under the duct wasn’t going to get her high enough to fix it. The break went clear around and she’d have to reach the top. Either she went next door to ask for a ladder or she’d have to go to the store.

As she was going back upstairs, chair banging against the wall, she stopped and glared into space.
What the hell am I doing? I’m moving out. Let them freeze.

She dragged the chair back into the kitchen and, cursing her weakness as she dialed the number, called her mother.

“Well, it happened,” Rose told her after a cursory hello. “He’s here and they’re going to make a go of it.”

“Oh, baby,” her mother said. “Baby, baby, baby.”

“Yeah, that’s probably why.”

“I’m not going to tell you it’s for the best.”

“Good. Because that wouldn’t help me feel better.”

“Even if it is.”

Rose took Blair’s favorite yogurt out of the fridge, ate it straight from the container.

“And I’m not going to say you’re welcome to come back home,” her mother said.

“Even if I am.”

“I’m not going to say that, because you’re not. Phil and I decided a little push would be good for you.”

Her stepfather, Phil, the Slug, had been unemployed for the last two years and had moved into their house before they got married. Rose’s house, where she’d lived with her mom since she was seven, just the two of them, after years of living with her grandparents.

Rose suddenly forgot she’d vowed to never move back home. “You’re letting Phil talk you into kicking me out of the house?
Our
house? Who the hell does he think he is?”

“He’s my husband, Rose, like it or not. And this is our home. It
was
yours, too, but you’re an adult now and it’s really for the best if you set out on your own. Don’t you think? Say, how’s the weather out there in California? I bet it’s lovely.”

“You know what I think? I think a little push would be good for Phil. He’s an adult now.”

“I’m so glad you called, honey. I know you can’t see it now, but it’s all unfolding according to a cosmic plan, I’m sure of it.” Her mother took a deep breath, which was a bad sign. “If your best friend weren’t so attractive to John, he wouldn’t have slept with her. And if Blair hadn’t been so honest, she wouldn’t have told you what happened the very next day, so you knew John wasn’t the man for you and could put an end to it immediately. And because you’d given Blair that chest cold that led to her being on those nasty antibiotics, her pill didn’t work, so she got pregnant, moved to California, and had to invite you to live with her rent free, which is exactly what you needed right now.”

Rose closed her eyes and counted to ten. “I can’t live here with them.”

“Of course not, which is just the next step in the cosmic plan. Don’t you see?”

“You know, pot is legal out here. I’m thinking about giving it a try.”

“Surely you got that out of your system in college,” her mother said.

“No, I mean professionally. Because if I’m going to afford my own apartment in San Francisco I’m going to need some serious cash. Soon.”

BOOK: ThisTimeNextDoor
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