I choose not to respond, not now anyway. Instead I take the long way out of Montgomery, driving past Kendall’s father’s shop, hoping she’d be in sight. But it’s always the same thing, a shop full of guys, making it difficult to get her alone.
She is the only one of the girls that hasn’t moved to Hudson. She keeps her home life pretty quiet. Besides the crazy ass stories I’ve heard about her insane nosy neighbor.
I do know she rents a house on the east side of town, but that’s about all.
I turn up the radio as I head out of the city toward home.
My family owns a big piece of land right at the edge of Hudson. Over seventy acres, where my parents built their home and there are several large buildings for equipment and materials to be stored. It is the hub for the heart of O’Shay Construction. But wedo have the office in Montgomery. That is where we meet with clients and handle all the office tasks.
Coming up over the hill, the lights highlighting the front of my parents’ house set by timers, come into view.
Rounding the corner, instead of turning right into the drive leading up to their house, I continue on and make the first left after. I purposely chose the location when I was offered the piece of land. It has three hills hiding the house built into the third one. From theirs they could see the peak of my roof, and the backside of the upper level. The layout puts my bedroom in the front, giving me privacy from prying eyes.
I love my mother, but at times she can be too involved in my personal life.
Hitting the button on my visor, the garage door starts to rise and I pull into the space next to my four-wheeler and a couple dirt bikes. A big kid at heart, I love to play when time allows.
Flipping on the light as I step inside I lay my bag on the counter and go for the refrigerator. Pulling out the pizza box I grab a beer and make my way to the couch. Turning on the television I stop on the news channel and toss it back down. Staring at the pizza, I’m suddenly no longer hungry. I grab my beer and lean back against the cushions.
Closing my eyes I am thrust back to the night I shared with Kendall. One single night that has been playing on repeat in my mind. A night that changed the trajectory of my life. Rerouting me in a direction I never thought I’d be going. Chasing a woman that seems to want anything but to be caught.
And I can’t let go.
I can’t accept that our night was that, only a once in a lifetime thing.
She walked away and I was left standing there feeling as though the ground was still moving beneath my feet.
I’ve never been the guy to not get something I wanted. Nothing has been handed to me, I worked for everything I have. But this, her, I have no idea how to get around the resistance. I swear the minute she sees me coming she is pulling on the armor, ready to shield herself from every advance.
How did we get here?
How did we get to the place that just me being near her sets everything inside of me on fire?
CHAPTER FOUR
Kendall
“Your garbage canis still out front.” I keep my eyes closed and ignore the nagging voice of my neighbor. I don’t have to look to know she is standing at the fence peering over at me like me not rushing out to the curb the minute the garbage truck pulled away is the worst crime.
“Hello?” She makes a second attempt to gain my attention. “It’d be a shame if it got run over,” she adds.
Living on the corner opposite her allows her to walk up the sidewalk right next to my house and see into the backyard. The fact that I do not own the property makes it hard to change things. I also don’t want to plug money into something that isn’t mine. But my God the woman drives me insane.
“Haven’t we had this discussion before?”
“We have,” I say without opening my eyes to look at her. Instead I continue to lay on my lounger enjoying the feel of the warm sun on my face. “I didn’t care then, and I still do not care.”
I swear I hear the sound of her growling, and the corner of my mouth tips upward into a smile.
Call it childish but I truly enjoy pissing her off. She strolls around the neighborhood like she owns it all herself. She doesn’t just target me, but every single person on our little circle drive. She watches us all out her front window with a pair of binoculars, not even trying to hide her intrusive behavior. She calls the cops on everyone, listens to her scanner so she can know everything that happens on the calls. She is a royal bitch, and have a mentioned before that she married her uncle. Yes, that is right, her aunt’s ex-husband became her new hubby. The girls and I came up with the greatest little name for her. UF, uncle fucker, yep we said it, and it stuck.
“I’ll just move it myself,” she huffs and without moving I knock her down one last notch.
“It you enter my yard and touch my garbage can, then proceed to walk in the direction of my home, I will press charges. Be reminded of that pretty little no trespassing sign out front, that is a present I purchased solely for you my dear. So choose wisely.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you are a menace?”
“No, that is a new one.” Not reacting is the very best form of action. It seems to make her mad, which I secretly love doing.
