Page 2 of Professor Next Door

2. Tara

I watched the moving truck disappear into the distance before turning back to my new home. I was moving into more than just a new home—I was moving into an entirely new future. Wiping my hands on the front of my jeans, I took a deep breath and headed inside the two-storey white Victorian model on the well-kept street.

I turned as I heard a car pulling into the driveway just at the edge of my own yard. A sports car, something with a powerful engine that gave off a deep hum pulled in. The owner got out as I stood there, a jaw-dropping gorgeous fellow that barely gave me a flicker of acknowledgment before heading into the house next to mine. He was built, and hot, and probably taken by some entrancing blond with long legs and proportions that were out of sync with reality.

“Well, hello to you too, neighbor,” I said to myself, giggling before heading into my own home.

I didn’t need a handsome man anyway. I’d just transferred from my old school to the university and was preparing to start classes a week late. I had a lot to do between catching up and getting the house sorted. I’d already started unpacking, the furniture and boxes were all in the rooms they belonged in. I hoped it wouldn’t take long.

I’d decided to move to be closer to the school I’d transferred to, a school I was hoping would start me off in the right direction. I was a bit of a late bloomer, growing up in a small Georgia town where I’d been raised by my grandmother. I hadn’t spread my wings until they both passed away, leaving me a sizeable but modest inheritance. I couldn’t waste my time or their money on ogling a man!

I wanted to be a doctor. I had a lot of time to make up for, but I knew I could do it. I just had to work hard, and even if Mr. Man Next Door did look like sex on legs, I was a good girl. Besides, I’d never drawn the least bit of attention from the males in my hometown. I was just plain old Tara Smyth to them and nobody noticed me most of the time.

I’d worked in a bakery in town up until my grandmother passed away. My grandfather had been one of those soldiers that went missing during the Vietnam War and my grandmother spent the rest of her life waiting for him to return, hoping until the very end to hear what had happened to him. They’d been married long enough to produce my mother before he’d been drafted and sent out.

Being the child of a father that was Missing In Action had taken a toll on my mother. She’d spent her youth trying to fill a void that was impossible to fill by running away and taking drugs. When she’d become pregnant with me, she’d gone back to my grandmother, given birth and then took off again. I’d never met her. I had no wish to, really. She’d never been a part of my life.

My grandmother had filled so many roles for me: mother, father, and grandparents. She’d given me a sheltered life of love and nurturing. Her passing had really hit me hard and it had taken a little while to get over it. I don’t think it’s anything you really get over. You just learn to live with it.

It took a few months to get the paperwork sorted so I’d taken one semester at my local junior college before heading to the university. I’d found a two-storey but small house within my budget, bought a second-hand car, and now I was in my very own home. My first grown up and on-my-own home.

I felt my head swim a little at the overwhelming realization, but I quickly recovered. I’d never been a party animal and hadn’t cared about how popular I was, so I’d left my hometown with little fanfare. I was hoping to find a few friends at university, but if I didn’t that was okay too. I heard something outside and went to look out of a window I still hadn’t put a curtain in. The sun was going down so I hoped the light would hide me.

“Debbie, you can’t just leave me like this! I really need you! Who’s going to look after Rikki in the morning?” I heard the sex-god next door call out to a retreating figure. Oh dear, was he a horrible boyfriend? Husband?

I wasn’t sure and decided to leave it all alone for now. I went back to unpacking, arranging pictures on the walls, putting some of the knick-knacks Granny had most valued on a shelf, and rearranged the furniture. I’d set up an office in the living room and had just ordered a pizza to be delivered to the house.

The Wi-Fi was already installed so I found the signal and connected. I saw my schedule was ready for my classes and found the school’s website to find out who my instructors were. I was more than a little surprised to see my neighbor was one of the professors at the school!

How was that going to go? I wondered, but dismissed it. So I might develop a crush on a professor who also happened to be my neighbor. It was silly, but I’d get by. I wasn’t there to flirt, I was there to learn. I stared at his picture, the man’s eyes and charming smile oozed sex appeal.

I thrust the top my laptop down, refusing to think about him anymore. He’d never look at me twice, I could tell that just from that smile. He’d like women that didn’t leave their mousy brown hair in big fat buns on top of their heads, women that wore makeup and contacts instead of glasses that hid boring brown eyes. Women that wore clothes that showed off every single asset to perfection. I lived in jeans and t-shirts. In the winter I might put on a nice sweater, but I hated dresses, tight clothes, and looking like a fashion plate.

No, he’d never notice me anyway so school would be fine. I couldn’t see how a tiny fascination would be a problem. I smiled to myself as I went to answer the doorbell when the pizza delivery man rang, swerving past Gran’s couch and headed to the door. It might even be fun to finally have a crush on someone! This wasn’t going to be a problem at all.