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BRENTON
Just got off the phone with your family court judge. New phone calls haven’t fully convinced him yet. Keep recording. Need one big piece of evidence and we can nail her.
I clicked my phone off after reading Charlie’s text. If that last call with Amber hadn’t convinced the judge, I wasn’t sure what would. I looked out my window and noticed a familiar figure running up our hill. Helen was dressed in a matching neon pink legging and sports bra set. She filled it out amazingly. Her vibrant red hair bounced in a ponytail to the rhythm of her jog. I could tell even from this distance that her sensitive, pale skin was flushed from the exertion.
This was her third day in a row running this hill now. I’d look out at the same time every morning, sipping my coffee and there she was. I had to admit that I was impressed. The city girl seemed to finally be embracing the beauty of our land, even if only a bit. I didn’t see her outside much beyond that, though. She’d normally get back from her run and stay cooped up in the house for the rest of the day. I knew she hadn’t left because her car was always sitting out on that gravel drive. I figured she must work from home now.
I waited for her to reach out after her sister’s intrusion, not necessarily to apologize since I could tell she was just as surprised as I was. I just wanted to hear something from her. I was apprehensive to be the first to reach out, still feeling guilty about the way I had blown up on her. Not to mention, angered that she had led me to believe she owned Dudley’s property. Besides, I also was not entirely sure seeing her was a good idea with all that had been going on with Amber recently.
Another text came in from Charlie.
Oh and I’m still patiently waiting to hear more about your rendezvous with this Helen woman. Put yourself out there man. Quit being a loner in the hills (;
I chuckled at this. I wasn’t sure I’d call myself a loner, but I did live a fairly solitary life. I had a few friends, but I worked from home and only employed a few people on my actual property, so I didn’t see people often. I used to be quite the partier. I’d spend my weekend evenings out on the town. I had my fair share of dates and women on my arm. That was how I’d met Amber way back when, and my ex after her. Once those two relationships failed, I grew pretty pessimistic about my love life and I hadn’t done much dating since. I couldn’t find a woman who shared my interests and I had stopped wanting to try.
I had to face it: without my kids around half the time, I was pretty lonely. Samson kept me company, but that was why I enjoyed my time with Helen so much. Our conversations that night were so natural, I felt like I could be myself and not have to worry about impressing her. In fact, it seemed the more I tried to, the less impressed she was. I was intrigued by her way of seeing the world and curious to know more.
By the next day, I had made up my mind. A good time with Helen couldn’t hurt anyone, so long as it stayed secret. And out here in the hills, that was entirely possible. It would be good for me in more ways than one: I’d get to spend time with an attractive and interesting woman, and I’d build back some of her trust.
I couldn’t deny that something about Helen Washington excited me. Yes, her property—or what would soon be her property—exhilarated me more than words could express, but it was more than that and I wanted to get to the bottom of these foreign feelings.
That evening, I put together a basket with my famous ground coffee beans and some freshly grown apples. They were from a breed that had not yet reached the market. I was still perfecting the flavor, and I made a note to ask Helen about their taste once she accepted my invitation to dinner. In the basket, I left a note:
Helen,
You may or may not be surprised to find that I miss your company. I would like to make up for my rather rash behavior the other day and I’d love to start fresh. Please accept my delicious and sincere peace offering, and consider meeting me for dinner Sunday evening. Same place and time as before (:
Sincerely,
Your Pretentious Neighbor
I placed it on her front step the next morning while I knew she was away on her daily run. A few hours later I heard a knock at my door while I was in my basement working on breeding.
At first my heart dropped to find that she had returned the same basket, but I opened it and my face lit up. She had replaced my apples and coffee beans with some muffins and a letter of her own.
Pretentious Neighbor,
I’m glad you have the wherewithal to give yourself an accurate and reflective nickname. I kind of hate to admit that I’ve found myself missing your company too. Mostly just the banter, but nonetheless…(;
I’d love to come to dinner tomorrow. I’ll bring dessert. See you then.
Helen
