AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER 1
GABI
Igrab one of the smaller boxes out of my car and sling it under one arm. I am about to pick up a second one when I spot one of my new neighbors across the street. Technically I am the new neighbor. I have not met any of them yet, so I lift my hand and start to wave at him, but stop abruptly, dropping my hand quickly and hoping the tall, good-looking guy did not see me.
He is standing with a little girl who looks to be about nine or ten years old. She is crying and looks miserable. He looks angry. I never do well in tense situations. I think I feel it too much and it overwhelms me. I definitely do not want to interrupt anything, and I instantly feel very uncomfortable at how angry the man looks. I want to avoid being involved in the situation or upsetting him further, so I quickly duck back into my house, closing the front door quietly behind me so as not to attract any attention.
Once I am safely inside though, I feel curious and make my way to the front window that looks over my driveway, across my cute little garden, and right onto my neighbor's house. I feel sneaky and rude watching them, but they do not know I am here, and I want to know what is going on. They are still standing in their driveway. The little girl is still crying.
At first, I had thought that her dad was mad at her for something, but now I see that is not the case. But he looks so incredibly serious and intense, it is a little scary, but he is being so soft with her. He is being protective and trying to comfort her. He leans down to wrap his arm around her shoulder, and I watch him move. His body is ridiculously muscular. His jeans show off his well-built legs, I can see his arm muscles flexing and with the way his shirt pulls against his chest and back I can clearly see he is physically fit. He is tall with dark hair and his chiseled jaw is clenched in anger.
He pulls the little girl into a hug and his expression looks dark and angry. He is still talking to her; I can tell from here that he is not happy. I wonder what happened. The little girl wraps her arms around her father's neck, and he stands, lifting her and her school bag with him. She leans her cheek on his shoulder while he closes his car and then he walks up their driveway to carry her into the house, closing the door behind them.
I do not move from the window. I ponder about what could have happened to her or why she would be so sad, but I had not been able to hear anything they were saying from here.
In my week staying here, I have not, so far, seen anyone but the two of them coming and going from that house. I mean, I have been quite busy though with the move so I guess I could have missed someone, but I doubt it. I wonder if he has a wife or maybe they were divorced, and she moved out. Maybe she is just away somewhere for business or something. Well, I have not seen her or another car in the driveway so maybe he is a single dad? A hot single dad. Just my luck.
I see them moving inside the house and suddenly the curtains open on the front window, and I'm so startled I jump and duck low out of sight, feeling foolish. How bad would it be if he opened up the windows and caught his new neighbor across the street staring into his house? I really, really hope he has not seen me.
Too embarrassed to stand up right away I crouch and move away from the window so that I will be out of sight. Then I stand and laugh at myself. Really, Gabi? Spying on the neighbors already.
Well, I guess I do kind of need to learn about them. I have never lived in a place like this, and I do feel a bit out of place with everyone being so rich and perfect looking. I want to fit in.
I carry the last of the moving boxes inside and then go back out to the driveway to lock up my car. This is my fresh start, my second chance. The real estate agent told me when I bought this place that it is the safest place to live and I could leave everything unlocked if I wanted to, but old habits die hard. I didn't grow up in a place where I could leave anything unlocked so I know I will just feel better if I stick to my old habits. Maybe once I have been here for a while I will start to change.
I look around my new house. Finally, everything is in - all of my moving boxes, my furniture, my life - and I feel like I can start making this my home. It is a hot summery day and I really need a swim and an iced drink. How great is it that I have my own little pool. I have never lived in a place that had a pool before. I picture jumping into the cold water. I can't wait. I have definitely earned it after carrying all of those boxes. It turns out that moving is almost as good a workout as a session at my fitness center. Ok - I admit that that is not entirely true. I chuckle to myself.
Looking up and down the street I think to myself - I am going to like it here. Love it actually. It is such a beautiful area to live, and all of the houses are so well kept, and the neighborhood is peaceful.
It is also only a five-minute drive from the martial arts gym I own, and it is all because of the success of my gym business that I was able to finally afford my dream home in such a beautiful neighborhood.
I did not grow up in a nice neighborhood. We struggled as a family, but we were always together - very close and that warmth and security I found in my parents and my older brothers made up for any lack we experienced financially. I never really knew we were poor. It did not mean anything to me. I just knew we were happy.
Despite not caring that much about money it did drive me towards putting in a great deal of effort into achieving something great with my life. I wanted to show my parents that they raised me right and that they gave me all the best opportunities. I wanted to earn enough to make their lives easier as well.
And now I am here, about to start my new life in this beautiful place. I worked hard for it, and I am quite proud of myself.
I go to the kitchen to make a peach iced tea, my favorite summer drink. While I am busy, I keep thinking back to the hot, good-looking man who is my new neighbor. I wonder what it would be like to date a single dad. Then laugh at myself because I definitely don't have time for dating now. I mean, I have made some pretty bad choices with guys. I know I fall in love too easily and that always ends with me getting really hurt. No. I need to focus on me now. My business is doing really well. That is where my attention should be. I can't go getting lost in some new relationship only to have my heart broken again because I went all in, and they were never that serious about me.
But goodness - the way his arms were flexing.
I laugh to myself as I carry my iced tea out to the little pool in my backyard. Oh damn. I forgot I needed to get a new bikini. I have not been able to swim for so long, when I unpacked my bikini a few days ago I realized it was looking a bit old and worn down and I tossed it in a bag of clothes for donation. Maybe I should just hop down to the shops now and do get a new one. I have the afternoon off for the final bits of my move and to try and get everything unpacked, but I really do want to swim. I guess I could swim naked. I look around at the houses next to mine. It is broad daylight and some of the houses around me can see my pool area from their second-story balconies. I don't want to be causing any problems when I have just moved in. I don't want anyone to complain about me flashing their husbands or their kids. I laugh to myself.
I sit on the edge of the pool with my feet in the water and finish my iced tea. It's refreshing and gives me a new burst of energy so I decided I would go shop for a bikini now. I will be fast, get a new bikini, come back home, have a swim, and then spend the rest of the afternoon unpacking those final boxes. I definitely have enough time. So, I hop up to grab my car keys.
I head out to my car, deep in thought about what I'm going to put where and also those boxes I wanted to drop off at the community center where I volunteer. I should've put those in my car now. Silly. I back down the driveway and hear a hoot. Jumping, I slam on breaks, my heart racing. Glancing in my rearview mirror my heart leaps into my throat, and my foot is still pressing hard on the brakes. I put my car in park and ease my foot up.
My hot neighbor was also leaving in his car, and I almost drove straight into him. I am absolutely horrified - thinking about how scary he looks when he is angry and that this isn't how I imagined myself getting introduced to my neighbors. I feel my cheeks flushing red with embarrassment and I hop out of my car and run to his window. I don't even give him a chance to speak. I just immediately start running my mouth, falling over my own words.
"I am so sorry. Oh my word, it's entirely my own fault. I should have looked - I was so lost in thought - I did not even see - I am so sorry - are you ok – please."
I hear him chuckling, a dark rumbling sound that does not sound scary at all. "It's ok. Hey, breathe. It's ok."
I fall silent and look at him. Suddenly I don't know what to say. His eyes are the bluest blue I have ever seen. And when he smiles, it's like someone turned up the heat in the room, or maybe it's just me melting. Shit - he is so sexy.
He grins at me, getting out of his car. I watch him move.
Standing up he feels quite intimidating. I can't believe how tall he is. I push my shoulders back a little trying not to feel so short. His piercing blue eyes are staring into my soul.
