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I soften my stance, but I realized I'd come in pretty hot, and she avoided my eyes. "Do you want some help hanging them?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No, that's okay. I'm almost done, anyway. Sorry for the noise, I'll try to keep it down," she said, as she started to close the door.
"Haley?" I stopped her. "You know if you need anything..." I trailed off because, of course, I would help her if she needed me, but saying the words somehow didn't feel quite right.
She nodded and shut the door. I felt like a grade A asshole.
In all of my upset over her being in my vicinity, I hadn't thought about how hard it was for her to be back in this place for the first time since her parents died. It was bad enough she was dealing with whatever happened with her ex. Tess said he wasn't a good guy, and while I believe my little sister, I didn't know what that meant.
I remember vividly when Tess called me to tell me Mr. and Mrs. Ellis had died in a car accident.
I thought about going to the funeral, but I didn’t want to make things worse for Haley and, as mad as I still was, my heart hurt for her.
She didn't have anybody else in the world. She was an only child, and adored her parents, and naturally, she was the apple of their eyes. I couldn't imagine the world not having my little sister and I didn't want to think about the world without my parents, although I knew someday that day would come. But that someday came too soon for Haley.
I hated the sight of her banging around to cover the sound of her crying. These bungalows were close with walls like paper, and while we used to love that when we were kids because we could holler at one another through the walls, I found it wholly inconvenient now, knowing that the woman next door was struggling to keep it together. Meanwhile, I was struggling not torush over there and pull her into my arms even though I knew that was the last thing either of us needed.
My idleness evaporated, and I decided I needed to do something. We may have started off on the wrong foot, but we were adults, and what happened between us was ancient history. There was absolutely no reason I couldn't be neighborly, especially when I knew she was going through a hard time.
I rooted around in my kitchen and was happy to see I had all the ingredients I needed. Haupia was a simple dessert, and it was an island favorite—Haley’s, too.
I mixed a little water with coconut milk, sugar, and cornstarch. Now all it needed was to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours and it would be ready.
I still remembered the first time she had haupia and the way her eyes rolled back in her head when the sweet treat hit her tongue. I fell in love with everything about that facial expression and we had only been on a couple of dates at that point.
That was when I was still longing for her, the girl next door, my little sister's best friend. Tess warned me to stay away because going after her best friend would be "so gross."
But her warning came too late. I had already noticed the luscious curves Haley had grown into, and this horny teenaged boy couldn't look away. Everything she did turned me on and over the course of one summer, I had gone from tolerating my little sister's best friend to having a nose for her like a bloodhound. I could always tell she was near when I smelled the faint scent of jasmine clinging to the air.
For the last ten years, in those rare moments when I smelled jasmine again, my body immediately responded as if she were right around the corner.
"I'm a masochist, that's what it is," I said to myself as I checked the haupia to see if it was set. "No. You're just being a decent human," I had to remind myself.
This woman crushed my heart, but she'd also been through a lot recently, and she was obviously struggling. Making this dessert for her was merely a peace offering and being a good neighbor... that was it. At least that's what I told myself.
Once the dessert was ready, I threw a dish towel over the top of the fancy dish and took a deep breath, willing the nerves I was feeling to go away as I made my way to her front door and knocked, normally this time.
She opened the door, looking weary and slightly defensive, her eyes going from my face to the dish in my hands, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"I might've been a little... aggressive earlier," I admitted. "So I brought a peace offering."
Her eyes widened. She opened the door a little further, and that jasmine reached my nostrils. I inhaled deeply and willed my body to calm the fuck down.
"That's not what I think it is, is it?" she said, her delicate nostrils sniffing at the sweet treat.
I grinned at her then. I couldn't help myself. "Why don't you let me in and see for yourself?"
She stepped to the side, and I walked past her into a room that I hadn't been in for over a decade.
I'd never spent much time in the living room of this little bungalow, but there'd been more than one occasion I'd snuck in through the window of Haley's bedroom when we were younger. The vision of that room was still engrained on the back of my eyelids, considering all the memories we created there.
I moved towards the small, round kitchen table next to the kitchenette. Haley walked past me to grab a couple of bowls and spoons.
I glanced idly around the living room and saw that she had indeed been putting up some pictures. The hammer and box of nails still laid out across the coffee table.
"You didn't have to do this, Cooper."
I shrugged. "I'm man enough to admit when I've been an ass."
