Ch. 1: Welcome to the Neighborhood

Routine. Once, that word was a safe haven for me. A sense of stability in an uncertain world. But now? I’d rather chew my arm off than have to live through one more day of its endless monotony.

“Oh, I won’t be home for dinner tonight,” Phil explained. “Greg and I have a meeting later with some potential clients and we might grab a few drinks afterward depending on how it goes.”

I rolled my eyes. Wow. How surprising. Another late meeting.

Why did he even bother to call me about these anymore? I mean, we’d had dinner together maybe what? Three times since last month? I’d be more surprised if he told me that he’d actually be here for once.

“Oh, really…” I said, doing my best to sound disappointed. “Well… I guess it can’t be helped. You just do your best to bag those new clients, okay?”

“You know I will. Anyway, I have to get back to work, Mags. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you. Bye.”

“Lov-“

The line cut off before I even finished the word. I sighed and stared down at the phone in my hand. Why did I even bother trying? Love. That dream was already dead between us. We’d buried it a long time ago.

But I had to stay with him. For Eli. I didn’t have a choice. If it wasn’t for that damn prenup…

A sudden beeping cut my moping short. I glanced outside to see a large truck towering over the back fence.

Odd. This was a residential neighborhood. What was a truck doing here? I hopped out of my chair and went out back to take a look.

The words Pearson’s Moving Company greeted me as I made my way to the fence. No prizes for guessing what they were here for. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to take a peek at the new neighbors.

I’d asked Phil ages ago to fix the loose boards in the fence, but he never did. Much to my annoyance. Although, I guess it worked out in the end. I had a convenient little passageway to the back road whenever I needed it now.

Phil always hated that I used it like that. “Letting every robber in the neighborhood know we were easy pickings” and all that. Not that it ever worried him enough to actually make him fix it though.

I pushed the boards aside and squeezed my way through the gap. Only to find myself face-to-face with a very confused stranger.

He stared at me blankly, as if trying to piece together exactly where I came from. While he was busy doing that, I decided to give him a quick once-over myself.

Baggy sweatpants and a worn-out tank top half-drenched in sweat. A mess of dark, disheveled hair clinging to his neck and forehead. A pair of muscular, tattooed arms gripping a poorly taped box. And, to top it all off, large, dark eyes, still blank with confusion.

I smiled at him warmly as I held out my hand. “Hi! I’m Maggie Henderson. Are you the new neighbor?”

He fumbled with the box for a second as he tried to carefully maneuver it to his side. However, once that obstacle was out of the way, he returned my smile and reached out to shake my hand.

“Ah, sorry about that. I’ve been cooped up in the car all day. Made my head kind of spacey,” he explained. “Yes, I’m the new neighbor. Mason Kendall. Nice to meet you, Maggie.”

“You too. And don’t worry about it. If I saw some random woman suddenly pop out of the fence, I’d probably be thrown off too.”

He laughed and nodded vaguely. “You aren’t kidding. You sure it’s safe to keep your fence like that though? Seems like an easy place to break into.”

“Ugh, you sound like my husband,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

“I should be so lucky,” he said with a wink.

Immediately, all the blood in my body rushed to my face. My mind was such a mess that I couldn’t even respond. Why was I so flustered though? It wasn’t even that suggestive of a comment. God, had it really been that long since a guy had flirted with me?

He backtracked as soon as he saw my face. “Ah, I’m sorry. That was completely inappropriate.”

“No, no. It’s fine,” I reassured him. “Just not used to hearing things like that I guess.”

“Well, you should be.”

Again, such a little comment, but it threw me off a lot more than it should have. I didn’t even notice that he had moved closer to me until he was about an inch away from my face. I could feel my heart racing in my chest. My mind went hazy as he reached towards me.

Only he wasn’t. Instead, he reached past me, nudging the boards of the fence. He frowned as he looked at them.

“In all seriousness though, this isn’t safe. Not to overstep or anything, but you guys should really get this fixed.”

“Ah, well, that’s a little difficult actually,” I mumbled, avoiding eye contact. “I-I’m no good with tools myself and Phil works all the time. He’s too cheap to pay someone else to do it too, so it kind of leaves us without too many options.”

Mason stared at the fence. He pushed the boards gently with his fingers a couple more times before finally pulling back. He smiled at me.

“Well, how about I help?” he offered. “I’m no Bob the Builder or anything, but I know my way around a hammer. Why don’t I come by tomorrow and fix it for you?”

“What? No,” I said immediately. “I-I mean, it’s very nice of you to offer, but I couldn’t.

“Aside from my husband being a cheapskate, you just moved in. You already have enough on your plate without having to worry about my home repairs too.”

“Exactly, I need the distraction,” he laughed. “Otherwise, I have to get around to tackling all this mess.”

He gestured vaguely to the pile of boxes outside the house. I bit my lip. It was certainly a tempting offer. Aside from finally getting the damn fence fixed, I wouldn’t really say I was opposed to the idea of having an attractive, muscular guy hanging around the house either.

I shook my head as if to shake the very idea from it. What the hell was I just thinking? I couldn’t just bring some random hot guy in to fix my fence. What would I do if Phil found out?

“Sorry, but it just feels like I’d be taking advantage of your kindness.”

He gave a slight nod. Maybe it was just my imagination, but he almost looked disappointed. However, he perked up again just as quickly.

“Alright then, how about a trade?” he suggested.

“A trade?”

“Yup. I fix your fence for you, and in exchange, you help me unpack all this crap. Win-win, right?”

Again, temptation reared its ugly head. I mean, would it really be so bad to let him fix the fence?

At this rate, Phil would never get around to doing it. And if he asked, I could just tell him the “truth” and say a neighbor fixed it. Besides, it was just a fence. It’s not like I was going to let him strip me down and fuck me on it afterward or anything. Not that I would be opposed, of course.

I shoved that last thought back where it came from and forced a smile to my face. “You know what? Why not? Sounds good. I’m home all day tomorrow, so you can just drop by whenever works for you.”

“Alright, it’s a date,” he chuckled. “Nice meeting you, Maggie.”

He gave a small wave before shifting the box back into his arms and heading toward the truck.

But me? I was frozen in place.

A date. A date. It’s a date he said.

The words struck me like a jolt of electricity straight to my spine. Immediately, I scurried between the fence and shoved the boards back into place. My face was so hot that I could have cooked an egg on it. Although, I might as well have had egg on my face with all the crap going through my head.

Come on, Maggie, really? It was just an expression. Hell, I said it to the old man at the pharmacy counter last week. It didn’t mean anything. So, what was I doing getting all flustered like this?

I sighed and buried my face in my hands. God, I needed a cold shower or something. I shook my head and started walking back towards the house.

It was getting dark now and the air was a little bit cold, so, in the end, I opted for a hot shower as opposed to a cold one. And I was glad I did. Almost instantly, the steamy waters melted away my troubles and soothed my tired soul. It also helped to clear my head a bit. Which made it all too easy to see what a trainwreck I’d been earlier.

Honestly, looking back, I couldn’t even see what the hell I was getting so worked up about in the first place. I mean, no denying that Mason was a snack to end all meals, but it wasn’t like he was the only hot guy I’d ever laid eyes on. The way he talked to me didn’t really warrant that kind of reaction either. He was a little flirty, sure, but nothing he said exactly crossed a line or anything. He was just a friendly guy. Helpful too. I didn’t have any reason to be nervous around him.

Except I did. As much as I might want to deny it, I knew that Mason was dangerous. If not for me, then definitely for Eli.

A small twinge of guilt stabbed at my heart as I thought of him. Eli… My sweet baby brother. My last real blood connection in this dark, lonely world. What was I doing even considering the things I was thinking of earlier?

The love might have died between Phil and me years ago, but the money certainly didn’t. And right now, that money was the only thing keeping Eli alive. I needed Phil, whether I liked it or not. If it wasn’t for that damn prenup I’d have left him a long time ago. Maybe that made me a gold digger, maybe it made me a bitch, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t about me. It was about Eli.

Twenty years old. He was just twenty years old. He should be hanging out with friends, making stupid mistakes, experiencing everything this world had to offer him. But where was he instead? Clinging to life each day in a goddamned care facility.

But at least he was cared for. His doctors, medications, and round-the-clock care all set, paid, and taken care of. Phil even had him set up in one of the cushiest facilities in the state. Luxuries I could never afford to give him on my own even if I did have a job.

So, I did what I had to do. I played the part and danced the dance. Bit my tongue, smiled, and nodded along at Phil’s side as his “good little housewife.” Because as long as I did, I knew that Eli was safe, and that was all that really mattered.

I sighed and shut off the shower, grabbing a towel off the shelf. I guess, if nothing else, dwelling on the hopelessness of my situation did calm me down at least. I walked into the bedroom, toweling off my hair.

As I headed to the dresser, I caught a glance of myself in the mirror. I paused for a second, turning this way and that as I checked out my naked reflection.