Page 94 of The Man Next Door
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As soon as Mischa leaves, I head to Noah’s. It’s one o’clock in the afternoon and I haven’t even changed into my day clothes. Messy bun, bare face, and last night’s mascara under my eyes. I don’t care. I desperately need to talk to him.
He answers on the second knock. He looks as ruffled as I do, wearing nothing but sweat pants and a white tee. I glance at his bare feet. Even his toes are beautiful. Every inch of him is delicious.
He bites his bottom lip. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I reply shyly. All Mischa’s words fly right out the window. I don’t care what his intentions are, what his story is, as long as I get to be with him, taste his mouth, feel his skin on mine.
Who cares if he’s after my money. What little of it there is. I’m willing to share.
“Thank you for the flowers,” I say. “They’re beautiful.”
He smiles. “I’m glad you like them. I was a total jerk. I should have given you a bigger bouquet, but the big one was really expensive.”
I laugh. “No, it was perfect. A bigger one would have overwhelmed the kitchen.”
He grins and wraps an arm around my waist. “Yeah… that’s exactly what I was thinking.” He pulls me in, and closes the door behind us.
I press myself closer against him, wanting more. I don’t just want to look, I want to touch and taste him. He dips his head and kisses me.
I melt into him and forget everything else.
* * *
The next twoweeks were a whirlwind of fear, confusion and gossip. For the first time in my life, I didn’t quite feel safe in my own home. There was a monster amongst us, and no one knew who he was. Izzie hadn’t been found yet, but we all knew, deep inside, that she was gone. I hesitated to go out after dark, and when I did, I was as fast as I could be, whether on foot or on my bike. I sprinted home, and all the while my heart hammered as I whispered Hail Marys. I was thankful to have my two brothers and dad with me. They made me feel secure.
Izzie’s disappearance was all anyone could talk about. My brain was fuzzy with it. I was hopeless at work. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. What had happened to her? A small part of me always knew that something tragic would happen to her. She was wild and fearless. She thought nothing could hurt her. She never knew that she was as vulnerable as the rest of us.
Gossip swirled around the park. There was talk about Roger Allen, who was a recent prison release. He’d been charged with sexual assault. He was a creepy guy. His smile always threw me off. When he’d grin at me on the city bus, I’d jerk my head away, and always made sure to exit the bus after him.
There was also talk about Dennis Thibeault who was on parole for some break-in.
And worst of all, there was gossip about Gavin. He was an easy target because he had a history. He had supposedly killed a girl. Vehicular homicide. And there was also that horrible fight Izzie and I had had on the bus, witnessed by many, when she’d insinuated having a sexual relationship with him.
I was nestled in Gavin’s arms when I asked him, “You had nothing to do with Simon Cook’s little sister’s death, did you?” I really didn’t want to be talking about all this, but I needed to get to the bottom of things. Once and for all.
He shifted. “Uh… no. Rumors around this park…”
“I know.”
“I did kill a girl though,” he said so softly, I almost didn’t hear him.
I jerked around. “What?”
His gaze was dark and sad. “I did… it was an accident.”
Oh, God.
“Tell me…” I wanted to know. I wanted to knoweverything.
“It was about six years ago. I was a young kid, coming back from a buddy’s party.”
I listened intently, not saying a word.
“It was about one in the morning,” he went on. “Pitch dark. I used to live by the John Deere dealership, the one in the middle of nowhere. My dad had a small house there… still does.”
“Were you drunk?” I blurted out. I didn’t want to believe that about him.
