“Sorry, um—not much of a hugger,” I chuckled awkwardly.
“Oh. Could you become one?” he muttered, hurt in his expression as he let me go.
“Teak, back off,” Cypress chastised gently.
“No, it’s fine,” I quickly cut in, slapping on a smile as my cheeks heated up. “I’m just not with strangers. We should get to know each other better first.” I wanted to melt into the grass when I realized how that sounded. “So what did you guys need?”
“We saw the number on your garbage cans and wanted to ask you how their service was,” Aspen answered, picking up on my discomfort and moving the conversation along. “We didn’t realize until today when we got here and didn’t find garbage cans that there wasn’t set city garbage pickup.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes. “
That
sucks. They should have warned you of that. Shit. Yeah, I love my service. They’re really great, best price I found around here before I moved last year. You guys can get in on mine this week. Pick up is first thing in the morning. Green container is recycling, just add whatever you need to and anything extra you have to cut up and stack—I get a few before they charge me.”
“That is
so
nice of you,” Teak praised, smiling at me as if I’d just offered to clean the whole house instead of let him use the extra room in my recycling can. I chuckled and pointed over my shoulder.
“Black is garbage. It’s five dollars a month for the second can,” I explained as I gestured to the other one. “They bill quarterly and each can includes three extra bags, anything over that, again they charge you for. But you get a one time “move in” Friday pick up where like anything goes, so don’t make the mistake I did and get everything all handled and
then
schedule that. I did it too early and then had all this extra crap I had to throw out a little at a time.”
“See, I told you we should wait and ask her once we met her.” Teak beamed at me.
“Yes, yes, you were right,” Cypress chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m going to apologize in advance for our friend. When they told us you were an author and your name, we looked you up. Teak’s been devouring your books and pretty much thinks you walk on water now.”
“Oh, yeah—umm, okay,” I muttered, taking a step back before I realized it.
Aspen was the one to catch on to the change in my mood. “Hey, we’re not stalkers. It’s okay, Cara. He just thinks it’s cool what you do. We moved here because we wanted some peace and privacy too. We won’t gossip like your last neighbors did. Teak might just ask you to sign a bunch of stuff and what you’re working on from time to time, that’s all.”
“Really?” I whispered, valuing my privacy above most everything else, and it would be
great
to have neighbors who didn’t run their mouths for once.
“Yeah, I was mad they were telling us who you were like it was a selling point and then picking on you for being a recluse,” Teak bitched, his eyes filling with anger.
I nodded, rubbing my arms and glancing away. “We didn’t get along all that well most times. I didn’t fit their mold.”
“We understand what that’s like,” Cypress said gently. “If there’s anything you need, any help, we’re more than willing. They said you were in this big house all by yourself, and while you were really sweet, you were always asking them for favors.”
“I didn’t
always
ask them for
shit
and what they asked
me
for—” I growled, catching myself and shaking my head. “Whatever. They’re gone now. I hope you guys understand that what they said isn’t necessarily how things were and don’t hold it against me. I don’t pretend to be normal, but I’m not a bad neighbor.”
“No, you’re not,” Teak agreed as he patted my shoulder and then caught himself. “You’re awesome already. Screw them and we’re starting from today.”
“Yeah, screw them,” I chuckled, loving his attitude. I could get used to being around someone as positive as him, soaking it up.
“Okay, so we’ll leave you to your day. You work from home and it’s a Monday,” Cypress said, clearing his throat when the conversation died. “Thanks for the insight and letting us add to your garbage. That’s really great of you.”
“And we need to run out and get garbage bags now,” Teak groaned, letting his head drop back on his shoulders. “I forgot them.”
“I’ve got you covered,” I snickered and jogged into the garage. I pulled the roll of massive, sixty gallon ones I kept on the shelf and turned back around, stumbling when they were right there. I hadn’t heard them follow me.
“Wow, you tricked out your garage.” Teak whistled, glancing around but being respectful and not coming in.
I shrugged and followed his gaze. “Yeah, it’s my author cave. I like to pace and think out here while I smoke. It helps me.” I handed him the roll of bags. “You can keep those. I used to use them when I mowed but I have a service now.”
“Yeah, we’re going to need to get a mower right away,” Cypress sighed, looking to their yard. “Nice of them to cut it before they moved. I swear it’s past our shins. That was
not
on the agenda right now, and if we wait much longer, it might eat us alive.”
“Well, I won’t offer to cut it for you,” I drawled as I pointed over my shoulder to my big lawn mower. “But I have one you can use until you get one. I feel bad that I bought a nice one last season and now it just sits there.”
“Can I ask why you don’t use it?” Cypress hedged, glancing from it to me.
“I lost my dog this winter,” I whispered, staring down at my feet. “One of the things I loved about this house was the yard, knowing he’d have all the room to run he could ever want. I spent tons of time rebuilding the grass, seeding the bare spots last summer, making it great, and then I lost him. This year the idea of even cutting the grass made me want to cry, so when I got the flyer for a lawn service and it was a great price, it was worth it to me time-wise and emotionally just to pay to have it done. Silly I know but—”
“No, not silly,” he murmured, reaching out and rubbing my arm. “You lost someone you love. You’re grieving.”
“Yeah,” I sniffled, wiping under my eyes. Then I chuckled and shook my head. “And now you think you just moved in next to a basket case. Run now, guys.”
We shared a laugh at that one, but I got the feeling they actually understood and weren’t judging me at all which was nice. The odd thing was the fact that I
had
opened up to them about losing my pup. I was normally more tight-lipped about my personal life and feelings than that. They left after that, thanking me for everything and saying they were going to come over after they unloaded and returned the truck to take me up on my offer to use the mower.
I felt lighter after they were gone, in some strange way. I couldn’t explain… Simply lighter. Weird. I also thought about the fact I hadn’t caught their last names. Odd, but then again, I wasn’t the best at names and probably would have forgotten them. Unique first names like theirs I would remember at least.
Sad, but true.
When I took out the last load of my trash, and my lawn crew had come and finished my yard, I set out the sprinkler, careful to make sure it wasn’t in their way to my cans or going to get their stuff wet. Of course I focused on writing and lost track of the time so when I went to move it a third time, it was way later than the half an hour I tried to keep it spaced to.
But it was in a different spot. I blinked around and rolled my eyes. I’d moved it and been so focused on my book again I’d forgotten I’d done it. It wouldn’t have been the first time. I relocated it to the next spot in my rotation and went back to work. When I stepped out on my back porch for smoke, I saw the guys were taking a break from unloading the truck and tossing around a football.
“Want to join us?” Cypress invited, smiling up at me.
“I’d love to, but too much to do,” I chuckled, holding up my notebook. “My to-do list seems to make babies and friends every time I look at it. Besides I’m way out of shape and you guys look like you play a little rough.” I nodded to where Teak just took Aspen down around the waist and they ended up rolling ten feet down our joint hill.
“We do like it a little rough,” Aspen agreed when they came to a halt, the innuendo thick in his tone.
“Then I think I’ll just watch,” I drawled, liking the teasing but letting him know I got the hint.
“Watching’s cool with us too,” Teak informed me, grinning like a loon as he jumped to his feet. I returned the gesture. Well, living next to them was going to be entertaining at least.
Hey, I could use some good kind of spice in my life. That was for sure.
Later the sprinkler was moved again, and I swore that time I hadn’t done it. I did burst out laughing at what I saw though—three grown men hopping through it.
“Sorry, hope you don’t mind,” Cypress panted as he jogged over to me.
“Not at all,” I gasped, leaning over and resting my hands on my knees. “That’s—you guys are—yeah, too funny.”
“We moved it a few times for you when we realized you time it for a half an hour in each spot. Figured it was the least we could do after you’ve been so kind to us.”
I rolled my eyes at him when I stood up straight. “I thought I was going nuts. Yeah, that’s great, thanks.”
“We just moved it here so is this the last spot?” he hedged, glancing at Aspen and Teak who were waving for me to join them. I shook my head and focused on Cypress.
“No, the front of my house and the side, but I have to switch out the sprinkler head for that or I’ll just soak the woods. Just set it on the front lawn when you guys are done playing, and I’ll do the side.” I smiled at him, a real, grateful smile. “Thank you, Cypress. That’s really nice of you guys to have thought of doing that for me.”
“Hey, it’s what friendly neighbors do, right? You saved our bacons with the garbage thing, Cara.
And
the lawn mower. Can we take you up on that in the morning? We decided unloading the truck was enough for today.”
“Yeah, sure. I’m a morning riser, so when I’m up, I’ll open the garage so you know you can come on over. I’m pretty sure I emptied the gas and oil in the fall so just knock on the door and we’ll take a look.”
“You’re the best.” He shot me a smile that actually made me
feel
like the best—which was silly, but it did—before heading back with his friends.
I kinda already adored having them as my neighbors. Crazy, right? Then again, they seemed too good to be true so something had to be wrong with them. Watch, three younger, single guys would have a ton of loud parties that would make me hate them.
Yeah, I was a realist. So sue me?
That night I finally finished up work and made myself a drink, needing to unwind as I recapped the day and figured out what tomorrow would hold. I went out onto the deck with my drink, smokes, my notebook, and pen as the sun was falling behind the trees so there was enough light to see and write, but before the bug invasion from the woods. I plopped down on the resin box I kept out there for storage that had a bench seat on it and stared out into the woods, taking a sip and letting out a huge sigh.
It had been a good day, productive, non-stressful, with a few laughs and one I wouldn’t mind repeating. Hey, I was an easygoing person who really didn’t ask for much in life.
I heard a soft moan and glanced to my left, slightly choking on my drink at what I saw. Namely Teak on his knees in front of Aspen giving the man a blow job—and Aspen staring at me. Catching my drink at the last second before I dropped it over my porch, I cussed under my breath when I spilled some on my lap. I stood, my notebook falling to the deck with a slap, the noise echoing against the quiet. My cheeks flushed as I realized I was fumbling like an idiot as if I’d just walked into their bedroom and done something wrong.
I was on
my
deck after all. I took a slow, deep breath and gathered myself mentally before picking up my notebook. Then I couldn’t help my curiosity—I did write gay erotic romance under two of my pen names after all—and glanced over at their deck. Aspen now had his hands fisted in Teak’s hair and was thrusting hard into the man’s mouth, smiling widely as he focused on me, moaning loudly.
Fuck, he
liked
that I was there.
I didn’t know what to make of that. Part of me wanted to sit back down and watch… A
big
part of me, but it still felt wrong, like I was intruding. I mean, Teak had cracked the joke earlier that watching was okay with them, but had he really meant for things like
this
? Then again, they were doing it on their back porch where the
only
possible person who could have seen them was
me
. No one from the street would have and our houses were surrounded by woods on either side.
Either way, conflicted as I was, the prude in me won out, and I walked back into the house. That doesn’t mean what I’d seen wasn’t what was on my mind when I went to bed that night. Hell, I felt like a dirty bitch, pleasing myself at the whole scene and coming so hard I had to bite my lip to keep in my cries.
But seriously, could anyone blame me? They were hot and I’d walked into an even hotter situation. Wow. They might not be single or straight or just one of them like I’d been hoping but apparently I’d landed some really fun, really interesting neighbors.