Book Boyfriends Wanted 16: His Curvy Surprise
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Mary E Thompson
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Chelsea's life takes an unexpected turn when she moves into a new neighborhood and clashes with her grumpy neighbor, Derek. As she navigates noisy parties, a mischievous dog, and Derek's complaints, she finds herself drawn to his son, Jude, and eventually to Derek himself. Amidst misunderstandings and secret online identities, Chelsea and Derek must confront their pasts and decide if they can build a future together. Will their budding romance survive the chaos of single parenting and neighborhood drama?
Chapter 1
Book 16: His Curvy Surprise
Chelsea
I mixed a drink and carried it out to the back patio. Summer was coming to an end, and I was going to get as much out of my backyard as possible. School started the day before for the local kids, and that always told me fall was coming. But not just yet.
“Thank you,” Sofia said, accepting the drink I made for her. She took a sip and groaned. “So good.”
“This was a great idea,” Haley said.
Haley and Sofia were my two closest friends and the first two I thought of when I decided to throw open the back door and have fun. My yard was perfect for it. I considered inviting more people, but after a long day at work, Haley and Sofia were enough for me.
And surprisingly, they were both available and not with their boyfriends for the evening. Definitely a miracle.
“I’m glad you guys could come. Ever since I moved in, I’ve been wanting to do something out here again,” I told them.
“That was a good party,” Haley said.
I nodded with her. The party was fun. Haley, Sofia, and my cousin, Elise, invited all their friends to help me move in. It seemed like half the town ended up in my little house, bringing food and drinks and moving all my furniture and belongings inside. Some of them even brought new and new-to-me gifts to help me get settled in.
After the move, we turned up the music and enjoyed my backyard. It was a great time. Until the next morning when I found a note on my door from my neighbor telling me I needed to keep it down in the future.
It was a Saturday night. And there were police officers at the party. We didn’t violate any rules. They made sure of it.
But my neighbor didn’t care. Obviously.
“Have you met your neighbor yet?” Haley asked, as if reading my mind.
I shook my head and sipped my drink. Water after the last two heavy pours I’d treated myself to. “I don’t know if I want to.”
“Have you gotten more notes?” Sofia asked.
I shook my head again. “I’ve been afraid to invite people over. This is the first time I’ve done anything since then.”
“We should crank up the music and be really obnoxious,” Haley said, a mischievous grin on her face.
“Please don’t,” I said.
Sofia was with me, pushing Haley back into her chair. “We don’t want Chelsea to have trouble with her neighbors.”
Haley scowled. “You guys are no fun.”
“Getting arrested wouldn’t be fun either,” I said.
Haley waved her hand. “You wouldn’t get arrested. A noise complaint would be a pain, but I don’t think they can actually do anything to you for it.”
“In MacKellar Cove? I’d be willing to bet something would happen. My neighbors would hate me, if nothing else.” I looked at my house and dreaded the idea of having to leave. I’d worked a long time to get to where I could buy my own place. Apartment living was not something I was willing to go back to. Not after my last apartment ended up being more like a smoker’s paradise instead of my personal retreat.
“Have you met any of your neighbors?” Sofia asked, changing the subject to take Haley away from the violence she was no doubt planning.
“There’s a lady across the street who’s really nice. Mrs. Walsh. She adores Dozer.”
My dopey dog lifted his head at his name. He smiled at me, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.
“You can go back to sleep,” I told him.
Of course, addressing him directly meant he had to get involved in the conversation. He got to his feet and bounced over to me, dropping his head onto my lap.
“I said you can go back to sleep.”
Dozer barked a happy, loud sound, no doubt alerting half the neighborhood to his presence.
“Maybe Mrs. Walsh will be on your side and you won’t have to worry about the one who left you the note,” Sofia said.
I rubbed Dozer’s head and shrugged. “I hope so.”
“Let’s talk about happy things. What about the guy you’ve been talking to on Book Boyfriends Wanted?” Sofia asked. “Have you asked him to meet yet?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m not ready for that.”
“Why not? It’s just a date,” Haley said.
“Dating is painful. Either he’s not who he says he is and is boring or weird or creepy, or he takes one look at me and decides he’s not interested.” I sighed heavily and sipped my water. “This guy is sweet and funny, and I’m not ready to ruin that yet.”
“I think you should, because you need someone good in your life. Instead of your obnoxious neighbor,” Haley said. “He’s making you miserable for no good reason. This guy makes you happy.”
I shrugged. “For now. Eventually I’ll meet him. Probably.”
“Has he asked?” Sofia asked.
I shook my head. “No. When we started talking, he was friendly and talkative. It’s gotten deeper and more personal. It’s like we know each other, even though we don’t.”
“I wonder if you do. Knox and I met the night before our first date. You never know if this guy is someone you know,” Haley said.
Sofia groaned. “We all know about your one-night stand with Knox.”
“I wasn’t saying anything about that!” Haley argued, her laughter betraying her words.
“Sure,” Sofia and I said together.
Haley stood and shook her head. “I was just thinking you need some joy in your life. And a few orgasms never hurt.” Haley winked and went inside.
“Should I be worried about her?” I asked Sofia.
“About?”
“Causing trouble for me with my neighbor?”
Sofia chuckled and shook her head. “Haley’s a little crazy, but she won’t do anything to risk your comfort or safety. She knows what it’s like to share walls with people, and this is not much different. If you’re not respectful of your neighbors, they won’t be respectful of you.”
“I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful,” I said, feeling like I did something wrong.
Sofia smiled. “I never said you did. I know you, Chelsea. I know you’re not going to intend harm. Melody knows your neighbor, right? Did you ask her about him? You’re sure it’s that one?” Sofia pointed to the house next door.
It was a cute house with dark blue siding and a porch on the front. I couldn’t see the backyard because of the fence between our homes, but the house was two stories and well-maintained. The single dad who lived there with his son took care of his place.
I nodded in answer to Sofia’s question about the man who left the note coming from that house. “My doorbell camera caught him leaving. It didn’t pick up where he came from, but it saw him going back that way. It could have been someone farther down, but I doubt they would cut across the driveway.”
“Doubtful. What did Melody say?”
I wrinkled my nose. “I haven’t asked her. I don’t want to put her in the middle and make her feel like she has to choose sides between us.”
“You’re not the one doing it. The single dad with a notepad is the one causing problems,” Sofia said.
I wasn’t sure I completely agreed. We were loud that first night, but I really thought there would be more flexibility on my first day. Especially since it was a weekend. I wasn’t up late or making noise on a weeknight.
“Yes, he is,” Haley said loudly, joining us again with a bottle of water in her hand. “And we’re not gonna take it!”
“Haley!” Sofia hissed.
“It’s crap,” Haley said, again, not lowering her voice. “He has no right to tell Chelsea she can’t enjoy a night in her own backyard well before any noise ordinances begin. What the hell?”
“If you don’t sit down, we’re leaving,” Sofia threatened.
Haley gasped. “What? Why?”
“Because Chelsea wants to live here. She wants to get along with her neighbors. Just because the guy next door knows Melody and has a son doesn’t mean things won’t escalate.”
Haley dropped onto a chair. “You think he’d be dangerous?”
Sofia shook her head. “I hope not, but I don’t know him. You can’t assume anything.”
“Shit.” Haley swung her gaze to me. “I’m sorry, Chelsea. I never thought…”
“It’s okay,” I assured her. “I don’t think he’s dangerous, but I don’t want to piss him off either. Or anyone else on my street.”
“Maybe we should go,” Haley said, her cheeks red and her eyes regretful.
Sofia downed the last of her drink and stood. “Probably a good idea.”
They helped me clean up and bring everything inside. I assured them leaving the dishes would be fine and said goodbye as they headed out the front door.
Thankfully, they were quiet getting into Haley’s car. I waited until her headlights turned to face the road before going to the backyard and double checking we’d gotten everything, then locking up my house for the night.
“Just you and me, Dozer,” I told my dog.
He barked, then scratched at the back door.
“Really? We were just outside for hours, and now you have to pee.”
He barked again. The little shit.
I sighed and opened the back door. He took off, disappearing into the darkness in seconds. I searched the yard, trying to spot him and make sure he didn’t destroy anything else back there. He wasn’t the best trained dog around. Or even a little trained.
“Dozer!” I called, wondering why he wasn’t back. He rarely took long when it was dark outside.
I waited, listening for the jangle of his collar, but heard nothing.
I took a few steps into the yard and called him again.
Still nothing.
“Where the hell are you? Dozer!” I shouted, knowing it was going to piss off my neighbor, but he would have to get over it.
Finally, the jangle of his collar met my ears. He was near the fence to the neighbor’s house.
“What are you doing?” I snapped at my dog when he finally came into view.
His head was covered in dirt. One ear was flopped over on top of his head. His collar was closer to his jaw than his neck.
“You need to leave that fence alone or we’re going to be in even more trouble,” I scolded Dozer.
Not that he understood me, but it made me feel better.
We went inside, and then he shook the dirt from his face and body, sending it flying all over my house.
“Dozer!” I shouted.
It didn’t stop the chaos. Or the madness.
He looked up at me, a sweet smile on his face.
“You need a bath. Then I need to clean this place.”
So much for sleep.
* * *
I stretched as I woke, stopping when I felt a lump next to me. I lifted my head and laughed.
“Dozer, what are you doing in my bed?” I asked him. My dog was less of a morning person than I was. Person? Dog? Could a dog be a morning person? Morning animal?
Whatever it was, he was not it. He wanted to sleep in until noon and nothing was going to get him up. Even getting a lecture for sleeping in my bed, when he had a perfectly good doggy bed five feet away.
“Dozer,” I groaned, swinging my legs from my bed and walking to his bed. I leaned down, my gaze locked on my stubborn dog, and patted the bed.
“What the…” My gaze went right back to the doggy bed. The wet doggy bed. The wet doggy bed I just put my hand in. “Oh, gross! Dozer!”
He gave me those eyes that said he was sorry and wouldn’t do it again.
Liar.
I held my hand up like the offending thing it was and hurried to the bathroom. I scrubbed my skin, twice, then dragged my lazy-ass dog off my bed before he decided mine was good enough for a bathroom, too.
“You need to figure out this bathroom thing or one of us isn’t going to survive,” I said with a scowl.
Dozer pranced ahead of me, going straight to the door and waiting for me to open it for him. He refused to use the doggy door. He tried it the first day we moved in, and he got stuck. Almost ripped the entire door off the hinges. One day I’d have a bigger one installed, but that was a future problem when money was less tight.
Nope, I was just going to waste money on new doggy beds when he used them as his toilet.
After Dozer and I both did our business, mine inside, thank you very much, I tossed his bed into the wash and started on breakfast. I turned on the TV for noise while I made eggs and sausage. Dozer sat quietly, patiently waiting for his treat, happily chomping down the sausage after catching it midair.
With breakfast done and the kitchen cleaned up from last night’s impromptu party, I changed into a pair of shorts and threw on a sweatshirt. The local veterinarian, Dr. Harris, told me Dozer needed to be walked daily, sometimes twice a day. He warned me a forty-to-fifty pound dog like Dozer would have a lot of energy.
“Who’s a good boy?” I cooed at my sweet dog. He wasn’t perfect, but neither was I, and I damn sure wasn’t about to send him back just because of a few adjustments.
I clipped on Dozer’s leash as he jumped around, excited to go for a walk. We stepped out onto the porch, and as I turned to lock the door, I saw a note taped to the window next to my door.
“What the…?” I grabbed it, struggling to keep Dozer from taking off down the steps for our walk. “Sit, Dozer,” I snapped.
He listened. For long enough that I could open the note.
Dear Neighbor
I’d hoped you would have realized by now that this is a family neighborhood. All-night parties are not the way to make friends. Neither is letting your dog damage the fence between our yards. I’d appreciate it if you would be more respectful of the rest of us sharing this area for our home in the future.
Thank you
What. The. Fuck?
All-night parties? The dog destroying the fence? It was half destroyed when I moved in. What the hell was he talking about?
Knowing I couldn’t do anything about it at the moment, I pocketed the note and scowled at my neighbor’s house. He wasn’t home, but it didn’t matter. Dozer needed a walk, and I liked the exercise it gave me to walk him around the block.
We walked down the driveway and turned toward the neighbor from hell’s house. I tried to peer down his driveway to where he said the fence was destroyed, but it looked fine to me. What a liar!
“Good morning,” a voice said from across the street.
I looked over and saw Mrs. Walsh getting her mail.
“Good morning, Mrs. Walsh. How are you today?”
“Oh, I’m good. How are you, Ms. Chelsea? And Dozer?”
Dozer barked and pulled at the leash, desperate to get to his new friend. Mrs. Walsh liked to give Dozer full-body rubdowns, and he was happy to accept the treatment.
“Dozer!” I snapped, trying to keep a hold of his leash before he ran across the street and tackled the woman.
He jumped and pranced around me, realizing I was going to let him see his favorite person. I looked both ways down our quiet street, then hurried across so he didn’t rip my arm from the socket. He wasn’t even that big of a dog, but he was strong. Especially when he saw Mrs. Walsh.
“Who’s a good boy?” Mrs. Walsh cooed at my dog. She crouched next to him, laughing when Dozer flopped on the ground and rolled over onto her feet.
“I am so sorry,” I told her.
Mrs. Walsh shook her head. “Nothing to be sorry for. We used to foster dogs, so I’ve had dozens in and out of my home over the years. He’s a good one. Sweetest thing ever.”
“He doesn’t know he’s a dog,” I told her.
“They usually don’t.” Mrs. Walsh rubbed Dozer’s belly, smiling like it made her entire day to do it.
She was the first, and only, of my neighbors to welcome me to the street. She showed up the first week I moved in with a chocolate cream pie and her phone number, asking me to call her if I ever needed anything. The older woman confessed her life was too quiet for her since she lost her husband two years earlier and her kids had their own lives. We talked for hours, the time passing like it was nothing.
She realized she knew my parents and my aunt and uncle, not a surprise since MacKellar Cove was fairly small. Her kids were all older than me, so I didn’t know them, but she declared we were family, anyway.
“Have you met any more of the neighbors?” she asked when Dozer fell asleep, snoring loudly on the sidewalk with himself exposed, not a care in the world.
I shook my head. “No, I haven’t.” A part of me wanted to tell her about my rude next-door neighbor who left notes for me, but I didn’t feel right badmouthing a man I’d never met.
“You have the perfect yard for a gathering. Maybe you should have everyone over while the weather is holding out. I’d be happy to help you take care of things.”
“That’s a great idea, Mrs. Walsh.”
She beamed under my praise. “You don’t have to, of course. We can also plan a street party, where everyone participates and we block off the street. My Walter always told me my ideas were too big for most people to handle.”
“Not for me,” I told her. “I like parties and getting together with others. And I’d love to know my neighbors.”
“Then it’s settled. Let me know what I can do, and when you want to do it. Nothing fancy, just casual so people can meet, I would guess.”
I nodded. “Sounds perfect.”
And then I could meet my new neighbor. And find out why he was so rude.
