The Guy Next Door - By Lori Foster, S Donovan, V Dahl Page 0,73
every night around nine.”
“Like clockwork.”
“Hey girls!” Her mom waved enthusiastically, a huge smile on her face. It was then that Holly noticed the familiar straps of her mom’s fugly one-piece aqua-blue swimsuit and knew it was safe to start breathing again.
“Hey!” Hannah answered for both of them. “Here we are, home by curfew, just like we promised!”
“That’s great, girls. I really appreciate it.”
Her mom paddled over to the pool’s edge while the captain dove underwater. Holly watched him glide to the pool wall, all sleek and dark muscles in the Day-Glo green water.
She didn’t trust him. He was probably a player. And her mom was clueless. It was like watching an Animal Planet episode on lions and gazelles on the Serengeti. She wanted to cover her eyes.
“I was just getting ready to head home.” Jesse propelled himself straight out of the water then smoothed back his hair. Hannah made a little squeak of appreciation as he turned his back to them and bent over to grab his towel. At least his swim trunks were the normal kind and not an old-pervert Speedo.
“Did you guys have fun tonight?” her mother asked, looking up at them with that big smile still on her face. Holly decided she looked totally blissed-out.
Oh, God.
“A great time,” Holly said, not wanting to be outdone by her mom. “We met these awesome local boys who were really nice and showed us around.”
Her mom just nodded, but the comment caught Jesse’s attention, and he spun toward them while he toweled off his hair. “Oh yeah? What are their names?”
“Luis and Nestor,” Hannah answered. “They said you were like family to them.”
Jesse’s arm stopped in midair. It was only for a split second and he went on as though nothing happened, but Holly noticed the reaction.
“Do you know them?” her mom asked Jesse. “Are they good kids?”
“Absolutely,” Jesse said, smiling a smile that Holly thought looked genuine. “Their dad’s one of my best friends. No worries.”
That seemed to make her mom happy.
“Just tell them I said to behave.”
Hannah thought that Jesse’s comment was funny, but Holly detected a real nervousness in the way Jesse was moving and speaking. Now she knew for sure the guy couldn’t be trusted.
Just then her mom jumped from the pool and began to dry off, asking if the girls had eaten and inviting them to join her and Jesse tomorrow. He was taking her to swim with the dolphins, she said.
“Thanks, but we have plans.” Holly answered while keeping an eye on the captain.
“Oh. Okay, then.” Her mom gave both the girls a kiss on the cheek. “I’m headed off to bed—I’m completely exhausted.”
I just bet you are, Holly thought.
Then she watched her mother smile at Jesse. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for a wonderful day.”
The captain smiled back at her. “Sleep tight.”
Hannah and her mom had already stepped through the back sliding door, and the captain was headed to the pool gate.
“Um, Jesse?”
He turned around, the smile he had for her mom still hanging around on his face. “Yes?”
“She’s not, you know—” Holly checked to make sure her mother was out of earshot. “My mom, I mean. She’s not all that experienced with men. She’s kind of naive.”
Jesse tugged the towel tight around his waist and looked at Holly with kind eyes. He nodded slowly, as if he was thinking about what she’d said.
“Mom’s only been with my dad, and she got pretty hurt.”
“She’s told me everything.”
That was a surprise. Holly took a step closer to him. He really was very handsome—for an old guy. “Don’t hurt her. Just don’t. It wouldn’t be good.”
A smile spread across Jesse’s face, and he looked away, almost like he was embarrassed. He laughed softly before he looked at Holly again. “Your mom is a very perceptive and smart woman. I wouldn’t worry too much about her.”
She shrugged, not wanting to admit that was what was going on here—she was worried about her mom.
Jesse took a step closer to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Believe me, Holly. The last thing I’d ever want to do is cause your mom pain. She’s a very special lady, and she deserves the best.”
Holly crossed her arms over her chest and studied him. He seemed like a decent enough guy. And he liked her mom. That was obvious.
“Well, okay,” Holly said tentatively. “But I’ll be keeping my eye on the two of you, just in case.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“CHAGO. YOU UP?”
His friend yawned into the phone. “I am now,