from today, I dress casually in a halter sundress and opt out of the heels for sandals instead. The dress might be overkill, so the last thing I need is a pair of heels to really drive the point home that I’m a newbie in the neighborhood.
When I step into Allison’s backyard, it’s a lot bigger, and the barbecue is a lot more extravagant than I was expecting. There are lights strung up that crisscross, casting a soft glow throughout the space. Groups of people from the neighborhood congregate around tables, and kids run on the wooden playground and swing set, while Allison’s husband mans the grill, clinking beers with the fellow men from the neighborhood.
I fidget off to the side of the yard, near Allison’s immaculate rosebushes, feeling completely out of place here. The only two people I’ve shared conversations with so far are Mona and the asshole next door, and calling that a conversation is being generous. He’s the last person I want to run into here.
Twisting the cap off the water bottle that I grabbed from the cooler earlier, I glance around, my gaze stalling on a group of women huddled together near a table. My back goes ramrod straight, and my stomach twists with unease, when I clearly spot some of them glancing my way, inspecting me up and down, while whispering in hushed tones.
Why are women like this? Why do they congregate in cliques and feel the need to belittle someone they don’t even know? I wave my hand at the group, hoping one of them will extend the olive branch my way.
No one does.
“Don’t you worry about them, sweetheart,” Mona says, drawing my attention to her with a pat on my shoulder. Holding a wine cooler, she has a disgruntled expression on her face, as she watches the group of catty women.
“Are they always like…this?”
She laughs, but it’s without humor. “Oh, honey. This isn’t even the worst of it. I wouldn’t take it too personally, though. I think they’re just jealous that you scored the house next to Campbell’s most eligible bachelor.”
My face scrunches with confusion.
She could only be referring to one person, and I refuse to believe anyone thinks that man is, in any way, shape, or form, an eligible bachelor. She must see the confusion that’s written all over my face because she laughs, nudging me in the side.
“Oh, c’mon. You mean to tell me you haven’t met your other neighbor yet? Roman, the tanned god. The man is a stunner. Watching him during the summer is our favorite pastime. I mean, those muscles. Have you ever seen anything like it?”
I roll my eyes. “I’ve met him, all right, and I’m not impressed. He’s been nothing but a grade-A asshole—”
“Oh, my God. There he is now,” she whispers, her voice taking on a husky note, as she watches Roman stride into the backyard. The collective gasp from all the women around us is resounding. I feel it in the way the atmosphere around us changes. Tension cackles in the air. As much as I hate to admit it, he has a presence that demands your attention. It sucks the air from your lungs, obliterating you entirely.
I’m robbed silent when the group of snobby women spot him and, quite literally, go crazy. My brows rise incredulously, causing my eyes to grow twice their size. My mouth drops open, gaping, when Roman strides over and indulges in a conversation with them. An actual goddamn conversation. With words. And a fucking smirk.
“Is he…is he actually having a conversation with them? What in the actual hell is happening?”
Mona snaps out of her ogling, shooting me a quirked brow. “Not only is the man sweet on the eyes, but he’s also a hell of a gentleman to everyone. He helps out a lot in the neighborhood. Though most of the stuff he gets asked to do is for the bored housewives and divorcees who live in this area.”
Something indignant burns in my gut. “He was rude to me during our first conversation. Hell, he’s been nothing but rude to me since I moved in next door.”
Disbelief passes over her face. “Roman? No. I can’t see him being rude to you, sweetie. Maybe you just caught him on an off day?”
My gaze narrows on the man in question, as I watch him walk around, saying his hellos to everyone. He’s dressed ridiculously in bulky black biker boots, another pair of frayed jeans, and a black T-shirt that does