neighbor waving from over the top of the fence. His mother had lived in the two-story, two-bedroom townhouse where Kimberly now lived, never letting Bob, who lived next door, make any changes. When she’d died four years earlier, Bob looked for a renter that would allow him to refurbish the townhouse while living there for reduced rent.
Now, the workmen came during the day when Kimberly was at work and were usually gone by the time she came home. At worst, she had to go without a kitchen for a week. With two bathrooms upstairs, she was never without a shower.
Grinning, she threw open the door and called out, “Good morning, Bob!”
“I just realized I’m outta coffee and wondered if you had any.”
“I’m a pod-coffee girl. Come on over!”
Leaving the door unlocked, she walked through her laundry room and into the kitchen. By the time Bob slipped through the gate of the fence dividing their small back patios and stepped into her house, she already had an extra mug pulled from the cabinet and was pouring the coffee.
“You’re a lifesaver,” he gushed. “I ran to the market yesterday and didn’t get coffee because I thought I had some.”
“I made muffins this morning so, if you’d like one, have a seat.”
“Damn, Kimberly. I might have to forget my coffee more often.”
After handing him a muffin, she sat in the seat across from him and they ate in companionable silence for a few minutes. Finishing, he thanked her, then carried his plate and mug over to the kitchen sink, rinsing them out.
“Oh, I almost forgot. You had a couple of pieces of mail that came through my letterbox.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two envelopes, handing them to her.
“Hmm, one’s a piece of junk, and the other is from Kilton, although it looks like junk, too. I swear I don’t know why they have your address down for me. I’ve called HR twice about that.”
Shrugging, Bob said, “It’s not like we get a lot of mail anymore. And, certainly, the couple of pieces that come through are no problem for me to bring to you.”
“Well, thanks anyway.” She walked him to the back door, waving as he headed over to his house. Rinsing the rest of her breakfast dishes, she sighed thinking about the previous evening. She’d entered the Celtic Cock with nervous anticipation, both desperately hoping that Kyle would show up and fearful that he would but ignore her, giving evidence to the certainty of a one-and-done. But he never came in, and she finally left when her other friends went home.
She had spent time the previous week trying to convince herself there was nothing between her and Kyle other than an immediate, combustible lust. And yet, the desire to see him again was so strong. Stop, just stop! Shaking her head to clear the cobwebs of unrequited… whatever they had, she decided to spend her day giving her townhouse a thorough scrubbing before going out. Nothing like a little hard work to keep my mind off Mr. Gorgeous.
Kimberly walked along the sidewalk between the old brick buildings, the path so familiar she could have walked it with her eyes closed. The grass was neatly trimmed, and early-spring flowers were popping up in beds around the trees. Deep-green ivy climbed the brick on the wall surrounding the area.
Coming to the massive wooden door, she pushed it open and stepped inside the cool, dark hallway. The tile, old and worn, had seen the footsteps of many children over the years. She walked down the hall and knocked on the doorframe that led into a small office. The woman sitting at the desk looked up, recognition immediately settling on her face along with a wide smile that deepened the multitude of creases. She stood, her arms outstretched. The white dress that fell to just below her knees was covered in a black cape. Her hair, once brown, had moved beyond gray and was now white, still covered with a black veil.
Moving with haste that belied her age, the nun circled her desk. “Kimberly, my child. How lovely to see you!”
“Sister Honoria,” she greeted, reveling in the feel of her mentor’s arms around her, just as tight and comforting as they had been when she first came to the orphanage school twenty years ago. Sacred Heart was now a private girl’s school in Hope City, but when it had been established in the 1800s, it was originally an orphanage. Slowly through