Number Neighbors - Emma Hart Page 0,49
was taking a nap, having sufficiently tired herself out from all her grouching.
“Well that was a treat,” Isaac said, taking the trash from me.
“No kidding. Welcome to my crazy life. You’re gonna need a Xanax prescription,” I said dryly, grabbing some of the cardboard. “That, or the key to the liquor cupboard Immy locked up.”
“She locked the liquor cupboard? Hasn’t your grandma been drinking gin all afternoon?”
“Immy thinks she’s smart. Grandma’s smarter.” I shrugged and held the door open for him to carry the trash outside since neither of his hands were free. Following him out, I said, “It’s a constant battle of wits. How did she rope you into coming over here today anyway?”
He sighed as he dumped the trash in the can. “She called the clinic and spun some elaborate story about an injured horse and how she needed to call me right away but she’d lost her phone when her peacock threw it in the pond.”
With anyone else, I’d think that was insane.
For Grandma Jen? Not so much.
“Makes sense. So she called you and told you to come over?”
“That’s pretty much it.” We went back inside and gathered the rest of the trash, and he said, “I was going to stop by and see you this morning, but then she called and by the time she hung up, you’d gone.”
“She must have called me right before you.” Damn woman. “That doesn’t seem deliberate at all.”
He smirked. “She tried to push us together. Does she know that we live next to each other?”
“Yeah, and how well has that worked out the past couple of days?”
Laughing, he shut the door behind him and turned to meet my eyes. “Come here.”
“For what?”
“Damn, Hannah. You’re much more obedient when you’re naked.”
I reached out to slap his arm, but he was much quicker than me. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into him, circling one of his strong arms around my waist. With me secure against him, he released my wrist and used that hand to cup my cheek so he could kiss me.
It was soft and gentle, the kind of kiss that made your toes curl inside your shoes.
One I could relive a thousand times over.
“I guess we need to talk,” I said softly.
“I agree.” His voice was warm, and weirdly, that reassured me.
Plus, he wouldn’t have kissed me if he was going to tell me he wasn’t interested, right?
“Let’s go to the backyard so Grandma can’t eavesdrop so easily.” I took him by the hand and lead him through the house to the yard. The back porch gave us a little reprieve from the hot sun that was beating down, and we both took a seat on the sofa.
“This is nice,” Isaac said. “This porch is amazing.”
I nodded. “Grandma wanted a bigger porch, so she made Immy put one on.”
“Is it Immy’s house?”
Again, I nodded. “Grandma wanted to downsize, but there was nothing around in the budget she’d set for herself. Immy bought this house using part of her inheritance from our grandfather and offered to let Grandma move in. There was a slight misunderstanding because Immy meant temporarily, and, well, Grandma has very much made this her home.”
“That fits with absolutely everything I’ve learnt about your grandmother so far. She’s quite a strong personality, isn’t she?”
“That’s the polite way of putting it.” I let a small laugh escape. “She’s many things, but beneath it all, she’s the best. Just don’t tell her I said that, for God’s sake.”
He mimed zipping his lips. “Your secret is safe with me. Unless she gets me drunk. I’m a bit of a talker when I’m drunk.”
“Interesting. So all I have to do is get you hammered and I’ll know all your dirty secrets?”
“I don’t have any dirty secrets.” His grin was lopsided. “Do you?”
“Only the ones that have been buried.” My smile matched his. “We’re just talking for the sake of it, aren’t we?”
He nodded slowly, then adjusted his body so his arm was on the back of the sofa and he was facing me. “I know this is a bit awkward after what happened between us. Not seeing each other.”
“I know. It’s not like we did it on purpose, though. Maybe it’s the universe trying to tell us something,” I joked.
He wasn’t laughing.
“Do you really believe that?” His face was solemn, and his eyes were unreadable. All laughter had disappeared, though, I knew that much.
I shrugged, pushing some hair behind my ear. “I’m not sure, Isaac. I do know that I’ve