Two
Nervous energy filled Eliza as she set the table for the evening meal with an extra plate. Would he show up for dinner? On the off chance he would she’d changed into a nicer pair of black skinny jeans and a lavender blouse that she knew complemented her gray eyes. She’d also let her hair down and it now fell around her shoulders in soft waves.
She was a fool to be going to so much trouble, she’d thought as she’d applied a little more mascara and then a dash of pink lip gloss.
It wasn’t like she was looking for romance. When Blake had left her she’d pretty much put that part of herself away forever. Besides, she was hardly an attractive package for any man to take on, considering the fact that she had two young children and one of them was blind.
Tonight wasn’t about romance. It was about learning a little bit about the man who was her neighbor. She didn’t know about him, but she intended to be in this house for a very long time. Building good neighbor relationships couldn’t be a bad thing.
“Mom, come and look what Sammy found,” Katie called from the living room.
Eliza pulled garlic bread out of the oven and then went to check on the children. “What did you find, Sammy?” she asked.
He ran his fingers along the white wainscoting and a panel popped open, revealing a space big enough for the two of them to stand in. “It’s a secret hiding spot,” he said.
“Would you look at that,” Eliza said in amazement, although this wasn’t the first surprise the house had given up. Two weeks after moving in, Sammy had found a hidden stairway that went from Katie’s room down to the kitchen pantry.
“That is a great hiding place,” she said. She stepped inside to make sure there was nothing dangerous in the space. “It could be your very own secret hideaway. But right now I want you two to wash your hands and faces for dinner. It’s possible we might have a visitor.”
“A visitor?” Katie’s face lit up. “Who is it? Ms. Lucy?”
“Not Ms. Lucy. Our neighbor might come to eat with us. Now go get cleaned up. Dinner is going to be on the table in about three minutes.” As the two headed for the bathroom, Eliza returned to the kitchen.
The clock on the oven read seven minutes until five. It was very possible he wouldn’t show up at all and that was okay with her. The whole thing had been rather strange to begin with.
The food was on the table and the children had just been seated when the doorbell rang. “Wait here, I’ll be right back,” she said, and tried to ignore the bolt of anticipation that leaped into the pit of her stomach.
He stood on the front porch with his sexy smile and the sun gleaming on his slightly shaggy dark hair. His jeans hugged his slender hips and emphasized his broad chest beneath a light blue cotton shirt. “I hope I’m not too late. I got held up at work.” He thrust a bottle of red wine toward her.
“Actually, you’re just in time,” she replied, and took the wine from him. “You didn’t have to do that,” she added as she gestured him inside. She led him into the kitchen. “Sammy and Katie, this is our neighbor, Mr. Anderson.”
“I know you. You buried treasure in your backyard in the middle of the night last night,” Katie said with a wide smile. “I love treasure.”
He rocked back on his heels and Eliza could swear his handsome face paled. Then he laughed. “Oh, honey, that was no treasure. Unfortunately I found a dead cat in my yard and I had to bury it.”
“And what were you doing up in the middle of the night, young lady?” Eliza asked her daughter.
“I woked up and went into Sammy’s room ’cause I thought he might have a nightmare,” Katie said. She batted long dark lashes. “You know I don’t want Sammy to ever get scared.”
Eliza turned to her guest. “Please, have a seat, Troy.” She gestured to the chair at the head of the table.
They began to fill their plates. “Why did the cat die?” Katie asked once everyone had been served.
“I don’t know,” Troy replied.
“Chicken at six, bread at three and salad at nine,” Eliza murmured softly to Sammy.
Troy looked at Sammy and then gazed at Eliza. She knew at that moment he’d realized Sammy was blind. He cleared his throat and then cast her a smile that warmed her from head to toe.
“My daddy died,” Katie said. “So my daddy and that cat are both in heaven together.”
“Did your dad like cats?” Troy asked.
Katie looked at Eliza. “Did he, Mom?”
“I’m sure he did,” Eliza replied. She never wanted her children to know how much she’d come to hate their father during the time before he’d walked out on them. He had died less than a year later in a motorcycle accident in Florida.
“So, tell me about your landscaping business,” she said to Troy in an effort to engage him and change the subject.
“It started with just me, a truck and a lawn mower,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed yard work, and I now have ten trucks and a crew of men and women who work for me.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
“I’ve been lucky in scoring a lot of big commercial jobs. By the way, this chicken is delicious.”
“Thank you,” she replied.
“Mom is a great cook,” Sammy said.
“And she’s pretty. Don’t you think she’s very pretty, Mr. Anderson?” Katie asked with a winsome smile.
“Katie,” Eliza said with a blush creeping warmth into her cheeks.
Troy laughed. “Yes, Katie, your mother is very pretty.”
The rest of the meal passed with the children chattering about their schools and their favorite playtime activities. Eliza was acutely aware of Troy’s presence, far too aware since he was just a neighbor who had joined them for a meal.
She was also particularly proud of her children, who displayed good manners throughout the meal.
“Is your house as crazy as this one?” Sammy asked.
“What do you mean by crazy?” Troy asked.
“I found a secret hidey-hole in the living room and a secret stairway in Katie’s bedroom that comes down into the kitchen pantry,” he replied.
Troy looked at Eliza. “It’s true,” she said. “The house does appear to have a lot of secrets.”
“I wanna find some buried treasure,” Katie piped up. “I love treasure, ’specially if it sparkles.”
Eliza and Troy laughed. “Is that why you bought the house? To look for buried treasure?”
She laughed again. “Not hardly, and we didn’t buy
