Desperate Intentions. Carla Cassidy
Читать онлайн книгу.
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 the house, we inherited it. It was left to us by my late husband’s grandfather when he passed away a couple of months ago. I have to admit it was quite a surprise.”
“I wondered why a for-sale sign didn’t go up when Frank passed away,” Troy replied.
By that time everyone had finished eating and the children asked to be excused to go watch television. “I insist on helping with the cleanup,” Troy said.
“And I insist you don’t,” she replied. “Why don’t I make you a cup of coffee and you can sit and talk to me while I handle the cleanup?”
“Okay, if you insist,” he replied easily.
Minutes later with a cup of coffee before him, Troy told her a little bit more about his business. His father had bought him his first lawn mower when he was ten years old and had encouraged him to become a little entrepreneur.
“I never thought about doing anything else,” he said. “I love working outside and helping people transform their landscaping from something ugly into something beautiful.”
“It’s always nice to love what you do,” she replied.
“I take it you love what you do.” He eyed her over the rim of the coffee cup.
“Most of the time, unless I get a crazy client. I’ve got a man now who is sending me dozens of nasty texts and emails a day over a project.”
His eyes widened. “Why?”
She put the leftover chicken in the refrigerator and then turned to face him. “I agreed to build a web page for him and then realized halfway into it that it was going to be a pornographic site, and so I backed out of the deal. I refunded the initial money he gave to me and thought that would be the end of it, but he’s been harassing me for weeks now.”
“Have you called the police to report him?” Troy asked.
“Oh no, it hasn’t risen to that kind of a level. It’s just a nuisance.”
“I know it’s just you and the kids here. If anything does ever get out of hand with him just remember I’m right next door.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that. You don’t happen to know a good exterminator, do you? I think we might have a mouse problem. The kids and I are hearing some rustling behind the walls at night.”
“Actually, I do. Mike the Mighty Mouseman.”
She grinned. “Is that for real?”
He laughed and shook his head. “It’s for real. He’s a friend of mine. We went to school together and have remained good friends. Do you want me to give you his number?”
“Please.” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and punched in the number he rattled off.
“Let me give you my number, too,” he said. He pulled out his cell phone. “And I’d like yours, if that’s okay. It’s always good to have a neighbor’s phone number.”
They exchanged phone numbers and he returned to drinking his coffee. “You should like the neighborhood. It’s a quiet one.”
“After living in a noisy apartment complex, quiet is good,” she replied.
“Most of the people are older and have lived here for years. I haven’t met many, but the ones I have met have been very nice.”
“That’s good to know,” she replied. “I guess the house on the other side of me is empty. I noticed a moving van there last week and then a for-sale sign in front of it the other day.”
He nodded. “The Fosters. They were an older couple. They decided the house was too big for the two of them.”
“They are big houses,” she replied. “I don’t know what to do with half the space I have here.”
“I’m using a couple of rooms upstairs strictly for storage.” He finished the last of his coffee and then rose from the table. “I guess I’d better get out of your hair. This has been very pleasant. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Thank you for coming,” she replied. “It’s always nice to know your neighbors.” Together they walked to the front