Page 15 of The Neighbor
Very clever. I see my new neighbor can deflect as well as I can.
I turn to face her as I attempt to make her believe I don’t dislike Kimmy. “Not true. I think she’s got a very sweet way about her.”
“But you don’t like her. I can tell by the way you’re trying to come up with something to compliment her on.”
Shaking my head, I find myself in a position where I have to defend myself. Rarely do I let myself get forced into something like this. Caroline Townsend is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
“I think she’s sweet. Is she my type of woman? No. But that doesn’t mean she’s a bad person. She cares about this neighborhood and the people in it. I can appreciate that, even if I don’t tend to be as social as she is.”
For a second, I’m struck at how truthful I’m being right now. None of that was even a tiny lie. I do like Kimmy’s sweetness and how she genuinely cares about her neighbors. She’d drive me insane with her constant need to get people together, but that’s a me thing, not a reflection of her personality.
“Well, I like her. It’s nice to see a smile on someone’s face all the time. She doesn’t have a perfect life, but none of us do. What makes Kimmy different is she never lets anything get her down. I admire that.”
“I do too.”
Caroline slaps my knee and laughs. “I’m glad I could make you see things my way.”
“You know, I liked her before you came to her defense. Not that your admiration for her isn’t admirable.”
The streetlight above us makes her amused expression look almost like a caricature, exaggerating her mouth and the size of her eyes as she grins at my clumsy attempt to flatter her. “Admiration is admirable? Smooth.”
I don’t try to hide my amusement that she’s called me on my sloppy use of the language. “You like my way with words? It’s a gift.”
That makes her laugh, and it’s like a blast from my past when I hear it. Suddenly, I’m taken back to years ago, although I can’t exactly place when or who I was with who laughed like that. All I know is the sound of her having a good time makes me happier than I’ve been in a long time.
Just as she’s about to tell me if she actually does appreciate my turn of phrase, Kimmy walks up to us and stops a few feet away. She’s holding a package of napkins and the bag of hard candy.
“Hey, guys! I hope you had a good time today.”
Caroline immediately answers, “We did! Well, I did. I don’t know if I can answer for Adam, though. I thought it was a great time. Thanks for putting it all together, Kimmy.”
I swear to God Kimmy doesn’t hear a word after Caroline says she can’t speak for me. Her eyes zero in on me, laser focused on my face as she waits for her chance to ask me directly if I enjoyed myself. Nothing like being put on the spot.
“You did have a good time, Adam, didn’t you? I’d hate for you to say you didn’t. I know there was that little hiccup earlier, but things got better after that, didn’t they?”
I feel completely responsible for Kimmy’s emotional state at this moment, not exactly a position I want to be in. As much asI’d love to tell her the truth, that’s not something anyone here in Raven Terrace gets from me, so I quickly concoct a lie I know will make her feel better.
“I did, Kimmy. I’ve been to two of your parties, and I have to say nobody puts on an event like you do. Thank you for that.”
A smile lights up her face, and I swear she wants to hug me right now. “Oh, that’s so wonderful! I do have to give Marilyn her due, though. She contributes a lot to these parties. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without her.”
“Then you two are the consummate party planners, for sure.”
That compliment is too much for her, and she leans down to hug me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as I stare up in shock at her. “Oh, that’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all day, Adam. Thank you so much!”
Her arms squeeze me tightly, and all I can think of is thank God she likes that baby girl of hers or she might hug the stuffing right out of her. I give her a tiny squeeze in return, sure if I don’t she’ll ask if something’s wrong.
When she finally stands up, she’s beaming a smile ear to ear. “This has been a great party, for sure. September is going to be a great one too, so keep an eye out for your invitations.”
“What’s the theme going to be?” Caroline asks, sounding genuinely interested in the answer.
Strangely enough, that seems to confuse Kimmy. She moves back a step, shoulders sagging, and answers, “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe something fall or harvesty, but October is more harvest time. I’ll have to ask Marilyn.”
“Perhaps something back-to-school themed. That could be fun. You could get a chalkboard with the cursive letters written on top like you see in old pictures of schools. Maybe apples too,” Caroline suggests to Kimmy’s delight.
“Ooooh, I love that idea! I’ll be sure to tell Marilyn. You can always join us, Caroline, if you’d like.”
I expect her to politely beg off, so I’m surprised when she says she’d love to. So much for being the shy neighbor nobody knows much about.