It was hard to focus on any of that though because I couldn’t stop thinking about my new neighbor. I’d caught a glimpse of her on the way in, and there was something damn recognizable about her. But that didn’t make a bit of sense—why would some random woman moving in next to me seem familiar? If she was somebody that I knew, I would’ve long been aware of who had bought the house right next to mine.
I scratched Mick on the head, then led him into the house. Once inside, I stepped over to the fridge and opened it, letting my hand hover in front of a pale ale before deciding on a bottle of water instead. It’d been pretty darn hot out that day, and if I wanted to be any sort of respectable doctor, I’d hydrate a little before starting my evening drinking.
I cracked open the bottle, holding it to my head before taking a drink. I then filled up Mick’s stainless-steel bowl with ice-cold water and poured him a couple of scoops of food. All the while, I found myself glancing out of the windows that faced the woman’s house, as if I might catch a glimpse of her through them.
I scoffed at my behavior, shaking my head.
“This is stupid,” I said out loud to Mick. “I’ve got a new neighbor, so I ought to go over there and introduce myself to her. You know—like a sane, normal person.”
Mick cocked his head as he looked at me, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth as he panted.
“Come on, bud. Let’s go say hi.”
Mick hurried over to my side, and I gave him some scratches just behind the ears in the place he liked before starting on my way. I spotted a big box of wine on the dining room table, a gift from one of my patients—a guy wealthy enough to own a few vineyards just for the fun of it. I slipped out a bottle of red on my way toward the front door. I figured it’d make a fine housewarming gift.
I grabbed my keys then stepped out into the summer evening air.
“Mommy!” shouted the voice of a small child. “Can we go yet?”
Beside the car parked in front of the house next door stood a little girl, no older than four or five. She carried a small box in her tiny arms as she yelled to her mom in the house.
“Come in and talk to me!” the woman inside shouted back. “We’re not going to be yelling at each other from inside and outside the house!”
“OK.”
I stopped short as soon as I saw the little girl. She was small and skinny and cute as a damn button. But it was her hair that I paid the most attention to. It was dark, dark as oil—very similar to the unique shade of mine. More than that, it was her features that gave me pause. With her square chin, slender nose, and dark eyes, she reminded me of my nieces.
No, not just my nieces—she reminded me ofme.
“Doggy!”
The girl turned her attention to me, her dark eyes flashing as the box dropped from her hands. It landed on the driveway with a softthud, blankets popping out of the top. She rushed over, flying toward Mick with crazy speed for a girl her age.
“Mads!”
A voice shouted from the porch. The girl stopped in her tracks, turning on her heels. I looked up to see a woman standing at the front door, tall and slender and blonde. My first guess was that she was the girl’s mom. But the longer I looked at her, the less resemblance I saw.
“You think it’s a good idea to run at a stranger like that?” Apparently sensing how her words could’ve been misconstrued, her face flashed with panic. “Sorry!” she said, turning to me. “Nothing personal. But you know, neighbor or not, technically you’re a stranger for the moment.”
“I just wanted to pet his dog!” the girl replied.
“I know honey, but you know you need toaskbefore you do something like that, right?”
“I know…” She sounded defeated, as if she’d been busted doing something that she knew she wasn’t supposed to.
“It’s fine,” I spoke up. “He’s a good boy. Actually, I was on my way over to introduce us.”
“Oh,” the woman said. “I’m sorry, but her mom’s indisposed for a second.”
Ah, so the woman on the porch wasn’t the mother.
A small smile formed on her face, one that was almost scheming.
“But ...I certainly don’t want to be rude and make you wait when you’re only trying to be neighborly.”
She glanced down at the bottle in my hand. “Especially seeing you were nice enough to bring wine. How about this—come on over and have a seat on the porch while we wait for her mom.”
“Sounds great to me,” I replied.
