The Neighbor (The Neighbor #1) (3 page)

“Now I have seen it all.
Two
phones?
Let me guess, it’s a long story.”

“It is. I will get rid of my second phone someday.
When I no longer need it.
Are we on for Tuesday?”

“Ryder, you have to unpack and I have to begin
packing for college. Maybe we will bump into each other again.” I was hesitant
to say yes to him. I could feel we had a dangerous connection.

“We can exchange numbers. That way you can cancel if
you decide you don’t want to come. You can text with a lame excuse if you can’t
muster up the courage to call me.”

“Tuesday at 4 PM.
I will meet you here. You will have my number too if you decide to cancel.”

“That won’t
happen
Jenna.”

Ryder walked me to my Kelly green car. He bent and
one arm hugged me before I even had a chance to think about whether I wanted
it. It was worth it. God did he smell good.

Chapter
Four

I was driving off Pelican Island from a small
shopping mall when my phone jingled. I planned to ignore the call until I saw
it was Ryder. I answered the phone. What the hell was he calling for? The call
was a surprise but I was delighted to see his name displayed on my phone. I
took a deep breath and thumbed the answer button.

“Hey Ryder.
Are you okay?”

I couldn’t think of any normal reason for him to
call. I thought that maybe he had some bizarre accident.

“What could be wrong?” Ryder laughed.

“I don’t know but whatever you’re calling about
better be good because I’m driving you know.”

“Oh no.
I don’t want my star golfer injured before she wins her first tournament. I was
thinking we cut our lesson short yesterday. We did not have a chance to hit the
putting green. I said I would teach you the fundamentals and we’re not there
yet. How about you head to the clubhouse and we can pick up where we left off?”
Ryder asked.

Why did he care if I learned the
fundamentals
of golf? I was more interested in him than the game.
Maybe his game was
me
.

“I have plans to make dinner with my mother. I am
making an effort to spend more time with her until I leave. But the freezer is
full of stuff that she can throw in the microwave and
it’s an
appliance she can handle
. I guess she won’t starve. I can turn around
and meet you on the green if you really want,” I said although I was confused.

“I really want you to.”

I had no idea why Ryder was so intent on turning me
into a golfer. Almost compulsively, I turned the car around and headed back
down the road. Ryder’s voice continued through my speakerphone.

“I’m glad you decided to turn around. I was
thoughtless in teaching you only a portion of the game. What type of instructor
am I if I get you on the green but don’t teach you how to get the ball in the
hole? You will be a regular Ben Crane when I am finished with you. I’ll let you
focus on driving. Driving your car, I mean. I don’t expect you to be
daydreaming about hitting the ball, at least not yet. I will see you in a few,”
Ryder ended.

Wow, he was obsessed with the game of golf. Was it
just my swing of the clubs that he was interested in or was it something more?
Was I obsessed with learning how to golf or was I interested in something more?
I didn’t even know who the hell Ben Crane was and I really didn’t care.

My answer was clear as I pulled into the parking
lot.

“Hey Jenna.
When is your birthday?” Ryder asked when I opened my car door. He was waiting
for me in the parking lot as he held something behind his back.

“Why do you need to know my birthday Ryder? I’m not
the one who is secretive about my age. My big day is not until February,” I
said.

“I got you an early present.”

He revealed a new golf club from behind his back.

“I have never received a golf club before. You
shouldn’t have,” I said sarcastically. Immediately I knew he was taking his
gift seriously.

“I know you may not appreciate it now, but as you
get acquainted with the game you will love it. When I got my first putter that
was not just a part of a set I picked up at the sporting goods store, I was
overjoyed. I slept with the thing for a week.”

“Well, I don’t know what to say. I am excited to put
it to use,” I said, trying sound excited.

I took the putter, which was a brand new
Taylormade
. I was his golf project. Great!

“We will get it properly fitted to your specifications.
Are you ready to hit the green? You will be giving Stacy Lewis a run for her
money when I’m done with you.” Ryder smiled.

He was enjoying himself and I was still puzzled. Who
the hell was Stacy Lewis? Was she some hot babe whom he picked up at the
country club? I followed Ryder with a forced smile on my face. I was going
along with whatever was happening.

“We will build your finesse game at this point. It
is all about the touch when putting. The transition from driving the ball can
be difficult. Eventually the flow will be natural. Watch me tap it around for a
while.”

The look on Ryder’s face was increasingly intense.
It was sexy the way he focused on the ball.
Lucky for the
ball.

“Is that the club you slept with?” I asked.

“No. That one is in my office. You know those little
stress balls that you get for free as advertisements?”

“Yeah.”
I answered.

“They don’t work for me. I grab my stick and I can
feel the stress flow out of me.”

“Whatever works for
you.
Grabbing your stick – hmmm,” I joked. It was too good to resist.

“You have one hell of a dirty mind. When we are on
the course, it’s all about golf,” Ryder said but then he grinned. He was
messing with me.

Ryder was beginning to give me a manual assist. Just
like on the driving range, he positioned himself snugly behind me. It did not
feel all about golf any more – at least not to me.

“Keep your eye on the ball. Use your sight like a
laser as you map out its journey to the hole. You are tight as hell. You have
to loosen the death grip you have on the club,” Ryder advised me.

There was a tension – a good one between us. If I
stopped holding the club tightly, I would have started trembling like a leaf.
After a long while, I noticed some improvement. I finally heard the heavenly
sound of the ball circling the rim and falling in the hole. I reacted by
throwing my new club in the air and flinging myself into Ryder’s arms. I had
seen men in major tournaments do the same. They often ended up in the arms of
their caddy.

“That was exhilarating,” I said as I kissed him
deliberately on the cheek. He returned the favor by kissing my lips. It was not
an open-mouthed kiss but it made me forget I was on the golf course. Ryder
eventually pulled away.

“Excellent. I think that perhaps it is time to take
a break,” he whispered against my mouth. “I have occupied most of your day. I
believe I owe you a meal. How about we head to the clubhouse lounge? They have
a good bar menu and I know the staff in there. I prefer it to the restaurant
because it is more laid back and it will give us a chance to chat.”

Finally, Ryder would open up about his life or so I
hoped.

“Sounds like a great idea. I am sore. I didn’t
expect to feel this way after golf.” I mentioned.

“It’s a good workout. Wait until tomorrow. You will
really feel the pain. Since you are already in good shape it won’t be that
bad,” Ryder said as I followed him into the lounge.

One of the club pros stopped us on our way int.
Ryder saw him and immediately grabbed my arm to lead me in the opposite
direction.

“Hey Ryder!” the man called out.

“Shit what the hell does he want?” Ryder appeared
pissed.

“The guy is calling your name. He probably just
wants to say hello,” I said.

The man approached us and gave Ryder a hearty hug.
Whoever he was, he knew Ryder well.

“Hello. I’m Arnie Morgan. I will introduce myself
since Ryder seems speechless.” He extended his hand.

“I’m Jenna Walsh. Ryder is giving me some golf
lessons – pro bono.” I winked.

“Lucky for you.
How are you feeling Ryder? You had us scared for a while. I wanted to be sure
you stop by and see Bridget. My lovely wife has been asking about you. I am
glad I can tell her the good news that you are among the living.” Archie was
grinning from ear to ear. He was definitely not someone that was so bad he
needed to avoid. The encounter was odd, as many things seemed to be.

“Give my regards to Bridget. I will catch up with
you later in the week Archie. Now is not the time.” Ryder said more with his
eyes as he spoke to Arnold but I didn’t know what he was saying.

“OH,” Arnie said and paused as he looked at Ryder
knowingly. “It was a pleasure to meet you Jenna. I hope to see you around the
club.”

The man disappeared and Ryder was glad to see him
go.

“What was that all about? Arnie seemed to be
genuinely concerned.”

“Long story Jenna. I’ll tell you about it some other
time. Let’s get some food.”

****

I ordered a grilled chicken breast sandwich with
fries and an iced tea. Ryder ordered the same except he had a
Glen Levitt
on the rocks.

“I’m glad you didn’t order a salad. I like a girl
who can eat,” Ryder said.

“That is so god damn cliché. What if I was a
vegetarian or maybe I just like salad. Women are afraid to order what they want
and at times, they will order a burger just to impress a guy. Don’t judge me on
my menu selection,” I said.

“It was a joke.”

“Sorry. They teach young women to stand up for
themselves these days. I took it a little far. Is the chicken sandwich any
good?”

“Yeah, but let’s spend the next hour chatting about
the food. I can’t stand meaningless conversation. If you change the subject to
the weather I’m leaving.” Ryder smiled.

“You’ve got a deal. Let’s talk about you Ryder.” I
took the chance to find something out about by sexy lunch companion.

“What is your plan for school Jenna?” Ryder asked.
It was apparent that he was going to avoid talking about himself. I had run
into another roadblock and I decided to make the best of it.

“I am planning on a general course of study. I am
going to get my requirements out of the way by taking entry-level stuff and see
what I might enjoy.” Our food had arrived and I was trying not to speak with my
mouth full.

“It sounds like you are approaching college as if it
is a food buffet. Don’t give be that bullshit. You must have some idea of what
you want to do with your life. Even if it seems like an unattainable goal, it’s
the time to start. College is too expensive to sit back and not pay attention
to your future.”

“You’re not paying for my education. You can get off
your pulpit,” I said.

He laughed. “I sounded like I was talking to my
ssss
—” Ryder stopped

“
Your
what?” I was
confused.

“Skip it. So what do you want to be when you grow
up?” Ryder grinned.

“I love science but I suck at math. I have to find
my may around that one. I would love to go into medicine but I see it as an
unattainable dream. I am barely coping with calculous. I spent a great deal of
time helping with my father when he was ill. It was most of my young life.
Being around doctors felt natural.
They were like heroes to
my family and me. They worked hard to keep him comfortable. They were not all
good, in fact some were awful. It must have been tough dealing with sick people
all of the time. I think they should have tried harder because they chose the
profession. As a caretaker, I had no choice in the matter. I would try to be
like the doctors who really listened to my father and didn’t treat him like a
hunk of meat. It’s just a dream though.”

“So it wasn’t easy being a caretaker and you would
never choose to take care of a sick person again?” Ryder asked.

“I didn’t say that. It is something that one has to
do. I never thought about it and abandonment was never an option.”

“I think the fact that you are not good at math is
an easy way out. Get a tutor.”

“I don’t have a good come-back for that one,” I
admitted.

“Sport’s psychology is a great career. A good head
doctor is invaluable in golf.”

“That is a good option to look into. I wouldn’t have
to deal with life and death on a daily basis. I went through that as a
caretaker and it wears on you.”

“I can only imagine how hard it is to watch a person
you love die,” Ryder quietly commented.

“Ryder, this topic is turning from a discussion
about my future to one about my past. I am getting into an area that I would
rather avoid,” I said.