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yummy breast and flat stomach, and the shorts displayed long toned legs.
    Tim leaned his arm against the window frame watching her as she spoke to a man holding a clipboard. The man gave her a smile and laughed at something she said to him and she laughed with him. She seemed brighter, even her hair seemed a warmer shade of brown. Her eye had a twinkle as she spoke and suddenly she was a little too much for him to stand. What was it about her? She was so different and refreshing, intoxicating and sexy that Tim was losing it.
    When Kassie turned and went inside, the guy watched the sway of her bottom until she walked into her back door. He shook his head and looked at the guys who were with him; they all shared in a look and a chuckle. Tim didn’t blame them. A year of living next door to her had turned him into a silent stalker.
    When she left her house or had people over, he found himself watching her from the window. Lately, some asshole had been showing up a lot and Tim couldn’t help but wonder if he was her boyfriend. If that was the case Tim knew he had no chance because the guy was really good looking.
    Even when she went out shopping, he would watch her bring her bags in, wondering if he had the guts to see if she needed some sort of help. She was a tough girl to figure out. Ordinarily he didn’t mind that, but she had been so nasty to him that it made his feelings for her frustrating.
    Tim left his window sighing and shaking his head. He was attracted to a witch and she barely knew he was alive.
    *****
    People began to arrive at about five. The caterers had laid out all of the snack and finger foods on tables around the yard. Her good friends Paul and Van had volunteered to man the grills and Kassie had no problem letting them cook as she didn’t want her hair and clothes getting all smoky.  Besides, the men always stood around the grill with their beers talking and gossiping anyway.
    Most of her guests had arrived and Kassie was running in and out of the house, showing people around, chatting and greeting the people who rang her bell instead of just going around to the back. She was just dashing into her studio for some sketches to show a friend when the bell rang again. Sighing Kassie rushed to answer it, and smiled warmly upon seeing her old friend Trish from art school. Kassie hugged her and her fiancé Joe, directing them through the house to the back where the refrains of a slow bluesy number was starting.
    As she closed her door, Kassie heard the voice of her hated neighbor . . . only he wasn’t really so hated. Actually she found herself in the really confusing predicament of finding him more and more appealing every day. She’d watched him play with his daughter and Griff, and watched him laugh with his friends and neighbors. God he was hot! Kassie had spent the past year trying to still the butterflies in her stomach every time she saw him. She had seen him on numerous occasions with that little stick figure girlfriend and wanted to claw her eyes out. But she was also happy for the woman’s intrusion because it forced Kassie to remember that this man was off limits.
    Kassie had been seeing someone these past few months, shocking herself by her willingness to venture out and trust again. This time last year she had been choking under her own misery, so her relationship with Nick had been a welcome distraction. Kassie had resisted getting involved with Nicholas for obvious reasons, but his gentle persistence and charm had finally won her over. No matter how much she genuinely enjoyed spending time out with Nick; sometimes she still had Tim on the brain.
    Being rude to him came easily as all she had to do was transfer her frustration with herself onto him. But truth be told, she always felt bad afterwards and wanted to go over and apologize to him many times. The only thing stopping her was pride and the fear of jumping on him in his front yard and kissing the hell out of him. Tonight though, she was