Read The Neighbor #3 (The Neighbor #3) for Free Online Page A

me?”
    “Just returning the favor, Mom. Hope you know everything about Claude
Simmons. You never know. The man could be an ax murderer, or worse: he could be
hiding a wife and kids,” I joked.
    My mother ignored the comment and returned to
her crossword puzzle.
    “I am going to run errands, stop at the
country club on Pelican Island, and return to school. Have a great week. I’ll
let you know my plans for next weekend.” I grabbed my things and headed out the
door.
    ****
    I had no errands to run, so I ended up driving
around before hitting the country. I was nervous about seeming like some crazy
stalker type woman. I had a life to lead and I had to fix the Ryder bullshit
before moving on. Moving on was not what I wanted, but it was the only choice
given the circumstances. I thought dating my professor was scandalous. Hooking
up with a married man took it to another level.
    I parked my car next to Ryder’s Lexus. Of course,
I peaked in the vehicle. Crumpled on the seat were a number of fast food
wrappers. I told him a good diet was common sense, especially for a person with
cancer, but he obviously wasn’t listening. The usual golf tees and spare golf
gloves were scattered on the floor. Standing out like a sore thumb were two
baseball mitts. One for Ryder and, presumably, one for the
kid.
    A leather case sat on the front seat.
Embroidered on the thing were the initials SHC. A tingle coursed up my spine.
The woman must have been the mysterious Samantha or Sammy. Shit. I slammed my
hand on Ryder’s car. It could not be more obvious. He mentioned Sammy on
several occasions and other people in the club had mentioned her. I imagined
the S was for Samantha and the C stood for Curran. Ryder could not have been
more obvious. Everyone else knew about Sammy, making me look like a fool.
    Armed with this knowledge, Ryder had no option
but to tell me the truth. I walked into the lounge, as I knew Ryder would enjoy
a ceremonial draft after his round. He always sat by the large window so I
would choose the bar. I did not want to embarrass him in front of his friends.
I didn’t know why I gave a shit about his reputation.
    “Riko, I will have a glass of chardonnay,” I
stated as I took my seat.
    Riko looked at me and smiled.
    “Whoops, I forgot. I’m not twenty-one. I guess
that matters in your line of work. Make it a sweet tea.”
    “You got it, Jenna. I pay the mortgage with
this gig so I have to make sure they don’t fire my ass for serving minors,” Riko
said as he delivered my tea. “Should I throw it on Ryder’s account?”
    “No Rikko—ah, on second thought, sure why
not.” I glanced at my watch and I had some time before Ryder was finished. “I
will look at a bar menu too.”  
    I decided to order a shrimp salad. I wasn’t
hungry, but since Ryder was kind enough to foot the bill, I would indulge.
    “Hey Riko, have you seen Ryder’s Sammy
lately.”
    “I have not. I wish Ryder would bring Sammy
in. Gives a bit of fresh air to this place, if you know what I mean. Sammy has
helped Ryder get through the past year. He is a lucky man.”
    I smiled and nodded my head. I wanted to crawl
beneath my bar stool and cry.
    ****
    Ryder walked into the lounge. It had been days
since I had seen him close up. I gulped hard. He looked fantastic. He was
wearing washed out navy shorts and a white polo shirt. The light color
emphasized his tan skin. His eyes were bright and happy. He must have had a
good round, and whatever he did over the weekend had agreed with him. He was
alone and Riko set him up with a beer. As Riko served him, he whispered in
Ryder’s ear. Ryder looked in my direction. He shot me a huge smile as he hopped
out of his seat.
    Ryder came to the bar and threw his arms
around me. I flushed and my hands began to sweat. He felt so powerful. He felt
better than ever. For a moment, I forgot the last forty-eight hours.
    “Jenna. This is the best surprise ever. I
thought about you constantly. We left things kind of