A Single Dad And His Neighbor – Alivia Dawn (1)

I can’t read too much into this. I can’t put so much pressure on myself— or Jacob—that our growing friendship implodes. All the same… I end up putting on my second-best blouse. I downplay the rest of my outfit and use only minimal makeup. The same sort of thing I’d do for dinner with Isla.

Yeah. Exactly the same. It’s Isla’s fault that my imagination is running wild. Her and her suggestions of romance. I smooth a hand over my hair as I turn from the mirror. Now, is there anything else for me to do? My gaze runs over the small interior of my house. It’s only three hundred square feet, which is perfect for me. I worry that Jacob will find it cramped. He’s so much taller and more muscular than I am. The kitchen, dining room, and living room are all artfully arranged in the same space.

My bedroom is in an open loft upstairs, along with a closed-in shower, which drains into a holding tank above the toilet on the main floor. It suits my needs, but will it be big enough for Jacob to make this meal? Well, if it’s not, then we can always run over to his place.

It’s not like it’s far. Everything is perfectly tidy. The best thing about living in a space this small is that it’s easy to maintain. Nothing to do but wait. I move toward my window and gaze out toward the pub. Nothing to do but wait… and think. Is Isla right? Should I make a move with Jacob? I don’t care about jumping headlong into all the things that occur with dating. I’ve always been a slow-moving person. It’s the reason Didsburg works so well for me. The thing is, I’ve never made the first move before.

Do I even know how? When I think about my past relationships, I can see clearly in hindsight why it didn’t work. Too different in personalities. Too similar in personalities. A myriad of other reasons. It’s made me think about possible relationships in too clinical a fashion sometimes. With Jacob, I see the reasons why we shouldn’t all too clearly.

With a population of less than three thousand, it’s firmly in the ‘small town’ category, while being close enough to big cities like Great Falls to provide entertainment for when things get too sleepy. Being sleepy is Didsberg’s best quality. At least, that’s what used to be its best quality. I glare at the stone brick building next to the flower shop which I co-own with my best friend. Music beats from our neighbor, even though it is barely six in the evening.

Isla glances over at me. “Let it go, Reina.” I grunt in return as I wipe down the counters. We’re doing our closing tasks, but I’ve been letting the music go for days now. Isla doesn’t understand, she lives on the other side of town. When I go to bed, it’s in the tiny shed-like house in the back near the greenhouse. “This is exactly why I didn’t want a pub opening up next door,” I complain.

“They were playing music until midnight last night.” “Ah, so that’s why you’ve been crabby all day.” I shoot Isla a glare, though she’s right. I haven’t been myself lately. I toss my rag in the wash bucket and shake my head. “I’m going to talk to them.” “Reina—” “I know, I know. They just moved to town, and I should be friendly. But friendly doesn’t mean putting up with this,” I say as I head for the door. Isla mutters something under her breath, but doesn’t call after me.

Ever since the Toad’s Belly pub opened up in the building next to Buds for Life, she’s been stopping there every night. I’m not sure which of the two owners she’s crushing on. Both are pretty cute, though I’ve only seen them from a distance. The music inside the pub is even louder, but not as loud as I expect. I hate to admit that it’s a great song, I’m too busy building up my confrontational skills. Usually, Isla handles complaints in the shop. I don’t like making people uncomfortable.

The man behind the bar is tall, with dark hair falling into stunning blue eyes. I march over to him, ignoring the twist in my stomach. I know this one—he’s the older of the two brothers, Jacob Hartley. He’s the one with the seven-year-old son, Caleb. Isla, who knows everything in town, told me that Jacob Hartley is a widower of three years. Not that it matters.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 81bb7bbccadffdae
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 2,737,078 bytes (2.61 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 99
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 143.7 minutes
• Total Words: 28,740
• Total Characters: 152,243
• Average Words per Page: 290.3
• Average Characters per Page: 1537.81

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