{"id":253389,"date":"2026-07-13T02:46:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:46:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/a-single-dad-and-his-neighbor-alivia-dawn-1\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T02:46:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:46:53","slug":"a-single-dad-and-his-neighbor-alivia-dawn-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/a-single-dad-and-his-neighbor-alivia-dawn-1\/","title":{"rendered":"A Single Dad And His Neighbor – Alivia Dawn (1)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I can\u2019t read too much into this. I can\u2019t put so much pressure on myself\u2014 or Jacob\u2014that our growing friendship implodes. All the same\u2026 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\u2019d do for dinner with Isla.<\/p>\n

Yeah. Exactly the same. It\u2019s Isla\u2019s 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\u2019s only three hundred square feet, which is perfect for me. I worry that Jacob will find it cramped. He\u2019s so much taller and more muscular than I am. The kitchen, dining room, and living room are all artfully arranged in the same space.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s not, then we can always run over to his place.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not like it\u2019s far. Everything is perfectly tidy. The best thing about living in a space this small is that it\u2019s easy to maintain. Nothing to do but wait. I move toward my window and gaze out toward the pub. Nothing to do but wait\u2026 and think. Is Isla right? Should I make a move with Jacob? I don\u2019t care about jumping headlong into all the things that occur with dating. I\u2019ve always been a slow-moving person. It\u2019s the reason Didsburg works so well for me. The thing is, I\u2019ve never made the first move before.<\/p>\n

Do I even know how? When I think about my past relationships, I can see clearly in hindsight why it didn\u2019t work. Too different in personalities. Too similar in personalities. A myriad of other reasons. It\u2019s made me think about possible relationships in too clinical a fashion sometimes. With Jacob, I see the reasons why we shouldn\u2019t all too clearly.<\/p>\n

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With a population of less than three thousand, it\u2019s firmly in the \u2018small town\u2019 category, while being close enough to big cities like Great Falls to provide entertainment for when things get too sleepy. Being sleepy is Didsberg\u2019s best quality. At least, that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Isla glances over at me. \u201cLet it go, Reina.\u201d I grunt in return as I wipe down the counters. We\u2019re doing our closing tasks, but I\u2019ve been letting the music go for days now. Isla doesn\u2019t understand, she lives on the other side of town. When I go to bed, it\u2019s in the tiny shed-like house in the back near the greenhouse. \u201cThis is exactly why I didn\u2019t want a pub opening up next door,\u201d I complain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were playing music until midnight last night.\u201d \u201cAh, so that\u2019s why you\u2019ve been crabby all day.\u201d I shoot Isla a glare, though she\u2019s right. I haven\u2019t been myself lately. I toss my rag in the wash bucket and shake my head. \u201cI\u2019m going to talk to them.\u201d \u201cReina\u2014\u201d \u201cI know, I know. They just moved to town, and I should be friendly. But friendly doesn\u2019t mean putting up with this,\u201d I say as I head for the door. Isla mutters something under her breath, but doesn\u2019t call after me.<\/p>\n

Ever since the Toad\u2019s Belly pub opened up in the building next to Buds for Life, she\u2019s been stopping there every night. I\u2019m not sure which of the two owners she\u2019s crushing on. Both are pretty cute, though I\u2019ve 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\u2019s a great song, I\u2019m too busy building up my confrontational skills. Usually, Isla handles complaints in the shop. I don\u2019t like making people uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

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\u2014he\u2019s the older of the two brothers, Jacob Hartley. He\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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