Chapter 1
“Sprinkles - no!” Lexy hissed at her dog who was wriggling through the gap in the backyard fence.
With a sigh of resignation, she padded out into the yard in her bare feet, her pink cotton pajama bottoms fluttering around her calves in the late night, summer breeze. The glow of the full moon lit the yard well enough for Lexy to see where she was going without a flashlight.
She reached the gap in the fence and turned sideways to squeeze through. Despite her slim size, she had to push to make it. Rip!
Lexy looked down. Her favorite pajama bottoms - the ones speckled with cute images of fluffy cherry, topped cupcakes - now had a gigantic rip in the side. Perfect.
She felt an uncustomary flare of irritation at her dog. Was it too much to ask for the dog to simply run out in the yard, do her business, and run back inside?
Lexy had images of running through the neighborhood in the dark, her ripped pajamas flapping behind her, frantically chasing her dog while neighbors peered through their windows at the crazy lady. It wasn’t the way she had imagined meeting her new neighbors. Luckily most of them were elderly and, since it was 10:00 at night, hopefully they were all in bed.
She cleared the fence and emerged in the neighbors backyard just in time to see Sprinkles squatting in an impeccably groomed flower garden.
“No!” She hissed again, but the dog was determined.
Rushing over, Lexy grabbed Sprinkles by the collar and gave a silent thanks she had remembered to bring a poop bag. Whipping it from her pocket, she knelt down to scoop Sprinkles’s little gift into the bag, the sharp corners of the bark mulch poking into her bare feet.
A slight movement to her right sent a jolt of panic through her heart. Still squatting down, she turned her head and her eyes fell on a pair of thick, heavy, black boots. Men’s boots.
Lexy slowly scanned her eyes upwards. Slightly faded jeans. Slim waist. Broad chest covered by an, almost too small, black tee shirt. Was this one of her elderly neighbors?
Her eyes completed their upwards journey and stopped at a ruggedly handsome face. Slightly tanned with honey brown eyes and framed with dark, close cut hair. Nope, definitely not elderly.
Mr. Ruggedly Handsome, whoever he was, stared down at her with a smirk on his face. Suddenly, Lexy felt like a child who had been caught doing something naughty.
“Can I help you?” His voice sounded a bit gruff with a hint of annoyance.
Lexy felt her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. Straightening her shoulders, she made an effort to stand and try to retain some dignity, or at least as much dignity as one could while squatting in cupcake pajamas to scoop a pile of poop.
She felt the bark mulch shifting under her feet, struggling to gain control, Lexy fell backwards, her arms flapping at her sides like a bird trying to take flight. Mr. Handsome shot out an arm to steady her, but not before she crashed into the side of a large rhododendron, breaking off one of it’s branches. Lexy felt her cheeks burn even hotter.
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry,” she sputtered, putting her index finger up to her eye to stop the annoying nervous twitch that was starting in her lower lid. “My dog got out of my yard through the fence.” She pointed towards the edge of the backyard where the gap in the fence abutted the edge.
She shoved her hand out towards the man. “I’m Lexy Baker.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You’re Mona’s granddaughter?”
She nodded, taking his hand. It was warm, and the handshake was firm. Lexy felt an alarming tingle as they shook hands.
“I’m Jack Perillo. This is my house.” He gestured with his free hand to indicate the house they were standing next to.
“How is Mona?” His forehead creased in a frown and he looked her up and down as if trying to decide if she was a suitable replacement for his backyard neighbor.
“Oh, she’s fine - she loves it over at the Senior housing complex.” Lexy felt a wave of uncustomary self consciousness under Jack’s scrutiny. She looked down at her torn pajamas and realized she must look a sight in her bare feet, ripped pajamas and no makeup. Who could blame him for looking at her like she was some sort of deranged criminal.
She noticed Sprinkles had made her way over to Jack and was enthusiastically sniffing his shoes.
“This is my dog, Sprinkles,” she said pointing at the small dog.
“Sprinkles?” Jack snorted out a laugh, his right eyebrow raised up in a question. Lexy couldn’t tell if the laugh was in good humor or he was mocking her, but she felt her heart melting when he bent down to stroke the fur of the little white dog.
“Hi Sprinkles, I hope you don’t keep using my garden for your bathroom because I.....” Jack was interrupted by the sound of a doorbell coming from his pants pocket. He straightened up and pulled a cell phone out.
“Perillo.” He barked into the phone, he listened for a few seconds the creases on his forehead growing deeper. “I’ll be right there.”
Jack snapped the phone shut and nodded towards Lexy. “Sorry, but business calls.” He held up the phone. “Nice to meet you Ms. Baker.”
Turning abruptly, he set off in the direction of the driveway. “And don’t forget to pick up that mess, it’s not good for the plants.” He shot over his shoulder, walking away and leaving Lexy to wonder if she just made a friend or an enemy.
***
Jack turned the corner of his house and couldn’t help the grin forming on his face. His new neighbor was kind of cute, he thought.
He chuckled to himself, remembering how her grandmother, Mona, would always sneak in a mention of her with a certain twinkle in her eye - Jack knew Mona had visions of fixing them up, but he always changed the subject because he didn’t have time for any women in his life, right now.
But tonight Jack had felt something stir inside him which he hadn’t felt in a long time...something which might cause him to break his vow of bachelorhood. He hoped he hadn’t been too harsh with her about the dog poop. Maybe he would have to make an excuse to drop in on her some night. He wouldn’t mind seeing Lexy Baker again, thats for sure.
Little did he know, it would be less than 24 hours before he saw her again and the circumstances wouldn’t be as pleasant as he was hoping for.
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