Blushing slightly, I said, “Sort of.”

“Why?” she crossed her right leg over her left in a swift motion and I tried not to notice.

Taking my seat, I said, “He’s sort of a mystery to us. It’s killing Andy.” I popped the top on my soda and offered it to her. She declined.

“What kind of mystery?” asked Carla.

I considered the reasons why I shouldn’t tell her, but couldn’t think of a single one. I told her about the heavy bags. She listened intently as I described how he never had visitors and wasn’t social with anyone on the street. When I said it had been this way since he’d moved in two years earlier, her eyebrows drew together in suspicion.

“Why are you looking like that?” I asked her.

“I was just thinking.”

When she hesitated, I asked, “About what?”

“Well, it seems like a lot of things have happened here in the last two years.” She looked down at her wrist, fiddling with her bracelet. I could tell by the way she bit her lower lip she was concentrating.

I didn’t say anything. I just watched her. It was cooler out today, so she’d traded in her shorts and sandals for jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and athletic shoes. Her hair fell down around her shoulders, framing her face. I wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but I found her even more beautiful today than yesterday. Yesterday, she’d been beautiful. Today, she was mesmerizing.

“Didn’t you say Mr. Jenson moved in a couple years ago?” she asked, still twisting her bracelet around her wrist.

“Yeah,” I said, unable to take my eyes off her. “Uh, I think he moved in...two and a half years ago, I guess it was.” I thought back, trying to pinpoint when exactly he’d come to Hewitt Street.

“And didn’t you say the old couple passed away last January?”

“Yeah,” I said, watching her connect the dots. I didn’t know what the picture would be, but the line was leading to Jenson. The line always led to Jenson.

“And my Aunt Elaine was last February...” she said, trailing off at the end.

“So you think Jenson...what – killed them?” I asked.

“I’m not saying that. I’m just saying that a lot of things have happened since he moved in. I don’t know if he had anything to do with any of it, but it is odd.” She rested her head against the back of the chair and turned her face toward me. Quietly, she said, “I shouldn’t have come here.”

I set my soda on the table and turned to her. I held her left hand firmly between both of mine and looked at her with more intensity than was probably necessary.

“Listen, Carla. You and your kids will be fine here. I’ll personally make sure nothing happens to any of you. Whether or not it’s all a coincidence, you will be safe here. Please don’t think you shouldn’t have come.” I smiled to assure her. “I’m glad you came.” I couldn’t tell her that her moving here had led to a pivotal moment in my life. If she hadn’t come, I might not have decided to put Holly behind me where she belonged.

“I just don’t want to put my kids in harm’s way. If anything were to happen to either of them...”

I didn’t give her time to ponder the horrible things she was surely about to consider. “Look, I have nothing else to do. I’ll watch your place, if you want. I kind of do that anyway,” I admitted.

“What?” she asked, unsure what emotion she should feel about my little revelation.

I quickly added, “Not in the creepy stalker kind of way, but in the good neighbor way. Besides, I have to make sure Bernie isn’t trying to move in with you.”

She laughed. “I owe you then.”

“No, you owe me nothing. I’m happy to do it.”

She stood up and came over, stopping in front of me. How far could she get with me still holding her hand? Feeling a little silly, I stood and reluctantly let go of her soft hand.

“I don’t want you to think I do this with every guy I meet,” she said shyly. “But you seem like a great guy, and you’ve been so helpful.”

Before I could prepare for it, she stretched up and planted a kiss on my cheek. I was aware of a lot of things at once. The way her soft lips felt against my cheek, the light touch of her hands as they held onto my arms, and the feel of her breasts as they grazed my chest ever so lightly. I fought myself to not turn and kiss her.

“That’s me thanking you for watching out for us. And to thank you further, I’d like you to come to dinner tonight.”

I breathlessly accepted her invitation, but assured her again that she didn’t need to thank me. I really was more than happy to keep her safe. Whether it was from murderers or perverts, I wanted to protect her.

As I watched her walk down the street, I had a rush of emotions I hadn’t had in years. I was excited, nervous, happy, and scared to death all at the same time. I didn’t know if getting involved with her was a good idea, but I knew that it was going to happen. If she didn’t want it to happen, she wouldn’t be so inviting with me. I noticed she wasn’t inviting other neighbors over for dinner. And if I didn’t want it to happen, I wouldn’t be accepting her invitations. I wasn’t having dinner with other neighbors, either. The signs were clearly there.

The day seemed to drag by after that.

As I walked to Carla’s that evening, I thought about what she’d said. There really had been a lot of things happen since Jenson had moved in. It was one hell of a coincidence. And Jenson was odd. I wasn’t the only one who thought he was odd. I knew Andy and Jill thought so. Hazel would never say a bad word about anyone. Louis was never home. Bernie was too wrapped up in finding himself a woman. I supposed it was just Andy, Jill, Carla, and me that noticed.

Such a quiet neighborhood for so much bloodshed. Maybe Carla should move. Maybe we all should.

7 Owen

I shooed the neighborhood dog to go away while waiting for Carla to open the door. Instead of leaving, he walked a circle and lay down in the corner of the porch next to Bernie’s house, under the porch swing. Before I could insist further that he leave, Carla opened the door.

“Whose is he?” she asked.

“He kind of belongs to us all. He’s a stray that roams around here. He’s a good dog, though. No one minds.” The dog licked his lips, as if to confirm.

“What’s his name?”

“Oscar.”

Saying nothing, she turned and disappeared into the house. I wasn’t sure if I should follow, so I stayed where I was, debating. Seconds later, she came back, carrying a hamburger patty.

“Here you go, Oscar,” she said, bending down and giving him the patty. Oscar’s tail thumped against the porch as he happily ate the warm meat. Turning to me, she said, “Shall we go in and eat?”

“You know, you just made a friend for life there. Friendly face, warm food, cozy porch. He may never leave,” I said to Carla as she walked past me and into the house. I looked at Oscar, who returned my gaze. I swear I detected a smirk on his face. Maybe I was just assuming he was smirking. That’s what Andy would’ve done.

Carla laughed.

We ate the burgers over great conversation. The kids were telling me stories about friends they had in Dallas. Carla watched, smiling and occasionally giggling.

I could see the unfathomable amount of love and devotion in her eyes as she looked at her kids. I watched her watching them and couldn’t help but wonder if she had so much love for everyone she allowed into her life. Had she loved their father as much as she loved them? Would she ever love me with as much enthusiasm and passion as she loved them? I certainly hoped I’d have a chance to find out.

With the kids asleep, Carla and I sat on the porch swing. Oscar lay sleeping beneath us. We talked about nothing in particular. Things we liked, things we didn’t like. Books we’d read and movies we’d watched. As it turned out, we had quite a lot of things in common.