“Thanks for coming. I enjoyed the company. Now, will you inform the owners about the lease or shall I?”
“I’ll take care of it.”
They got out of his car and Nick happened to look at the other buildings on Yellow Rose Lane. “Hey, are those fourplexes, too?”
“Yes. The same architect designed them.”
“Do they have the same owner?”
“Yes.” Abruptly she started walking toward the building. “I have to go see about the kids now, Nick. Bye.”
She hurried inside as if she were retreating from something threatening. He’d only been asking about the other buildings because they so closely resembled the one they lived in. He guessed the builder had figured out he’d run up on a good thing.
As he entered the fourplex he shared with Jennifer, Diane and a bunch of flight attendants, he heard little-girl screams and a puppy barking. Jennifer was receiving a warm greeting.
His own apartment was silent. And that was what he wanted, wasn’t it? He’d need the silence to work. Well, maybe not. He’d done a lot of his work with the television on some sports show he didn’t want to miss.
Either way, he had to get busy. According to his agent, the second book was supposed to be harder to write. He’d already gotten his proposal approved, and he didn’t want to lose the lucrative contract.
It had taken a huge leap of faith to give up teaching and set out as a first-time writer. But Nick had no one else but himself to support, so he took the plunge. His first work landed him an agent and, shortly thereafter, a sale to a major New York publisher.
When they’d bought his second proposal, he jumped at Grace’s offer to sublet her apartment and move to Dallas, where he could save money and do nothing but write in a place where no one knew him or what he did.
He didn’t mind leaving the bad memories back in Lubbock, either. After all, getting jilted was hard to forget, especially when it had to do with him being a teacher. His fiancé had finally decided he wasn’t ever going to make the kind of money she needed and had left him. Nick had thrown himself into his writing, shutting out everything else. He found that story ideas came easily and he had a stockpile of characters he wanted to write.
He only hoped people wanted to read about them.
He looked around for the box that held his computer. No time like the present to get that set up and get to work.
It was time to get his mind off the blonde and onto his book.
J ENNIFER HAD INVITED Diane to lunch upon her return. She already had made some chicken salad and now fixed the sandwiches quickly, asking the girls to go wash up while she did so. They’d left the puppy out in the enclosed backyard, happily chewing on a rubber ball.
“Did everything go all right?” Diane asked as she watched Jennifer work.
“Oh, yes, it was fine. He really is Grace’s nephew. She has early Alzheimer’s and tends to forget things. She asked him about his triplet sisters as if they were still babies.”
“He has triplet sisters? My, that must’ve been fun,” Diane exclaimed, sounding lonely suddenly. It reminded Jennifer that she didn’t know a great deal about her neighbor.
“Didn’t you have any brothers and sisters?”
“No. I was an only child. If I ever marry, I don’t intend to have just one baby.”
“I don’t blame you. But I’m glad my parents didn’t have more children. That would just be more people who’d be unhappy.”
“My parents were good, but they both had demanding jobs and they enjoyed each other so much, I was kind of an afterthought. Not exactly the way to bring up happy children.”
“No, I wouldn’t think so.”
Jennifer set a plate of sandwiches on the table and poured chips in a bowl.
“Can I help?”
“Sure. Would you get five glasses and fill them with ice? I made lemonade to go with our sandwiches.”
By the time the girls got to the table, everything was ready.
“I’m starving!” Missy announced as she
“I’ll take care of it.”
They got out of his car and Nick happened to look at the other buildings on Yellow Rose Lane. “Hey, are those fourplexes, too?”
“Yes. The same architect designed them.”
“Do they have the same owner?”
“Yes.” Abruptly she started walking toward the building. “I have to go see about the kids now, Nick. Bye.”
She hurried inside as if she were retreating from something threatening. He’d only been asking about the other buildings because they so closely resembled the one they lived in. He guessed the builder had figured out he’d run up on a good thing.
As he entered the fourplex he shared with Jennifer, Diane and a bunch of flight attendants, he heard little-girl screams and a puppy barking. Jennifer was receiving a warm greeting.
His own apartment was silent. And that was what he wanted, wasn’t it? He’d need the silence to work. Well, maybe not. He’d done a lot of his work with the television on some sports show he didn’t want to miss.
Either way, he had to get busy. According to his agent, the second book was supposed to be harder to write. He’d already gotten his proposal approved, and he didn’t want to lose the lucrative contract.
It had taken a huge leap of faith to give up teaching and set out as a first-time writer. But Nick had no one else but himself to support, so he took the plunge. His first work landed him an agent and, shortly thereafter, a sale to a major New York publisher.
When they’d bought his second proposal, he jumped at Grace’s offer to sublet her apartment and move to Dallas, where he could save money and do nothing but write in a place where no one knew him or what he did.
He didn’t mind leaving the bad memories back in Lubbock, either. After all, getting jilted was hard to forget, especially when it had to do with him being a teacher. His fiancé had finally decided he wasn’t ever going to make the kind of money she needed and had left him. Nick had thrown himself into his writing, shutting out everything else. He found that story ideas came easily and he had a stockpile of characters he wanted to write.
He only hoped people wanted to read about them.
He looked around for the box that held his computer. No time like the present to get that set up and get to work.
It was time to get his mind off the blonde and onto his book.
J ENNIFER HAD INVITED Diane to lunch upon her return. She already had made some chicken salad and now fixed the sandwiches quickly, asking the girls to go wash up while she did so. They’d left the puppy out in the enclosed backyard, happily chewing on a rubber ball.
“Did everything go all right?” Diane asked as she watched Jennifer work.
“Oh, yes, it was fine. He really is Grace’s nephew. She has early Alzheimer’s and tends to forget things. She asked him about his triplet sisters as if they were still babies.”
“He has triplet sisters? My, that must’ve been fun,” Diane exclaimed, sounding lonely suddenly. It reminded Jennifer that she didn’t know a great deal about her neighbor.
“Didn’t you have any brothers and sisters?”
“No. I was an only child. If I ever marry, I don’t intend to have just one baby.”
“I don’t blame you. But I’m glad my parents didn’t have more children. That would just be more people who’d be unhappy.”
“My parents were good, but they both had demanding jobs and they enjoyed each other so much, I was kind of an afterthought. Not exactly the way to bring up happy children.”
“No, I wouldn’t think so.”
Jennifer set a plate of sandwiches on the table and poured chips in a bowl.
“Can I help?”
“Sure. Would you get five glasses and fill them with ice? I made lemonade to go with our sandwiches.”
By the time the girls got to the table, everything was ready.
“I’m starving!” Missy announced as she
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