The Neighbor [The Complete Collection] by Abby Weeks Read Free Book Online Page A

left a red scar about three inches wide on the inside of her arm.
    She went and lay on the couch and flipped through daytime television shows. It was a warm, sunny day outside and she knew she should be outside making the most of it but she just felt too depressed. She watched the mindless television and tried not to think of Ben and his slutty secretary. She didn’t understand why it affected her so deeply. After all, she’d already known about the affair. But it did affect her deeply. It cut like a knife.
    She fell asleep on the sofa in front of the television. When she woke she looked at her watch and saw that it was four PM. She’d wasted most of the afternoon. The burn on her arm ached and she regretted doing that to herself. She got more ice from the freezer and soothed it as much as she could. Then she went upstairs for another shower. She ended up lying in the bath for another half hour with her arm out of the water. She knew she had to find a way to pull herself out of this malaise but she didn’t know how to do it. She was afraid of what would happen when Ben realized how depressed she was. Things would come to a head and she wasn’t ready for that.
    After the bath she got dressed in some sweats and tied her hair back. She ordinarily wouldn’t go out in public dressed like that but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She got in her car and drove to the local grocery store. Inside the store, she wandered aimlessly down the aisles, throwing mostly snack food into her cart. They did need groceries but she wasn’t in the mood for buying real food, especially if Ben wasn’t even joining her for dinner. She bought Oreo flavored ice cream, microwave popcorn, chips and salsa, all things she usually wouldn’t allow herself. There was also a machine that rented movies and she put her credit card in the slot and choose a couple of romances at random. She threw them in the cart on top of the snack food and made her way to the checkout.
    Just as she got there she saw someone familiar. It was
him,
the neighbor! He was all the way down one of the aisles but he was unmistakable. He was wearing slacks and a golf shirt and Janey knew she would recognize that perfect posture anywhere. He was tall and straight and had a way of walking that made him look confident and in control.
    In a rash decision she turned her cart down the aisle he was in and walked straight toward him. If she’d been thinking straight she would have realized this was not the right time at all to let him see her close up for the first time. She’d been crying most of the day and her eyes were red and puffy. She hadn’t done her hair or applied her makeup very well and she looked a complete mess. She was dressed in flip-flops and sweats like some trailer park wife. She really shouldn’t have been approaching him but she couldn’t help it.
    She needed him.

III
    T HE NEIGHBOR WAS HANDSOME. She had to give him that much. He looked distinguished and intelligent and athletic. His hair was white but full and his skin was tanned to a light, golden brown. He looked like he’d just come off a boat. He was wearing the brown leather shoes she’d seen men on boats wear.
    She walked after him down the aisle. He was at the far end, picking up a few groceries. He rounded the corner to the next aisle and Janey ran down after him. She went around the corner and there he was, right in front of her, trying to decide which type of barbecue sauce he liked best.
    It was only then that Janey realized how rash she’d been. She looked a complete mess and probably seemed crazy chasing some complete stranger around the store. She wished she hadn’t run after him. She didn’t have nice clothes on or any makeup. She’d become one of those women who wandered around the grocery store like a ghost while her husband cheated on her at the office.
    Her cart was practically touching his. He was standing there with a surprised look on his face. He hadn’t expected to run into her