Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Nash Kendrick stood on his balcony observing the woman in the green swimsuit. She must be the new resident in the condo directly across from his. Not wanting to spy on her but doing it anyway, he stared at her as she entered her condo. Her drapes were open; she put something on her patio table, then went inside. While he couldn’t discern her facial features, he decided that if they matched with the rest of her, she must be a knockout.

He stepped away from the window, a grin on his face. He wondered if Penny would approve of their new neighbor. Probably not, because she was extremely possessive.

Nash had allowed himself to get behind on grading last week’s math tests. He planned to spend the remainder of the weekend catching up. He enjoyed teaching math more than he’d thought he would. Numbers came naturally to him. He never imagined he would be teaching math to high school seniors, but he’d also never thought the investment firm he’d spent most of his adult life working at would go bankrupt. After all the lockdowns, New York City became a ghost town. He’d hung around for a few months—he’d never been a quitter—but a year without work sent him to Florida, his home state. Now, two years later, when all the pandemic hoopla had died down, he was glad he’d decided to return to the Cove. He enjoyed his new job way more than he’d thought he would, and he’d learned last week that he’d been accepted as a chaperone for the senior class’s spring break trip to Miami Beach. His students didn’t give him any trouble for the most part. Though he would wait to form an opinion of how they behaved in Miami.

His grumbling stomach sent him to the kitchen. A salad from Vittles, which was just on the verge of spoiling, was part of his meal for the night. He could’ve ordered a pizza, but he wasn’t one to waste food, so he dug into the salad and added extra dressing to mask the soggy lettuce. He took out a frozen lasagna and put it in the microwave. A few minutes later, he removed the lasagna, took a tentative bite, and decided it wasn’t all that bad.

He cleaned up, then took a can of beer from the refrigerator and the stack of math tests out to the lanai. The weather was perfect, and if he just happened to glimpse his new neighbor, he might wave at her. But no—he couldn’t do that. She’d think he was a stalker or something. Men had to be very careful around women in today’s world. One small mistake could be misconstrued and there would go his career.

Nash popped the tab off his beer can and proceeded to grade the exams. When he finished, he felt a bit let down that he hadn’t seen his neighbor. But just as he had the thought, he saw her step out onto her lanai. She wore dark shorts and a green University of Miami T-shirt. He would bet green was her favorite color or that she’d attended the university—or both. He’d say odds were in his favor if he were a betting man, which he had been in his former life. Sort of.

She propped her long legs on the railing, a book in one hand, a glass in the other. She was too far away for him to see the title or what was in her glass. He continued to observe her. Taller than most women, he thought. Maybe she was a fashion model. If she wasn’t, she could’ve been. Though he hadn’t seen her up close. She might be homely, with missing teeth. He laughed aloud at his thoughts.

His laugh was loud enough to be heard. His neighbor lowered her book and looked in his direction before returning to her reading. He should probably go inside, but he didn’t see any harm in lounging a while longer. Penny wasn’t home, so he didn’t have to worry about her. He would check in later to see how she was. He hadn’t had much alone time since he’d taken responsibility for Penny, so he enjoyed this bit of freedom. He knew that when she came home, he would have his hands full. With four little ones, it would be challenging the first few weeks. He’d read several books on their care, so if he needed help, he’d refer back to those resources. Caring for four dachshund puppies and Penny would be a breeze.

He knew he couldn’t keep all the pups. Once they were weaned, he would think about finding homes for them, but Nash would deal with that when he had to. Penny’s labor had been progressing nicely when he’d left her at the clinic. He’d made all the arrangements as soon as he found out she’d had a rendezvous with Henry, his mother’s doxie. He’d told his mom he would give her one of the pups. She was so excited. Nash wondered whether she would be as enthusiastic if he ever married and had children. Again, he laughed. Of course she would. He was an only child. His dad had passed away while he was in college, so it had been just he and his mom for a while. She’d worked part-time at the local veterinarian’s office and became attached to Henry, who’d been a puppy when someone dumped him at the vet’s office. She’d volunteered to foster him. That was five years ago. After hanging around Henry, Nash had also acquired a love for the breed and adopted Penny. She was the copper color of her namesake and he adored her. He often brought her to class with him. His students loved her as much as he did. She was a good girl in the classroom. Knowing there would be many extra treats, she cozied up to the kids.

Nash was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed his neighbor was no longer on her lanai. She probably has a date, he thought as he took the stack of papers inside with him. He closed the glass door but kept the blinds open. People around the condo spent plenty of time outside. He was sure to see her again.

Deciding to put all thought of his neighbor aside, Nash called the vet clinic. Penny was still laboring and, according to Dr. Mellow, she was doing great. Relieved, he took a hot shower and settled in for the evening. Penny would be fine. The math tests were graded. Most of his students had done very well. He was proud of them, and Penny too.

He clicked the TV on and scrolled through the guide, searching for something to watch. Nothing interested him. Crime shows and reality shows about women whose lips were the size of small pillows were definitely not his thing. He turned the TV off and decided he’d go for a run. He’d been a runner his entire adult life. He was more of a trotter since he had Penny, but tonight he felt like he needed the endorphins that a good run provided.

He laced up his sneakers and grabbed his cell phone and keys. He would run on the beach. The tide was out; the sand would be packed hard enough for him to run on. With that in mind, he headed to the beach, his head once again filled with visions of the woman on the lanai.