Chapter 3

"Liza Minnelli, sit!" I demanded of the little diva. She just stared up at me with those deep brown eyes. She was demanding and belligerent and always had been. I spent years in classes trying to train her, but she was exactly who she was. An old diva with a bad hip. Just like her namesake.

"Liza Minnelli, please sit?" I begged. She turned her head and licked her ass. "Don't do that. Good grief." I bent my head in shame as Liza went to town on her hindquarters. I noticed a maroon station wagon parked a little way down the street.

Liza put her right side down on the ground to gain better leverage for her licking. "Well, I guess that's kind of a sit. Good girl?" I was a shitty dog owner when it came to training and apparently being the alpha with my dog. Liza Minnelli, my adorable ten-pound mutt, was the one in charge of our relationship. The dog trainer, I am sure, laughed at me behind my back. Why not? Everyone seemed to these days. She did give very good, even if they were stinky, kisses. I loved her, and she was my one and only constant in this place.

"Why do you embarrass me?" I groaned as one of my neighbors approached us. I had a few persnickety neighbors, so I made sure to keep her in the grass area of the curb and not on any of their lawns.

"Hi, David. I see Liza is enjoying herself. Get it?" Bea snorted. She always found herself funny, especially when the joke was pointed at someone else.

"Yeah – yeah. She's always cleaning."

"Maybe she needs her glands squeezed?"

"Nope. She just had it done. She just likes to… clean herself, a lot."

"She certainly does. So, are you ready to be our grill master this weekend? Pam and I have been excited about it all week. I love it when this block gets together for a bit of excitement. Remember last year on Memorial Day when Stevie got drunk on Pam's margaritas and had to be carried home? Such fun!" She giggled and bent down to pet Liza Minnelli. "Who's a good girl, Liza? You are! Yes! You are!"

Liza rolled over onto her back and offered her belly like the hooker she was when it came to a good petting. "Hey, Bea. Have you seen anyone new move in recently?"

"Well, the Dixons moved into the condo beside yours about four months ago." She stood up and stared over at the large brick building that stood beside mine. "I think it was about four months ago. Old lady Haley, who passed away a couple of years ago – it was her place. Don't you remember all of that? Her kids contested the will because she left the place to some old friend of hers who used to come over. Well, why not? That person was one of the only people who ever came to visit her. But they were in court about it for a while, and I guess they settled somehow. I don't really know who I'd ask about it. But the Dixons bought it. I met the mother. She's about my age – maybe a little older. She's nice. She and the family are supposed to come to the cookout. It could be closer to a year now… Time, dude. It"s elusive."

"Family? How many are there? How did I not know I had new neighbors?"

"Well, you do work a lot and only get out to walk Liza most of the time."

"I walk her a lot, though."

"I guess you just didn't notice. Maybe you were out of town? Who knows, child? But yes, there are four of them. I can't remember their names, though. But it's her and her husband, and… They do walk their two dogs quite a bit. One is pretty shaggy and always looks like it's excited to be on a walk."

"That's every dog on the street. But I do think I've seen a guy walking a greyish-shaggy dog and a golden retriever a couple of times. I just assumed he lived on another street."

"I think that's him. He walks with a bit of a limp."

I nodded. "They have kids?"

"Yeah, twins. I think they're in college, maybe? One of them has short dark hair and drives that maroon station wagon over there, and the other has long hair and always has headphones on. They"re quiet boys."

"He drives that maroon station wagon?" I laughed. "I almost ran him over with my car. I thought he was… never mind." Well, that mystery was finally solved.

Bea grinned widely. "He looks just like that boy from the Twilight movies. I know. Pam swore we had another celebrity in town when she saw him crossing the street. But I've seen him walking the dogs a few times, so he's definitely the other son."

"I am flummoxed. I was positive it was Taylor Lautner when I almost killed him. My friend Zane, you've met him, he…"

"Snarky? Super gay? Yes, I've had the pleasure."

"Yeah, that is him. He looked Taylor up on Instagram, and he was overseas, so… I knew it wasn't him, probably. But it was still fun to think it might be him. So, he's their son? Huh."

"You're fucking hilarious. You're way too old for him, even if he was on our softball team, which I doubt. Have you looked in the back of his station wagon? What kind of gay guy drives that piece of shit around with a bunch of sports equipment in the back? I mean, maybe he coaches?"

I shrugged. He, whatever his name was – I should just call him Taylor until I found out his real name, whoever he was – he was super fucking hot. "Who knows, Bea? At least he improves the scenery around here."

"That he does, except for that car. It's an eyesore." She snorted. "Anyway, you and Miss Liza have a nice walk, and I'll have my famous barbecue chicken breasts for the grill. Pam bought enough for the entire city, so we'll have plenty. Are you sure you don't want Pam or I to help you grill, hon? Every time we do this, you get stuck behind that metal beast, just sweating as everyone drops off their meat. We'd be happy to help."

"I enjoy it," I grinned. "Besides, there's not enough room for two people on the grill anyway. It's big, but it's not a kitchen. I'm fine, but thanks, Bea. I do appreciate it."

"Well, if you change your mind." She reached down and patted Liza Minnelli on the head sweetly. "Be a good girl for Daddy. See you, David."

"Bye, Bea." I waved and looked down at my sweet fur baby. "Well, Liza Minnelli, should we finish our walk, or are you done?"

Her little tail wagged, and she pranced with her front paws excitedly. I knew what that meant, so we walked a little further down the street. Liza smelled every smell that she could. I always said she was checking her smell-mail when she did this. As she was sniffing an apparently great scent, I noticed that we were standing in front of Taylor's station wagon. I glanced into the back, and there, just like Bea said, were a couple of soccer balls, a baseball glove, and a bat. Somehow, that made the idea of him even more appealing.

I had fixated on him for weeks and hadn't even seen him again. He was just the kind of guy I pined for. A hot, hard-bodied jock with the face of a movie star – literally. That was why I was alone and obsessing over a guy I hadn't even met. I mean, he could be a total dick, right? But in the end, this meant nothing. I could obsess and find out everything I could about him, but what good would it do me? He was young and gorgeous, and I was not any of those things. Hell, I wasn't really any of those things when I was in my twenties. I had always acted like an old cat lady who preferred to stay locked behind her door, safe and secure.

I was pathetic.

I had always been scared of my feelings when it involved another person.

I was lonely and pathetic – and sad.

I was a weird conundrum of oddities, but I longed for more. I just didn't know how to get it. I surrounded myself with witty and older gay guys who made me feel loved and protected. They were safe. They were my family. But to put myself out there to anyone else – in a romantic way, made me feel terrified of what the consequences might be.

I hadn't always been like I am now. Once, when I was much younger, I let myself fall head over heels for someone else, and he trampled on my heart with his goat hooves and shoved his little devil horns right into my heart. No, not my heart – it was worse than that. He stabbed my soul. I wasn't that same pathetic person anymore. I was a new brand of pathetic these days. I had locked up that part of me that allowed me to be vulnerable, and I hid behind my career. Zane was the only person I still spoke to who even knew about that part of my life. Satan took the rest of our friends. I didn't even try to keep them. I didn't even tell them the truth.

I hadn't been good enough for him. His words – not mine. I was boring, and he wanted adventure. I was a homebody, and he wanted disco. I was a six, at best, and he was a total nine. I was a Pisces, and he wanted a Gemini because that would meld better with his Aries personality. That one actually made me want to murder him.

Zane was the only one who saw how destroyed I had been. I didn't return the calls of my other friends, and then one day, I saw them all at a distance with my ex – the devil himself. He also had a blond boy with him and was holding his hand. He moved on quickly, which didn't surprise me. But it did make the pain worse.

Yeah… I was lonely. It had been almost fifteen years since that happened, and in those fifteen years, not one single exciting thing had ever happened to me when it came to love. Was I still that broken, or was I just a pathetic, scared man who knew he wouldn't survive if he ever felt that way again?

"She's cute," a deep voice said, breaking me out of my reverie. I spun around.

"Ah… She's Liza Minnelli!" I shouted as I saw the tall, broad-shouldered Taylor Lautner lookalike who stood in front of me wearing a black tank top and gym shorts. His biceps had biceps, and my mouth went instantly dry. What the fuck? I was a moron.

"I didn't know that Liza was a shifter. She does seem much happier this way. Does she miss being a celebrity?" He winked, and my knees went weak.

"She's… uh… very… uh… pop… popular on the street. But I think she misses the stage." I managed to mutter as I quickly diverted my eyes away from the dark-haired young man. I felt dirty ogling him now that I knew he was just a person and not a celebrity. Which was stupid, and I knew that, but his parents lived here, and… And I was a dirty older man who was going stupid over a young college boy because he was hot. That was it. I didn't know him. He was just hot – fucking super-hot, but still.

"Did she bring her Oscar when she moved in?" He chuckled deeply. "Can I pet her?" He grinned.

Liza had already made that choice for him since she was practically humping his leg. "Sure. She loves belly rubs."

"All dogs do. Don't you wish life were that simple for us?" He bent down and scratched Liza behind the ears. She instantly fell to the ground and rolled over. He laughed as he scratched her belly. She wiggled on the ground like an earthworm from the pleasure. I was a tad jealous.

"You just moved here, right? Small town – nosy neighbors." I recovered – reminding myself not to come across like a stalker.

"Yep. Our parents wanted to move to a small town, so here we are. It's nice. All right, Liza, I have to go meet some friends right now, but I'll give you more pets when I see you next time." He stood up and glanced over at me. "Nice meeting you."

Before I could say another word, he was opening his car door and sliding inside.

I waved as he made a quick three-point turn and headed away from our cul-de-sac.

I was definitely an idiot. I didn't even get his name.