"Have a good day at school?" Avery asks as Piper reaches the garage.
"Meh, it's school."
"Hey, sweetheart," I say, extending my arms to hug her.
Denied.
Apparently thirteen year olds no longer like to hug their dads. Especially in front of someone else.
My heart sinks into my gut. It's just another sign I'm losing my little girl.
"Are you guys planning our shopping trip?" Piper asks, looking between me and Avery.
"Yep," Avery says, ignoring me. "We're all set. The mall on Saturday."
Acid turns in my stomach. The fucking nerve. My jaw clenches.
Piper jumps up and down and yells "Thank you, Dad!"
She bounces her way to me and flings her arms around me. I wrap my arms tight around my baby girl and swing her around the way I used to. God, this is good. I'd do anything to make Piper happy.
"Just be sensible," I say. "Don't make Avery stay there for hours, and don't spend too much money."
"Can I have extra allowance?" she asks, looking up at me.
"Of course. But you don't have to buy your stuff from your allowance, I'll give you other money for that."
Piper squeals and says, "Oh my God, you're the best dad ever."
I set her down to rub my ear.
"Stop saying ‘oh my God,'" I say.
"I have to pee," Piper says, and runs into the house.
Lifting the beer can to my mouth, I take a long pull, wondering what the fuck to say to Avery. Don't interfere with my parenting. You should've asked me if I was okay with the shopping trip first.
Don't hurt my baby girl.
Avery doesn't say anything. She watches as I suck down the rest of the beer she brought me. Was it her idea of a peace offering?
The only peace offering that would work is an apology for sticking her nose where it doesn't belong.
I drop the can on the garage floor and stare into her eyes.
"Guess we're done here. I have to get back to work."
Without waiting for her to respond, I turn and duck my head back under the hood.
"Is this a Mustang?"
Why isn't she leaving? Is she trying to find another part of my life to stick her nose in?
I grunt.
"I've never been in one. But I've always wanted a ride in an old Mustang," she says. It's her smoothest, sexiest, radio dj voice.
The tool I'm holding falls from my hand and clatters against the metal of the engine and my dick springs to life.
I grunt again, needing her to leave. Now. Before I give her a ride she'll never forget.
"That's it?" she says. "Seriously? It's been a pleasure talking to you. Really. We should have beers more often, neighbor."
I clear my throat, and sink a little deeper against the car. I need to stop interacting with her.
Avery
What a jerk. I slam my front door behind me as I retreat into my house.
That didn't go according to plan. The idea was I bring him beer and he turns out to be a really great guy who's going to be a fabulous neighbor and help me with all sorts of things, like clearing my gutters.
How did Piper end up being so vivacious with him as her father?
It must be from being so damn hot. When he ducked out from under the hood of that car, I gulped. I, Avery Sloane, actually felt nervous.
I never feel intimidated when talking to anyone. Especially not a man.
But damn, his tight t-shirt didn't leave any doubts about how muscular he is. And his arms were covered in some of the sexiest tattoos I've ever seen. All cars and car-related stuff, for once someone whose tattoos represent who they are instead of who they dream of being. He even smells like his tattoos.
When he came and took the beer from my hand, I was overcome by his delicious scent. A combination of grease, oil, sweat and him. Somehow it mixed together to send his already raw sex appeal into the stratosphere. The closer he came to me, the more heat I felt burning inside me.
What a shame.
Though it's probably a good thing. At least now I'm not tempted by him.
After pouring the rest of my beer down the kitchen sink, I head up to my fake bedroom to get some work done.
I've already filmed two videos this morning. Both were part of my Ask Avery Anything series. People either email or message me questions about sex, and I answer.
Today's questions were how to deal with bad breath and how far should you go to act out your girlfriend's fantasies. I can get quite passionate when answering, it's what my viewers love and expect.
Now I have to edit the videos I just shot. My cluttered desk is in front of the window, and I sit at it, facing out the window.
Outside, I can see Knox working on his car. More specifically, I can see his muscular frame moving around the car as he works on it. My fake bedroom is on the second floor, but it's on the side of his garage and I'm actually physically close to him.
I fight the urge to open the window and yell at him.
Focus. I have to forget about having to live beside him for the next however many years and think about work. God, I hope he moves.
Maybe moving to this town was a mistake. Maybe I should've stayed in Cincinnati.
Depressed, I FaceTime Darla. Her red hair fills the monitor.
"Hey, babe. What's up?"
"Nothing."
"Doesn't look like nothing," she says, exaggerating a frown.
"You know, it's just getting set up in a new town where you don't know anyone. I just wanted to talk to a friend, is all."
The second I say it, I curse myself and brace for her lecture.
"Tell me you've gone out and met people."
Ugh.
"Actually, as a matter of fact I've met my next door neighbor."
She mock smiles in surprised approval. "Very good. What's she like?"
"It's a he, actually," I say, wondering why I brought Knox into this.
"Is he hot?" Darla leans into the webcam in anticipation.
"Whoa, how do you know he's not eighty?"
"That wasn't the question. You can be eighty and be hot, you know. Now spill."
"He's a single dad, to this really cool thirteen-year-old girl."
"So he's single, excellent. Is he also hot?"
"You have a one-track mind," I say, chuckling.
"Yes, now answer the question."
"Let's just say you won't be disappointed when you come visit."
"Fuck, yeah, baby. Are you sure you don't want him for yourself?"
"No thanks, he's actually a dick."
"As long as he knows how to use his, he can be all the dick he wants."
"Easy girl," I say, giggling.
Movement outside the window catches my eye. Knox is standing, moving around the back of his car. I quickly point my laptop out the window.
"What's that?" Darla asks.
"It's him. Tell me when you see him," I say, moving the laptop. I can't see the laptop screen to know if he's showing in view or not.
"Down more. More. Holy fuckballs, babe," Darla says and whistles.
"And that's from far away. You should see him up close." I pause and add, "And smell him."
"Damn. Why does he have to be an ass shat?"
"That's what I keep asking myself," I blurt.
"You should totally fuck him."
I burst out laughing. "As if. He won't even have a conversation with me. Not that I want to sleep with him anyway, he's my neighbor and that would be messy. I just want to have a normal, neighborly relationship."
"So you won't mind if I fuck him when I come visit?"
"Good luck. Actually, probably a good idea. If you sleep with him, maybe you can convince him to be civil to me."
"Hey, babe."
"Yeah?"
"His face is just as good, too. He's standing staring straight at the webcam."
"Fucking hell! Why didn't you say anything?" I shriek as I yank the laptop away from the window as fast as I can.
What do I do? He's going to think I'm a weirdo. He'll be ruder than he already is.
Oh God, what if he starts asking questions. What if he digs into me and finds out what I do?
"You okay?" she asks.
"No, I'm not okay. How am I going to explain that?"
"It's no big deal, just tell him your friend is coming to visit and wanted to check out the goods on offer."
"You know what, I take it back. You're not allowed to sleep with him."
"What? Why?"
"Because … because."
"That isn't an answer, but I get it. I'm leaving him for you. You've clearly got the horn on for him."
"I do not." I say, daring a glance out the window at him. "He's eye candy, nothing more."
I force myself to remember the rest of my time in the garage, and how he wouldn't even have a normal, civil conversation with me, especially after Piper went inside.
Jerk.
"That's fine, you need some eye candy after Nathan anyway."
My heart wrenches again. Like the whole Knox thing isn't bothering me enough, why did she have to go and say that name?
"Nathan can fuck himself," I say, my teeth gritted.
"Want to hear the latest?"
"No! Wait, fine, tell me."
"His fiancée is his younger sister's old college roommate. She came to visit his sister, they met, and ended up engaged," she says, pointing to her ring finger.
"Poor girl, doesn't she have any standards?"
"I know, right?"
"I don't understand why I stayed with him so long. He was so boring – in and out of bed."
Why did I waste so much of my life with him? Sure he was charming at first, but he stopped trying pretty damn fast. By that point we were living together, and it was too comfortable, I suppose.