Tall, Dark and Handsome Neighbor: A Friends to Lovers Romance Read online

  “I was married by your age, Betty.”

  “The world’s different now.”

  “No, it’s not. It’s just the same, no matter how much people want to make it more complicated. A woman needs to do one thing well in her life, to make the best of the rest of it.”

  Another saying I’d heard before was being repeated again.

  “There is nothing wrong with marrying well, Betty.”

  “I know, Mom. I know.”

  I was the one groaning inwardly and I closed my eyes, wondering again, what was I doing here? Did I really need money?

  3

  Nick

  Molly had that look in her eyes again. We just finished not even thirty minutes before, but when a blonde bombshell like Molly decided that she wanted more, the only thing a man could do was to listen to her. I was not strong enough to do anything else. When she gave me those eyes, there was only one thing that would be done.

  We were in my studio, and I had just played her one of my new songs. It wasn't necessarily written for her, but it could have been. She was one of the many faceless women that I occupied my time with. They were beautiful and sexy and rich and kind of all the same. That wasn't a bad thing, of course. I did love them all in my own way.

  Molly moved a few feet over and climbed up on my lap. She was facing me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I never did get much work done when she was in the studio. She liked to make sure that she was getting all the attention.

  The music played behind us and I wondered if she was as well as I was. When I asked her if she was ready, she smiled at me and agreed.

  It didn't take long to release myself and fix her skirt, then it was around her waist and her panties were pulled to the side. Seconds really, and she was hot and wet around me. I ground out loud which made her giggle and it made me grit my teeth. Molly was every man's fantasy and at the moment, she was mine.

  We weren't that far into it when I heard someone at the front door. No one was supposed to be here. I knew who it was, though. I didn't have to hear his loud, booming voice carrying through the house before I knew exactly who it was.

  “Nick! Nick! I know you're here. I see your car out front, but you're not answering your phone.”

  Molly scrambled off of me, and I was left covering myself with a pillow, and she had some of her clothes pressed up against herself, trying to hide her modesty. I can't say that Molly had much, but in this situation she did.

  “What in the hell!?”

  “Dad, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to be in Billings for the day?”

  “It isn't that far away, son, and I need to talk to you. I keep telling you that you need to answer your damn phone so I don't have to come out here.”

  Molly was just standing there, and I told her that she should probably get out of here. The next few minutes weren’t going to be pleasant, and I didn’t want to subject her to my father for any longer than I had to.

  “I will give you a call later.”

  Dad gave her a dirty look and I walked her to the door. I didn't want her to feel bad about this. It wasn't her fault that my dad was an asshole.

  “I'm really sorry about this, Molly. You know how dad can be. I will make it up to you later.”

  “Yeah, we all know how he is. I will see you later at the club, right?”

  She said it a little too loud and dad said something about how I didn't have time to go to the club. I had work to do and none of it included anything to do with the bar where I played my music.

  “That’s not a real job.”

  She gave me a look and I just responded in kind. A roll of the eyes and a kiss to see her later.

  When I turned around, I wasn't too happy to see Gerald in front of me. When he really pissed me off, I would call him by his first name and even to this day in my late twenties, it bothered him to no end.

  One would think that he would understand that I wasn't like him. I never wanted to be like him. He had spent all of his life chasing money, and I wanted to spend my life chasing freedom. What was the point of getting more than I could even spend in a lifetime? The family had enough. If I made riches in my life, it would be from music, not stuck in a boardroom somewhere.

  Dad was in a tizzy and I could only imagine what it was about. It was always about something that I had done or didn't do right. It was exhausting.

  “I see that you are still not taking your life very seriously. It's the middle of the day and of course you have a girl on top of you. When are you going to grow up?”

  “Molly is just a good friend.”

  “And that is all she will ever be. Do you even know where her family comes from?”

  He said it like it was the most important thing in the world. I didn't care where her family came from. I never had and it wasn't like I needed to marry well. We already had money.

  “You need to keep it that way. She does not come from a respectable family.”

  It wasn't like me and Molly were anything serious, but the way he said it really aggravated me. He made all these assumptions about my life, when in reality, he didn't know anything about it. He didn't know anything about me, except that I let him down on a daily basis. Wasn't that enough?

  “What can I do for you, Dad? I know you're not just here to talk to me about who I'm dating. I know you don't care, so out with it.”

  He smiled. “I really don't, as long as it's not her. You can have your little dalliances, but just remember that at the end of the day, you're representing the family. Make sure you make the right decisions.”

  I can't even count how many times I had been told to worry about the family before my own needs. When I first decided that I wanted to become the guitarist and the singer, my family had been very unsupportive. It was a hobby, a phase that I would grow out of. They never imagined that I would want to make music for a living.

  After working on it for years, the band was finally more than just a few guys in a band. We were playing gigs and even making some money. It wasn't near as much as I could make if I worked with my dad at the company, but there was no amount of money that could pay for the freedom that I have now. The fact that it drove my father crazy was just a bonus.

  “I am not making any decisions. I have no desire to get married. We were just having fun and you interrupted it. Once again, what are you doing here, Dad?”

  “Besides the fact that it's my house?”

  I gritted my teeth. Of course, he was going to remind me that I was saying in his place. Everything was his, so it was easy to imagine.

  “Right, so you came up to Laurel, just to take in the views at your house?”

  “No, son, I came because I need you to make a presence today. I've got a lot riding on a meeting and the man's daughter will be there. I need you to use some of that charm on her. She is from California and should be fun.”

  I looked at him a little strangely. “If I didn't know any better, Dad, I would say that you are trying to pimp me out.”

  Gerald smiled. “You can see it however you want to, as long as you make it there.”

  I agreed to come, because I didn't really have a choice. Whatever it was that was going on, it must have been pretty important for him to come all the way to Laurel to get me. It wasn't too far out of the city, but it was pretty damn far from my father.

  “I will be there, Dad. What time?”

  “Now, son. Take a shower, get dressed, wipe that damn girl off of you, and get your ass down to the company. We have a lot to do today.”

  I agreed, even though I didn't really work for the company. That was one of the biggest contentions between us. He wanted me to take over and start to learn the business, but I had no desire to. I wanted to make music, and making money wasn’t a huge drive for me. If we did get solvent, that would be good of course, but at the end of the day, I had to believe that there was more to life than making paper.

  Dad left not too long after he arrived. Like a whirlwind, he came in and destroyed ev
erything and left without an apology. The more I thought about it, the more upset I became. He shouldn't be able to just come in here and change my whole day, but he did. The house and others like it were some of the reasons I still did these things for my dad. I needed a place and although I loved music, it still wasn't working out quite in the way that I wanted. That meant going with dad’s crazy schemes for a little while longer.

  When he left, I sat back down on the chair and wished that I could call Molly. We were in the middle of something great and even though it wasn't serious between us, it didn't mean that I wasn't craving her just the same. I had work to do. I had to go and impress somebody's daughter, so that their father could make my father richer. Sometimes it all seemed like a waste of time.

  Even though I didn't have much time to spare, I grabbed the guitar off of the couch and started strumming. Before long, I had plugged it back in and I was now drowning out all of my thoughts and feelings with loud music. I don't know why, but my father was probably the only person that could get me so worked up.

  He made me crazy, which was probably one of the driving forces that turned me to music to begin with.

  4

  Betty

  “So, wait, you're telling me that we don't even live in the city?”

  I have to admit, that was a bit of a let-down. Billings was already ridiculously small, but as the car went out of the city and towards the flat land surrounding it, I had to wonder where we were going. Mountains were off in the distance, and I knew then that I was no longer in L.A. Everything was different and country life was not something that I had agreed to. It didn’t get much more country than this place.

  “It’s going to be fine, Betty. You don’t usually complain like this. What is really on your mind?”

  I knew that she was right. It wasn’t just the move, but breaking up with Derek was still bothering me. He had pressured me into things that I didn’t want to do. When I wouldn’t agree to do them, he broke up with me. Now that I was out of Los Angeles, I missed him. It was stupid and made no sense, yet that’s how it was.

  “It’s just a lot going on, that’s all. I don’t know if I am going to be able to find a job, and before you say anything, I know that you don’t think I should have one. But I want one. You said I could have whatever I wanted, and this is it. How can I do this here, though?”

  I wasn’t looking for a real answer. I was actually just trying to say it out loud, make my own decisions.

  “You will do whatever you set your mind to, Betty. I know that you think this career thing is going to work for you, but why can’t marriage be the next step? You know I want grandchildren, though they will have to call me their aunt or something.”

  I just shook my head and didn’t even comment. Sometimes, she really didn’t understand what was going on. It felt like this was one of those times, and it would do no good to take the conversation any further.

  “I am not looking to get married, Mom. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but I don’t.”

  “Well, at least date. You need to open yourself up to new experiences, Betty. It would help you feel like you have control over it. Derek was a while ago, and it’s time for you to move on.”

  Mom was always telling me that I needed to get a man. It would solve all of my problems; she was sure of it. I don’t know why it meant so much to her and when I asked, she would say the same thing. She wanted me to have more experience. With what? I had no idea.

  “It will happen when it happens, Mom.”

  “It needs to happen soon. There is a lot of money and good families that live here. Find a good man and stop worrying about the future.”

  That was her answer to everything. I just nodded my head like I was actually going to listen to her. She was always trying to give me wisdom balls. I knew better than to actually take them, though.

  I agreed, because I didn’t want to argue with her, and watched the scenery playing out through the passenger’s side. I found it better not to ask any more questions. I saw some nice houses, big houses in the distance, and I knew that was where we were going. Leave it to my mom, to find the grandest place that she could get her hands on.

  When she pulled in and the gates opened, I sat back up and started to pay attention. The name of the subdivision was Sterling Heights, and I don’t know how I felt about it. It looked small, less than a hundred houses and as she drove through to the back of the large property, I knew that there were going to be bigger houses ahead. I wanted to think that it wouldn’t be so bad, but it just looked boring. I bet they didn’t even have good music here.

  She pulled in front of one and it was slightly bigger than the rest. It always was and she smiled.

  “It looks great, doesn’t it?”

  I agreed and wondered about her smile. It was bigger than mine. I would have thought that mom would have hated Montana as much as I hated the thought of it, but she wasn’t looking that way at all. It looked like she was actually looking forward to the move. Again, I had to wonder why, but I was just going to have to wait for it to all come off in the wash. Then, maybe I would understand better what’s going on.

  As soon as we opened the door, I heard loud music. I looked around and wondered where it was coming from. It made me smile. It wasn’t anything that I’d heard before, but I instantly loved it. This was my kind of music.

  Mom didn’t agree. Her face wrinkled up like she had smelled something rotten and she shook her head. “Gosh, that sounds as bad as that music you used to listen to in high school. This is horrible.”

  Mom was never going to appreciate good music, and I guess I was going to have to be okay with that. Our moods shifted and I was convinced if music was playing like that, maybe Montana had a soul after all. Mom thought that maybe we should have gotten something more secluded. We were very much different.

  “I can't believe that somebody would be playing that kind of music way out here. When we get in, I'll make sure to call the police and have them go over there and say something to them. I just can't imagine.”

  I could imagine my mom actually doing that, though, and besides being completely embarrassed, I didn't want us to be known as the family that caused trouble for others. My mom had a tendency to blow things out of proportion, and I really thought that this was one of those times. The music sounded good and I told her just to leave it be.

  “I'm sure it's just someone having a bad day. We shouldn't make it any worse by calling the cops on them. It’s not that loud.”

  Mom didn't want to agree but she finally did, and I was glad for it. I didn't think that us being introduced to the neighborhood like that would be a good thing. I was thinking about the future, even though I kept telling myself I wasn't going to stay in Montana long. At first, I thought that I was going to be able to convince my mom into moving back, but now that she was acting like it was the best place ever, I didn't think that she was going to be on my side. I can't express how upsetting that was.

  When we got inside, I was feeling a little bit better about the whole situation. Maybe it wasn't going to be as bad as it seemed. Maybe there were some normal people there in Montana that were like me. They had probably been dragged there by their parents or something. I couldn't think of any other scenario that would find a person so far out from the rest of the world.

  The music played for a little while longer and it really kept my spirits up. I had several engagements that I didn't want to be a part of, but I got ready, nonetheless. I knew better than to argue. If they wanted to have a party to introduce us, who was I to question it? Maybe I would meet some interesting people at the party. I was hoping that we would meet the neighbor, the one that was playing the music. I would be able to ask them about it. I’d never heard it before and wanted to know who it was.

  Everything about Montana was looking up. It sounded crazy, but that's what good music could do. Just hearing it made me think that it wouldn't be so bad. I always tried to be an optimist, and it was a little easier now. Som
ething good would come of this for sure.

  5

  Nick

  I heard about the party that was going on next door. My dad told me that I should come by and say hello. It was a businessman that he was trying to work with and considering that my dad was usually the top dog in the area, it was strange to see him so excited. I told him that I would go later on that night, but I had a set to do at the bar first.

  It wasn't the greatest venue that our band played at, but it was one of the regular places. I always tried to remember where I started. I wasn't too far ahead yet, but I was on my way. Our manager was convinced that all we had to do was keep plugging along, and eventually, everyone would appreciate what we had to offer. That was exactly what I wanted to hear, so I wasn’t sure if I could believe it or not. It could have just been hot smoke after all.

  I didn't tell my dad that I had a set to do first, though. He would have been outside if he knew that I was planning to do a gig.

  I was hoping that I would find Molly at the bar. She said that she was going to come out and listen to my set, and I was hoping I would be able to apologize. Whether my dad felt she was good enough or not didn't matter to me. I thought that we had a good time together and that was all that mattered. I wasn’t too worried about marriage and relationships. I was just trying to have some fun.

  When I scanned the bar and she wasn't there I was put off for a moment, but then I saw the rest of my band mates that were starting to show up, and I knew then I would have to talk to her later. She was probably mad at me from what dad said. I didn't blame her. He could be a jerk, a real jerk. He never seemed to get how rude he was, or maybe he just didn't care. Honestly, with him, it could be either way.

  I saw Tommy coming in and he asked me what was going on.

  “Nothing.”