The Secret Admirer Next Door (Love Next Door Series Book 1) *Editing*

Chapter 7

Day 2. And everything was getting played out. Melanie was as childish as ever. Valerie stabbed the eggs with the spatula. She didn't expect Melanie to react that way. Everyone else was fine, but leave it to her to go out and get drunk and do God knows what with Christian Goodwin. She cringed to think about it. She thought about Christian treating her sister the same way he'd treated that girl he'd left back Texas.

The rumor was he'd had a daughter that he'd been running from and hiding at his father's. She sensed Abe's disappointment. He didn't like talking about it, but it was a dark cloud over the Goodwin household. Valerie wished he would just pack up and leave town and be with his family. The last thing she needed was for Christian to get Melanie pregnant and skip town again.

"Hey, you need help." Dee came up behind her causing her to jump.

"I'm fine."

Dee laughed. "You are burning the eggs, Val."

She looked down, and she even smelled it. She flicked the stove off and trotted the pan over to the sink. She flicked on the cold water and lifted the window. She rushed over to the back door, but before she got it open the there was a loud screeching beep.

She huffed grabbing a towel off of the counter. She strolled into dining area grabbed a chair and brought it over to the smoke detector, waving the smoke again.

"You want a restaurant and you're burning the house down." She heard Dee tease behind her. She rolled her eyes, she didn't need this. She knew she could cook and she had she's had experience working at the diner through and a she'd even been an assistant chef.

She shook it off. "Go wake everybody up."

"Breakfast isn't even ready." Dee protested.

"Just go."

Dee scoffed and left. It was like they were kids again. She didn't know how she did it before. It was like an endless cycle. She had to live her life for her family. She felt herself drowning. She looked at the full trash and decided to take it out before she started breakfast again. The cool air gave her space to think, she was tempted to pick up smoking again.

* * * * *

His thick cowboy boots squished in the tall wet grass. Abe loved the smell of fresh rain when he was younger, but now he was just pissed the high grass would make his all wet and mucky for his date. He wouldn't have been surprised if Olive Nelson's father a stern Bible thumping, holier than thou bastard told him to to get out of his yard. He didn't care about that. He almost wanted to go by her window, but he'd promised Olive a date a real date and she had told him 'no' because of her daddy and he promised her he'd do it right.

He'd unlocked his garage and greeted the other woman in his life. Listie was his '73 midnight blue Mustang. He loved how she purred like a kitten. He'd fixed her up just the way he'd liked her and he was proud of her.

For a moment he wasn't looking at the shed he kept her in he was felt turf under his feet. He looked up and there she was. His Liv wearing a flowy peach dress, not pink peach, her favorite color. She'd talked about having their wedding be those colors. They'd been dating for a few months and he was about to go off to college. She was sitting on his mustang and he joined her holding her dainty body in his arms.

Her eyes almost looked violet. She was a beauty, it ripped his heart out leaving her here for another man. She was going to college closer to home. He was going to play football for Ole Miss. He tangled her fingers in his fingers. He loved the halo of golden locks on her head. She was an angel. His angel.

"I'm gonna miss you so much baby." The smell of her was of warm apple pie, she made it for him all the time, because she knew it was his favorite.

That's when the a realization came in. He was dreaming. She wasn't here. He closed his eyes and savored her afraid she would vanish. He needed to relish in this. In her for as long as he could breath her in. "I miss you Livie."