The Sweetest Neighbor, page 1
“The Sweetest Neighbor”
Three Sisters Cafe #3
By Laura Ann
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
THE SWEETEST NEIGHBOR
First edition. June 25, 2022.
Copyright © 2022 Laura Ann.
Written by Laura Ann.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
NEWSLETTER
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
EPILOGUE
DEDICATION
To those who have gone before.
It’s your shoulders we stand on,
and your victories that push us forward.
Thank you to all who made it possible.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
No author works alone. Thank you, Tami.
You make it Christmas every time
I get a new cover. And thank you to my Beta Team.
Truly, your help with my stories is immeasurable.
NEWSLETTER
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PROLOGUE
From the end of “The Sweetest Moment”
MAEVE SMILED AND HANDED a plate full of cake to the next person coming down the table.
“It was a beautiful wedding, wasn’t it?” the older woman said with a smile.
“It was,” Maeve agreed. “Absolutely stunning.” And it had been. Layla had been the perfect little flower girl, Harper had been a stunning bride and Mason, the big teddy bear, had been a handsome and doting groom. The event was everything fairy tales were made of.
She sighed, pushed up her glasses and continued to pass out cake. Maeve absolutely did not want to admit that she was jealous...but...she was jealous. She had felt the same way at Aspen’s reception.
Maeve knew she was excellent at hiding it, but she was lonely. She spent her time behind a calculator and a set of glasses she didn’t really need, trying to convince herself that they were all the company she needed, but each night when she went to sleep...the heavy need for more crushed her chest like a two ton weight.
“Oh my gosh, did you see him?”
Maeve frowned at her sister. “Who?”
Estelle sidled closer and dropped her voice. “Mason’s brother...Crew.” She shook her head slowly. “I think that might be the most handsome man I’ve ever met.” She fanned herself playfully. “Too bad he doesn’t live here.”
Maeve nodded. “Yeah...Cali’s a bit of a commute.”
Estelle sighed longingly, her eyes still focused across the room. “Guess that just means I should make the most of tonight, right?”
Maeve knocked their shoulders together. “Right. Go get ’em, Tiger.”
Estelle scowled in a teasing way before sauntering away.
Maeve deflated when her sister left. If only she had the excuse of a long commute...
Laughter caught Maeve’s attention and she couldn’t help but look. She knew she shouldn’t...after all, she knew exactly who was having such a grand time...but as always, the sound of Ethan’s voice drew her like a scientist to a boiling beaker.
Ethan was dancing on the small wooden floor that had been placed in the middle of the reception hall for that exact purpose. Layla was in his arms and the little flower girl was leaning back, while he spun them in a circle. Dark curls flew through the air and then Ethan would stop, pull the toddler in and together they would laugh.
Maeve’s eyes roamed his face. She could have described it in her sleep. A strong, slightly square jaw that was clean shaven today, though he often left just enough scruff to be attractive. Straight, white teeth that he flashed around all the time, as if his smile wasn’t enough to stop traffic. Medium brown hair that he kept just a little too long, which was perfect for showing off the surfing highlights he got every summer. Instead of large, bulky muscles like Mason had, Ethan was lean, but she’d seen him without his shirt on enough times to know there wasn’t an ounce of fat on his body.
He was the exact type of man that made women flock to surfing competitions. And his easy-going personality caused those same flocks to stay.
Except when he leaves you.
Maeve jolted when she realized that Ethan had caught her. His hazel eyes were more green than brown today against his suit and when their gazes met, he paused, his smile drooping every so slightly.
Normally, Maeve looked away immediately, but today she felt caught. Like a tractor beam that refused to let go. It wasn’t until Ethan’s face turned hopeful and he started to walk in her direction that Maeve was able to gain control.
“Would you like some cake?” she asked, forcing a smile at the next person in line. She studiously ignored the hard stare from the most handsome man she’d ever known, no offense to Mason’s brother.
It didn’t matter that she had known him since he was a young boy. It didn’t matter that he ate dinner at their house three times a week. It didn’t matter that at one point she’d worshiped the ground he walked on. He had lost her trust back when they were teenagers and Maeve didn’t have the ability to give it back to him.
His choices that fateful day had nearly cost her her life and Maeve was determined not to let his current choices cost her anything else.
According to her family, Maeve was simply too serious for playful Ethan. She was irritated with his happy-go-lucky attitude and only wanted to spend her time crunching numbers.
Maeve did like numbers. They made sense. She always knew what she was going to get when she added or subtracted or ran formulas. There were never surprises, and numbers never left her behind with a laugh or almost killed her.
She pushed up her glasses again. Sometimes they drove her nuts. She didn’t need them. Her vision was just fine, but as she’d gotten older and Ethan had refused to leave her alone, she’d adopted wearing them as a way to create a barrier between her and the persistent neighbor.
It hadn’t worked as well as she’d hoped, but Maeve was too stubborn to admit it and stop wearing them.
“You should take a break and come dance.”
Maeve jumped, nearly dropping the plate she was handing out. “Ethan,” she scolded. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“So you do know my name,” he said with a grin, stepping a little closer. He must have passed Layla off to someone else, since his arms were currently empty.
The soft scent of his cologne hit her and Maeve had to forcefully stop herself from leaning closer. Fate must have a daily laugh at her expense, causing Maeve to fall in love with the one man she couldn’t trust. It was a cruel, cruel joke and Maeve wanted to be free of it.
If only she knew how.
She’s been fighting her growing feelings for years and somehow, over time, they only became more solidified, despite the incident between them.
“Maeve?”
She blinked, coming out of her thoughts. “I’m busy,” she said tersely, turning back to the table.
“I’m pretty sure all these lovely people can pick up their own plate,” he whispered in her ear.
There was no stopping or hiding the shiver that ran down her spine from his closeness. She was completely positive that if she simply gave in, all her loneliness would vanish like one of Aspen’s cakes.
“Why do you fight it so hard?” he asked, a note of pleading in his voice. “Maeve...”
She straightened and stepped away, his words the reminder she needed to snap back to reality. “I’m working, Ethan. Thank you for the invite, but I’m sure you can find someone else to accompany you.”
He sighed and pushed a hand through his hair, messing up the styling job he’d been sporting. “I’ll catch you another time,” he said, turning away.
Someday he’ll get tired of trying, a voice said in the back of her head. And then where will you be? “Satisfied,” she whispered to herself, but the word rang false. The day Ethan moved on to someone more welcoming would be like a sword through her heart, but Maeve didn’t know how to let it go.
She’d almost died, and he’d left, breaking her heart and her confidence in him. That wasn’t something easily rebuilt and each time Maeve thought of forgiving, she broke out in a cold sweat, memories of her near drowning consuming her.
She wanted to be free, but she simply didn’t know how.
CHAPTER 1
Maeve pushed her glasses up onto her head. As helpful of an accessory as they were, right now they were driving her crazy. The numbers in front of her began to swim and she squeezed her eyes shut, pinching the bridge of her nose to try and set things right again.
Blinki
No one had to tell her that she was too old for that kind of behavior, she was fully aware. But she was by herself in her office and there was no one but the computer screens to see her acting like a child.
“I think I need a nap,” Maeve muttered, leaning back and closing her eyes. Her sleep lately had been less than peaceful. For some reason, her stress load felt extra heavy and Maeve’s brain was refusing to relax even though what she needed most was a break.
“You look like you need a piece of cake.”
Maeve cracked open one eye. “You’ve gotten sneaky. I didn’t hear the door open.”
Aspen smirked. “I had Austin grease the hinges.”
Maeve smiled. “Niiiiice. Way to put the hubby to work.”
Aspen plopped herself in a chair. “Eh. It keeps him close.” She frowned. “I’ve gotten used to having him at the shop. I hate when he works from home.”
“Spoiled,” Maeve shot out.
“Blessed,” Aspen retorted.
“Argumentative,” Estelle said, entering the space. She put her hands on her hips.
As the oldest daughter, she sometimes was a little too mother-like for Maeve’s tastes, but Maeve knew there was no one who had her back like Estelle did. Their oldest sister was the most trustworthy person Maeve knew...and since trust was something she struggled to give, that was saying a lot.
“Sisters,” Maeve said, essentially ending the conversation. She leaned back in her office chair. “What did I do to earn visits from both of you at once?” Maeve frowned. “Who’s running the front?”
Estelle sighed. “No one. It’s been busy and I was coming back to tell Aspen we need more mint chocolate chip cookies.” She raised an eyebrow at the baker. “But she was in here.”
Aspen nodded. “I’ll get right on that.”
“Thanks.” Estelle smiled. “I’ll get back to duty.” She pointed a finger at Maeve. “You have no idea how nice you have it back here.”
Maeve rolled her eyes. “We can hire a teenager if you want a break,” she said. “Our profit margin is enough to make that work.”
Estelle pursed her lips. “I’ll consider it. I’d really like to build the wedding cake side of our business. I’ve enjoyed decorating the last few we’ve done and having someone else in the front would give me more time for that.”
“Just let me know and we’ll get someone hired,” Maeve said easily. “I think Michael said there were a couple of kids at the school looking for jobs.” Michael, their cousin, was a middle school literature teacher, but their town was small enough that they only had one school campus. All grades, kindergarten through high school, were all on one piece of property, so Michael heard all the gossip whether he wanted to or not.
“I just might take you up on that,” Estelle said before sweeping out of the room.
“Okay, one sister down,” Maeve teased. “What brought you in here? Or was it only to scare me with your new silent door prowess?”
Aspen snorted in amusement. “As tempting as that is...”
Maeve shook her head.
“Actually...I wanted to see how you were doing.”
Maeve waited, but Aspen didn’t speak more. “How I’m doing with what?”
“How you’re handling things with Dad being home.” The words were quiet and filled with concern. Aspen and Maeve’s parents had recently gotten home from a long trip to Italy to see their father’s family. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Antony Harrison had quietly slipped from the limelight as a famous chocolate sculptor and focused on family. Knowing travel would be difficult in the future, he and his wife Emery had gone to visit those who lived too far away for him to visit when the disease progressed.
Now, however, they were home and Maeve and Estelle were adjusting not only to having them back, but how to help their father. He’d been gone nearly a year and the disease had progressed a lot during that time. His life was more difficult than ever and Maeve had to admit the adjustment hadn’t been a fun one.
“We’re making it,” she said. Aspen had gotten married while their parents were gone and didn’t live at home anymore, so she wasn’t there for the day to day struggles. Maeve didn’t blame Aspen for it, but she definitely felt the added weight from having one sister gone. One less set of shoulders to bear the weight was still one less set of shoulders.
“How bad is it?” Aspen asked.
Maeve shrugged. Her head hurt too much for this conversation. “He’s struggling to do things like feed himself,” she admitted. “And I think he fell while getting dressed two days ago, but he won’t admit it.”
“Do we need to build an addition on the main floor?” Aspen’s dark brows were pulled together. She might not still live with them, but Maeve knew her sister cared.
“It’s something to think about,” Maeve murmured. Her brain began to run the numbers. If they hired a teenager, it might be a bit tight to do an addition, but the master bedroom was on the upper floor and those stairs wouldn’t be manageable for much longer.
Maybe I can help out in the front for Estelle so we can save the money.
The thought made her shudder. She wasn’t made for working with the masses.
Aspen snickered.
“What?”
“You were thinking about talking to people, weren’t you?”
Maeve huffed and folded her arms over her chest. “How would you know that?”
Aspen mimicked the movement. “Because I know you, dear sister. Your mind immediately went to paying for the addition, which led you to realize you had just told Estelle we could afford a worker.” She pushed on past Maeve’s snort. “I’m guessing you decided paying for an addition and a worker might be too much.” She held out her hand. “Which means you considered whether or not you could bring yourself to helping out front... Spoiler alert, you can’t.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
Aspen shrugged. “It was either that or you were thinking about Ethan.”
Maeve stilled, then forced herself to relax. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Aspen stood, her grin a little too amused. “Said every person ever, who didn’t want to talk about a certain subject.”
“That many people are talking about Ethan?” Maeve gasped in mock astonishment. “I didn’t realize he was famous.”
Aspen shook her head. “Someday, you’ll tell me why you dislike him so much.”
“Yeah, well...someday is not today.”
Aspen chuckled and slipped out, leaving Maeve to her rioting thoughts. Ethan was the last person Maeve wanted to think about, but once he was in her head, she struggled to get him out. She’d been struggling for nearly eight years, and yet the fight continued.
Someday she’d be strong enough to let it go, but like she’d said earlier...today was not that day.
“YES, SIR...” ETHAN pinched his lips together. “I understand. Thank you so much for calling. Uh-huh...we’ll catch you next time.” Ethan nodded even though the customer couldn’t see him. “Yep. Right. Have a good time. Thanks.” He pressed the button on his business cell and dropped the phone on the counter.
That was the third cancellation this week. The whole summer had been rough, but these last few weeks were the worst. The cold weather was moving in a little earlier than normal and it was driving people out of the water, making Ethan’s surf lessons drop off several weeks earlier than normal.
He grabbed the mouse in front of him and woke up his computer screen. Maybe he had an online order or two to help offset this latest setback. He frowned. Traffic on his website was staying similar to other years, but orders had been low.
All in all, the year had not been one of his best. Just what he was going to do about it, however, remained to be seen. Fall should be one of his busiest times of year, not his slowest.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. He had a group lesson in an hour. That should help. It was a full class, which should definitely help keep him going even with the cancellations. Personal lessons were more money, but group lessons were more steady.
