Husband Next Door

Of course, Eric wasn’t anything like Shelly’s father. But she was going to be careful nonetheless.

“You know,” Aaron said, startling her from her reverie, “I was thinking of asking you the same question.”

Shelly frowned, trying to pick up the thread of the conversation. “What are you talking about?”

He sipped his coffee. “I was thinking of asking you to marry me.”

Caught by surprise, Shelly felt her heart speed up. Finally she managed a laugh.

Aaron brought all four legs of his chair back to the floor with a thud. “I guess that means no,” he said, his tone ironic.

“You haven’t asked me the question.” Only when the words were out of her mouth did she realize she’d given him the perfect opening.

Aaron pushed aside his coffee cup and leaned across the table. Before Shelly could pull away, he grasped her hands in his and gazed soulfully into her eyes. His touch was warm and firm, and she could feel the slight roughness of his fingers against her palms.

“Shelly,” he said, “will you marry me?”

She gulped. Even though she knew he was kidding— and knew she’d never want to marry him—hearing Aaron say those words made her feel unaccountably shaky. She withdrew her hands from his grasp and said, as casually as she could, “Very funny, Aaron. You’d run screaming if I answered yes.”

“Probably.” He shrugged.

Shelly frowned. Had there been the briefest flicker of something in his eyes just then? She examined his features. No, she told herself, of course not. He leaned negligently back in his chair, his expression bland. He was the same unconcerned Aaron as usual.

His next words, spoken in a musing tone, confirmed her assessment

“It’s too bad, though, since there are tons of advantages. We could get a house together and never have to ring a doorbell to talk. I could cook for you every night. We know each other well, so there wouldn’t be any surprises—not to mention you’d be spared the heartache of deciding whether or not to take my name.”

“There’s no heartache involved,” she said, recovering her composure. She was used to this sort of nonsense from him. “No matter what happens, I’m keeping my name.”

Aaron drummed his fingers on the table. His eyes took on a mischievous sparkle, and he said in a stuffy voice, “For your professional life, certainly, dear. But I really think you should use mine in our social life. It’s so much simpler that way.”

Shelly shook her head, smiling.

“Of course, if you really wanted to be fair, we could hyphenate. Both of us. We’d be Shelly and Aaron Carpenter-Carpenter. How’s that?”

“Please, Aaron. Give me a break already. You’re only doing this to tease me.”

He didn’t deny it, she noticed.

She sighed. “Not to mention the fact that it makes you seem desperate when you ask a woman to marry you right after another man has proposed. Desperation is not attractive.”

Aaron shrugged again. “So I’m desperate.”

“Right.” The idea of Aaron being desperate was ludicrous. Even if he could bring himself to commit—which was highly improbable—it wouldn’t be to a plain old security seeker like her. “What happened to all that soul mate business?” she challenged. “Somehow I can’t believe your knees went weak and your stomach tied itself in knots the first time you saw me.”

Aaron didn’t say anything.

“Anyway,” she couldn’t help adding, “if we were soul mates, you’d have proposed to me a long time ago. Soul mates don’t wait until the last minute.”

“How was I supposed to know it was the last minute?” Aaron got up and poured himself another cup of coffee. “If you’re not going to marry me, will you at least do the dishes?”

Obviously, she thought, he’d grown tired of the conversation. Which only proved how lightly he’d taken it. He always took everything lightly.

“Of course,” she said. “You cook, I clean. Sometimes I think that’s the only reason you invite me over.” She pushed back her chair and went to the sink.

Shelly told herself to forget his talk of marriage. After all, it had only been another of his jokes. What would Aaron want with her when he could have any woman he chose?

After the past year, it was clear he had no interest in her. Sure, he’d asked to kiss her the first day they’d met, but since then, even in the most romantic situations— candlelight dinners, walks along the beach, intimate evenings watching movies together on her sofa—he’d never done anything more than smile at her in that charming way of his. In all the hours they’d spent together, he’d always been a perfect gentleman. It would be absurd to assume she’d suddenly become irresistible to him.

Shelly knew that. Yet, on the other hand, she couldn’t help wondering if Aaron was truly happy with his constant stream of girlfriends. Maybe, she thought, he did long for someone special in his life, even though it wasn’t her. Maybe he longed for someone who’d be more than a casual date, a person who could give him the deeper satisfaction of trust and commitment….

But if that was the case, would he ever admit it?

Probably not. Unchallenged, he’d probably continue with his womanizing ways forever, unable to face the fact that something was missing.

She couldn’t let him do it—couldn’t let him ruin his life like that.

Shelly finished loading the dishwasher, then cleaned and dried Aaron’s cookware. Finally she faced him with a damp towel in her hands.

She had to save him.

Chapter Two

Shelly twisted the towel around her fingers. Aaron wasn’t going to like what she had to say, but she couldn’t let that stop her. His future happiness was at stake, and she had to get him to see the seriousness of his situation.

She met his eyes across the kitchen. “I’m worried about you, Aaron.”

He blinked. “Oh? How’s that?”

“Do you really want to be alone your whole life?” she asked gently. “Because if you keep this up, you will be. This continuous line of women parading through here the past year…It’s bad news, my friend, and eventually you’re going to get a reputation you can’t live down.”

“A reputation?” he asked, looking amused.

She ignored the sparkle of humor in his eyes. This wasn’t a laughing matter. “Yes, Aaron, and I’ll tell you how. Imagine this—a woman meets you…she thinks you’re handsome…she’s pleased when you ask her on a date. You show up for the date—well dressed, attentive, a witty and accomplished conversationalist. Another night she comes over for dinner, enjoys a sumptuous meal and who-knows-what other pleasures…” Shelly took a deep breath. “Are you with me?”

Aaron nodded. There was an odd expression on his face.

“So—” she paused for effect “—maybe the third time she’s with you, if she’s lucky—or maybe much later, if she’s like Marcia, and isn’t all that observant—she begins to notice things. Your address book has ten female names for every male one. You tell her the funny story about the time you accidentally scheduled four different dates for the same night. Maybe she finds someone else’s earrings in the medicine cabinet…”

“You saw those, did you?”

“All three pairs, Aaron.” She shot him a look of reproof. “Don’t forget that by now the lady is probably planning for the future. When she takes a close look around, she sees these clues, these little warning signs that show the magnitude of what she’s getting into. She realizes she’s about to spend the rest of her life with a hopeless philanderer. Am I right?”

Aaron raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer.

“I’m glad you don’t try to deny it. We’re friends, and friends tell each other the unvarnished truth.”

“Which is what, in my case?”

“Which is that, well…” She trailed off, then tried again. “From a woman’s perspective, you’re a…a nightmare. There. I’m sorry if that hurts, but it’s the truth.”

Aaron laughed. “That’s hardly new information, Shelly. You’ve been hinting at it for the past year.”

“I didn’t think you’d noticed.” She hung the damp towel over the edge of the sink and joined him at the table.

“Maybe I should make myself a sandwich board saying Aaron Carpenter, Nightmare for Women. I’d certainly spare myself the expense of all these lavish dinners.”

She smiled. “You know, Aaron, your sense of humor is one of the most attractive things about you. But it doesn’t make you a lifetime proposition. You need to follow it up with some substance.”

“So my lack of substance is the problem?”

Shelly scrunched her forehead in concentration. “Not exactly. It’s that you take advantage of the fairy tale that people create around you. You allow these women to imagine you’re the perfect man—by dressing well, listening to them, cooking for them, and so on—and then you drive them away by revealing you’ve done it all before. It’s a brilliant strategy, actually. You never have to dump your girlfriends. They dump you, feeling they’ve had a narrow escape. And you walk away.”

He gave her a sheepish look.

She sighed, exasperated. “Somewhere out there is a woman who can make you give up your carefree ways— but she won’t have anything to do with you once word gets out. You’ll lose your only chance at happiness, if you don’t reform yourself immediately.”

Aaron was silent a moment, absorbing her words. “Okay,” he said at last. “Maybe you’re right….” He tilted his head. “But how do you know I’m looking for something permanent?”

Shelly groaned. “Everybody looks for something permanent. Everybody needs security and companionship. You’re no different from the rest of us, Aaron Carpenter.”

“True…. I don’t like to admit it, but my old life-style isn’t as satisfying as it used to be.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. She’d suspected as much, but never thought he’d say it out loud.

“If the right woman would have me,” he added, “I’d be happy to settle down.”

The right woman? Could it really be as simple as finding the right woman? A strange knot formed in her stomach, but Shelly ignored it. “And she would have you,” she said. “If you’d start doing things right.”

Aaron studied her without speaking. He seemed to be sizing her up, his blue eyes reflective, his quick mind obviously racing along some line of thought she couldn’t begin to imagine.

She stared back at him, waiting.

“Okay,” he said finally. “I suppose there’s nothing to do but bend to your wishes…. When do we start?”

“Start what?”

“My lessons. On being less of a nightmare for women. On becoming a lifetime proposition.”

She held up her hands. “Oh, no. That’s not my problem.”

“Shelly, you can’t just pronounce sentence on me without allowing a means of salvation. If I’m going to reform myself, I’ll need a good teacher.”

“Then look in the yellow pages, because it’s not going to be me! Some other brave soul can try to fix you.”

He wore a wounded expression. “But you’re perfect for the job. You already know all my faults—which means we’d save time—and you know what women want Plus, I trust you.”

She felt her resistance slipping. “I don’t know, Aaron….”

He was right, she realized. If someone else helped Aaron, assuming he could talk them into it, he’d have to waste countless hours explaining his past behavior to them—hours that could be better spent improving his character.

And she did know all the ways he needed to improve.

Aaron shook his head sadly. "I thought you’d help me out of friendship, but I guess I was wrong….” His voice trailed off; he looked like a lost puppy.

It was a difficult look to ignore. Against her better judgment, she said, “Oh, all right. I’ll help you. No guarantees, though.”

He smiled. “Fair enough. Actually, that reminds me— what if we’re successful and it still doesn’t make any difference?”

“It will.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. You’ve neglected to consider an important point, Shel. What if it’s the woman who’s at fault?”

“Not likely.” She winked at him. “Correcting that little misapprehension will be the first step toward molding you into a new man.”

Aaron leaned forward. “I’m serious. What if my perfect woman judges me without really knowing me? What if she jumps to conclusions based on my colorful past and never sees that I’ve changed?”

He had a point, Shelly thought. It could happen. Not only did he have a colorful past, but also a dazzlingly handsome face and a lean, elegant body. Even if he managed to reform himself on the inside, he’d probably always look like a rake on the outside.

She didn’t want him to use that as an excuse not to make an effort, however. “Let’s deal with the possibility after you’ve changed,” she said. She smothered a yawn. It was getting late, and she did have the open house tomorrow.

Aaron watched her, his blue eyes thoughtful. “All right.” He carried their coffee mugs to the sink. “Looks as if it’s your bedtime, anyway. I’ll see you to the porch.” He followed Shelly outside and waited while she unlocked her door.

She stepped over the threshold. “Good night, Aaron. Have a nice time with Amelia tomorrow.”

Once inside her own apartment, Shelly lowered herself to the couch and sat there, staring into space for several minutes. Her mind kept replaying their recent conversation as she tried to assure herself Aaron really meant to change. She never would have believed it.

From the first time she’d met him, Shelly had sensed he was incapable of being serious about his love affairs. His humor and charm covered up an intense fear of emotional risk, of emotional vulnerability.

He would be a difficult case.

But if anyone could help him, she could. Shelly knew she had to try. She had to teach him how to lay the foundation for a lasting relationship, or he really would be alone his whole life. And, no matter how many jokes he cracked, she knew that wouldn’t make him happy.

Shelly got up and got ready for bed, reminding herself Aaron’s happiness was, in the end, his own responsibility. She’d do what she could, but she also had other things to think about. Her best friend, Chloe, was moving to San Francisco next week and would be staying with Shelly until she found her own place. And of course there was Eric’s proposal to consider….

She wasn’t too worried about it. Eric was the safest, most stable man she’d ever met. He was the farthest thing from a ladies’ man, and Shelly knew he’d be true to her. Though she still planned to take her time, it wouldn’t be a difficult decision.

The following day Shelly left the legal aid office at half past five and headed for the bus stop. She’d only taken a few steps on the busy downtown sidewalk when she spotted Aaron’s dark blue sports car at the curb up ahead.

“I was in the area,” he said by way of greeting. “How did the open house go?”

Shelly climbed in gratefully and fastened her seat belt. “It was great—no shortage of lawyers this time. How’s the Discovery Center?”

“Can’t complain.” He pulled into the flow of traffic. “I need to pick up some hardware on the way home, if you don’t mind.”

Aaron parked the car in the industrial district. Shelly entered the huge outlet store with him, but stayed at the front near the gardening supplies while Aaron cruised through the aisles, grabbing items off the shelves. Almost every week she accompanied him on some shopping trip or other—he was always buying supplies for different projects with his students.

A former investment banker, Aaron had left the rat race in order to work with children. He now ran an after-school activity group in San Francisco’s Mission District, drawing students from low income families in the neighborhood. Often, the parents had to work two jobs in order to get by, and Aaron’s Discovery Center helped keep their children off the streets. It nurtured the youths’ creativity and self-confidence and gave them a place to belong.

In the course of her own work at the legal aid office, Shelly had been able to refer several families to Aaron’s group. She liked being part of a larger network of people helping others. It was one of the things that kept her going whenever she felt overwhelmed by her clients’ problems, as she had at times during the open house that day.

Shelly was lost in thought when Aaron reappeared by her side with a cart full of tools and supplies. He paid for them and they walked back to the car.

“Were you thinking of Eric?” he asked as they drove off.

“About work, actually.”

“Oh,” he said. “Does that mean you’ve already made your decision?”

“Of course not. This is too important to be hasty.”

He shook his head with feigned regret “And you dismissed my proposal so easily…. It’s a good thing I don’t have feelings.”

“Only in the short run,” she returned, her voice tolerant. “In the long run it sharply decreases your odds of finding someone permanent. But we’ll save that for one of our advanced lessons.”

“Speaking of which, when can we get started?”

She shrugged. “How about tonight? I could come over and spend a few minutes pointing out the trouble spots in your apartment—photos of previous girlfriends, stacks of old love letters, and so on—and start to address the deeper issues of your treatment of women. At the very least, you need to learn how to dump your girlfriends properly. No more of this cabbage quiche stuff.”

He gave her a rueful look. “Great, as long as it doesn’t take too long. Keep in mind that Amelia is coming for dinner tonight.”

“Amanda.”

Aaron looked confused.

“Her name’s Amanda,” Shelly repeated.

When they reached their building, an old, converted Victorian, she followed Aaron inside his apartment. She dropped her purse onto the sideboard by his front door and hung her suit jacket in his hall closet. “How much time do we have?”

Aaron looked at his watch. “An hour and a half—”

“Good. Plenty of time.”

“—during which I have to shower and cook dinner. But we can steal a few minutes.” He led her to the kitchen and produced a sheet of paper from his drop-front desk. “Here. Make a list or something while I take a shower.”

“But—”

He laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. “Shelly, I know you’d like to help, but I can clean myself pretty well. Save your instructions for things I’m not already good at.”

“That wasn’t what I was going to say,” she muttered, but he was already gone.

She sat down at his kitchen table and drew up a plan for teaching Aaron how to be a better man.

Shelly had filled half the page when she heard him calling her name. She got up and walked cautiously into his bedroom. The inner door leading to the bathroom was open, and Aaron stood in front of the sink wearing nothing but a towel.

She’d never seen him wearing only a towel before. He’d wrapped it low around his hips, leaving more of his torso bare than was, Shelly thought, quite necessary. She tried to ignore the strength in his shoulders and the beautiful lines of muscle that rippled as he moved.

With a hand towel, Aaron cleared the steam from the mirror right in front of him. He met her eyes in the glass. “I decided we should be efficient. You can talk to me while I shave.”

Shelly didn’t think this was a very good idea, but she didn’t see how she could back out of the situation without him guessing why. “Okay. Where do you want to start?”

He splashed water on his face and dampened his shaving brush. “You said I should learn how to dump a woman properly. Why don’t we start there?”

“Okay,” she said, distracted by the supple movements of his body as he drew the brush through his shaving soap and lathered his face. The clean citrus scent of the soap drifted out to fill the room, and she inhaled deeply.

“I’m waiting.”

She closed her eyes and forced herself to focus. “You’ve been getting rid of your girlfriends in a mean and manipulative way. I’m going to teach you to be more honest about your feelings.”

Aaron rinsed out his razor and began to shave.

“When you break off a relationship,” she said, “you need to be straightforward about it. Don’t drag it out or pretend you’re not doing what you’re doing. Insincerity is really hard to deal with when someone is giving you the ax. Do you understand?”

Aaron shrugged. “I guess.”

“Okay, then.” She cleared her throat. “You can practice on me.”

He didn’t say anything.

“Go ahead,” she said. “Dump me.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

He held her eyes in the mirror. “Because I can’t. We’re not going out.”

Shelly sighed in exasperation. “Use your imagination, you big oaf!”

He rinsed his razor and took a few more strokes. “Okay, but if we were going out, I probably wouldn’t want to dump you.”

Shelly tried to stay calm, though she felt her temper rising. “Your delaying tactics are getting on my nerves.”

He turned his head and smiled at her. “I’m only trying to be honest and straightforward.”

“You know, I think you’re just sensitive about having a woman teach you how to be a man.”

“Certainly not.”

“Then prove it. Dump me.”

Again he paused. “What should I say?”

“Try, ‘I’m not in love with you anymore.’”

His brows drew together. “But what if I never was in love with her?”

“Just say it.”

He swallowed. “I’m not in love with you anymore.”

“Say it like you mean it.”

“But I don’t mean it.”

Shelly thought for a minute. “How about, ‘I don’t think our relationship is moving in the right direction.’”

He said it. It even sounded as if he meant it.

“Good,” she said. “Really good. You’ve opened up the dialogue. Now, what if I started to throw a fit? What if I got all distraught and weepy?”

He smiled into the mirror at her. “I’d take you in my arms and—”

She felt her pulse accelerate. “No, no, no! That’s not right at all. You’re trying to break up, not get back together.” She paused. “Try saying, ‘I’ve lost interest.’”

“I’ve lost interest In this ridiculous exercise.”

Shelly expelled her breath impatiently. “You are so aggravating!” She retreated farther and sat down on his bed. “If you’re not going to cooperate, I might as well not help you.”

Aaron turned around to look at her. Flecks of lather dotted his smooth-shaven cheeks. “Are you giving up so soon, Shel?” He sounded genuinely curious.

“Of course not. I’ve still got a few things to say, but they can wait until you’re finished. I want your full attention.”

Shelly lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She heard a rustle as he turned around and the splash of water in the sink.

Aaron came out of the bathroom a few minutes later. He’d slipped into his dark blue bathrobe and was toweling his hair. Shelly sat up, but turned her face away.

He tossed the towel onto the bed beside her. “So, shall we continue?”

She stood up. “Yes. Um, I want to compliment you on how clean your bedroom is. You must have made a special effort for…”

“Amanda,” he said.

“Right. Amanda. You’ve cleared away the evidence of previous female visitors. That’s good. But I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve simply hidden the stuff. In the closet, perhaps?” She threw open the closet doors and peered inside. Sure enough, a tube of lipstick sat on the shelf at the top. She turned to Aaron with a victorious look.

He ignored it. “Could you hand me the brown trousers hanging in the middle?”

Sighing, she reached into the closet. “These?”

“No, two over. Yes, those.”

Shelly slipped the trousers off the hanger and held them out.

He laid them on the bed. “Thanks. You were saying?”

“Oh, nothing.” She stepped away as he moved to the closet and selected a linen shirt to wear. “I don’t know why I even bother.”

Aaron crossed to his bureau. He picked out boxers and a pair of socks, tossing them on the bed with the other clothes.