Husband Next Door

The room was starting to feel quite warm, Shelly thought. And Aaron was entirely too casual about his state of undress. “Uh, I’ll leave you alone for a minute.”

He winked at her. “That’s probably a good idea.”

Shelly breathed a sigh of relief as she escaped from the room. It shouldn’t be like this between two friends, she thought, more disturbed than she cared to admit. It especially shouldn’t be like this right now, when she was thinking of marrying Eric. Why did Aaron’s attractiveness suddenly seem inescapable, when she’d always managed to ignore it in the past?

Well, she told herself, she would just have to be stronger. She would have to get her nervous system under control and keep things on the right level.

Aaron joined her in the kitchen a few minutes later, fully clothed but with his hair still slightly damp, and set to work on dinner. “So. What else do I need to learn?”

“Too much,” she said.

“It can’t be that bad.”

“It is. Despite your claim that you want to reform, you’ve shown no interest in what I have to say.” She waved at the notes she’d written earlier. “I had a bunch of good ideas, but I think I’ll keep them to myself until you’re ready to learn something.”

“Give me the short version for now, at least”

She brushed a tendril of long blond hair from her eyes and met his gaze squarely. “Take life more seriously and stop flirting with everyone.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes. When you meet the woman you want to spend your life with, you’re going to have to do both of those things. There are other things, too, but they’re incidental.”

His brow wrinkled. “Are you sure these are universal rules? You’re not just telling me what you want in a man, are you?”

“Listen, Aaron, you asked for my opinion. Maybe you’ll be lucky and fall in love with an irresponsible clown who wants an open relationship. But you probably won’t”

His shoulders slumped. “You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right. And now I’m going to leave before your lady friend arrives.”

“Don’t you want to meet Amanda?”

“No.”

“It’s your last chance. I’m going to follow your advice and tell her I don’t love her anymore.”

She rolled her eyes. “Thanks, but I’ll skip the sideshow.”

Back in her own apartment, Shelly heated a can of soup and ate it in front of the television. Then she listened to a new CD, reorganized her kitchen cabinets and thought about the pros and cons of marrying Eric.

It didn’t help. She couldn’t keep her mind off Aaron and his guest next door.

Shelly knew he didn’t really intend to break up with Amanda. Not tonight, at least. He couldn’t reform himself that fast, and he wouldn’t be Aaron if he didn’t string her along for a few more weeks. But when he lost interest, Shelly hoped he’d keep her advice in mind, and end it responsibly.

She remembered his breakup with Marcia last fall. Aaron certainly hadn’t handled that very well. Sure, Marcia had jumped the gun a bit—expecting him to abandon the Discovery Center, take a job in her father’s advertising agency and make her his wife—but that still didn’t justify Aaron’s behavior.

First he’d tried to slip quietly out of Marcia’s life. But when she proved to be too tenacious, he’d acted out of male desperation, telling her he loved someone else.

“Not a smart move, Carpenter,” Shelly muttered. She put on another CD and paced up and down the living room.

Aaron’s little deception had backfired. Shelly would never forget the day she’d come home to the sight of Marcia camped out on the front steps, her Donna Karan blouse all rumpled, her carefully applied mascara running down her cheeks. During the scene that followed, Shelly gradually realized Marcia thought she was Aaron’s mystery lover.

It would have been funny if it hadn’t been so embarrassing. Shelly had pointedly mentioned her new relationship with Eric West, but Marcia refused to believe she wasn’t carrying on with Aaron. Marcia wouldn’t even believe Aaron’s denial when he got home an hour later, but finally she’d departed.

Shelly hoped never to have to live through such an encounter again. Ever since that day she’d distanced herself from Aaron’s love life, going out of her way not to meet any of his girlfriends.

She stopped pacing as she heard the muffled click of Aaron’s front door. Surprised, she glanced down at her watch. Only an hour and a half had gone by since Amanda had arrived. Strange, Shelly thought. In the past Aaron’s dates had usually lasted quite a bit longer.

Well, maybe he’d broken up with Amanda after all. Shelly grimaced, anticipating a tearful farewell on the porch, but moments later she heard laughter, both male and female. Clearly the romance was still going strong.

Shelly knew she shouldn’t be so nosy, but she couldn’t help listening to the shuffle of footsteps as the couple descended the stairs. As they reached the sidewalk below, she gravitated to the large bay window of her apartment. Surreptitiously she nudged the lacy curtain aside and peered down at the lamp-lit street.

She stared for several seconds before her brain comprehended what she saw. Aaron was there, all right, and so was a gorgeous brunette who must be Amanda. But they were several feet apart. And a second man stood with his arm draped possessively around Amanda’s shoulders, shielding her from the cool night air.

Shelly shook her head, bewildered. Was that even Amanda? Who was this other man, and why was he so friendly with her?

As she looked on, Aaron shook hands with both of the strangers. He stood watching as they got into a car and drove away. Only when their taillights disappeared around the corner did he turn back toward the stairs.

Shelly heard Aaron whistling as he ascended the steps. Making a split-second decision, she grabbed her keys and dashed outside.

Chapter Three

She nearly ran into Aaron on the porch.

“Oh, hi,” Shelly said, coming to what she hoped was a surprised halt.

Aaron looked at her quizzically, and she was suddenly aware of the cool touch of moisture-laden air on her bare arms. She shivered. “I need to run to the corner store,” she lied.

He nodded understandingly, flashing her a glimpse of his even white teeth. A small gust of wind ruffled his thick black hair.

Shelly studied him in the glow of the porch light. Aaron certainly didn’t look as if he’d spent a romantic evening with an adoring female, she observed. His skin wasn’t flushed, nor were there any lipstick smudges on his collar.

She jangled her keys meaningfully. “Do you need anything?”

He cocked his head. “I don’t think so.”

Shelly took one step down the stairs and then paused, as if remembering an inconsequential fact. “How did your date go?”

“Fine.”

“How is Amanda?”

“Fine….”

Shelly sighed. The subtle approach was not going to work if Aaron insisted on speaking in monosyllables. She’d just have to ask her question outright. “Who was that man?”

A pleased smile broke across Aaron’s features. “Were you spying, Shelly?”

“Who was he?”

The smile turned indulgent. “Amanda’s boyfriend. She brought him along with her.”

Shelly stepped back up onto the porch. “I thought you were her boyfriend,” she accused.

Aaron shrugged. “Apparently not.”

She made a face at him. “Apparently not? I can’t believe you’re so offhand about it. Don’t you even care that she’s found someone else?” She paused to give him a chance to explain, but he didn’t say anything. “You know, this just proves how detached you are. When it comes to your sex life, you’re so unemotional you might as well be a chunk of granite!”

Aaron’s eyebrow went up. “Who said anything about sex?”

Shelly hesitated. “Well, I just assumed…” She swallowed. The idea of Aaron being celibate was ludicrous, but she didn’t feel like debating the issue. “Anyway, you should be upset about this! You’ve got to learn to take your relationships seriously.”

His eyes gleamed. “We’ll just have to have more lessons then, won’t we?”

She sighed. He did need more lessons. She wasn’t sure if they’d help, but after tonight, she was even more convinced of their importance. Reaching for her doorknob, she muttered, “Good night, Aaron.”

“Shel?” His voice was patient, amused.

Shelly turned. Aaron shrugged out of his jacket and held it out for her. She looked at it in confusion.

He draped it around her shoulders. “So you don’t get cold on the way to the corner store.” The warm male scent of Aaron drifted up to envelop her, and the damp chill air seemed to retreat.

And then she realized what he was saying.

Shelly felt the heat of embarrassment come rushing to her face. She’d forgotten all about her imaginary errand. “Right.” Ducking her head, she darted down the steps, chased by the gentle sound of Aaron’s laughter.

The weekend passed slowly—mostly because Aaron was much too interested in whether she was going to marry Eric. Like a tabloid journalist eager to extract every juicy detail, he demanded regular updates on her decision.

Shelly tried to divert his attention with two more lessons. First they worked on Aaron’s seriousness and substance. She made him go several hours without saying anything witty, charming or entertaining. Then Shelly devised a role-playing exercise to develop his self-restraint. She made Aaron pretend he was in a committed relationship, and she was a stranger trying to proposition him. To her satisfaction Aaron truly put himself into the scenario. He had a difficult time turning her down, but succeeded after careful coaching. Shelly decided he might not be hopeless after all.

On Monday Chloe arrived. The two women had been roommates in college and best friends ever since. After graduation Chloe had gone on to pursue an engineering career in Boston. But a recently ended relationship—as well as a job offer from one of San Francisco’s best engineering firms—had finally induced her to move to the West Coast. She would be staying with Shelly until she could find her own apartment.

They were carrying her luggage up the front steps of the Victorian when Aaron appeared on the porch, looking cool and sophisticated in a finely cut Italian suit, with a bold tie that brought out the blue of his eyes.

Chloe halted at the sight of him. Her brows shot up, her mouth gaped open, and she seemed to forget her surroundings. Then, as Shelly watched, her expression shifted from outright amazement to an almost crafty, calculating look.

Aaron returned Chloe’s gaze. Their eyes seemed to dance in silent communication, making Shelly feel oddly left out. Just when she was about to cough to break the moment, Chloe spoke.

“You’re Aaron, aren’t you?” she said, as if she’d discovered the key to the world’s problems.

“And you must be Chloe,” he returned silkily.

Shelly couldn’t stop herself from snorting. “I guess you two don’t need to be introduced.” She climbed the rest of the steps and glared at Aaron. It was obnoxious of him to put the moves on her closest friend. Especially after his lesson on self-restraint!

He blinked back at her innocently, which only annoyed her more. Didn’t he realize what a player he was? Wasn’t he able to stop himself, even for a few minutes?

Chloe set her suitcase down and glanced from one of them to the other. Her smile widened, and she winked at Aaron. “Some things,” she said in a self-satisfied tone, “are obvious.”

For heaven’s sake, Chloe was acting like a prospector who’d struck gold! Stifling a peevish reply, Shelly turned to unlock her door. She rummaged in her purse, but came out empty-handed.

“Uh-oh.” She must have left her keys at work again. But of all the days to do it….

Before she could ask, Aaron dangled his own set of keys over her shoulder. Shelly had no choice but to take them and unlock her door. She deposited Chloe’s carryon bag in the living room with a thud, and Aaron followed with the rest of the luggage. He gave Chloe a dazzling smile, like a puppy who’d learned a new trick.

“I see you have keys to each other’s apartments,” Chloe said.

“It’s purely practical,” Shelly replied. “If we get boxes in the mail or the plumber comes, then the other one can let them in. Aaron’s home more than I am during the day, and I’m—”

“Home more than I am at night,” Aaron finished for her. He said it as if he’d made a telling point.

Shelly grimaced at him. “Stop bragging.”

“Bragging?” echoed Chloe.

“Shelly thinks I’m a man of loose morals,” he explained.

“I don’t just think you’re a man of loose morals, I know you are. What I can’t understand is why you’re so smug about it.” She addressed her friend. “He never stops talking about his conquests.”

Aaron grinned at Chloe. “She likes it. I.think it gives her a vicarious thrill to hear of my indiscretions. Her own life is so quiet, you know.”

“Just ignore him, Chloe.”

Aaron laughed and leaned comfortably against the wall, his hands in his pockets.

Shelly approached him with her head held high. “Were you just leaving for a date, Aaron?” she inquired. “Don’t let us keep you.”

He didn’t move. “At this point I’m running so late I might as well stay home.”

Obviously he wanted to stick around and ingratiate himself with Chloe. But Shelly wasn’t going to let him. She took his arm and escorted him out the door. “I disagree,” she said. “You’ve just given her a little extra time to get ready.”

“She’s meeting me at the restaurant.”

“So she’s been sitting over a drink for twenty minutes. No big deal.”

Aaron looked sheepish. “An hour and twenty minutes,” he said.

Shelly was speechless for a moment. “Bad move, Aaron.”

“I know.” He stood on the porch and faced her. “It wasn’t until I started cooking dinner that I remembered our date. I had to call the restaurant to make sure she was still there.”

She arched an eyebrow. “You’d better get going before she grows a brain and takes off.”

“Ouch.”

She looked him over, her green eyes narrowed appraisingly. “Wait Your tie’s crooked.”

Aaron raised a hand to check, then lifted his chin with a long-suffering look.

After a moment’s hesitation, Shelly put her hands to the brightly colored silk. Her knuckles grazed his chest, distracting her with unwelcome sparks of awareness. Fleetingly, she remembered the sight of him shaving the other day, then quickly suppressed the image.

She struggled in vain for a few moments, before untying the knot completely.

Aaron tapped his foot.

“Unappreciative fool,” she said, tugging the tie through his collar to realign it. She took a fortifying breath and suppressed her physical response to his tall, lean body. “Just be glad I’m here to save your evening.”

Shelly tied a beautifully proportioned knot and slid it snug against his collar. Then she straightened his lapels, brushed a speck of lint from his sleeve and patted him on the cheek. “Now get going.” She watched him descend the stairs, then turned back to her apartment to join Chloe.

Her best friend stared at her. “Wow…”

Shelly closed the door and fastened the bolt. “I can’t believe he’s already got you under his spell,” she muttered.

“Me under his spell?”

“Oh, never mind. Come on. I’ll give you the grand tour.” She walked Chloe through the small apartment, ending at the sleeper sofa and the Japanese folding screen she’d borrowed from Aaron in order to give her house guest more privacy.

Chloe’s gaze kept wandering to the wall.

“What’s wrong?” asked Shelly.

“You mean you can’t tell?” She approached the blackand-white, framed poster that Aaron had examined the week before. “Use your eyes, girl. This picture’s totally crooked.”

“Oh.” The thing did seem to be a few inches out of alignment, now that she looked a little closer. It was natural that Chloe, with her engineer’s mind, would notice the discrepancy at once.

Chloe reached out to right the frame. “You always did have a knack for missing what’s right in front of your nose, Shelly. I bet it’s been like that for months. Nice poster, though.”

Shelly barely heard the compliment. She crossed over to the sofa, shaking her head. “I can’t believe him sometimes….”

“Who?”

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