The Good Neighbor by Banner A. J

Author:Banner, A. J. [Banner, A. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503944435
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2015-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

By Friday afternoon, she had shown us several lovely homes, none of which seemed right. One artsy blue bungalow, hugging the shore of Moon Cove, had too many windows. The scents of outside seeped through the cracks—the salty ocean and a nearby bonfire emitting the nauseating odor of burning wood. At one time, I would’ve found such a smell comforting, a reminder of campfires and s’mores, but not now. In the bathroom, I had gazed up through the skylight and watched the skittering clouds overhead, while Eris and Johnny chatted in the bedroom. “Dixondale wanted all his windows facing the water,” Eris had said. “High glass to let in the most light.”

“Art Dixondale designed this house?” Johnny’s voice had risen in admiration. They’d discussed one architect after another, and then Eris had shown us a two-story house on Green Spot, the lower level built into the hillside, its rooms dark, the bottom level slightly dank and mildewed. Aside from the view of the ferryboat chugging across Puget Sound, the house had offered nothing to recommend it. We were back where we started. It would take time to find the proper home.

Johnny had started running on the roads, avoiding the woods. It was as though he deliberately followed well-traveled paths in plain view, to reassure me. My headaches started to decrease, but my nightmares took on a life of their own, and it was all I could do to put on a smiling face to babysit Mia on Friday afternoon. Her hair had begun to grow back, but the white scar on her forehead still peeked through her bangs. On the drive from Harriet’s place to the cottage, Mia sang along to a Taylor Swift tune playing on the radio.

“Pretty impressive,” I said. “Do you know what those words really mean?”

“They’re about breaking up with a boy.”

“You’re full of wisdom,” I said as I turned onto Shadow Bluff Lane.

“I’m full of . . . breakfast!”

“Then we can move right along to having fun.”

When Johnny got back to the cottage that evening, Mia sat on the living room floor, covered in cookie icing, her hair done up and her nails painted. She quietly played with her Barbie dolls.

Johnny hung his coat in the small front closet and strode into the living room. I sat on the couch, pretending to read, but I watched Mia, who was lost in her Barbie world. Her lips kept moving, her words silent as she engaged the dolls in secret conversation.

“Mia, Uncle Johnny is here,” I said.

Mia didn’t reply, just kept playing and whispering to herself.

“Hello, Mia.” Johnny kneeled next to her, picked up a blond Barbie clad in a pink tutu. “Who is this?”

“That’s Barbie I Can Be a Ballerina.” She didn’t look at him.

“What do you want to be?”

“I’m a princess.”

“You certainly are. Nice hairdo.”

She looked up at him and smiled, dimples forming in her cherubic cheeks. “I have Barbie Flower ’N Flutter Fairy Doll at home. Not at my grandma’s house.”

“I see.” Johnny glanced up at me, and I shook my head.

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