Chapter 1: Introduction
Summer nights were always the prettiest in the neighborhood. Houses seemed to glow with warm lights, and everyone was out in their yards, talking and laughing, and eating. I was lounging by the pool with a beer, feeling a little melancholy, when I heard Luke call my name.
Luke was my neighbor, the grouchy old bastard next door. My husband and I had only recently bought this house, and my collars practically turned green at the sight of him? His grumpy demeanor, his unsightly T-shirts, his smelly garden.
Luke was everyone's least favorite person, mine included, but tonight I forced a smile and greeted him warmly.
"Emily, right?" he said, squinting behind thick-rimmed glasses. It was the first time he'd ever called me by my first name. "I'm your neighbor, Luke."
"Yes, I know," I replied, unable to mask my surprise. "I didn't think you were a barbecue type of person."
He shrugged.
"I thought I'd give it a try. You know, get out of the house and make nice with the neighbors." He laughed at his own joke, the sound surprisingly low and almost friendly.
I nodded back insincerely, but something about him felt different tonight. His joke was a depart from his usual grumpiness, and his beer sloshed dangerously in the plastic cup as he gestured with it. I studied him for a moment, his broad shoulders hunched, his belly hanging over worn-out jeans.