Freddie sighed as she listened to her friend on the phone. The conversation was a repeat of one they'd had hundreds of times. She almost knew it by heart.
"When are you gonna come out with us, girl? You stay in with your books all the time. You need to get out! What are your plans today? Please tell me you're leaving your house."
"I like my books, Michelle. They don't lie, or cheat, or steal. And I socialize at work. And yes, I'm leaving my house today. I have errands to run."
"Ugh! Freddie, you work with kids. In a hospital. The other people we work with don't quite count as socializing. Do something fun today. Don't just buy groceries and retreat into a book. Get some sun, or something."
"Yes mother." She smiled and disconnected. Michelle had been her best friend since high school. They'd gone to college together, and got jobs working at the same hospital. Michelle as a nurse, Freddie as a physical therapist.
Freddie had been working non stop for 2 years, though. She'd racked up 2 months of vacation and was told by her boss she needed to take at least 4 weeks off. Now. So today was the start of a long, boring vacation.
She decided Michelle's idea of getting some sun sounded great. She had some work to do in her yard anyway. So she put on an old pair of shorts and a tank top and headed out back to get her tools. She could hear the lawn mower next door.
"Maybe I could ask if Sean would do my lawn too. And maybe I could not talk to myself." She laughed quietly and turned around, running straight into Sean. "Oh! Shit. I'm sorry. Got busy talking to myself and wasn't paying attention."
His arms had come around her to steady her from their collision. He could feel her cool skin and see a faint blush on her cheeks. He smiled down and eased his hands from her shoulders.
"No problem. Heard you talking about your lawn. Want me to mow it for you? I've seen your lawn mower. It's scary."
The blush had nothing to do with the sun. It had everything to do with the 6 foot tall, muscular, blonde god standing in front of her. "Oh. I feel so dumb. Yeah. If you could, I'll pay you. I'm not sure I can make that behemoth start at all."
"No need to pay me, Freddie. I'll just con some lemonade outta ya later." He winked and headed back toward his yard.
Feeling really foolish, Freddie got her gloves and a garbage bag out of the shed and started pulling weeds from her flower beds.
Why couldn't she be normal? All her friends dated. Here she was, 25 living in her own home, and she didn't even know how to talk to a man. She always felt like a 12 year old. Especially around Sean.
His tall, muscular physique was topped off with shaggy blonde hair, that made him look like he'd just rolled out of bed. His eyes were an intriguing mix of green and blue. It all depended on what he was wearing. Today he was wearing jeans that were work worn and loose, slung low on trim hips. He had no shirt on, and it took everything in her not to stare every time he passed her with the lawn mower in the yard. She was pulling the weeds ferociously and chastising herself for being such a wimp.
Sean prided himself in being laid back. He took everything in stride and just lived day to day. He could have any girl he wanted, and he knew it. But for the last few months, he hadn't wanted any of them. The only female he spent any time talking to, outside of work, was Freddie. Something about her had him interested in learning more. She was so shy. He wanted to break her shell and find out what was going on behind the cute plastic frames sitting on her upturned nose.
He passed her in the yard and noticed her watching him out of the corner of her eye. She sat on her knees, pulling weeds almost violently from the ground. She was 5'7" tall and not quite small, but not too big either. She was soft in all the right places, but he could see hard muscle in her arms and legs. She had on worn out denim shorts and a man's white under shirt, with a purple plaid bra showing underneath. Her long dark hair was pulled up into a sloppy bun on top of her head. He watched a bead of sweat slide slowly down her neck beneath the top of the tank. He had to fight the urge to walk over and lick the sweat off. He focused on her face as he came back around. Her chocolate brown eyes looked up and smiled at him from behind her glasses. He moved down her face to her wide red mouth. Her smile showed the straightest, whitest teeth he'd ever seen. He grinned back and shut off the engine.
"Ready for that lemonade yet?"
"Sure. I'm all done with the yard, might as well take a break before I go back to mine."
"I'll go get it now. Want to come inside, or meet me on the porch?"
"Let's sit on the porch and enjoy this beautiful day."
"Great. Be right out." She skipped into the house and grabbed 2 glasses from the cabinet and filled them with ice. She snatched the fresh lemonade out of the fridge and rushed back to the porch. She couldn't believe her fortune. He wanted to sit down and enjoy the day with her! Granted, he had said that cold lemonade was the only payment he wanted. But he was still here talking to her.
"I see an awful lot of books in there, Freddie. Read anything good lately?"
"Mmm, yes. I read all the time, I come across a lot of good books. A lot of bad ones too. You ever want to borrow one, just come over and get it. I'll never miss it." She laughed and drained her glass.
"I'll have to come in and take a look some time. Don't tell anyone, but I am a closet bookworm. I know. It comes as a shock to most." Her laughter was like wind chimes. He had to remember to make her laugh more often. Why hadn't he noticed before how great she was?
They had lived next to each other for over a year. Sean had done his neighborly best, and introduced himself the first week. Since then he had just admired her from a distance, always wondering what she was really like. No men ever came to her house. Well other than the men that came with her friend. That one always had a different man with her. From what Sean could tell, Freddie didn't date at all.
They finished the pitcher of lemonade, while talking about nothing in particular. When the last drip was gone, Sean gave a small sigh.
"Guess I'd better get going. I need to run to the store and go check in on my mom. Want me to do your lawn again next week?"
"Oh, you don't have to. It was really nice of you to do it today. I owe you dinner, at least."
"I don't mind at all. How about this, I'll cut the lawn next week, and you can make me dinner after. Deal?"
She stuck out her hand to shake on it. Instead, Sean pulled her up and kissed her on the cheek. Freddie blushed a deep red and spluttered incoherently.
With a cheeky grin, Sean hopped off the porch. "See ya, Freddie."
The next week was a blur. Freddie wasn't quite sure what she was doing with her time, but she managed to stay busy. Her house was now spotless. She'd purchased new drapes for the living room, and a new tablecloth to match for her small dining room table. She wasn't sure if Sean was serious about dinner, or just trying to be nice. So she was fully prepared, either way.
Saturday dawned with dark clouds, rumbling ominously. "Ugh. There goes lawn and dinner. Oh well. Too good to be true, anyway."
