Free The Boy Next Door by Katy Baker Page A

her knees in that pond, net clasped in one eager hand, determined to catch more fish than Rory who stood by her side with his own net. Then, in a flash, he scooped up some water and splashed it over Melissa. She howled in outrage, flinging herself at him so they both crashed into the water, only to come up screaming with laughter.
    The memory was so vivid it took Melissa’s breath away. Some of her happiest childhood memories were attached to this glade. Pond-dipping with Rory. Building a den from bits of wood scrounged from his father. Doing their best to hide the trail so nobody else would find the place. This place. Their place.
    How could she have forgotten it? As she’d gotten older her priorities had changed. When she’d fallen in with Sarah and her cronies, it became uncool to hang out with that awkward, self-conscious boy from next door.
    Instead of a companion, Rory became an object of ridicule. A geeky goody-goody who was so easy to manipulate it became a favorite past time of Melissa and her friends. After graduation Rory had ran as far away as possible; all the way to Asia. And who could blame him?
    Sudden shame flooded through Melissa, making her cheeks burn. He’d returned from Thailand a different man, perhaps hoping that she’d changed too. But with her petty, cruel remarks yesterday she’d proven that she was still the spoiled, spiteful girl she’d been.
    But I’m not, she told herself. I have to make him see that.
    “Rory?” she said softly.
    He glanced over his shoulder then picked up some pebbles and began tossing them into the still water where they disappeared with a plop.
    “I’m surprised you remember this place,” he said after a moment.
    “I’m a little surprised too,” she admitted.
    She seated herself cross-legged on the grass at his side. “I was sure I’d end up getting lost and wandering round the woods all afternoon.”
    Rory snorted. “Like you did when we were ten? How long were you out here? Six hours? And didn’t it throw it down with rain?”
    Melissa scowled at him. “And who’s fault was that? We were supposed to be playing hide and seek, only you didn’t bother to tell me you’d got bored and gone home!”
    A grin spread across Rory’s face. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
    His gaze met and held hers. Melissa’s pulse quickened.
    “Why didn’t you tell me you were going away?” she whispered.
    “I was going to. I wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.”
    Melissa’s stomach tightened with dread. “So you’re definitely going?”
    “My flight leaves Friday night. I’ve got a friend out there who can set me up with some bar work.”
    “But you’ve already got a job!” Melissa blurted.
    “You mean working for your father? He’ll be back in a few days and then I’m out of work. And what else is there to stick around for?”
    “Me,” she murmured against a lump in her throat. “You could stick around for me.”
    He looked at her sharply, eyes narrowing. “Yeah, good one.”
    He may as well have slapped her. “I thought I meant something to you,” she whispered.
    A flash of anger passed across his handsome features. “Don’t do this, Melissa. Please. I’m not going to play any more of your games.”
    “It’s not a game.”
    “It’s always games with you, Melissa. I should have remembered that.”
    In sudden annoyance she grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at her. “Rory Thompson! Will you listen? You weren’t meant to overhear my conversation with Sarah!”
    He snatched his hand back and climbed to his feet. “Of course I wasn’t. Because now I’m wise to your little plan, aren’t I? Sorry to ruin your fun, Melissa.”
    She winced. It was all coming out wrong. Why couldn’t she find the words to make him understand?
    “You know,” he continued, “the first time we made love by the pool I thought my dreams had finally come true. I thought maybe you’d finally begun to feel the way I have all these years. Why do you think I