Free Next To You by Sandra Antonelli Page B

old complication for someone else.
    ‘Murphy,’ Quincy’s elbow nudged his. ‘Are you awake this morning?’
    ‘Sorry. I was woolgathering.’
    ‘Evidently.’
    Will said, ‘You know I have a new neighbor.’
    ‘Did someone in your building die or split up?’
    ‘Neither. John Reginaldi, the golf pro across the hall, moved into a retirement community on one of his golf courses. His niece moved in.’
    Quincy glanced at his friend and nodded. ‘Oh, that’s right. You were concerned you’d get a yuppie couple or crabby old witch with ten cats.’
    ‘She has a dog.’
    ‘Did the dog keep you up last night?’
    ‘No, I slept fine.’
    ‘Then why are you asleep now?’
    ‘I wasn’t sleeping, I was just thinking.’
    A little laugh popped from Quincy’s mouth. ‘What’s she look like?’
    ‘Who?’
    ‘Reg’s niece, the neighbor you’re thinking about.’ Quincy let in the clutch and stopped at the lights.
    ‘She’s pretty, I guess.’
    ‘You guess ?’
    ‘Okay, she’s very attractive and probably a good twelve, maybe fifteen years younger. She’s a personal shopper. Turns out she’s my personal shopper.’
    ‘What’s a personal shopper?’
    Will half turned in his seat. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve never used a personal shopper. Wait a minute. What am I saying? I’ve been your personal shopper for several decades.’
    Quincy looked at him and shrugged. ‘What’s a personal shopper?’
    ‘Like a personal assistant and a fashion stylist who picks out your clothes, and gets gifts for you to give to other people because you’re too pressed for time to shop for yourself. Sound familiar?’
    ‘You’ve never assisted me with choosing my clothes.’ The lights changed. Quincy accelerated. ‘What does your personal shopper look like … and does she have a name?’
    ‘Caroline. She’s a little taller than your daughter-in-law, Sara—hazel eyes, sort of honey blonde, but without too much red. Very slim, too skinny really, but she’s quite attractive.’
    ‘Does this mean you’re interested?’
    ‘How could I be interested? I just met her.’
    ‘You’ve got to start at square one, don’t you? You’ve got to be friendly and get to know her, you can’t just skip ahead.’
    ‘Well, where’s the fun in that?’
    ‘From what I remember before Erika, there’s a lot of fun in that.’ Quincy nudged his shoulder.
    ‘Even if I was interested, there’s a huge obstacle to overcome.’
    ‘What, you mean like Yvonne finally coming back to you for good?’
    Will raised an eye. ‘I was not aware you and my sister shared the same misguided theory.’
    ‘Come on, man, Rebecca knows—hell, we all know—you’ve lived the last thirty years thinking your ex-wife will come back to you for good.’
    ‘This isn’t about Vonnie.’ Will laughed.
    ‘Did I just piss you off?’
    ‘I laughed. Does that sound pissed off to you?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘No.’
    Quincy made a right turn. ‘Okay. What is it then, that she’s younger? So what.’
    ‘What makes you think her age is the obstruction?’
    ‘So it is Yvonne, then?’ Quincy pulled into the muddy construction site and switched off the Jag’s engine.
    This time Will snorted.
    They got out of the car at the same time. A moment later, Will handed Quincy a blue hard hat. The man put it on and said, ‘I know you’re so accustomed to your appearance drawing attention you don’t even think about it, but maybe inside you’re worried how a younger, little blonde number on your arm might magnify that attention.’
    ‘Her age doesn’t matter. Her life baggage and the fact she’s my neighbor does. If we got involved and things went south, one of us would have to move, and I don’t do move. I like where I live. I’m comfortable where I live.’ Will donned his hard hat, which looked more like a blue pith helmet with a wide brim to shade his face. He slipped on dark sunglasses identical to the blue-tinted spectacles he’d removed and dropped those into