Chapter 1: Meet Stella Morgan

No one believed in love at first sight anymore. But that’s only because they hadn’t met her new neighbor. Stella was sure of it.

“The new neighbor is a hottie?” Mandy asked coyly. Her perfect profile jutted towards the house next door.

Stella, not ready to part with all the details, simply nodded. Her bouncy curls toppling over themselves in agreement. She half-heartedly attempted to wrangle them into submission by tucking a few loose strands behind each ear. They instantly broke free. Typical.

Bennett Orloff was drop dead gorgeous. It took only a single glance from his steely eyes to cut Stella to the quick. Heart and soul. Her walls cracked. The floodgates opened. He’d only said hello, but it was enough to render her speechless.

That was a first for her. Stella never reacted to anyone that way. Not once. But around Bennett her usual grace had failed her. What she’d come to rely on most about herself, her own self ease, felt like it was slipping away. That was a surprise. She wasn’t sure if she liked it or not.

What was it about Bennett that made her feel this way? And so quickly! Of course, it probably didn’t hurt that the six-foot four demigod living next door, had an athletic build made of pure muscle, and shoulders that begged to carry the weight of all her troubles.

Boy, did she have troubles. Lately it seemed something new and horrible popped up every day. Not that she couldn’t handle them herself. She always had before.

“Seriously, you’ve got to tell me everything!” Mandy insisted.

Stella shrugged. Truth was, she didn’t know anything about the man who at that very moment could be lying in bed, a mere hundred feet from her own bedroom door. Give or take. It was more of an estimate.

It’s not like she’d counted. Not yet anyway. A secret confidence stirred inside her. Someday… It seemed to promise. She felt her cheeks flush a vibrant red.

“He’s more of a night owl.” Stella told her friend, half-heartedly explaining her silence. “I’ve barely said hello to him.” She finally admitted.

Sure, they shared a driveway and an amazing view of Seattle’s pride and joy, Mt. Rainier. But so far, not much else.

“Sounds mysterious.” Mandy said, her mouth twisted into a knowing smirk.

Typical Mandy.

“You have to promise to keep me updated,” Mandy winked. “With all the details of you getting to know him better.” Her face clouded slightly, “Since I won’t be around for you to tell me.”

Stella’s heart panged, suddenly heavy in her chest. “I can’t believe you’re going to leave me all alone here.” She reached out, grabbing onto her friend’s hand.

“By this time tomorrow, I’ll be halfway to Paris.” Mandy brightened with the thought of it.

“For a whole year!” Stella chimed in. Refusing to make this moment about herself. Mandy was a hard worker who deserved the internship of a lifetime, a position at one of the most prestigious art museums in the world.

“It’ll go quickly, mon amie,” Mandy reassured Stella. Her brown eyes glistened with fresh sadness.

Stella held back her own tears. The friendship they had was special. In so many ways.

It was no secret between them, how few people Stella let get close to her.

Naturally she had friends. She was young, smart, pretty. But they both knew, how she kept people at a distance. Protected herself. With everyone.

Well, everyone except Mandy. Of course.

Mandy, her out-going opposite. Whose curious brown eyes glowed with mischief. Always.

Mandy squinted in the direction of the house next door. “Maybe we should just go introduce ourselves?” She asked teasingly, rising to her feet.

Stella inhaled sharply. The thought too overwhelming. Speechless. Again.

Now, her heart was racing. What was that about? The memory of his glinting blue eyes tickled through her brain making her skin feel itchy. Her palms sweaty. Not sure if she liked that or not, Stella made a mental note to get to the bottom of it.

The door to Bennett’s house opened. A handsome man about six feet tall, with broad shoulders and gleaming black hair emerged. A tall, lithe woman with auburn hair, her eyes hidden behind Chanel sunglasses, confidently held onto his arm.

“Is that him?” Mandy breathed.

“No.”

At least Stella didn’t think so. Sure, her new neighbor was tall, well-built, and definitely swoon worthy, but even from this distance, she didn’t feel that tell-tale jolt of electricity she’d felt the first time she saw him. And had felt repeatedly each time she’d seen him since. Or thought about him. Or even heard him mentioned. Apparently.

It wasn’t him. Couldn’t be.

“Who’s that woman?”

Exactly. Stella thought inwardly. Uncomfortable and full of jealousy. That wasn’t like her. Definitely not.

Outwardly she simply shrugged. “People are always coming and going from that house.”

“Guess he’s got a lot of friends.”

They watched as the glamorous couple walked all the way down the driveway to a sleek black BMW parked on the street.

“Rich friends.” Mandy added.

“I’m pretty sure he’s wealthy too,” Stella said, volunteering more of what she knew about the man next door. “That Queen Anne is almost fully restored. In record time.”

“You should know, Ms. Top of the Dean’s List.” Mandy beamed.

“Seattle has a good program. I’ve learned a lot about design, enough to know it costs quite a lot to make something this beautiful in such a short amount of time.” Stella continued good-naturedly, shrugging off her friend’s praise.

“You still planning on fixing this place up?” Mandy asked. Glancing around the meager living room where they’d sat drinking coffee, eating yesterday’s half off doughnuts from the café down the street.

Stella looked around at the unfinished room. She’d managed to remove all the wallpaper and patch the walls, but she’d barely begun to strip the wooden trim when she’d run out of money. Completely run out.

“Someday” she admitted sadly.

“I’m sorry,” Mandy faltered.

Stella understood her friend’s clumsy apology. Of course, she knew how much Stella wanted to restore her own beautiful home to its former extravagant self.

“The pandemic has been hard for everyone.” Stella barely managed to get the words out before her voice broke. Her hazel eyes filled with compassion for her friend.

There really wasn’t any need for apologies. They’d both lost friends, acquaintances, colleagues while in lockdown. They both knew all too well about the deadly virus that spread quickly, stealthily. Taking once healthy, vibrant people from their lives, much too soon.

“I wasn’t thinking.” Mandy stumbled over the words. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

“It’s okay.” She squeezed Mandy’s hand. “Really.”

Before everything changed, Stella had enough money tucked away to put herself through graduate school. She’d put in extra shifts as a waitress and saved every penny for school and the house remodel.

But with the pandemic, it’s safety requirements that sent everyone into lockdown, and everyone avoiding restaurants for over a year, the money ran out. All of Stella’s savings had been used up, with no extra money coming in.

At that moment, she had only two weeks of money left for food and utilities. After that, she didn’t know what she was going to do.

“What if I canceled Paris, cashed in my ticket, and split the money with you? Mandy asked. “We always said it would be fun to be roommates, right?”

“I can’t let you do that.” Stella said. Paris was Mandy’s dream. “It crushed you when you couldn’t go last year.” Stella reminded. “Besides, the Louvre won’t last much longer without their future appraiser.” She smiled.

“Yeah,” Mandy agreed. “And someone has to taste test all that pain au chocolat.” She took a deliberately large bite of a stale blueberry glaze for emphasis.

“Don’t worry about me.” Stella reassured. “I will figure something out. I always do.”

Mandy nodded, encouragingly. “Promise you’ll tell me every dirty little detail about your hot new neighbor.”

Stella felt heat rising to her cheeks at the mention of the man next door.

“Of course.” She promised easily. After all, it was one she fully intended to keep. “We’ve never kept any secrets. Why should this be any different?”

“Then it’s settled.” Mandy said. “Besides, I like seeing how you smile every time I mention him.”

No one could have known what secrets truly lay next door with the handsome neighbor.

All Stella herself knew was that she couldn’t stop thinking about him. And what thinking about him did to her heart. Her mind. And what shape it set her mouth to.