stealing for the last few months.” Then, stricken by an attack of conscience, Cassie went on to explain. “To be honest, Mrs. Mullinex does return it, but she clips out the coupons. Then, a couple of weeks back, she went so far as to take the Sunday edition, and get this—she likes to do the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle. My crossword puzzle.” She narrowed her eyes. “I wouldn’t have to invite her, would I?”
“Oh, yes.”
“And Mr. Oliver?”
“What’s wrong with Mr. Oliver?”
Cassie had no qualms about detailing her other neighbor’s faults. “First, he’s rude. More than once, Mr. Oliver has deliberately allowed the elevator doors to close on me.” She wagged her index finger at Simon. “I’m positive he could see me, too. I saw that gleam in his eyes. The Sunday before last he left me standing there, loaded down with groceries, and he enjoyed it.”
“I…see.” Once more he seemed unimpressed by her tales of woe.
“Then there’s the guy whose condo’s next to mine. I don’t know his name and I don’t want to. He plays his music so loud it shakes my whole kitchen. It’s horrible music, too. Rap and heavy metal.” She paused. “Now here’s the interesting part.”
“I can hardly wait.”
Simon might be making fun of her, but Cassie forged on. “I saw him in the hallway for the first time this week. All along I’d assumed that whoever he was, he must be college age. This guy was old. He had to be sixty if he was a day.”
Having laid out her case, Cassie felt certain that Simon would understand why she wouldn’t want to go to all that effort for these people. “So you’ll reconsider?” she asked him.
“Reconsider what?”
“Giving me a different third task. Surely even you can see it would be impossible to put on a festive dinner for my neighbors.”
“No, after hearing this, I believe the third task will be perfect.”
Chapter 11
Simon says: The perfect neighbor is the one who’s never home.
“Y ou mean you won’t reconsider?” Cassie sputtered. Simon was being totally unreasonable.
“Did you or did you not agree to host this dinner?”
“Well, yes,” she admitted with some reluctance, “but that was before I realized I’d be obliged to fly through the air with my underwear showing.” A little guilt on his part might not be amiss.
“A small wardrobe malfunction.”
He said it with a straight face and Cassie stared at him, wondering if this was meant to be a joke. “I suppose you could call it that.”
“At least you didn’t have a television audience.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that makes it better.”
“Regardless, you are still required to complete a third task.”
Cassie made a face. “You’re a cruel man, Dr. Dodson.”
“You were well aware of the conditions of our agreement before you signed the contract. However…”
“Yes?” Hope filled her.
“However, I believe it might be advantageous if you served this dinner prior to Christmas. In other words, not on Christmas Day itself as I originally specified.”
“Advantageous how?”
“If you agree to this new stipulation, I’ll arrange for you to meet John before the twenty-fifth.”
“Oh.” Cassie had her suspicions. “And when did you make this decision?” She wasn’t fooled; Simon wanted her gone and on her way to marital bliss so he wouldn’t have to deal with her anymore.
“Why the dirty look? I would think you’d be grateful.”
“I’d be a whole lot more grateful if I didn’t distrust your motives.”
Simon watched her steadily. “And what is wrong with my motives?”
Irritated, Cassie stood. She wasn’t sure why his latest suggestion upset her—the opposite should be true. It should thrill her, since she’d be that much closer to meeting John. But it didn’t. She walked over to the picture window. “You want me out of your life,” she mumbled, her back to him.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t need to.”
“Listen,
“Oh, yes.”
“And Mr. Oliver?”
“What’s wrong with Mr. Oliver?”
Cassie had no qualms about detailing her other neighbor’s faults. “First, he’s rude. More than once, Mr. Oliver has deliberately allowed the elevator doors to close on me.” She wagged her index finger at Simon. “I’m positive he could see me, too. I saw that gleam in his eyes. The Sunday before last he left me standing there, loaded down with groceries, and he enjoyed it.”
“I…see.” Once more he seemed unimpressed by her tales of woe.
“Then there’s the guy whose condo’s next to mine. I don’t know his name and I don’t want to. He plays his music so loud it shakes my whole kitchen. It’s horrible music, too. Rap and heavy metal.” She paused. “Now here’s the interesting part.”
“I can hardly wait.”
Simon might be making fun of her, but Cassie forged on. “I saw him in the hallway for the first time this week. All along I’d assumed that whoever he was, he must be college age. This guy was old. He had to be sixty if he was a day.”
Having laid out her case, Cassie felt certain that Simon would understand why she wouldn’t want to go to all that effort for these people. “So you’ll reconsider?” she asked him.
“Reconsider what?”
“Giving me a different third task. Surely even you can see it would be impossible to put on a festive dinner for my neighbors.”
“No, after hearing this, I believe the third task will be perfect.”
Chapter 11
Simon says: The perfect neighbor is the one who’s never home.
“Y ou mean you won’t reconsider?” Cassie sputtered. Simon was being totally unreasonable.
“Did you or did you not agree to host this dinner?”
“Well, yes,” she admitted with some reluctance, “but that was before I realized I’d be obliged to fly through the air with my underwear showing.” A little guilt on his part might not be amiss.
“A small wardrobe malfunction.”
He said it with a straight face and Cassie stared at him, wondering if this was meant to be a joke. “I suppose you could call it that.”
“At least you didn’t have a television audience.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that makes it better.”
“Regardless, you are still required to complete a third task.”
Cassie made a face. “You’re a cruel man, Dr. Dodson.”
“You were well aware of the conditions of our agreement before you signed the contract. However…”
“Yes?” Hope filled her.
“However, I believe it might be advantageous if you served this dinner prior to Christmas. In other words, not on Christmas Day itself as I originally specified.”
“Advantageous how?”
“If you agree to this new stipulation, I’ll arrange for you to meet John before the twenty-fifth.”
“Oh.” Cassie had her suspicions. “And when did you make this decision?” She wasn’t fooled; Simon wanted her gone and on her way to marital bliss so he wouldn’t have to deal with her anymore.
“Why the dirty look? I would think you’d be grateful.”
“I’d be a whole lot more grateful if I didn’t distrust your motives.”
Simon watched her steadily. “And what is wrong with my motives?”
Irritated, Cassie stood. She wasn’t sure why his latest suggestion upset her—the opposite should be true. It should thrill her, since she’d be that much closer to meeting John. But it didn’t. She walked over to the picture window. “You want me out of your life,” she mumbled, her back to him.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t need to.”
“Listen,