Page 5 of A Very Grumpy Neighbor

THREE

Jade

I’m staring again.

I can’t help it. Every time I pass by a window or head outside, my eyes are drawn to my grumpy neighbor’s house.

I hardly ever see him, and when I do, he’s either shooting me a glare or heading inside without a word—so we haven’t exactly had much interaction.

That’s probably for the best. The guy doesn’t seem to like me. Or maybe it’s socializing and people in general. I’ve never seen anyone visit him, and he never leaves his house. Not that I’ve seen, anyway.

Forget about him, I tell myself as I grab my things and head out to my car. I’m running late. I toss my purse onto the passenger seat and get going. I’m meeting Cora and her friends in town and want to make a good first impression. It will be good to meet new people and make some new friends.

I peek at Mr. Grumpy’s house one last time as I back out of my driveway and head toward town. All the lights are off at his place, and I wonder if he’s out for the night.

The drive to town is quiet and quick because there’s never any traffic. I find Murphy’s Bar easy enough and park in the back of the lot. The place is packed. I smile as I head inside, scanning the crowd for Cora.

“Jade!”

I see Cora standing on a stool in the back of the bar and push through the crowd in her direction.

“Hey! It’s a madhouse in here,” I shout over the music as I slide onto a stool beside her.

“Yeah, it feels like the whole town is here tonight,” she says, passing me a margarita.

I take a sip, coughing at how strong it is. I look around the place, taking in the ancient-looking décor as I take another sip of my drink.

“Let’s grab that table!” Cora shouts, pointing to a recently vacated booth. “The girls should be here any minute.”

I nod and follow her to the booth, sliding in across from her.

“How’s the new place?” she asks.

“Good. I’ve got everything put away now, so that’s a relief. I was getting sick of digging through boxes to get dressed every morning,” I tell her with a laugh.

“I bet! How’s work going? You like the new job?”

“Love it. I haven’t met that many people yet, but the ones I have are all friendly.”

“Good! Maybe you can—Oh, there’s Maple. Hold on.”

I nod as Cora stands and waves at someone. A minute later, a pretty redhead pops up next to us.

“Hey! It’s crazy in here,” she says as she plops down next to me.

I hurry to scoot over as a few more women join our booth.

“Yeah, I know! Must be because of the nice weather,” Cora agrees. “Girls, this is my friend, Jade. Jade, this is Maple, Lilou, and Cameron.”

“Hey! It’s nice to meet you all,” I say, waving at them.

“You, too. Cora has told us a lot about you,” Lilou says as she shrugs off her cardigan.

“How are you liking Wolf Valley? Getting settled in okay?” Maple asks.

“Yeah, it’s been great.”

“Good,” she says as Cora returns from the bar and sets down a few drinks. “If you need anything, let us know!”

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