Page 1 of The Most Dearest
Chapter 1: Cordelia - Beaming
A smile cures the wounding of a frown
Venus and Adonis, William Shakespeare
I stood in front of our new home, absolutely beaming. Mom always used “beaming” to describe any smile, but this was true beaming. Harrison and I had finally taken the plunge. After a year of renting together, we’d bought a beautiful old three-bedder in a nice part of town. It needed work, but it was a great opportunity to gain a foothold in a decent area without taking on a huge financial burden. As a pharmaceutical rep, I was well paid, but Harrison was a pharmacist, so he contributed more than I did. I often felt bad about that, but he was generous and considered our incomes “our money.” My parents were so proud that at 23, their youngest daughter was a homeowner. They were proud of everything their three girls did, so their excitement didn’t surprise me.
My sister Juliet, 27, was happily married to Seamus, and Mom was beyond thrilled that her eldest daughter had followed in her footsteps and become a nurse. Miranda, 25, was a talented artist and worked at a gallery as a guide and consultant. We’d all been named after Shakespearean women, which I loved, but I was grateful that Dad had put his foot down when Mom had wanted to call me Titania. My surname was Bard, though Mom insisted that’s not why she went with Shakespearean names. I quite liked Cordelia, though I did go through a stage of having to tolerateBuffy the Vampire Slayerreferences. I loved Buffy as much as any girl from that era, but I was no Cordelia Chase. I lacked her wit and style.
“Fuckin—I mean, bloody hell, Cords,” Seamus said as he caught my father’s eye. “What have you got in this box? Your leadcollection?” I laughed as Miranda’s boyfriend Cameron reached over to help. “Nope, it's just full of books. Heavy books, I guess.”
Dad and Harrison were struggling with an antique chaise. It was an awkward shape and kept tipping at the sides. I could see Harrison becoming increasingly frustrated and moved to step in before he said anything he’d regret.
“Want some help?” A deep voice from behind me rang out. I turned to see a gorgeous dark-haired man and his blond companion cross the lawn from next door. He looked to be about 6’ 2” and had the build of a worker, not a gym man. Functional muscles, not show muscles.
“Yes please,” Dad gasped at the same time that Harrison responded with “Nah, all good mate.” Henry Cavill’s twin opted to listen to Dad and lifted the side of the sofa. “Which room is this headed for?” They moved carefully into the house, appearing outside a few minutes later.
“I’m Damon Bentley,” the chiseled god stated, offering his hand to Harrison and then to me. He had light brown eyes and a very symmetrical face that I’m sure Miranda’s artistic eye would appreciate. “I’m Harrison Watts, and this is my girlfriend, Cordelia Bard.” The next five minutes were a blur of introductions.
“Damon, these are my parents Theo and Leah, and my sisters Miranda and Juliet, Juliet's husband Seamus and Miranda's boyfriend Cameron—"
“I’m Cameron too,” the blond man beside Damon interjected. He’d been quiet until then, though I had noticed that he was watching Miranda closely. That was unsurprising. Miranda was vivacious and beautiful. At 5’ 7”, she was the tallest of the three of us. Her long, black hair was up in a weird, braided arrangement and she was wearing tight denim shorts and afitted red tank. Miranda may be artistic and dreamy, but she was a hard worker. She’d come to clean and unpack, and I guarantee she’d be the last worker standing.
“Nice to meet you,” about three of us said at the same time.
“Well, welcome to the neighborhood. I’ve been here about two years doing up my place.” Damon motioned next door. His house was beautiful. I’d noticed it the first time we came to look at our home and was very impressed. It was neat and new looking, but he’d retained the historical features in his renovations.
Juliet interrupted the exchange, shrieking when a large black Labrador jumped up at the back of her legs. “Nettie,” Damon chided, and the dog obediently sat, looking sad that she’d displeased her master. I walked over, patting her head, a wide-open panting smile my reward.
“I love dogs!” I enthused. “I'm still trying to convince Harrison to adopt a dog or a cat.”
Harrison nodded toward Nettie. “Yeah, she’s cute but I think we have our hands full right now Cordy.” Pfft. I knew the truth. He’d been raised in such a cold, sterile environment and as a pharmacist, he was germ obsessed. His parents were wonderful, warm people but their home was so bare and minimalist, and they’d never had a pet, not even a goldfish. Because germs.
Damon looked around for a while, finally facing Mom and Dad. “I just realized, these are all Shakespeare names!”
Mom laughed. “Wow, that’s good. Yes, they are. You a fan?”
Damon laughed. “Not really. Just a very reluctant student who has somehow retained some knowledge.”
Juliet linked her arm through Miranda’s and joined in. “Well, I’m just glad they didn’t go with the full King Lear theme, orshe’d have Cordelia, Goneril, and Regan. Regan’s an okay name, but Goneril ...” She shuddered at the thought.
“Yeah, it’s giving major STI vibes,” Miranda chortled. “But to be fair, was gonorrhea a thing back then? I mean, did they have a name for it? Harrison, you should know, you probably dispense STI meds all the time.”
Harrison looked disgusted. It was his standard “Miranda” reaction. They got along well, but while most of us found Miranda creative and free spirited, he found her irresponsible and mouthy.
“I really don’t know the etymology or origins of infections, Miranda. That’s not my job.” I loved Harrison but he could be so stuffy. His parents were not like that, and really, neither was Harrison. Well, he didn’t use to be. It was like he’d decided that being a pharmacist meant he could no longer have fun or just chill out with friends. Everything was so serious all of a sudden. I was sure that once he settled into his career, he’d grow more comfortable and realize that he could still be himself and not some eighteenth-century physician type with a top hat and a 24/7 penchant for proper etiquette.
Damon and Cameron (Damon’s Cameron, this could get confusing!) offered more help but wandered off when they were politely declined by Harrison. It was good to know we had at least one nice neighbor. We hadn’t met the elderly couple on the other side of us yet, but had seen them in their garden once as we drove by to see if the “Sold” sticker had been applied to the sign. Damon seemed fun enough, and it would be awesome having Nettie next door. Maybe he’d let me walk her every now and then until I could convince Harrison that we needed a fur baby.
Chapter 2: Damon – The pink lady
She's beautiful, and therefore to be wooed; She is a woman, therefore to be won.
Henry VI, Part 1, William Shakespeare
Cameron was peering out of the plantation shutters in my living room. “Fuck, your new neighbor is crazy hot. Yeah baby, you’ll need to bend to pick that up. That’s right ... Just a little more.” I joined him at the window. “Look at the set up under that red top. Shit!” I looked to the woman. Yeah, she was attractive, but the woman next to her was even prettier. She was slightly shorter, but had a similar build. Slender, not too skinny, with cute little curves. Her dark brown hair was in a ponytail, and she was talking to a tall dark-haired guy. She wore skinny jeans, pink Converse shoes and a loose pink t-shirt.
“I don’t know which one the new neighbor is, pervert,” I said. “Could be the older couple, or that other couple.” I hoped it was pink-shirt lady. Or maybe I didn’t. She was obviously with that other guy, and living next to her could be a new kind of torture.
