by Nyree Grace
Alicia peered through the kitchen blinds, parting the wooden slats to get a clearer view of the activity across the street. The large Cape Cod style house opposite her father's home had been vacant for the past four weeks, and according to Alicia's observations it was about to be occupied by Adonis. Perhaps moving back home to care for her Dad was going to have more entertaining distractions than she had previously assumed.
"Is dinner ready yet love?" Jim called from the living room.
"Oh!" Alicia startled. "Not yet Dad. I'm still, er, peeling the vegetables." Her guilty glance at the kitchen clock informed her it was nearly 6pm. Dinner would be late. At least, thanks to daylight saving, she would be able to enjoy the outside entertainment for at least another hour, and by the look of things it would take the handsome hunk a fair while to unload all his stuff. However, good-looking distractions across the street weren't good for her concentration. "I'm hoping to have it dished up around seven thirty." With a bit of luck.
"I could always ring for fish 'n' chips... I'm starving!"
"You know what the doctor said about eating deep fried stuff, Dad! I don't want you winding up in the hospital again!" she scolded him, knowing that if she was not there to make sure he ate properly he would go back to his old unhealthy habits of fast food and fatty snacks. "Besides, dinner's pretty much under control," Alicia fibbed. From now on, she must remember to keep peeling and chopping whilst admiring the view outside. Fortunately, females can multi-task efficiently - and safely with a blunt knife, she mused.
Hot breath against cold glass mingled with steam from the boiling pots, obscuring Alicia's view of the tall, dark, and handsome neighbour. Remedying the problem with a quick wipe of her sleeve afforded her an unobstructed view of toned biceps and broad masculine shoulders hefting bulky boxes from a silver Ford utility truck with apparent ease. When he had disappeared from view, large cursive red lettering emblazoning the side of his vehicle stirred Alicia's curiosity: 'Troy Turner, Landscape Designer' followed by a logo and two phone numbers, indecipherable owing to her distance across the street. An audible sigh escaped Alicia's lips as she wondered if that was his name.
"If dinner's gonna be a while, I could take Monty for a walk. The exercise will be good for the ol' ticker and it'll save him from getting under your feet," Jim suggested.
"Did you remember to take your blood pressure pills? And yeah, that'd be awesome Dad! Make sure you look out for cats and hold his leash extra tight," she reminded him, stating the obvious. Alicia was aware that her father's strong wrists and stout frame were a perfect combination to curb Monty's wish to bolt free at the slightest temptation, yet she couldn't help her concern.
"Don't worry honey. We'll be fine - won't we Monty?" he added giving the hairy pooch a pat on the head before setting off on their constitutional.
Thinking of Monty distracted Alicia from her window gazing. A perfect looking man may be moving into the neighbourhood, but there was no point building hopes for romantic prospects, even in the unlikely chance that he happened to be both interested and available. If he were anything like other men she'd been keen on, he certainly wouldn't tolerate Monty's boisterous, uncontrollable behaviour. Not many men appreciate their shoes and trouser-legs being christened with golden doggy excitement when they cross the threshold; and if they were crazy enough to remove their shoes, they'd be lucky to find them still in one piece, let alone in the same place. Since 'Monstrous Monty' had become part of her life, potential romantic prospects typically ran for the hills after the first couple of dates. However, in retrospect, Alicia had come to realise that those men hadn't really been her ideal mate. They had been nice looking, good company and had all possessed a suave metrosexual appeal, but for some reason they had all lacked a certain je ne sais quoi. Alicia realised she couldn't take any man seriously if he didn't accept that Monty, despite his overzealous personality, was a major part of her life and she adored him.
Alicia rubbed Monty's ear as the long-haired black and white collie lay calmly at her feet. Monty made a delightful pet when he was relaxed and content. She wished he would always behave like this, then her friends and neighbours would be more inclined to like him. The afternoon sun shone through the large bay window, casting a glare on the Saturday Times and obscuring her view of the crossword on which she had been working. Walking towards the window to adjust the drapes, Alicia caught sight of her new neighbour working up a sweat in his garden. Her eyes were riveted to his tanned, shirtless chest as he concentrated his efforts on digging holes in the firm ground, presumably for planting the small shrubs arranged along the periphery of his driveway. Alicia couldn't help but notice how the sunlight played upon his sweat-moistened skin, accentuating his well-toned muscles. His fluid movements gave the impression of effortless ease. A cheeky smile lit her face as an idea, albeit risky, came to mind.
"Hmm... I think it's time I took you for a walk," she announced to the lethargic-looking dog.
Perking up instantly, the long legged canine changed in mercurial fashion to a state of hyperactive exuberance upon hearing one of his two favourite words.
"Hold still you silly hound! How can I get the lead on you if you're bouncing all over the place?"
Alicia's complaint was a routine occurrence and Monty, true to form, ignored her accordingly. Finally, after a lengthy battle of wills - a whole lot of barking and jumping on Monty's part and Alicia's efforts to still him long enough to secure his lead - she was finally able to set off on her mission.
Alicia had never been shy or awkward around men but for some reason now, as she ambled across the street in the direction of Troy's house, her heart pounded in her chest as if with a sense of foreboding.
"Hi! Welcome to the neighbourhood!" Alicia beamed, forcing down her apprehension when she noticed his sensuous lips forming a friendly smile.
"Hi! I'm Troy Turner," he announced, removing a muddy glove and extending a large calloused hand.
"Alicia. Alicia Hamilton," she replied, eagerly shaking his proffered hand and feeling relieved that Monty had so far managed to behave himself.
Unfortunately for Alicia her optimism was short lived when the friendly human gesture triggered Monty into automatic attention-seeking mode. The large shaggy dog surged between the pair, his tail wagging ferociously, effectively breaking the brief contact between them before jumping up against Troy with full velocity. Two big and now dirty paws landed forcefully against his shoulders and a long, lolling tongue slobbered across his stubbled chin.
"I'm so sorry!" Alicia apologised humbly. "Monty, get down! Sit! Sit!" But her commands fell on selectively deaf floppy ears.
"Your dog certainly has a mind of his own, doesn't he?" Troy laughed, forcing the animal into a sitting position. "It's no problem. I'm muddy anyway and I grew up with dogs. It's nice to see one with a bit of personality."
"A bit of personality is an understatement." Alicia chuckled, "If Monty were human he'd be put on Ritalin." She was pleasantly surprised to see that Monty now sat happily at Troy's feet. "Well he sure seems to respond well to you!" she added in amazement.
Troy grinned. "He can tell from my tone of voice and body language that I mean what I say."
The man certainly had an assertive demeanour, Alicia thought. "Well, I guess I'd better continue with our W.A.L.K and let you get back to your planting." Alicia didn't want to tempt providence by voicing the word in full or by staying too long in case Monty noticed anything else to distract him from his momentary compliance.
"Well it was nice to meet you, Alicia. Hopefully we'll meet again soon," he added with a broad grin.
Alicia's heart was in a flutter as she made her way down the road, pulled along by the over-eager dog.
"Heel Monty!" she instructed the stubborn hound, but he was too preoccupied sniffing the grass in hot pursuit of a scent to obey his mistress.
As they turned into the next street Monty charged without warning, pulling Alicia off balance and making her lose hold of the leash. Oh no! A ginger tom! Damn! The chase was on!
Unbeknown to the young woman, Troy watched as Monty towed her down the hill until the moment they turned the corner and disappeared from view. He couldn't help but notice how her posture, in trying to restrain the dog, emphasised her sexy callipygian curves encased to perfection in figure-hugging jeans. Troy smirked as he formed a mental image of how he could instruct the attractive brunette in the art of effective canine control. Although, even if given the opportunity, it would be highly unlikely that she would approve of his unconventional teaching methods. Nevertheless, dreaming was free.
Once Alicia and her pet were no longer in sight, Troy resumed his task of planting decorative shrubs along his driveway. Being a landscape designer, he had to ensure that his garden was an exemplary advertisement for his business.
When the last shrub had been planted and watered, and his mosaic birdbath had been filled with water, Troy stood back to admire his handiwork, relieved that his hard graft was completed for the day. As he contemplated the optimal positions for flowerbeds he was abruptly snapped from thought by the ruckus and flurry of furry bodies heading at full pace in his direction.
After an exhausting and futile pursuit, Alicia felt frustrated in her failure to curtail the dog's quest and decided to return home. It was likely that Monty had now tired of the chase and would be waiting for her on the doorstep, eager for a drink of water and looking as pleased as punch after his adventure.
As she neared her father's home, Alicia spotted the panting dog, recumbent upon the porch, obviously enjoying the coolness of the terracotta tiles. What Alicia hadn't expected to see was the devastation in his wake. Many of Troy's newly planted shrubs had been broken and uprooted, his driveway border now resembling a muddy quagmire.
Having found safety in the high branches of a nearby oak tree, the ginger tom cautiously observed the chaos below him, his spine and tail fur still bristling in a mix of fury and fright.
"Alicia!" Troy called from across the street. "I'd like a word with you when you've taken that dog of yours inside." Although his tone wasn't one of anger, it resonated with a commanding calmness, making Alicia shudder with the guilty realisation that she was responsible for this mess.
Just her rotten luck that Monty had chosen to concentrate his path of destruction through the garden of the man she was trying to impress. For once, Alicia felt less than excited to be in sight of her handsome new neighbour. In her desperation to get inside she grabbed the troublesome hound by his collar, pushing him through the entranceway before slumping mopishly against the closed lattice-paned door.
Several minutes later, and with her composure somewhat restored, she made her way hesitantly across the street, disconsolately noticing many broken plants and the overturned - most likely chipped and most definitely expensive - birdbath.
Damn! This is gonna cost me a feckin' fortune!
Distracted by the sound of a cough, Troy glanced up from his efforts to salvage as many plants as possible. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Alicia had returned.
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