Born to Make You Smile

ONE

I liked to pride myself on being a strong, independent woman.

Brave.

Fearless.

Able to conquer the world.

But right now, I hid under my covers like a little girl, the racket outside my window making me wish I didn’t live on my own.

A loud thud on my roof, followed by the crash of glass breaking caused my heart to pound.

Oh my God. Someone was definitely trying to break in.

A bout of courage came over me, knowing I had to protect myself and this house.

Channeling my inner Kevin McCallister, I climbed out of bed and tiptoed down the creaking stairs to the kitchen. With slow heaving breaths, I slipped Jean, my ten-inch chef’s knife, out of the wood block.

Blood pulsed in my ears as I walked to the side of my house toward the rustling coming from the garbage bins.

Just an animal.

Probably a stupid raccoon.

I sighed in relief.

Suddenly, a dark figure appeared in the dim moonlight. A large man. All the hairs on my neck rose to attention, and I let out a scream, holding up my knife with a shaky hand. “Don’t come any closer! I have a knife!”

My eyes darted to the two chubby raccoons scurrying away, then back to the intruder.

“Grace. It’s me,” the intruder proclaimed.

My shoulders fell as the adrenaline rush in my body leveled out.

Not an intruder. Just my next-door neighbor.

“Holy shit, Gavin,” I said, panting. “I thought you were trying to rob me.”

“I apologize for the scare.” His eyes widened. “But that is one mighty large knife you’ve got there.”

I looked down at the oversized knife in my small hand. “Yeah. Jean. My ten-incher.”

“ Ten-incher ,” he repeated, his jaw open. “Yikes. Remind me never to cross you.”

I carefully laid the knife on the AC unit and placed my hands on my hips to catch my breath.

Gavin walked up to me, adjusting his glasses. He had tousled hair and was dressed all in black in a loose T-shirt and lounge pants.

“I heard wild noises from my bedroom window.” He gestured up to his house. “So I came to see what the commotion was about.”

I’d never realized our bedrooms faced one another before. We were close enough to hold up large hand-printed messages on paper, like some kind of sweet Taylor Swift music video.

I shook my head. “Just the damn raccoons.”

“Bloody hell. You should see what they did to my garden the other day. They ate all my green beans.”

No. Not the green beans.

I clenched my fists. “Those monsters!”

Gavin’s garden spanned the entire right side of his backyard. His fruit, herb, and vegetable plants were precious to me. I saved so much money using his produce on a daily basis, even freezing what I could in the winter.

“That’s it,” I said. “This means war.”

He chuckled. “They are rather cute, though. Reminds me of one of those Beanie Babies you used to have as a child.”

I still have every single one of them.

“By the way,” he said. “Any particular reason your knife is named Jean?”

“After Jean Gray. X-Men .”

I was a bit of a comic-book buff with a collection on my desk shelf. When I was younger, my mother would take me to Silver Snail and let me pick up a comic to read while I waited for her at the hairdresser. She’d always come out of the salon looking like a bombshell with her creamy blond bob styled to perfection. She was absolutely beautiful.

He nodded. “Ahh. Yes. Do you name all your knives?”

“Only the larger chef ones. I name them after my favorite comic-book heroes. I also have a Wanda, an Ororo, a Natasha, and a Harley.”

“Fascinating,” he said with a hum.

I went to close the lid of my garbage bin when another raccoon jumped out before me.

“Oh God!” I shrieked as the pudgy critter scurried away.

My body trembled, and I fell into Gavin. He wrapped his arms around my body, cradling me.

“Nothing to fear. Just another raccoon,” he whispered.

My heart pattered hard against him.

“It’s okay, love,” he murmured into my ear. “I’ve got you.”

Huddled up to his warm, sturdy chest, I inhaled the fresh laundry scent of his shirt mixed with the novel aroma of his skin. I’d never been this close to him before. Being in his arms made me feel so protected and safe.

He gripped me tighter, and I froze as his fingers grazed the exposed skin of my lower back.

Blood rushed to my face as I processed the awkwardness of the moment.

“So sorry.” I abruptly wriggled out of his embrace.

After I stepped back, the chill of the night ran through my body, and my braless nipples hardened. I noticed Gavin glance down at my sizable breasts before his eyes shot up. I immediately crossed my arms to cover my chest.

He tilted his head from side to side. “I wasn’t…um…your pajamas are very cute. Peachy Dreams .”

I shifted on my feet with a nod. “I should get back inside and get some sleep. Work tomorrow. Bright and early.”

“Yes,” he agreed, dragging a hand through his mass of hair. “Good night. See you tomorrow. Don’t, um, forget your little superhero there.”

With a grin, I retrieved Jean.

As I watched him walk to his house, I couldn’t help but feel the bizarre urge to follow him. To spend the night with someone and not be alone for once.