The Neighbor #3 (The Neighbor #3) (9 page)

“Call me.”

“I will. Drive safe, my love.”

I walked to my car. It was nearly impossible
to walk away from Ryder when all I wanted was to run into his arms. I got in my
car and drove back to campus. As I drove, the only thing on my mind was his
final words:
my love
.

I relived my time with Ryder. I didn’t play
any music because my mood needed no enhancement.

Chapter
Ten

I rushed to class after a quick shower. There
was no Eric and Diane, which was a shame, because
I
had to tell him about the products I discovered. I pulled on some workout
clothes so I could hit the gym later in the day. The transition from being
Ryder’s lover to being Professor Curran’s student would be difficult. Since we
had sex and cleared up the honesty issues, things had become more serious.
Someone finding out about
us
seemed so much more
risky. Our hearts were on the line, along with Ryder’s job and my education.
The stakes were high and getting higher.

Before leaving my room, I had a conversation
with Kelly.

“Hey,
Kel
.
Good morning and goodbye. We are rarely here
at the same time.”

“I know. You seem to be gone every weekend,”
Kelly said.

“Yeah.
I have been moving at a frenetic pace.”

“You must have been working-out a lot. You are
walking as if you may have overdone it a bit. It looks like you have taken up
horseback riding.”

“Horseback riding?
Sounds fun but I have not been riding a
horse.”

I was still feeling the effects of my time
with Ryder. Riding his muscular body took its toll, but it was worth having a
hitch in my giddy up. I noticed something different in the air. There was
something missing, and it was Kelly’s breath. There was no offensive odor
emanating from her mouth. Shit, the girl didn’t even have morning breath. I was
pleasantly surprised.

“We should plan on dinner some night this
week. We can take a run and go somewhere in town if you are up for it. I have a
lot to tell you about,” Kelly said.

“Don’t tell me you are dropping out. Is Kansas
calling you home? Am I a horrible roommate?” I said.

“No.
Nothing like that at
all.
I
am loving
this place. I have been
keeping myself occupied and I need some helpful hints.”

“Sounds intriguing.
What’s up?”

“I don’t want to make you late. It is a long
story and it can wait until we have more time.” Kelly threw her pillow over her
head.

“Okay, I’m going to hold you to our get
together later in the week. I am going to meet Max before class and I will have
to tolerate his obnoxious behavior once again.”

“Later, Jenna.
Tell Max I said hello.”

I bounced out of Leach Hall. For the first
time in a long time, I felt carefree. Ryder and I were on an even keel. I was
feeling invincible.

****

“Where were you Saturday night? You weren’t in
your room?” Max was waiting for me before class as always.

“I was busy and I’m exhausted and I’m not in
the mood for you.”

“Did lover boy make you clean his balls?” Max
laughed at his own joke.

“Jokes don’t get much older than that,” I
said.

“Sensitive this morning, aren’t we?”

“Grab our seats behind your gal pal, Valerie.
I’m going to grab a drink of water.”

I looked out the window near the water cooler.
I knew Ryder parked his car out back. I intended to give him a quick hello
before class. I didn’t see his vehicle so I joined Max. I would have sent him a
good morning text, but I couldn’t locate my phone. I assumed it fell out of my
pocket at Ryder’s house over the weekend. It was likely filled with messages
from him. I hoped he didn’t think I was ignoring him.

“Did you get hydrated? I am sure Ryder has been
tough on you with the all of the golf stuff. It is more strenuous exercise than
many think,” Max said. He looked at his phone. “Class is beginning late this
morning. What did you do to the professor? He must be worn out from his weekend
activities. You would know.”

“Shut up, Max. Did you notice the new do on
our friend Rozi? I miss the messy ponytail.”

Corn-rows had replaced her ponytail. The girl
was channeling her inner Bo Derek. The only problem was that there was no
nearby beach. And it was autumn.

“Maybe a bird got caught in the thing and flew
away with it.”

The room grew quiet as the dean and another
man walked into the room.

“What the fuck is going on, Max? Why is the
Dean here and who the hell is the guy with him? I don’t see Ryder anywhere.”

I thought that perhaps Ryder was ill. I got
nervous because I had just seen him and he appeared well. We didn’t discuss
chemo or cancer at all. There was so much happening with Sammy and Sally that
I
almost forgot about his illness. What if he had a relapse?
I wished that I had my phone to call him. I hated that I relied on technology
so much. It would have come in handy at that moment.

“For those of you who do not know me.
I am Dean Meadows. I am also known as
The Mean Dean
.” The others laughed. “I
assure you, I come in peace. Professor Ryder Curran is on leave. I will not get
in to the reasons for his departure. I am here to introduce you to the man who
is going to be teaching human sexuality for the remainder of the semester.
Please meet Professor Allen Flynn.”

The rest of the semester?

The Dean walked off and Professor Flynn picked
up where Ryder had left off. I didn’t listen to a word he was saying and
neither did the rest of the class. Professor Flynn was tall, slender, and bald.
He didn’t look like a human sexuality professor.

“Oh, shit. I was afraid something like this
would happen.” Max squeezed my hand.

The chatter started immediately and I could
feel all eyes upon me. I suffered through the lecture, not knowing if Ryder was
alive or dead.

“I am sorry to have met you this way but I
hope to make this a seamless transition. Please take a copy of the revised
syllabus. I am not Ryder Curran but I am sure I can competently fill his
shoes.” He was clearly trying to make the best of his sudden start.

“He may be able to fill Ryder’s shoes but I
bet he can’t fill
you
up the same,”
Max said with a laugh in his voice.
 
I
wanted to throttle him.

“Max. One more word and I will knee you in the
crotch, and you know I will.”

I gathered my things and rushed out the door,
hoping to find Dean Meadows before he left. I ran into the hallway.

“Dean Meadows, may I have a word with you,” I
called out.

He looked at me though he was expecting me.

“Come over here, Ms. Walsh. I thought I would
see you soon. Follow me please.”

I followed him into a vacant classroom.

“Jenna.” His voice echoed.

“Yes.” I swallowed hard.

“You were seen kissing Professor Ryder Curran
while playing Putt-Putt on Thursday evening—”

Those were the only
words my brain could process before it shut down.

Follow
the passionate story of Jenna and Ryder in
The
Neighbor—Book 4
on November 12th

Click
here to get an email when The Neighbor Book 3 is released

Read The Neighbor #1 By Clicking
Here

Read The Neighbor #2 By Clicking
Her

Get
Each of My Newly Released Books for 99 Cents By Clicking Here

Like
me on Facebook
:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Claire-Adams/547513332025338

Newsletter
:
–
Click
here to get an email as soon as the next book in the series is available.

Once complete The Neighbor series
will consist of 4 books in total.

The
Neighbor -
Release
schedule:

Book
1: October 8th

Book
2: October 22nd

Book
3: November 5th

Book
4: November 19th

This
book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are
products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not
to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual
events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Copyright
© 2014 Claire Adams