The Girl in the Window

Sample Chapter

CHAPTER ONE

It was the same thing, five days a week.

Caleb McCormick backed out of his driveway in his Mercedes S-class sedan. The car was black and sleek, and it shimmered in the morning light. The engine rumbled and growled, but it was a comforting sound to me, like the purr of a cat – a big cat. It was the perfect car for the perfect man, the man I looked for each morning.

The Mercedes reached the street, turned, and drove slowly past my house. I slid to the side of the window. I didn’t want him to see me watching. Not again. But I peeked out anyway.

Caleb McCormick. Thirty-three years old, a financial advisor. His dark hair neatly trimmed, one lost dark curl falling down his forehead in a sexy way. I imagined his blue eyes sparkling as he quickly donned a pair of Oakley sunglasses to ward off the early morning April sun.

Gawd, he’s gorgeous.

The Mercedes neared the corner, slowed down and disappeared. I let out a lungful of air I hadn’t realized I was holding in. The last time he’d driven by – yesterday morning a little after seven – he’d glanced my way. He’d seen me watching – not for the first time – and waved, a half-smile on his baby face. I’d lifted a hand in return and smiled back. It was our morning connection, a treasured moment. At least for me.

What did he think when he saw me, each weekday morning at the same time, standing in the window in my pink silk robe, staring out at him? It must not have bothered him – after all, he always drove by and acknowledged me in a seemingly pleasant way.

With a sigh, I moved back in front of the window and gazed down the street, where the Mercedes had just been. Then I glanced in the other direction, toward his house, and frowned. After what had happened with his wife yesterday, I needed to be careful.

I drew in another breath, let it out slowly, then turned from the window and plodded back into the kitchen. I poured a cup of coffee and stood at the counter and sipped it. I peered out the window. The back yard needed tending to. Dead leaves lay scattered under bushes and all over my flower beds. A small vegetable garden in the corner needed cleaning out. I usually loved to get out there and get my hands dirty, but I hadn’t had any motivation lately. I spent too much time thinking about Caleb.

Why couldn’t I have had a husband like that? I pictured Caleb and began fantasizing about what it would be like to have him come home to me. It would be – well, certainly not what I’d had. I was still thinking about him when I saw what time it was. I swore. Kristen was going to be here soon, and I hadn’t even dressed yet. What would she think?

I went upstairs, showered, and threw on some makeup. I put on khaki slacks and a white blouse, trying to make myself feel prettier than I felt right now. Just as I was putting on some earrings, the doorbell rang. I dashed back downstairs and opened the front door.

“Amber, you don’t need to dress up for me,” Kristen Smalls said as she flew past me, down the hall, and into the kitchen.

I’d known Kristen since college. We were sorority sisters, and we’d become fast friends. We’d roomed together, studied together, partied together, and even ended up sharing some of the same guys – not at the same time. She was not only my best friend, she was also my lawyer.

“Get me a cup of coffee before I die,” Kristen ordered. She plopped her leather briefcase on the island, pulled out a barstool, and sank into it. “I was up late last night.”

“A new man?” I asked as I poured her coffee.

“Hardly. I’m part of that big case, and I have a lot on my plate. And then I needed to get your paperwork finished.”

Kristen was a criminal attorney, and she was doing me a favor handling my divorce from my soon-to-be ex, Rick Aldridge.

“Here’s where things are with Rick,” she said as she dug into her briefcase.

I handed her coffee, then reached into the refrigerator for hazelnut creamer.

“Thanks,” she said. She set a file folder on the island, took the creamer and poured a generous amount into her cup. She swished the coffee around, then took a gulp. “Aaah. I wish they could shoot this into my veins.”

I forced a laugh and waited for the bad news. She finally looked at me.

“Rick isn’t going to give you a cent more than he has to.”

“Oh?” I leaned against the counter.

She nodded and sipped her coffee, her brown eyes contemplating me over the rim of the cup. I pursed my lips and shrugged.

“That’s it?” she said.

“What do you want me to say?”

“You know you should be asking for more.”

“Maybe.” I glanced toward the TV in the other room. The Today show was on, the sound muted. Matt Lauer was interviewing a celebrity who was in the middle of a nasty divorce. How familiar.

“Amber,” Kristen said softly.

I turned back to her. “I don’t have the fight in me.”

“You’re going to need money if you’re going to keep this house.”

My eyes wandered again, taking in the kitchen with its cherry cabinets, granite countertops, and hardwood floors. Rick and I had moved in eighteen months ago. We’d spent a lot of money to buy this place.

“I thought this was going to be my dream home,” I said. “We’d settle down and have kids …”

Kristen put down her cup. It clinked loudly. She crinkled up her face in her no-nonsense look.

“Sweetie, you know there were problems with Rick, even before that, and moving into this house wasn’t going to change anything.”

“Yeah, well.” I couldn’t manage a witty comeback, so I glared at her, but she didn’t notice. “Maybe I was naïve, but I thought it would. I figured maybe he’d settle down a little bit.”

Kristen stared at me in disbelief, then waved a hand around. “You still want to keep this place? It’s awfully big for just one person.”

She was right. The main level had a living room with expensive furniture that we’d bought but rarely used, and a dining room where Rick and I had never shared a meal. Only the den had seen activity, mostly Rick watching TV, that is, when he’d been around. Upstairs was a lovely master suite and two more bedrooms, one I’d thought would soon be turned into a nursery. But that never happened. There was plenty of room in the basement as well. Rick could’ve enjoyed his man cave, the escape from a passel of kids. The truth was, he’d hardly gone down there, and now it was just a big empty space because I didn’t have anything to fill it with. But I wasn’t ready to give this house up just yet. My mind flashed to Caleb McCormick.

“There could still be a man in my life. Hell, I’m only thirty-two, don’t say my life’s over.”

Kristen laughed. “I’m not saying that. But if Rick continues to fight you like he is now, you’re going to have to get a job to pay the mortgage if you want to stay here.”

“I haven’t had a job in a while.”

“You still have skills. Don’t sell yourself short.”

“The problem is, I don’t want to work.”

Kristen tapped the countertop with a manicured fingernail. She looked every bit the power attorney in her tailored blue suit, her blond hair falling stylishly around her shoulders, those brown eyes boring into me.

“I know Rick’s leaving has been hard on you,” she said. “You didn’t see it coming.”

I was grateful she didn’t tack on, although you should have.

“How much do you have in savings?” she went on.

“It’s going to run out in a few months.”

The tapping grew more intense. “You need to act now.”

“I know.”

She glanced around again. “You wanted to be in this neighborhood where the husbands have their great careers and the women stay home and eat bon-bons.”

“Bon-bons,” I smirked. “That’s not what happens.”

“How many times have I heard you talk about that woman across the street, what’s her name?”

“Erin,” I said with a hint of bitterness in my tone.

Caleb’s wife.

“See? Even the way you say her name. You don’t like these women with their country-club lifestyles and their expensive cars and clothes. It’s not you, no matter how much you try to sell it to yourself. You had a great career, and I don’t know why you gave it up.”

Not to brag, but I’d been a really good software engineer and had been moving up in a big company before I’d met Rick, gotten married, and quit my job. But the career hadn’t been what I’d wanted. Or what I thought I’d wanted.

“Erin’s fine,” I said, avoiding Kristen’s other thoughts.

“You told me she’s given you the cold shoulder from the moment you moved into this house.”

“Maybe.”

“Or is it because she knows you have the hots for her husband?”

I felt my cheeks burning. “What do you mean?”

“Come on. You can’t fool me. You think he’s something special.”

“Well … he is …” My voice trailed off.

“Gorgeous.”

I grinned. “Yeah.”

“Of course he is. But he’s married.”

“I know that.”

Kristen stared at me. “You remember when I was here a few weeks ago? Caleb came home from work while you and I were talking in the driveway. I saw how you looked at him. And I’ve heard how you talk about him. He’s got the perfect job, and the great house, and the flawless wife. The next thing you’ll know, Erin will be popping out kids and they’ll have the perfect family.”

“I’d kill for a life like that,” I said, then let out a mirthless laugh.

“It’s not going to happen, at least not with Rick.” She pushed the papers across the island. “Read that when you have a minute and let me know what you think. I’ve tried to come up with something fair for you.”

I didn’t even look at the papers. “Just give him what he wants.”

“That’s not a good idea. This is your lawyer speaking as much as your friend.”

“I don’t have the fight in me.”

She frowned. “I’m not sure you ever did.”

“So?”

Her eyes softened. “It’s got to be hard for you, with everything that Rick did.” She hesitated. “You’re vulnerable right now.”

“And?”

“Don’t do anything stupid.” She picked up her cup, gulped down more coffee, and stood up. “I’ve got to get to the office.”

She grabbed her briefcase and quickly headed down the hall to the front door. I had to hurry to catch up. She yanked open the door, then spun around and gave me a quick hug.

“Hang in there. And don’t do anything stupid,” she repeated.

I laughed. “I’ll be fine.”

“I know you think this was the textbook life for you, because of your mom and all, but …”

“I know, we’ve had this talk before.”

“You haven’t been in this house that long. Are you sure you want to stay?”

“I don’t know.”

She nodded. “Rick’s lawyer has been bugging me, so listen. Whatever you do, don’t sign anything that Rick or his lawyer sends your way.”

“I won’t.”

Then she was out the door in a cloud of perfume-scented air. I followed her out. She hurried to her Lexus and drove off with a squeal of tires. Kristen, always in a rush. So unlike what went on around me.

I stepped off the porch and looked down the street. All the houses looked beautiful, the yards blooming with spring flowers, the grass finally greening up after a long winter. No matter what Kristen said, it still seemed like the perfect neighborhood to me.

The garage door of a house down the street slowly opened and I watched as Erin McCormick backed her red BMW out of the driveway.

 

This book will keep you turning pages from the very beginning! There is a murder, and everyone is a suspect! The author keeps your wheels turning all the way to the very end! ~Reader review