It was a beautiful spring day. I was busy working on my house. Being single and free, I had managed to save up and get this great home in an upscale neighborhood. It had been a bargain due to the previous owners had gotten a divorce and needed to sell it quickly to get things settled between them.
My bank had lent me the money at a good interest rate and my payments were actually lower than the apartment I had been renting before. I spent most of my free time working on the house, fixing it up. I had installed a hot tub and Jacuzzi bathtub. A great big tile shower in the master bathroom, and a nice deck in back.
Right now my project was the building of a brick barbeque that rose up from the ground and had the grill at waist height on my deck. I was putting on the finishing touches and getting ready for a party to break it in.
My work keeps me very busy most of the time. I have a small business consulting in the computer field, more precisely, in the networking and large company networks field. It pays well and I had quite a few contracts for steady work since I am very good at what I do.
I have fourteen people working for me and had invited them all to my place for the barbeque. I was hoping that they all showed up. My freezer was full of steaks and shrimp. My refrigerator full of beer and wine. I wanted to have it be a little company party and housewarming party combination.
Having neighbors on each side of me, on one side were an older couple, Bill and Kate. He was in banking and she was an interior decorator. Matter of fact they had both helped me to get and fix up my house.
Bill had handled the loan and Kate had given me some great ideas on my additions. We shared a few get-togethers from time to time. I had invited them over for this party but they were going to be out of town so couldn't make it.
My other neighbor was a single woman who kept to herself. She had a large swimming pool, and spent quite a bit of time next to it sunning herself and reading books. I was not sure what she did since I had not been around to talk to very much.
I had seen her in a bikini one time. My jaw dropped when I realized it was her. Usually she was dressed kind of frumpy but in that bikini she had revealed one hot body. I had watched her the whole time she had been out by her pool that day.
I think she knew I had been watching her too. She would look over her sunglasses once in a while as I 'worked' on my deck. Needless to say, I didn't get much done that day. I also had an erection that actually hurt.
I fired up the barbeque and was testing it to see if it was going to draft right, when she came out on her back deck. I looked over and saw she was in her bikini again and I almost burnt my hand not paying attention to what I was doing. God, she looked hot. I really wanted to invite her over for the party, but didn't know how to go about it without looking stupid. I fiddled around with the barbeque for quite some time before I got up the nerve to walk over to the fence and ask her if she would like to come to my barbeque.
"Hi. Say, I'm having a barbeque to break in my grill tomorrow and wondered if you would like to come over for a steak and a beer or wine? I'm having some of my friends over, and I would like to get to know you. After all, you are my neighbor."
She looked at me over her sunglasses. She didn't say anything at first, then after a hesitation, she stood up and walked over to where I was standing.
"I'm being invited to your barbeque party tomorrow? What time?"
"Um, well I told everyone that it would start about one o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Since it is a Saturday and all, I figured that would be a good time."
"Oh, that's too bad, I have some business to attend to at one, across town. I will be tied up with that until probably around three at the earliest."
"Heh, well if I know my friends, the party will just be getting going about then."
"Well, if it's convenient for you, yes, I would love to come. I will have to be late though."
"I'll just say you are going to be fashionably late how's that?"
"That'll be good. Thank you for inviting me too, by the way."
"My pleasure . . . umm . . . maybe I should know your name too. I'm Jim. Jim Anderson."
"Oh, yes that might be good, Jim Anderson. I am Diane. Diane . . . Fields."
"Pleasure to meet you Diane. Diane . . . Fields."
We laughed together about her hesitation to tell me her last name. I figured she was just as nervous as I was about the whole thing and let it go as that. We chit chatted for a bit then I had to leave to get some more items for another project I was beginning.
As I drove across town, I felt elated and more than a bit fortunate that she had accepted my invitation. I was not so sure that she may be out of my league, but she had actually warmed up to me rather nicely after the initial ice breaking.
I got my things and headed home. My cell phone rang as I drove and not being one to drive and talk like most people do, I pulled over to answer it. It was my secretary. She was calling to affirm that her and her husband would be at the party. I mentioned to her about my neighbor and she started to tease me a bit. You see, she had been trying to fix me up with some of her friends and none of them had worked out very well. I guess that they were not ready for such a young man to be the owner of a business like I was.
Most of the girls Shiana set me up with had been younger than I and that had led to some interesting dates. Some of them couldn't get over the fact that I was very sedate and, well, adult. They were looking for party guys in most cases and I was not interested in partying like that. I had already been there and done that too much.
I got home and noticed that Diane was still on her lounger next to the pool. I looked at her for a while through my kitchen window. I couldn't get over how good-looking she was and what a great body she had too. I decided at that point that I was going to pursue her far more seriously.
The next morning I woke up to rain. It was raining hard and I knew that the party was going to be bust unless it stopped pretty soon. I waited for hours and about eleven I decided that it wasn't going to stop so I called everyone and canceled out. I told them that we would have it next weekend for sure.
I sat in my kitchen watching the rain. About two o'clock it finally quit and I went out to wipe down the pentagon shaped picnic table. I liked to keep it clean as possible, knowing that a bit of neglect would lead to warping and twisting of the wood. I had built it with my own hands and was quite proud of it.
I had my back to Diane's house when I heard her come out into her yard. I hadn't been able to get a hold of her to inform her of the cancelled party. She came up to the gate in the fence and I ran down to open it for her.
"I'm sorry. The rain this morning . . . at eleven I called everyone to cancel. I didn't think it was going to quit. But it's nice now. If you want, I can still fire up the grill and we could get to know each other."
"Oh dear. There won't be anyone else here then?"
"No. That isn't a problem is it? I mean, Heh, I don't bite or anything. Honest!"
Laughing, she looked into my eyes with a smile that went deep inside. My heart shook a bit with that look. She had a way of looking at me that seemed to bare my soul to her. It was kind of unnerving.
"Oh no, that's not a problem. Perhaps you should be afraid of me instead."
I laughed at her joke, half wondering if maybe I should be afraid of her. She had a confidence in her that I didn't see in many women and she seemed to be quite in charge of her life. Her words were strongly spoken, no hesitation or cowering there.
"Shall we then Diane?"
I opened the gate and offered her my arm. I walked her up to the table I had just wiped off, glad that I had done just that a few minutes ago. At least her seat would be dry. I got her a drink and then went to my kitchen to get the steaks and other food for our dinner.
As I started to cook the steaks she came to stand by me and we talked. I found out that she was an independent businesswoman and did quite well with her business. She mentioned that she was in the entertainment field. I figured that meant she was an agent or something. Her clothes and matter of fact, her house and everything about her was upscale.
We ate and visited some more. I found her to be a great person and fun and intelligent too. We talked about many things and after cleaning up from our dinner I showed her my house and all I had done to it. She seemed impressed at my skills and taste.
I was thanking the Gods that Kate had been nice enough to give me a hand on my decorating. Diane left that night parting company with me at the gate. We looked at each other for a bit, then because I thought it felt right, I leaned in to kiss her. She held off with just a bit of hesitation, then lightly kissed my lips. With that she was gone.
I went in my house in such a good mood. I had actually found out that I liked my neighbor far more than I had thought I would. We had even kissed. Okay, it was a very small kiss and could have been one of those 'just friends' kisses, but it was what I thought to be a great start.
The next morning, I got up early and did my yard work. I never saw Diane at all. I figured she was either sleeping in or that she had gone to church. I finished up my yard work and then went in to do my housework.
I liked to keep a clean house, mainly because my mom had ingrained it in me. She used to tell me . . . 'You never know who may stop by Jim, so keep your house clean.' She had also used a lot of other mother to son sayings, but that one stayed with me for some reason.
