I was muttering to myself as I put my yard tools back in my shed. I knew I was doing it, yet I couldn’t seem to stop.

Serena Lewis had gotten on my last nerve.

“Freaking rude-ass, don’t know how to talk to people, pint-sized beauty,” I said under my breath as I hung up my weed-eater, then shut the door to the shed and locked it.

I’d been surprised when I realized that my new neighbor was Gabe’s cousin. I’d recognized her immediately, but then again, she was pretty easy to notice. She’d cut her hair, but it still hung well past her shoulders. It didn’t really matter what she did to her hair, she could shave it all off if she wanted, it was her face that was unforgettable. Not that her silky chestnut hair wasn’t beautiful, her body wasn’t amazing, and her voice wasn’t sexy and smoky, all that was true, too.

It was ridiculous really, and I guess I should have expected a woman who looked like her to treat others like garbage, but I hadn’t.

The times I’d met her she’d been kind, funny, and obviously adored by her cousins.

The woman I’d seen today was like a movie villain version of that woman. The Serena I’d seen today had been a stuck-up harpy who was downright ugly.

I glanced over at the back of her house and shook my head.

I couldn’t imagine Gabe, Rear, or Dillon had ever seen Serena like I had today. Shoot, they put her on a pedestal, thought she was the best of them. It probably had something to do with the fact that she’d moved away, so they hadn’t gotten to grow up with her the way they had with each other.

They saw her through rose-colored glasses, tinged with love and excitement over the fact that she was moving back and they’d finally all live in Cherry Springs together again.

I hated that they were bound to be sorely disappointed when they found out the truth.

With a huff, I turned my back to Serena’s house and pushed her from my mind. I’d spent too much time thinking about her as it was … People like that were toxic, and I didn’t need that in my life.

Needing to cool down, I walked back through my yard to the building settled at the end of my property. My happy place. My workshop.

I opened the doors, breathed in the smell of wood and sawdust, and grinned for the first time that day.

I worked construction to pay the bills and put a roof over my head, but this, this was where my passion lie. Woodworking, crafting, building … whatever you wanted to call it, I loved doing it.

Creating something out of nothing. Turning something plain into something extraordinary. That’s what turned me on and got my juices flowing.

I looked around my studio at the unfinished pieces, trying to see which piece called for me and begged to be completed. The wagon wheel table, the antique dresser that I was turning into a bookshelf, or the river wood table. I also glanced at the new shipment of boat wood that I’d gotten in to reclaim, but my heart was telling me it was time to finish the river wood.

Mind made up, I crossed to my workbench to turn on my Bluetooth speaker, set my phone to stream, and got to work.

About two hours later, I was in the zone. My mind was clear, I was singing along to the music, and the table was almost finished. I stood up and stretched, one hand on my lower back as I wiped the sweat from my brow.

Whew, I thought as my scent wafted up and punched me in the nose. Between the yardwork and the woodworking, I was ripe.

Thinking a shower was in order, I was about to throw down my sander and go into the house, but as I was about to start cleaning up, I heard a knock and then a voice behind me.

“Hey,” Reardon said, shouting louder than was necessary. “Jed, it’s Reardon … Don’t want to startle you and have you accidentally saw something off.”

I chuckled and turned my music off on my phone as I turned.

“How’s it going?” I asked.

I’d met Reardon and Dillon through Gabe almost two years ago, and now they were my crew, along with Shane, our buddy who worked tending bar in town at Gabe’s parents’ place. Reardon also lived in the neighborhood with his soon-to-be wife Chloe, and her son Chris.

“A little crazy, what with Chloe on bedrest and starting to order me around like she’s Supreme Leader Snoke,” Reardon said, then grimaced and muttered, “Sorry, that was mean. She’s not as bad as all that, really, I just needed to take a walk. Catch some air … I told her I was going to check on Serena.”

I chuckled at his Star Wars reference and tried not to compare his cousin to Darth Vader when I asked, “Have you been to see her yet?”

“No, I thought I’d stop in here first, see if maybe you’d want to come grab a drink with me,” he said hopefully. “Did you see her? Did anyone remember to tell you she was moving in right next door?”

“Nope, it came as a surprise this morning,” I stated, leaving it at that. I could think of no reason to mention what I’d seen and heard today. It would only make him defensive, and cause concern.

He had enough on his plate with his bedridden wife and impending fatherhood.

“Sorry, man, it actually all happened rather quickly, and although I knew she was moving into the subdivision, I didn’t realize she’d be your neighbor until a few days ago.”

“No worries on my end, man,” I assured him. “As long as she’s not throwing ragers and keeping me up all night, we’ll get along fine.”

I was hoping we wouldn’t have much interaction at all, if I was honest.

“Nah, you don’t have to worry about that. Our Rena is quiet as a church mouse and sweet as a button. She’s managing the art gallery in town, so she’ll be busy getting it ready for the grand opening.”

I nodded, but bit my tongue before commenting on his description of Serena’s character.

“As for the drink, yeah, man, I’m all in. Just let me go grab a quick shower and I’ll be ready to go.”

“Great,” Reardon said with a really happy smile. “I’ll go pop in at Rena’s to see how she’s doing. Want to just grab me over there when you’re ready?”

Although I really didn’t want to, I said, “Sure thing,” then we parted ways and I went inside to wash the stink off.