FLOWER CARDS BY SHEILA

The Neighbor

Book One of The Sheila Trilogy

Joel Thomas Hedgpeth

The right of Joel Thomas Hedgpeth to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 and 78 of the Copyrights and Patents Act 1988.

Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

This electronic book published by

Silver Moon Books

an imprint of Fiction4All

www.fiction4adults.com

Acknowledgement

I wish to thank my wife, Lucia Powers, whose hobby of designing and creating floral notecards inspired me to write this book. Collections of Lucia's cards, made with pressed flowers and other botanical material, have won numerous awards at county and state fairs. The background of the cover of this book is a reproduction of one of her cards. Lucia also was the model for the images on the cover.

CHAPTER 1

Jason drove into the driveway of the house he had been renting for only a month since being transferred to the West Coast from his job in Asheville, North Carolina. The large insurance company for which he worked gave him the opportunity to transfer out West and he jumped at the chance. Twenty-six years young and single, California sounded very attractive to him.

As he waited for the garage door to open he noticed his neighbor across the street parking in front of her house. He watched her open the hatchback of her steel gray, turbo, Volkswagen Beetle and start loading several bags of groceries into her arms. Let's see if she can get them all at one time, he thought. As he suspected, two of the bags fell to the pavement and some canned goods rolled out.

"Merda!" she shouted so that anyone around could hear.

Amused, but having been properly raised to be chivalrous, he ran across the street to assist.

"Let me help you."

"Oh, thank you," the neighbor replied. Sheila was a middle-aged divorcee whose two grown children had left the nest, leaving their mother living alone, which suited her just fine. She had worked for many years, but thanks to a generous divorce settlement and her own savings, she no longer had to. "I don't know why I try to carry so much at one time. Too lazy to make two trips, I guess."

She spoke with an accent which Jason couldn't identify, but that wasn't unusual as he was not much of a linguist. He said, "I'll carry these two in for you. Save you one of those trips."

"That's sweet of you, uh...I don't even know your name. You're new here, aren't you? I'm Sheila."

"And I'm Jason. I'd shake your hand but then I'd probably drop the bags."

"Nice to know you, neighbor...Jason."

"Likewise, Sheila." Jason noticed, as they were introducing themselves, the colorful leggings that Sheila was wearing. He took a chance that he wouldn't offend her." I like your pants by the way."

"Thanks. They're my exercise leggings. I was at my Pilates class before I went shopping."

"You exercise often?"

"Usually three times a week. I've been doing it for about ten years now."

"Wow. That's dedication. If you don't mind my saying so, it's paid off. Your legs look spectacular in those...what do you call them? Leggings?"

"Yes, that's right. And thank you. Actually I have a collection of them. All colors and designs. The others at Pilates make fun of me, always wearing a different one. But everyone else just wears boring, loose fitting, drab, sweat pants. I think I exercise harder and better because I feel that I'm dressed properly."

"Works for me. Shall we take the groceries in?"

"Sure. Follow me." Sheila led the way into the garage which she had opened from her car as she drove up. Her house was built on a slope so the living area was above the garage level. She led Jason up the stairs to the kitchen. He followed closely behind, admiring the view he was afforded of her shapely legs and firm, round ass, encased in the tight fitting, colorfully printed "leggings". Wow. That's one nice rear view, he thought to himself.

They entered the kitchen, a well-lit open area that included a family area with a fireplace, a breakfast nook with bay windows looking out to the garden, and, of course, the food preparation area.

"Where shall I put these," Jason asked.

"Oh, just set them on the counter next to the sink."

"Can I help you unload things?"

"No, thanks. It's just as easy for me to do it since I know where everything goes. I sure appreciate your help, though."

"My pleasure." Jason looked around the room, taking it all in. His eyes lingered when he saw Sheila, especially her legs. She wore a loose-fitting, short-sleeved cotton top which, while perfect for exercising, did nothing to reveal her upper body. I wonder if what's under that shirt is as nice as what's under those leggings. "Well then, I'll be going now. I've got plenty of work to do."

"Oh. You work from home, do you?"

"Sometimes. I'm in the insurance business so I have to visit sites that we insure sometimes and go into the main office sometimes, but I can do a lot from home. Beats commuting.

"Oh my God!" he suddenly gasped.

"What is it? What happened?"

"I just saw your display over there." Jason pointed to a display of note cards, mounted on a poster board with a blue ribbon on it. "I was at the County Fair last week and I saw that display there. I admired it so. I studied it for some time. And you're that Sheila"?

"Guilty as charged. Yep. I'm that Sheila. That's my hobby. One of them at least. This was the first time I ever entered my work in a contest. I was blown away when I saw they won first prize."

"Well you should be very proud. They certainly deserved to win. I've never seen anything like them. When I have more time I'd like to hear about how you make them."

"Sure. I'm always glad to talk about this to anyone who will listen. Would you be able to come over this afternoon? Maybe around four? I'll make some coffee and we can get better acquainted."

"I'd like that. I can free myself from my work and come visit. That would be nice."

Sheila said "See ya later," and Jason went out the same door he had come in, walked down the stairs and out the garage. As he crossed the street he couldn't get out of his mind visions of Sheila's leggings and the shape of the legs and rear end they caressed.

Sheila thought, What a nice young man. Probably single. I haven't seen anyone else around his house. Good body, too. A lot younger than me but the way he kept eyeing my legs and butt, I guess he doesn't mind.

CHAPTER 2

Sheila had some cake left over from two days before. She tasted a bite to see if it was still good enough to serve her new neighbor. That'll do, I think, for Jason. Being single he'll probably appreciate some sweet that's not out of a box. She decided that she should change from her exercise shirt to something a little nicer. She looked in her dresser drawer and picked out a blue, high-necked blouse that matched one of the colors in her leggings. Short sleeved, it was made of a stretchy material that emphasized her curvy bust line.

Looking in the mirror, she thought, If he liked my leggings so much, I'll bet he'll like this too.

Meanwhile Jason, across the street, had changed into some Dockers and a white Polo shirt. After combing his wavy blonde hair he headed across the street to get acquainted with Sheila.

When the Westminster Chimes doorbell rang, Sheila yelled from the family room/kitchen, "Come in, Jason. It's not locked."

Sheila was standing in the kitchen area when Jason walked in and was surprised to see that he had changed clothes for the visit. Not that she hadn't, too. The first thing she noticed was that his shirt showed off all the contours of his muscular frame. His biceps left no space between them and the short sleeves. Looks like I'm not the only one here who works out, she thought.

Sheila's blue blouse didn't go un-noticed either. Wow. The top part matches up pretty well with the lower half. Not bad for a gal her age.

They exchanged "hellos" and he sat on the sofa in the family area. "Would you like tea or coffee, Jason?" Sheila asked.

"Coffee, please, if it's not too much trouble."

"No trouble at all. Mr. Coffee will do all the work." As she set up the coffee maker and cut some cake she said, "So, Jason, tell me about yourself. Where'd you come from and how'd you end up here?"

"Well, I grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, went to college at UNC where I majored in Bus. Ad. I know, that's a major for folks who don't know what else to major in. But it worked out all right for me. I got a job for a big insurance company in Asheville. It's a multinational company and there are lots of opportunities for advancement, so I was happy with it. That's how I ended up out here. It was time for me to get away from North Carolina so I jumped at the chance to relocate. Came with a nice increase in pay, too. But I see why. Cost of living's way higher here."

Sheila said, "I'm sure it is. How do you like it here in the Bay Area?"

"So far I like it. Too soon to tell, though. I haven't had much time to get acquainted. They put me to work as soon as I arrived. But I like the neighborhood here, and the people I work with. I'll figure it all out."

"Looks like you find time to work out. You belong to a gym?"

"Yep. That's one thing I've always done, so I joined that 24 hour gym in town. I'm there three or four times a week."

"It shows. You look like you're in great shape."

"Thanks," was all Jason said. He was a little embarrassed at the compliment. He also thought of returning it, but wasn't sure telling Sheila that she looked to be in great shape, too, was appropriate.

"Milk and sugar in your coffee, Jason?" she asked as she poured two cups.

"No, just black, please."

Jason got up and took the two cups of coffee from Sheila and placed them on the coffee table in front of the sofa, while Sheila brought two plates with the cake. She sat across from him in her easy chair.

"So, Jason, any girl friends? Oh, if I'm prying you don't have to answer. I'm just a nosey person, I guess."

"Oh, that's OK. I've no secrets. Also no girlfriends. I've dated a few, mostly in college. Once I went to work I didn't have much time for girls. Maybe once I'm settled in here I'll meet some. There're some pretty good lookin' ones at the gym, I've noticed, and a few at work.

"Now, enough about me. Tell me your story."

"Well, I'll give you the short version, otherwise you'll be here all day. I'm from Brazil, but came here as a teen-ager when my father was transferred here. He worked for an importer and was in charge of the wine division. They wanted someone here in the Napa Valley to oversee the buying operation. We liked it here so we stayed and all eventually became citizens.

I did have a problem with my name. You see, in Brazil, in Portuguese, my name was spelled S-H-I-L-A. So here, in America, of course, everyone called me 'Shy-la'. So I changed the spelling to the American...or English...spelling. Now, if I were to visit Brazil, they would all call me 'Shay-la'.

"I married and had two sons who are both married themselves now. My husband and I got divorced about five years ago, after the boys were out of high school. I've lived in this house about fifteen years now, the last four by myself."

"How is it living alone after all those years with your family?" Jason asked.

"You know, I really like living by myself. I'm my own person. I come and go when and if I please. No one to answer to. And now I have a nice new neighbor. What could be better?"

"That was a good, concise synopsis, Sheila. Tell me, you ever go back to Brazil?"

"Just once. Since my parents and siblings all were here I didn't feel the need to return. But I did want my husband and boys to see where I came from, so we went when the boys were young teen-agers. I'll bet, knowing how Americans are, that you've never been there."

"Actually, I have. My company sent me to their Brazil office in Sao Paulo once. They were insuring some large business properties and wanted me to do some investigating. I enjoyed Sao Paulo, but unfortunately I didn't get to see much else. I would have liked to see Rio. Everyone told me that that was where all the beautiful women were.

"What part of Brazil are you from?" he asked Sheila.

"I'm from Rio. That makes me a Carioca."

"Well, I guess they were right, then."

"About what?"

"You know. The beautiful women."

"Oh, Jason," Sheila said, blushing. "Go on. That deserves another piece of cake. More coffee, too?"

"Yes, please."

When Sheila brought him another slice of cake and poured his coffee, he said, "Now, tell me about your flower cards. I'm really impressed that you make those beautiful designs out of real flowers."

"Come into the next room. I call it my studio." They went into the next room where there was a desk covered with paperback books wrapped in rubber bands, many tiny paint brushes, X-Acto knives, and lots of cans and tubes of different glues. Looking out the window that her desk faced he saw that his house was directly across the street.

"This is where it all happens." She picked up one of the books and took off the rubber bands. Thumbing through the pages she showed Jason some of the many small flowers, leaves, and other greenery that was pressed between the pages. "This is where I dry and press the flowers that I collect. I also buy some material online. There's only so much I can find around here. I buy this card stock and glue the stuff on. It's tedious, but a labor of love."

"Do you sell them?"

"No. I tried once, but for the effort and time I put into making a card I'd have to charge more than anyone would pay. So I do it for fun and love and give them to special friends. It's just a hobby."

"Well congratulations on your first prize at the fair. You deserved it for sure. I was looking out the window at your garden. Do you get most of the flowers there?

"No. A few, but most I find just walking around town or in the countryside. If you pay attention when you're out in nature you'll find all kinds of interesting things."

"Well your garden is very pretty and well kept. Do you have a gardener?"

"No, I do most of it myself. I love working in the dirt. Sometimes it's hard for me. You know, digging holes for new plants, and weeding, especially after the soil dries out and gets really hard. That was one thing my husband was good for. And...I'm not as young as I was once."

Jason said, "Hey, call me if you need help. I'm free on weekends and I'd be glad to help. Give me a chance to use some of these muscles I pay the gym to keep in shape."

"That's so sweet of you, Jason. Thank you. I might just do that." Sheila went to the kitchen counter and got a pad of paper and a pencil. "Here's my phone number. Write yours down for me. It's always good to have someone nearby to get in touch with if you need something."

"Good idea."

After handing the pad and pencil back to Sheila, Jason stood up, took a closer look out the window at the garden, and then turned toward the front door. "I've got to be running. I still have work to do after dinner. Thanks ever so much for the cake and coffee. It was great getting to know you."

"And thank you for coming over. It's nice to have some good looking, young, new blood in the neighborhood. Call me if you ever need anything. You know, like a cup of sugar." Or a blow job, Sheila thought, then chastised herself for even thinking such a thing. Such a hunk...but so innocent!

"I will, for sure. See ya, now."

After Jason finished his dinner of warmed up Chinese take-out leftovers, he sat at his desk to do the work he should have been doing in the afternoon. His desk was in front of the window of his den, facing the street, on the ground floor of his two story house. Most of the houses on the street were two story, designed and built around the same time. Except for a few design changes here and there they looked to have been built using the same plans. Sheila's house was one of the exceptions. Because of the contour of the land, only the garage was at street level. The living area was all one level, starting above the garage.

From time to time, as he studied the documents he had to go over before tomorrow, his mind drifted and he found himself staring at the house across the street. Sheila's house. What a strange day it was, he thought. I never dreamt that I'd be sitting having cake and coffee with a middle aged woman. Still, it was very pleasant. Sheila's interesting, and there's something about her that I find attractive. It's probably because I don't have any friends out here yet.

Sheila, after cleaning up her kitchen, worked on her cards. She was feeling inspired and wanted to see if that would help her produce some special designs. Like any artist or writer, she had good days and bad ones as far as her creativity was concerned. This was a good day, and she put together an assortment of plant materials and the result was just to her liking. As she mused about the card she had just finished, she stared across the street and saw Jason working at his desk. Maybe making friends with Jason put me in a good frame of mind. I know that just looking at him did. What a nice body.

Sheila watched some TV for a while and then went upstairs to go to bed. She went to the bathroom and did all the things a woman must do before retiring, and then, clad only in a bathrobe (she always slept naked) she walked across the bedroom, tossed her robe onto the chair by the wall, and climbed into bed. There she read until she was too tired to read any more, and then switched off her reading lamp.

As Jason's mind wandered, again he noticed that a light at the end of Sheila's house turned on. He presumed it was her bedroom and noticed that the drapes or blinds, or whatever window covering she had, were open. Funny, he thought, she keeps her drapes open too. I guess she likes to wake up to the light of a new day just as I do.

He watched for a few minutes, not really knowing why. Suddenly Sheila appeared as she walked across the room from the bathroom to her bed, crossing in front of the window. The bed was to the right of the window as Jason watched, with only the foot of the bed being visible. Sheila, clad in her bath robe, disappeared as she reached the bed. Then Jason saw the bath robe tossed onto a chair. Just my luck. I get a house where I can see into some lady's bedroom and it has to be some old gal. She's probably wearing one of those flannel granny gowns. Could just as easily be some super model or porn star. Oh, well. Probably better this way. I'd likely not get any work done. Good night, Sheila. Thanks for the cake!

CHAPTER 3

On Thursday evening of the following week, Sheila called Jason.

"Hi, neighbor," she said after his "Hello."

"Sheila? Is that you?"

"Accent gave it away, huh?"

"Yeah, it kinda did. Nice to hear from you. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. How about you? I see you at your desk a lot, even at night, sometimes. Burning the midnight oil for your company?"

"Well, for a while at least. Being new out here I have to learn the system as well as doing the work assigned me. It'll get better after I learn the ropes."

"I'm sure it will. I won't keep you, Jason. The reason I called was to ask that if you had some time this weekend could you come over and give me a hand in the garden? The weeds are taking over, and I want to put in some new plants, but I'm just not up to doing all that digging. The ground has gotten pretty hard now that we're not getting any rain."

"Sure, Sheila. No problem. How about Sunday? I may be going wine tasting with some people from work on Saturday. That'll be a new experience for me. If I'm going to live in this area I better get to know about wines, right?"

"Yes, you should do that. And Sunday is fine with me. Any time that's good for you."

"Well, then, how about 1:00?"

"That would be all right. But why don't you come at noon and I'll fix some lunch. Then I'll put you to work, OK?"

"You've got a deal. I'll see you Sunday with my work clothes on."

"Thank you so much, Jason. And enjoy the wineries. Bye now."

"Bye."

Saturday, Sheila went to the nursery and bought the new plants she wanted to add to her garden. Sunday morning she set about preparing some lunch for Jason. What can I fix for him? Something he probably doesn't fix for himself. I know! Mista quente! I think I have everything here.

Mista quente... literally "hot mixed"...is Portuguese for a popular sandwich in Brazil. It's basically a grilled cheese sandwich but with ham in it. Served hot, of course.

Sheila met Jason at the door. This time he was dressed for gardening. Faded, tattered jeans, a "Tarheels" tee shirt and a UNC baseball cap. "Right on time, again. I like someone who's punctual. Come in, Jason" Feeling the air from outside drifting through the open door, she said, "My, it's hot outside. I've been inside all morning and had no idea."

"Oh, this isn't so bad. I'm used to hot weather. North Carolina can be real hot in the summer, and real cold in the winter. That's one thing I hear about California. Doesn't have the extremes we have back east."

"I'm glad you don't mind the heat. I'd feel guilty asking you to work out in the hot sun."

"No problemo, as the Greeks would say."

"They teach you that at UNC?"

"I don't know. Heard it somewhere."

"I like your sense of humor. My ex had no sense of humor...or any sense of any kind for that matter."

"Do I detect some bitterness?" Jason asked.

"Perhaps. Actually he had a few good moments, but I can't think of any right now. Now, enough chatter. Sit down at the table and I'll bring out this Brazilian specialty I've concocted for you." After explaining mista quente and pouring a glass of Pepsi for Jason, she sat across from him and they chowed down their lunch.

CHAPTER 4

As soon as they finished eating, Jason said, "That was delicious, Sheila. Now let's tackle those garden chores. Come out and show me what you want done and where the tools are and I'll go to it."

They stepped outside and Sheila said, "Oh my. You sure you want to do this today? It's so hot back here."

"I'm sure. If it's too bad I'll sit in the shade on the patio and rest. But I'll be OK. Now lead me to it."

After showing Jason where she kept the tools, she led the way to a flower bed near the rear of the yard. "I'd like to put new plants in this area. Could you pull out the old ones and then turn the dirt and add some planting mix?"

"No problemo. I'll do that and you go back in the house and stay cool. If I need you I'll come and find you."

"OK, Jason. Thank you."

Sheila went inside and cleaned up the kitchen. Every little while she looked outside to see how Jason was doing. At first he was mostly stooping over pulling weeds and the old plants. Then he started turning the dirt using a pick and a shovel. The ground seemed to be even harder than Sheila had thought. She noticed that every so often Jason stopped to wipe the sweat from his face with his handkerchief.

I hope he's not sorry he agreed to do this. I wouldn't have asked him if I'd known how hot it was going to be today. Feeling guilty, but glad that the work was getting done, Sheila went about her household chores. About half an hour after Jason had started she took another look to see his progress. She was a little surprised that he was now working shirtless, mixing in the planting mix. Wow! He looks even better without his shirt. Look at those muscles. His arms and chest. Oh, youth!

Sheila decided to take Jason some cold lemonade after he'd been working for an hour. She found herself watching him more often now that she could admire his Adonis-like upper body. She busied herself preparing the lemonade and when it was ready she went outside, carrying two glasses and a pitcher on a tray.

"Time for a break, Jason," she yelled to him from the shaded area of the patio.

He put down his tools, wiped his face again with his already soaked handkerchief, and walked across the yard to the patio. "Wow, that'll sure hit the spot. Thanks."

"It's the least I can do. Looks like you're making good progress."

"Yep. It's coming along. I think that bed is about ready for planting the new plants. Do you want me to plant them?"

"No, thanks. I can do that. You've done the hard part. I'll wait 'til it's cooler, though. There is another area I'd like you to work on for me, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. A glass or two of this lemonade and I'll be rarin' to go again."

"Great. Now I want to ask you something. It might sound strange. But do you mind if I feel those muscles you've got there? I've never seen anyone with a body like yours up close like this."

"Sure. I don't mind at all. I work hard to get this way. I like the way I look. I'm glad to know that someone else appreciates it."

"Oh, I do, Jason. I certainly do. Now flex those arm muscles and let me see them."

Jason stood in front of Sheila and held his arms up as he flexed his biceps, and then put his arms down, grasping his hands and pulling them tight to show his triceps and deltoids.

"My, my," Sheila gasped. She ran her fingers over the protruding muscles of his upper arm, and then asked him to flex the bicep again. When he did she gently squeezed it. "Oh, it's hard as a rock. I can only reach my hand half way around it. This is incredible. Now let me feel your abs and chest muscles."

Jason tightened his abs and puffed out his pecs.

"Oh, look at that six pack. Isn't that what they call those muscles?"

"Yep. That's what they're called."

Sheila stepped around behind him, and then reached around so both hands were running over his abdominal muscles. "My God," she said. "These are hard too. A lot of sit-ups go into making these, I'll bet."

"Sit-ups and a bunch of other exercises," Jason replied.

After letting her fingers explore the bumps and grooves of the six pack abs she slowly inched her hands upward. "Now this is a chest. Rounded like a teenage girl's breast, but firm like a he-man's chest should be. I guess I've never been this close to a real he-man."

As her hands explored Jason's pecs her thumbs concentrated on lightly rubbing his nipples. She could tell that they were getting hard as she caressed them.

"Your hands feel good, Sheila. Very relaxing. I'm about rested enough to get back to work."

Just then Sheila took his nipples between her thumbs and index fingers and gently twisted them. Harder and harder she squeezed and twisted until Jason said, "What are you doing? That hurts."

"Oh, Jason. I couldn't resist. Your nipples were just ripe for pinching. Hasn't anyone done that before?"

"Actually, no. This was a first. That's why it took me by surprise."

"I'm sorry. I had no idea. I would have imagined that you would have experienced all kinds of kinky stuff in college."

"No. I was kind of shy then. Didn't get into that scene. But it's all right. Don't feel bad."

"Well, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back inside. I'll leave the pitcher here so you can replenish. Oh, let me show you the other area I'd like you to do. It's not quite as big as the one you've been working on."

Sheila led him to the other side of the yard and pointed out a small plot that had a few withered up plants. "Do you feel like doing this bed here like you did the other one?"

"No problemo."

Sheila went back in the house and Jason went back to his digging.

That was weird. Did she want to feel me up? Although, it did feel good until she did the nipple thing. What was that all about?

Inside, Sheila thought, how embarrassing. I know he's a hunk, but he could be your son, for God's sake. Control yourself, Sheila.

It was almost four o'clock when Jason finally finished. He put the tools away, put his shirt back on, and went inside. "Sheila," he called out. When Sheila came into the kitchen from her studio he said, "I'm done. I think it's all the way you wanted it. Should be ready for you to put the plants in. Let me know if something else needs doing. But now, I should be getting home."

"Can you stay for supper?" Sheila asked.

"No thank you. I'm going out with one of the guys that went wine tasting yesterday. Turns out he lives in town here. We're just going to grab some pizza and a couple brewskis."

"Well, I can't thank you enough. Have a good, relaxing night."

"Thanks. I'm sure I will."