Frank and Elyse

Frank looked at Beverly and winced. Simpler? "Divorce is anything but simple for anyone involved."

"Maybe I'll ask you for some pointers after dinner," Rick grumbled and moved into the living room.

"Of course, I meant no offence Frank!" Beverly said and placed her hand on his arm again.

He just nodded and glanced at the blond. She was still looking uncomfortable. "Shall we sit?" That got a nod from her. They all moved into the living room and found seats. Rick had already claimed his favorite spot, an old leather Lazy Boy recliner, so Beverly sat on the couch next to Frank and Elyse sat in a lovely old high back chair facing the couch.

"Are you all unpacked yet?" Beverly asked the woman.

"No, I have a ways to go," she said with a guarded smile.

"Frank arrived with only a few boxes and his clothes," Beverly offered and Frank nodded uncomfortably. He wasn't sure what kind of impression that fact made.

"As I was coming from the other side of the country the less I brought the simpler it was. It's like a new start for me too," he said and glanced at Elyse who was giving him a funny look. Time to go on the offensive. "How about you? Where did you move from?"

"Los Angeles. I still have a job there but I'll be working remotely... once I have my internet hooked up." Elyse told them.

"So, the installer didn't come back?" Frank asked. He saw the blonde's pretty green eyes open wide as she stared at him.

"What do you mean 'come back'? He never showed for my scheduled appointment!"

Frank was a little taken aback as her voice was becoming rather sharp. "The van arrived shortly after you drove out of your driveway this morning. He knocked but you obviously weren't there. He asked if I'd seen you and I told him you'd just left."

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?" the woman barked. Her face was red and her eyes held so much pent up anger.

Frank flashed back to the torture of dealing with his ex in the lawyer's conference room day after day and his hands began to shake. Suddenly he didn't really feel up to a social evening tonight. He stood up and faced Beverly who looked up at him in surprise.

"I'm sorry. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. I'll see myself out. Have a good evening." With that he strode from the room and stepped outside, closing the front door behind himself.

He felt the shakes building so he trotted back to his house and got inside before it got out of hand. He went into his bedroom and undressed. Then he dropped and began to do push ups. This helped him burn off the excess adrenaline. He didn't stop until his arms could no longer lift his body. He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

This was the last present Stephanie ever gave him. A year of psychological abuse leading to this.

And now he had a neighbor who could trigger it.

Great.

Chapter 8

Elyse watched Frank stand and say his goodnights as her burst of anger quickly drained away. She opened her mouth to stop him but he was gone. When her frayed nerves had finally exploded she'd seen him freeze in place. Except for his big hands. They were trembling. What had she done?

Her afternoon had left her feeling more than a little frustrated. She'd picked up groceries once she found the store but the cashier was just back from her break and had just broken up with her boyfriend. She proceeded to have an emotional breakdown after Elyse put all her groceries onto the belt. It took thirty minutes to get through the checkout process as they were short staffed. She was almost home when she remembered she needed tools as well so she had no tools to assemble her bed.

By this point it was time to get ready for dinner at Beverly's so she took a quick shower and put on her favorite summer dress and sandals.

Even the dress hadn't improved her outlook. Truthfully she was in no mood to attend the dinner but she'd already said she would and she didn't have Beverly's phone number to call and cancel. Besides she needed to borrow a phone book as well so this was a good opportunity.

Then ambush and her nerves went on high alert. The news of missing the installer had been the final straw, pushing her beyond her control and she lashed out.

Now she sat in the living room with two stunned strangers after hurting a man who had done her no real harm. She felt terrible!

"Oh my god, I'm sorry! It's been such an awful day. I didn't mean to snap at him like that." Elyse said to her hosts.

Beverly and Rick just blinked back at her. She couldn't do this. Not tonight.

She stood. "I'm sorry. We should reschedule this. I'm obviously not very good company at the moment. I'll let myself out." She turned and hastily made her way outside and walked back to her house. She stopped as she reached her driveway and looked across the street at Frank's home. An image of how his big strong hands had trembled flashed in her mind and she wondered what had happened to him. Something that had driven him across the country!

She felt terrible! She turned to cross the road but something stopped her. Her nerves were still too jittery. She'd probably say something else stupid. With a final sad look across the street she turned and went home.

Then she realized she didn't get the phone book from Beverly.

Shit. What a perfect ending for the day.

Chapter 9

Waking early was built into Frank's brain. He couldn't sleep in if he tried. He'd gotten used to it and used the extra time to work out.

He looked out the window and the morning was looking bright and clear. An excellent day to go for a ride. He ducked his head out the patio door to test the temperature and there was a bite to the air. He went back to the bedroom and pulled out his full length cycling tights, a long sleeve jersey and his windbreaker. The outfit made him look like he was dressing up as a superhero but it was damn comfortable.

He also brought along his panniers in case he found a place to buy some fresh vegetables. He went outside, locked up, and got his bike out of the garage. He put his helmet and gloves on, mounted the bags to the rear rack and set off downhill.

The roads were pretty quiet this early in the morning and he enjoyed the peaceful ride. It didn't take him long to reach the beach and he stopped for a while just to feel the ocean breeze. The bite was stronger here so he was glad he chose to cover up.

Once he'd had his fill he made his way up the hill away from the beach towards the shopping district. He kept his riding level pretty tame as this was just a shakedown ride for his new bike. So far it was living up to expectations and he was deeply impressed with the quality of the ride. Traffic picked up the closer he got to the main drag and he learned that the disc brakes worked very well when a senior citizen obliviously pulled out of a parking lot in front of him. The old man glared at him as he left the parking lot at a snail's pace.

Frank decided he would do a little more exploring so he headed inland and came upon a dirt trail through the trees. That was fun so he rode as many of the trails as he could find.

When he exited the path at a roadway he recognized where he was and knew there was a grocery store not far away. He rode along the road until he spotted the shopping complex. He parked and locked his bike and went inside with his panniers. He left his helmet on as this was the simplest way to carry it but he popped open the chinstrap. He got a few stares as he was wearing his cycling clothes but he just ignored the gawkers... after he confirmed nothing important was showing.

He loaded up on fresh fruit and vegetables then cashed out. Everything went into his two panniers and he realised he might want to pick up the front panniers for larger loads or pick up a trunk bag for the top of the rear rack. He was thrilled that this experiment was working so far but he still needed to get the loaded bags on the bike and all the way home. He had no idea how the bike would handle with the heavy bags in place. Only if the groceries, and he, survived the trip home could he truly call it a success.

Frank was on his way out of the store when he spotted Beverly walking towards him with a concerned look on her face. Damn.

"Good morning Frank."

"Good morning Beverly," he replied.

"I'm so sorry dinner didn't work out last night. I never expected it to end like that," Beverly lamented, clinging to his arm.

They were blocking the entrance so he guided them over to where he'd parked his bike and he set down his bags.

"I'm sorry it turned out that way as well. We can reschedule for another night- not tonight," he asserted when it looked like Beverly was going to make the suggestion. "Let's give it a few days. Did you have a nice dinner with Elyse after I left?"

"Elyse was so apologetic after you went home. She was terribly upset so she left shortly after you did," Beverly pouted. "I put your wine in the fridge to chill so we can have it at our next get together."

Frank wondered just how much of that apology was for him and how much was just to let Elyse escape the dinner. He put that thought aside.

"OK, I'd better get these groceries home. Later in the week we can give dinner another try, ok?" Frank said and she nodded with a smile.

"Don't you have a car?" Beverly asked looking at his bicycle.

He smiled at her puzzled expression. "Yes, but this is healthier. I get exercise as I run my errands."

"You look good in those tight pants!" Beverly said with a grin and he smiled awkwardly at her. How was he supposed to respond to that?

He connected the bags to the rack and unlocked the bike. Once the bike was clear of the rack he swung his leg over and closed the straps on his helmet.

"You have a good day Beverly. I'll see you later!" he said to the woman who just nodded and continued to watch him with that silly grin on her face. No, she was leering now. He sighed.

He rode back towards the main intersection out of the parking lot and paid close attention to the bike's handling but he didn't really notice any significant changes. Soon he was riding back towards his place and he was no longer conscious of the load he was bringing along. He rolled down the hill and his braking showed no differences either. He pulled into his driveway and got off of the bike. He tugged the panniers off then moved the bike into the garage and up onto its hooks. The helmet went onto its own hook and he ran his fingers through his hair so it wasn't flattened to his skull.

As he stepped out of the garage he came to a halt as Elyse was standing by his bags. He saw she was wearing yoga pants and a tight stretchy top under a loose hoodie left unzipped. The outfit accentuated her curves which he found more than a little distracting. Lovely green eyes were looking at him cautiously.

"Good morning," he said quietly. He locked the garage and turned back to look at her. Damn, she made him nervous!

"Good morning. I want to apologize for how I behaved last night. I'd had a very frustrating day and I lost my temper at you for no good reason. I'm so sorry. I hope you can forgive me." She was tipping her face down and looking at him from under her bangs. He felt a tremble go through his body. She was so damn beautiful!

Frank felt himself beginning to tingle in a place that was not so well covered at the moment. He hadn't felt anything there in... a very long time. He struggled to understand why his body was betraying him at such an inappropriate time.

"Yes, of course. We all have bad days," he said, trying to hide his reaction to her. He pointed to the bags at her feet to indicate he needed to pick them up.

"Oh!" She looked down and bent to lift the bags giving Frank an unexpected view of her cleavage. His face warmed up.

"Wow! These are heavy! What's in them?" she asked lifting the full panniers.

Frank accepted the bags from her hands and held them in front of his bike shorts as he was just beginning to show his reaction to her body. "Groceries. I should get them into the fridge." When she made no move to leave he continued. "Would- would you like to come in for a moment?"

She smiled and he was momentarily stunned by it. He turned and walked to his front door and let them into his house.

"It's empty!" she exclaimed.

He smiled and glanced at her look of surprise. "Yes, as Beverly mentioned last night I brought almost nothing with me from New York."

She stood in the middle of the living room and looked around. "It's such a lovely house," she sighed as he moved past towards the kitchen. She followed.

Frank set the panniers down on the countertop and began pulling the contents out. She was watching and her eyes showed how surprised she was at how much he'd carried in them.

"Do you always ride your bicycle to get your groceries?" she asked in wonder.

"Actually this was my first attempt and I believe it was a complete success! Nothing got crushed or damaged in any way." He opened the old fridge and loaded the crisper tray with the veggies and the fruit went on the shelf above that.

When he looked back he caught her staring at his ass but she quickly turned away and walked over to the breakfast nook where he'd set up a cheap card table and four folding chairs. He swore her cheeks were showing a blush of her own.

"You know, I put a bid in on this house as well," she said quietly.

"We were bidding against each other?" he asked in surprise.

She nodded as she looked out the windows to the deck.

"Sorry?" he said carefully.

She shook her head and looked back at him with a smile. "No, it's fine. You won fair and square. I admit I was upset at the time as I was eyeing this property for some time. Since I filed for divorce... a month ago.

Frank couldn't suppress the snort of surprise that escaped. A month? He saw she was looking at him curiously.

"Sorry. My divorce process took over a year. It was... a very bad time." He looked down to avoid seeing her resemblance to his ex.

"May I ask you something?" she asked quietly.

He glanced nervously at her. "Sure."

"You... seem to have trouble looking at me. Why is that?" she asked gently.

Frank's face burned and his hands felt clammy. "I'm sorry. It's just- you look a little like Stephanie. My ex. She... put me through hell in the past year." He really wanted to be someplace else at the moment.

"Oh my god! You moved across the country to avoid her and ended up across the street from someone who..." Elyse's voice failed. "I'll go."

Frank turned to look directly into her eyes. He forced steel into his spine to hold himself in place. "No! I mean, it's not your fault. It's an issue I have to deal with. I know you aren't her. The resemblance is superficial. Her blond hair was longer and wavy. Her eyes were blue, not a lovely shade of green and her lips were over inflated and... always sneering or frowning... unlike yours..." Her shy smile once more filled his vision and he lost track of himself momentarily. He forced himself to turn away to get his control back. "I really should get cleaned up."

"Of course. Before I go could I borrow your phone book? I have to look up Internet service providers to see if I can't get someone to do the installation today. It's critical I get a connection by tomorrow. My office expects me to work remotely."

"I never received a phone book. I don't think they print them anymore. It's all done online these days. If you want, you can connect to my network to do your research."

Her brows crinkled in worry. "I don't think that will work. Before I left my office the techs installed something called a VPN on my laptop. I don't even know what a VPN is but the way they explained it to me I think I have to use it from my own home Internet connection."

He nodded with a smile. "I know a thing or two about VPN's. It means Virtual Private Network. It's a piece of software run on your laptop that sets up a secure connection between the laptop and a server at your office. You can use your laptop anywhere as the security of the connection is based on the software on your laptop."

"Oh! That actually makes sense to me! Do you work in IT?" she asked.

"No but I traveled a lot and had to securely connect to my office from various places. I've used VPN's quite frequently. I'm retired now."

"Retired? How can you be retired? You're much too young!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"I sold my shares in the company I created to my partners. So... now I'm retired," Frank said with a smile. "Why don't you get your laptop and give me fifteen minutes to get cleaned up then come over to do your research. I can make us lunch. I was going to make a chicken caesar salad."

Once more she flashed her brilliant smile at him and nodded. His equilibrium took a hit each time she did that. His mind kept expecting her to scream vile accusations or belittling insults at him. When he got kindness instead he reeled in confusion. He braced himself against the counter and her eyes went to his hands.

"Are you ok?" she asked gently.

He forced a smile out and nodded stiffly.

"She really did a number on you, didn't she?" Elyse said compassionately, her eyes softening.

Frank's eyes widened and he had to grit his teeth to contain the gasp as a huge wave of emotion, feeling strangely similar to relief, washed over him. "Excuse me please," he croaked as he turned and walked down the hall towards his bedroom. He heard the front door closing as he walked into his master ensuite. He pulled off his cycling clothes and stepped in the shower. Tremors ran through his muscles as he turned his face up to the spray.

He allowed himself a few minutes of that and felt himself calming. Shampooing and soaping himself clean took only a few moments and he actually felt much better once he stepped from the shower. He toweled himself dry and put on some comfortable jeans and a polo shirt. He slipped his sandals on and went back out to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Twenty minutes later he came to the conclusion that Elyse wasn't coming back. He stepped outside and crossed the road to knock on her door. Moments later the door opened and she looked at him with concern in her eyes.

"Are you coming over to do that research and have lunch?" he asked.

She bit her lip and his eyes were immediately drawn to the gesture. Damn.

"Are you sure it's ok?" she asked.

"Yes! As I said, it's just something I need to deal with. I feel much better now. Thank you," he said with a smile.

"I'll get my laptop. One moment." She darted back to her kitchen and returned with the device in her hands. She locked up and they went back to his place.

Once they were inside he led her back to the kitchen and she sat at the card table. "Your taste in furnishings is very... utilitarian," she said with a grin.

He smiled self-consciously. "Yes, the table and chair set was cheap and temporary. I plan on redoing the kitchen from scratch so I didn't want to get any furniture until the room is done." He put two plastic bowls on the table with plastic cutlery and carried the large bowl of caesar salad to the table. He then brought three smaller bowls to the table. One contained freshly grilled chicken strips, the second had freshly sliced lemon wedges in it, and the last contained seasoned croutons.

"All I have to drink is water or wine," he said. He looked in the fridge again. "The wine's a nice pinot grigio."

Elyse nodded. "I'll have a glass of wine please."

Frank got two glasses out of the cupboard and poured for both of them. He carried them to the table and Elyse's eyebrows went up. "Not plastic?" she teased.

"Never!" he responded in mock outrage.

He took a seat across from her and they filled their bowls with the salad and added the chicken and croutons. Frank squeezed lemon juice on his salad as Elyse watched curiously then she did as well.