Anne Ha - Husband Next Door

“You saw those, did you?”

“All three pairs, Aaron.” She shot him a look of reproof. “Don’t forget that by now the lady is probably planning for the future. When she takes a close look around, she sees these clues, these little warning signs that show the magnitude of what she’s getting into. She realizes she’s about to spend the rest of her life with a hopeless philanderer. Am I right?”

Aaron raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer.

“I’m glad you don’t try to deny it. We’re friends, and friends tell each other the unvarnished truth.”

“Which is what, in my case?”

“Which is that, well…” She trailed off, then tried again. “From a woman’s perspective, you’re a…a nightmare. There. I’m sorry if that hurts, but it’s the truth.”

Aaron laughed. “That’s hardly new information, Shelly. You’ve been hinting at it for the past year.”

“I didn’t think you’d noticed.” She hung the damp towel over the edge of the sink and joined him at the table.

“Maybe I should make myself a sandwich board saying Aaron Carpenter, Nightmare for Women. I’d certainly spare myself the expense of all these lavish dinners.”

She smiled. “You know, Aaron, your sense of humor is one of the most attractive things about you. But it doesn’t make you a lifetime proposition. You need to follow it up with some substance.”

“So my lack of substance is the problem?”

Shelly scrunched her forehead in concentration. “Not exactly. It’s that you take advantage of the fairy tale that people create around you. You allow these women to imagine you’re the perfect man—by dressing well, listening to them, cooking for them, and so on—and then you drive them away by revealing you’ve done it all before. It’s a brilliant strategy, actually. You never have to dump your girlfriends. They dump you, feeling they’ve had a narrow escape. And you walk away.”

He gave her a sheepish look.

She sighed, exasperated. “Somewhere out there is a woman who can make you give up your carefree ways— but she won’t have anything to do with you once word gets out. You’ll lose your only chance at happiness, if you don’t reform yourself immediately.”

Aaron was silent a moment, absorbing her words. “Okay,” he said at last. “Maybe you’re right….” He tilted his head. “But how do you know I’m looking for something permanent?”

Shelly groaned. “Everybody looks for something permanent. Everybody needs security and companionship. You’re no different from the rest of us, Aaron Carpenter.”

“True…. I don’t like to admit it, but my old life-style isn’t as satisfying as it used to be.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. She’d suspected as much, but never thought he’d say it out loud.

“If the right woman would have me,” he added, “I’d be happy to settle down.”

The right woman? Could it really be as simple as finding the right woman? A strange knot formed in her stomach, but Shelly ignored it. “And she would have you,” she said. “If you’d start doing things right.”

Aaron studied her without speaking. He seemed to be sizing her up, his blue eyes reflective, his quick mind obviously racing along some line of thought she couldn’t begin to imagine.

She stared back at him, waiting.

“Okay,” he said finally. “I suppose there’s nothing to do but bend to your wishes…. When do we start?”

“Start what?”

“My lessons. On being less of a nightmare for women. On becoming a lifetime proposition.”

She held up her hands. “Oh, no. That’s not my problem.”

“Shelly, you can’t just pronounce sentence on me without allowing a means of salvation. If I’m going to reform myself, I’ll need a good teacher.”

“Then look in the yellow pages, because it’s not going to be me! Some other brave soul can try to fix you.”

He wore a wounded expression. “But you’re perfect for the job. You already know all my faults—which means we’d save time—and you know what women want Plus, I trust you.”

She felt her resistance slipping. “I don’t know, Aaron….”

He was right, she realized. If someone else helped Aaron, assuming he could talk them into it, he’d have to waste countless hours explaining his past behavior to them—hours that could be better spent improving his character.

And she did know all the ways he needed to improve.

Aaron shook his head sadly. "I thought you’d help me out of friendship, but I guess I was wrong….” His voice trailed off; he looked like a lost puppy.

It was a difficult look to ignore. Against her better judgment, she said, “Oh, all right. I’ll help you. No guarantees, though.”

He smiled. “Fair enough. Actually, that reminds me— what if we’re successful and it still doesn’t make any difference?”

“It will.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. You’ve neglected to consider an important point, Shel. What if it’s the woman who’s at fault?”

“Not likely.” She winked at him. “Correcting that little misapprehension will be the first step toward molding you into a new man.”

Aaron leaned forward. “I’m serious. What if my perfect woman judges me without really knowing me? What if she jumps to conclusions based on my colorful past and never sees that I’ve changed?”

He had a point, Shelly thought. It could happen. Not only did he have a colorful past, but also a dazzlingly handsome face and a lean, elegant body. Even if he managed to reform himself on the inside, he’d probably always look like a rake on the outside.

She didn’t want him to use that as an excuse not to make an effort, however. “Let’s deal with the possibility after you’ve changed,” she said. She smothered a yawn. It was getting late, and she did have the open house tomorrow.

Aaron watched her, his blue eyes thoughtful. “All right.” He carried their coffee mugs to the sink. “Looks as if it’s your bedtime, anyway. I’ll see you to the porch.” He followed Shelly outside and waited while she unlocked her door.

She stepped over the threshold. “Good night, Aaron. Have a nice time with Amelia tomorrow.”

Once inside her own apartment, Shelly lowered herself to the couch and sat there, staring into space for several minutes. Her mind kept replaying their recent conversation as she tried to assure herself Aaron really meant to change. She never would have believed it.

From the first time she’d met him, Shelly had sensed he was incapable of being serious about his love affairs. His humor and charm covered up an intense fear of emotional risk, of emotional vulnerability.

He would be a difficult case.

But if anyone could help him, she could. Shelly knew she had to try. She had to teach him how to lay the foundation for a lasting relationship, or he really would be alone his whole life. And, no matter how many jokes he cracked, she knew that wouldn’t make him happy.

Shelly got up and got ready for bed, reminding herself Aaron’s happiness was, in the end, his own responsibility. She’d do what she could, but she also had other things to think about. Her best friend, Chloe, was moving to San Francisco next week and would be staying with Shelly until she found her own place. And of course there was Eric’s proposal to consider….

She wasn’t too worried about it. Eric was the safest, most stable man she’d ever met. He was the farthest thing from a ladies’ man, and Shelly knew he’d be true to her. Though she still planned to take her time, it wouldn’t be a difficult decision.

The following day Shelly left the legal aid office at half past five and headed for the bus stop. She’d only taken a few steps on the busy downtown sidewalk when she spotted Aaron’s dark blue sports car at the curb up ahead.