Hannah McKinnon - The Neighbours - A gripping, addictive novel with a twist that will leave you breathless

“I don’t know, babe.” He blew out a steady stream of smoke, then pulled me closer. “When I feel at one with Mother Nature. Or when I run out of cash.”

“But when did you decide?” I shouted as the music switched to R.E.M.’s “Shiny Happy People,” telling us to throw our love around. Oh, yeah? The only thing I wanted to throw was a slap in Dwayne’s direction.

He shrugged. “I booked it last month. I—”

“Last month?” This time there was definite whining, and I cringed.

“See.” Dwayne shook his head, and I realized he must have confused my self-directed contempt for emotional upset related to his imminent departure. “This is why I didn’t bring it up. I knew you wouldn’t understand.” And then he actually pursed his lips.

God, I hated it when he sulked. Come to think of it, over the past few weeks I’d hated pretty much everything he’d done. A few days ago I’d told him I was ill so I didn’t have to endure The Last Boy Scout. I’d watched Fried Green Tomatoes alone that night instead. The week before I’d said my period had come early because I wasn’t in the mood. Again. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been in the mood. But all that aside, dumping me on New Year’s Eve was a shitty move by any standards.

“You know what, Dwayne? Have a great trip and a happy bloody 1992.”

I pushed past him, fully intent on retrieving my coat from the back of the bar so I could go home, curl up in bed and ignore the rest of the world’s celebrations. But the bar’s resident DJ Joe had other plans. The music stopped.

“Okay, everybody,” he said into his mike. “Grab your partner—or whoever you’d like to have as your partner tonight—and get ready. Only a few more seconds. Gird your loins, people, because... Here. We. Go!”

Everybody chanted, “Ten...”

As I pushed past a few more sweaty bodies I felt a hand on my arm.

“Nine...”

I was ready to turn around and tell my now ex-boyfriend to let me go. But when I heard a man’s voice in my ear, it wasn’t Dwayne’s.

“It’s bad luck to start the New Year without a kiss.”

“...eight...seven...”

Oh, come on. Did I have a Lonely Hearts Loser sign stuck to my back? Nice voice, though.

“...six...five...four...”

I turned around. Eyes, those eyes. Gray. Clear. Mesmerizing. I couldn’t help but stare.

“...three...two...”

“I’m Liam,” he said. His face moved closer. He put his index finger underneath my chin.

“...one.”

“And I’ve wanted to kiss you all night.”

I didn’t recall hearing the shouts of, “Happy New Year.”

All I could remember were his arms sliding around my waist, mine around his neck, and the multicolored fireworks going off in my head when our lips touched.

NOW ABBY

HE STOOD IN the doorway of Barbara Baker’s kitchen. Liam. My ex. The one man I’d loved more than life itself. I’d walked away from him, twice, and the last time I’d told him we’d never, ever see each other again. And yet, here he was. Living in the house next door.

“Hello,” he said, and swallowed. He looked at Sarah, then at me with those gray eyes. Wolf eyes, I used to call them. Hypnotic, hungry, searching.

I took a deep breath, realizing I’d held it since I’d heard his voice. My legs were planted firmly on the ground, heels pushed in, my arms crossed. A statue. What the hell should I say?

“Hello,” I muttered. “I—I’m...pleased to meet you.”

Had I said that out loud?

After a second he turned to Nate and shrugged. “I’m sorry.” He smiled, and I noticed his laughter lines had become a lot deeper since we’d last seen each other, but they suited him. “I’m hopeless with names.” He looked at me again. “Nate told me, but I’m afraid I’ve forgotten.”

“Abby,” Nate, Nancy and I said together, my voice twice as loud as theirs combined.

“Abby,” Liam said slowly, deliberately. “So sorry. I’m Liam.”

“Well, yes, we—” I stopped myself. We knew each other. Of course we did. I wanted to laugh, make a joke about it being a small world and wasn’t it a strange coincidence, ha, ha, ha. But I kept quiet. I should have said something. Made it abundantly clear there was history between us. A shared past. I had the opportunity. But I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to say anything.

Liam held out his hand, and when I shook it I swear an electric current passed between us. It flowed out of him and into me, washing over my entire body like a surfer’s wave. I hadn’t felt his touch for so long, but it was as if every pore of my skin remembered him. I looked into his eyes, tried to gauge his reaction, wondered if he’d felt it, too. He must have, surely. It had been too intense to ignore.

“Pleasure to meet you, too.” He let go of my fingers, his eyes giving nothing away, and turned to my daughter. “You’re Sarah?”

Sarah nodded.

“Can I get you a Coke?” Liam asked, and she nodded again. “How about you, Abby?” He held out a Stella, and I watched a drop of condensation run down the bottle neck and onto his hand. I wanted to reach out and touch it, but instead I cleared my throat.

“Water would be great.”

It seemed impossible to take my eyes off him as he grabbed a can from the fridge and handed it to Sarah. When he passed me a glass of water his fingers seemed to linger that little bit too long. My mouth went dry as old toast, so I swallowed a big gulp to compensate, almost emptying the entire glass in one go.

He’d hardly changed since I’d seen him. He always used to keep in shape—ran four or five times a week along with frequent visits to the gym. His dark blond hair had grayed slightly at the temples, and I liked it cut in that style, short at the back and slightly longer on top. Something I could run my fingers through when...

“So, Abby.” Nancy smiled brightly, plucking my mind away from the restricted area. “Nate said you grew up around Preston?”

“Uh...yes.”

“How funny,” she said, smile brighter still. “Like we told Nate, that’s where we’ve moved from.”

“Really?” I tried not to look at Liam but noticed my voice sounded a little shrill.

“Broughton,” Liam said.

“And Nate mentioned you’re from Hutton, Abby?” Nancy said, and all I could do was nod.

“Don’t let her accent fool you,” Nate said. “She’s a Northerner, born and bred. You might even know some of the same people, maybe—”

“Look,” I said, “I’d better get back and start dinner. I just wanted to say a quick hello.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Nancy waved a hand. “We ordered pizza. There’ll be enough for all of us. Should be here any minute. You’ll stay, won’t you?”

“I can’t,” I said quickly. “I’ve got some work to finish.”

“Babe.” Nate frowned.

“What do you do?” Nancy asked.

“I’m an accountant for Sterling Engineering but—”

“It’s Saturday night,” Nate said. “Can’t it wait?”

“No. But you and Sarah can stay and—”

“Mum,” Sarah half whispered out of the side of her mouth, giving me the evil eye at the same time. “Don’t leave me here.”

I ignored her, and everybody else. “I have a bit of a headache anyway.”

“Oh, no.” Nancy furrowed her brow and tilted her head to one side. “I hope you feel better soon.”

“I’ll come with you.” Nate put down his beer.

I had to get out of there. Alone. “No need. I’ll just lie down for a bit. See you later.”

Nate smiled and blew me a kiss. “Later, hon.”

“I’ll see you out,” Liam said.

“I’m fine.”

“I insist.”

As we walked away from the kitchen where Nate and Nancy had started talking about the abysmal winter and how they couldn’t wait for spring, Liam whispered, “God, Abby, this is a surprise, I—”