Falling for the Billionaire Dad Next Door

Chapter 3 : A New Friend; A New Adventure

*Harper*

'How rude!' I thought as I picked up my sandals and clothes before making my way back into the house from the pool. My bikini was still a bit damp, but not dripping wet. Even if it were still dripping wet, I was not going to sit outside and possibly have that grumpy man yell at me again.

I locked the door behind me and headed to the sitting room. Cocoa raised her head to peer at me when I walked in. The little dog was still lying exactly where I had left her.

What was that cranky old man's problem? What a way to meet my new temporary neighbor. It was only music… and nice music, if he only would have taken the time to listen to the lyrics. What happened to a simple, 'Hello, welcome to the neighborhood?' A little tray of muffins would have been a better welcome gift.

“Do you also think my music is too loud, Cocoa?" I asked, and she just twitched her little ears. Well, maybe the music was also irritating her ears… or was she saying she was listening to the soulful words from the song? I shrugged and moved to go turn down the volume.

I walked toward the downstairs shower. After placing my hand under the water stream and playing with the nobs a little bit, I was satisfied with the constant perfect temperature flow. I take off my bikini and jumped into the shower, reveling at the feel of the tepid water on my skin.

I took time to lather and rinse my hair twice before finally putting a generous amount of leave-in conditioner down its length. I didn't want my hair to be damaged by the chlorine from the pool.

After my shower, I dried my hair with one towel and wrapped the huge towel from the bathroom rail around my body. Then, I went to pick up my bag in the hallway where I had left it when I first arrived. I made my way to the room upstairs that faced the garden.

The room was huge, and I was sure I could fit in the entire lounge and dining area from back home with great ease. Professor Martin had told me that she had left a box of chocolates on the bed of the room I was to occupy.

I smiled as I saw the little box filled with a variety of chocolates. 'I hope you find everything to your liking,' read the note that had been placed under the box. It made me smile. The professor was sweet, and for the time being, I could forget the whole meeting with my neighbor who seemed irritated by the very sight of me. I hoped the people around here weren't all stuck up like him.

The sun was still shining outside, but I decided to put on my pajamas anyway. I wasn't going anywhere and wasn't expecting any night callers. I giggled at the thought as I had never been one to have many friends or much of a social life to talk about. I made my way downstairs and sat on the couch in front of the big television. Cocoa dragged herself to me and laid her head on my lap. “At least you like me, right?"

As I scrolled through the television channels, I remembered the professor had asked me to check her mail daily and update her if anything important showed up.

I sighed and got up. Cocoa groaned in protest at losing her human pillow, and I made my way toward the door. The mailbox was on the far end of the driveway. I walked hastily to it. Just then, a small bark alerted me to a stupid mistake I had made; I had left the door open.

Turning around, I saw Cocoa come running past me toward the white picket fence. She sure ran fast for something with such a tiny body and chubby little legs.

“Cocoa! Come here, girl," I shouted at the tiny brown, furry baby sprinting toward the sidewalk now.

I knew I had to try and chase after her. Well, this was really going to be an eventful stay. As I turned my hasty walk into a jog, I saw a girl walking down the sidewalk with a huge husky on a leash.

'Oh, no!' I thought as Cocoa made her way toward the girl and her dog.

“Cocoa, come back here!" I shouted with terror in my voice. Cocoa completely ignored me and continued barking aggressively, the fur on her back standing on end. Did that little fur ball think she could fight a husky?

The girl with the dog seemed to notice how terrified I was, and she walked toward Cocoa, who had slipped through a gap in the fence. As I turned my jog into a mini-sprint toward them, I could see her crouching beside Cocoa and trying to calm her down.

“Calm down girl, this big guy here could be your best friend. I know he looks scary, but Leo is such a softy," she said, pointing at her husky and giggled.

When I finally caught up to Cocoa, I doubled down and put my hand on my knees as I struggled to catch my breath. For a girl my age, I was definitely out of shape.

“Hello," I said to the girl, while breathing heavily after my mini-marathon. “I'm…Har…Harp…Harper." I raised my head to face her and smiled apologetically. I wondered if she was also going to yell at me as my neighbor had done.

If everyone around here was so uptight, she would probably tell me to keep my oversized rat on a leash.

“You don't run often, do you?" the girl asked with a giggle. “For a moment there, when you bent down to touch your knees, I was sure you were about to start twerking!"

I staggered to an upright position and looked at the girl. What about me chasing a little dog down the street would have given her the idea that I wanted to twerk? Was twerking a creative way to beg for forgiveness for letting my dog run wild?

The girl who stood in front of me was dressed in neon pink jogging pants and matching sneakers. Her long blonde hair was tied up into a sleek high ponytail.

“Hey, nice to meet you, Ha-harp-harper. I'm Jolee," she flashed a smile at me. I had never seen a girl this beautiful and wasn't sure teeth could ever be this white and this perfect without a filter. “Are you related to the professor?" she asked.

“No, no, I'm not. I'm just house sitting," I replied

“Oh, okay. I am so glad to have someone my age around here for a change. You are as young as you look, right? Or are you old and just have pretty good genes that make you look like you fell from a magazine cover?" Jolee asked.

I felt my face warm up as I realized she was trying to pass a compliment. I hesitated as I had been told countless times that a lady never revealed her real age. This girl looked so friendly, and I found no reason to hide my age from her. “I am twenty-one. Not sure if that is old or young," I said.

“Yay! Someone my age, finally. This neighborhood is cool and all that, but it is full of grumpy geezers," Jolee said.

I giggled and nodded my head in agreement.

“I think I met one of those geezers," I said.

“Mr. Rupert?" she asked. I shrugged as I was not on a first-name basis with anyone yet.

“The man who lives over there." I pointed at the house next door where the man had shouted for me to turn my music down.

Jolee giggled. “Yeah, old dad can be quite the cranky geezer."

I put my hand up to my mouth. This was awkward. “I am sorry; I hadn't realized that was your dad."

“No, don't be. I know dad can be really annoying. So, what happened?"

“I was swimming with some loud music playing in the background. He told me to turn the music down. He told me that I was trying to make the whole neighborhood deaf."

Jolee laughed loudly. “I think you and I will get along fine. So, you like music? Can you dance?"

I smiled shyly. “I love music, but I couldn't dance to save my life. Let's just say I don't jive, I gyrate. That is what my roommate from college calls my attempts at dancing."

“Are you already preparing for bed? It's so early, and you're already in your PJs? I was hoping we could go to a club I know that has great music, and you can show me how you gyrate,'" she said and gave me a dazzling smile.

“Not really. I was just going to make myself a quick meal and then look for something to watch. Maybe whatever I watch could also serve as my lullaby," I answered.

“Boring," Jolee said, rolling her eyes a little and feigning a yawn. “Are you sure you are as young as you claim to be? You are sounding like an old geezer, if you ask me. Come on, let's go out tonight. I will show you around, and you can meet some of my really cool friends."

“That would be great, but I can't leave the house unattended. It's my first day here, and I would feel bad neglecting my duties," I replied.

“Oh, I totally get you, but you will be going out for just two hours max. Come on, Harper. I really want us to hang. How about you give me your number, and I will call you later? Go get ready, and I will pick you up at eight. I will have you home by ten, I promise. No one will ever know that you slipped out for a bit," Jolee suggested.

I hesitated for a bit. I had been to parties before, but I had never gone clubbing. This was my chance to see what the hype was around this whole clubbing thing. It was going to be for just two hours, right? What could go wrong? Also, I really wanted to get to know Jolee a bit more. As a person who had next to zero close friends, I could sure use one.

“Okay. Just for two hours," I said.

“Two hours, scout's honor," Jolee said as she raised her hand.

“Alright," I said as we exchanged phone numbers.

The husky and Cocoa seemed to have become friends by the time we parted ways. I picked up the small dog, and headed back to the house.

I hurried upstairs to go change into one of my Sunday best outfits. I put on a denim skirt and my favorite black tank top. I didn't have anything that one could label clubbing clothes. I hoped my first clubbing experience would be better than my first neighbor encounter.

So the handsome, grumpy old geezer was Jolee's dad? I chuckled at how it was weird to be putting the words handsome and old in the same sentence.

After I was done changing, my phone rang, and it was Jolee telling me she was outside. I ran around looking for my handbag and house keys. Cocoa was laying on the floor of the lounge. It seemed she could sense that I was getting ready to ditch her.

“See you later, buddy," I said as I patted her on the head, softly.

I ran out, locking the door behind me. I made my way outside with excitement regarding this newfound freedom. I walked toward Jolee's car which was parked in the professor's driveway. It was a pink Porsche, but I couldn't make out the model, all I could guess was it was expensive. As I neared the car, I realized she wasn't alone in the car. That's when my social anxiety kicked in.