The Deal

3- When They First Met

Neil sighed when he looked up, seeing Lara taking out her toys again. She heard him and looked up with a frown before putting them back in, feeling the soft material of the doll's dress under her fingertips.

"Remember what Daddy said? You can play with them after, we just need to clean up first okay?" She nodded her head and picked up the bag of toys. He heard the squeak down the hall and knew she was going to take them to her room; not to put them away but play away from his gaze. His eyes glanced around the room, one side lay flat boxes that had already been opened and on the other side, blocking the light from the window, lay several boxes that were still unopened. Given that they had just moved in last night and started unpacking the boxes this morning, he was proud of how much they had done.

An hour went by as he arranged the kitchen. He went from putting the plates right above the sink, at the bottom of the sink and then above the microwave. A knock on his door got him up from the kitchen floor. Wiping his hands on his black t-shirt, he looked through the peephole to see a woman holding a tray. Even through the peephole he could see the light brown eyes she had. Her hair was pulled into a bun that he knew would be hell to brush after.

"Hey, can I help you?" he called through the door. You couldn't trust anyone, especially in a new neighbourhood. She straightened up upon hearing his voice. The once rusty numbers on the door were now replaced by shiny silver digits, 216. She leaned closer, almost bringing her mouth to the peephole. With her empty hand, she smoothed down her baby hairs sticking out her messy bun. Neil almost chuckled. Like that would help. He knew how frustrating baby hairs were to deal with from Lara.

"My name's Judith Jocelynn Kelly. People usually call me JJ. I'm from down the hall, 213. Heard you have a little one so I thought I might make some cookies." Neil opened the door with a smile. He watched her smile back, her cheeks going a little pink. She looked him up and down and smiled. "When the mums said you were cute, I thought they were just joking," she said with a small laugh. Neil chuckled before opening the door further to let her in. He stepped aside and she smiled once more before stepping in.

The entrance wasn't as open as their old house but it wasn't bad. The only problem Neil had was that the left hand side of the wall extended out so if someone was standing near the kitchen, you wouldn't be able to see them from the front door.

"I'll take that as a compliment. You're a little pretty too." JJ turned back around and smirked.

"Just a little?"

"Just a little," he responded with a smile. "So, Judith? What are you, eighty?"

JJ gasped, followed with a laugh. "Yeah, my parents are devoted Christians, so they gave me a biblical name. Thus, the reason I choose to go with JJ." She looked down at her hands, feeling the slight warmth of the cookies from under the tray. "I made chocolate chips, white chocolate and double chocolate. Chose to stay away from nuts because I wasn't sure if she was allergic or not." As she said it, she noticed the bright red jacket hanging just a few steps away from her.

"Well that is ever so kind of you, you really didn't have to go through that trouble. And my little Lara eats just about anything." He took the tray off her and guided her into the kitchen. "Would you like a cup of tea, coffee?" He pushed the tissue aside and placed the tray down. "I do apologise for the mess. I'm just having a little trouble finding a place for everything." She waved a hand, letting him know that there was nothing to worry about.

"Oh, can I have a cup of coffee please. Black, two sugars." She took a seat at the table, gently moving away the mugs so she could rest her arms down on the table. Looking around, she was pretty sure they had the exact same layout. "So, I told you you're cute, gave you an insight on my old sounding names, baked your cookies for you and your daughter and I still don't know your name. I don't think that's fair."