Lake Neighbor Love

Lake Neighbor Love Brandi Bliss Copyright Copyright © 2023 by Brandi Bliss. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Contents 1. One 2. Two 3. Three 4. Four 5. Five 6. Six 7. Seven 8. Eight 9. Nine 10. Ten 11. Eleven 12. Twelve 13. Thirteen 14. Fourteen 15. Fifteen 16. Sixteen 17. Seventeen 18. Eighteen 19. Nineteen 20. Twenty 21. Twenty One One Olivia Olivia had settled in for the evening and was quickly feeling herself losing the battle to read anymore pages of her book. She put her book down on her nightstand and got up to close the blinds. About halfway to the window she stopped. She could hear something out of place but couldn’t quite decipher the sound. She could tell it was coming from outside, so she went to the window and looked down the road. Much to her surprise, she watched as a motorcycle slowly drove by her house and pulled into her neighbor’s driveway. She could see there was one person on the bike, a male, but she couldn’t make out many details with it being so dark. She never saw a motorcycle on the road, and she knew her neighbor, Cara, was not home and she certainly didn’t ride a motorcycle. Olivia paused for a moment and then quickly grabbed her cell phone to call Cara. They were best friends after all and even though Olivia knew Cara was trying to find renters there was no way Cara would have rented out the house without letting Olivia know. The phone rang and rang and then went to voicemail. “Ugh, pick up Cara! Pick up!”. Olivia glanced over at Frankie as he wagged his tail and tilted his head as if he was unsure if she was speaking to him. Olivia quickly ended the call and sent Cara a text. After a few minutes with no response, Olivia went out on the back deck to get a better view of Cara’s house and saw there were lights on inside. “Ok, so she found renters. I don’t hear anything like robbers and if you were breaking into a house, you probably wouldn’t put the lights on right Frankie?” Frankie gave her a whine. With only a few houses at the far end of the lake it was always quiet. That’s why Olivia loved it. It was about an hour from town, and it was peaceful bliss. No city noises, less people and hardly any traffic on the road. There was barely any noise down at this end of the lake compared to the far north end where there were a few shops, restaurants and day use areas. She liked the solitude the lake house offered, and the quiet surroundings were ideal for her getting work done and where she could take Frankie outside and not worry about being run over by some distracted driver. Olivia pondered what to do next. She stood still. It was back to being quiet. She couldn’t see anybody moving around in the house. All she could see was one light on and she assumed the guy must have parked the motorcycle in the garage because she couldn’t see it in the driveway. Olivia looked at Frankie. “Alright bud let’s try to get settled for the night. We can call Cara as soon as we get up in the morning.” Frankie gave her a quick bark. Olivia picked up Frankie and went back to the bedroom. She got in bed and lifted the covers so Frankie could crawl under and curl up next to her. She sat up listening for a while but didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary and eventually drifted off. Olivia was up early the next morning and immediately went out on the deck to get a view of Cara’s house. All she could hear were the birds making their morning calls and the lake waves softly coming ashore. There was nothing in sight or out of place that she could tell. She knew it was early and Cara generally liked to sleep in, but Olivia knew if Cara saw it was her calling this early, Cara would know something was going on and pick up the phone. Olivia grabbed her phone and called Cara. Cara picked up on the second ring. “Hey Liv, you ok? Why are you calling me so early? You know I like to sleep in.” “I’m sorry. I thought I waited long enough. I tried you last night, but you didn’t answer.” “Sorry, we were out to dinner with Craig’s friends, and I left my phone in the car. Are you ok?” “I’m ok, but I wish you had told me you rented the house out.” “Um, “I didn’t.” Olivia paused and her voice grew concerned. “Um…well, someone stayed there last night. You might have a squatter.” “Oh my God. I’m on my way.” Olivia was unsure Cara should come without backup and quickly blurted out “Cara, maybe you should bring Craig.” Cara softly laughed. “I love Craig and all, but he’s not the guy you want during a confrontation and he’s out on a run anyway. I’m coming, let me know if they leave.” “Okay.” Olivia hung up and went back on the deck. She felt like she was on a stakeout. This was the most excitement she had experienced in a long time. She wished she had a pair of binoculars or something to make her look more like a professional spy. She called to Frankie. “Frankie, what do you think? Should I go tip toe around and peek in the windows?” Frankie jumped up on her. She gave him a head scratch. “Ok, ok I’ll stay right here with you until Cara gets here.” Cara arrived in what seemed record time. Olivia met her on the lawn. “It’s been very quiet, and I haven’t seen anything