bly can, she thought, then smiled at the sarcastic tone in her head,
suddenly feeling a little better. She decided she’d just wait out the
movers, give Claire time to go home, and then she’d have the whole
week to arrange the place the way she wanted it.
The simple plan clear in her mind, she let her head drop back
so she could absorb the sunshine beaming down on her. The combi-
nation of the cool, soft breeze, the fresh smell of the lake, and the
warm sun acted like a drug and her anxiety slipped away.
The silence of the moment was broken by a sharp series of
barks. She smiled, realizing they must be coming from her furry lit-
tle friend who lived next door. She turned her gaze and squinted
against the sun just as she heard a gently scolding voice.
“Kinsey. Quiet. Nobody wants your opinion.”
Alex was perched on the section of her deck that faced the
water, looking very comfortable in the lounge chair she occupied.
She seemed to be reading, but she looked out onto the water more
than at what she held in her lap. Jennifer debated whether or not to
disturb her, but she knew she wasn’t ready to go back into the house
just yet.
“Howdy, neighbor,” she called out.
Alex looked up and met Jennifer’s gaze with a wide smile and a
friendly wave. “Hi there, Jennifer. How goes the move?”
“Ugh. Don’t ask,” Jennifer said with a groan.
“Need a break?” Alex held up the glass she’d been drinking
from as incentive.
Jennifer was moving before she even had time to think about it,
retracing her steps off the dock, across the lawn, and up the stairs of
Alex’s deck.
Kinsey was excited to see her, his ears flat against his head, his
tail wagging furiously. He was clipped to a chain that attached him
to one of the posts on the deck and Jennifer smiled at the fact that
Alex wasn’t taking any chances on his escape that day. As she bent
to scratch the dog, he curled his lips in a goofy manner, showing his
teeth in a gesture so comical Jennifer laughed out loud.
“Is he smiling at you?” Alex asked from her chair.
“Yes!” Jennifer giggled at the description, for that was exactly
what he was doing. “God, he’s cute.”
“And he knows it, too,” Alex said. “He uses it to his advantage
every chance he gets. Have a seat.”
12 Georgia Beers
Jennifer took a quick look around the deck. It was spacious,
the wood natural in color, but well taken care of with no cracks or
chips, no rotting to be seen. A large glass table, the legs and frame-
work a deep forest green, occupied one corner. Four matching
chairs surrounded it, their cushions a floral print of greens and bur-
gundies. A bit to the right was a pair of lounge chairs, with thick,
comfortable looking cushions that matched those of the other
chairs. Several pots and flower boxes lined the railing and sat in
corners, but all were still empty given that it was only mid-May.
Jennifer thought how great the whole area must look when the
flowers were in bloom and she made a mental note to start thinking
about what types of greenery she thought might look best on her
own property.
She chose the matching lounge and sat down next to her smil-
ing neighbor who had a legal pad propped on her lap and a simple
Bic pen in her hand. A groan of pleasure escaped Jennifer’s lips as
she got off her feet for the first time in several hours and sank com-
fortably into the surprisingly deep cushion.
“Oh my God, that’s nice.”
Alex smiled knowingly. “Wait until you get the chance to nap
in one.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“You’ll never leave my deck.”
“I said don’t tempt me.” Jennifer smiled, closed her eyes, and
reveled in the warm spring sun, her chill gone.
“You look stressed.”
“Do I?” Jennifer opened her eyes, shielding the sun with a
hand, and mildly flattered at the look of concern on Alex’s face. “I
always was a bit transparent. I’ve been meaning to work on that lit-
tle character flaw.”
Alex jumped up. “Stay right there.” She set her pad and paper
down and ran into the house. Jennifer noticed how incredibly warm
and approachable she looked in her navy blue sweatpants and candy
apple red Henley—the sleeves pulled up to reveal her forearms. She
had nothing on her feet but white athletic socks and another peek of
white was visible in the form of a t-shirt that Jennifer could see
inside the buttons of the Henley. It was about as comfortable as one
could dress without actually wearing pajamas, yet Alex didn’t look
even a little rumpled.
Again, Jennifer felt the excitement of having a new friend,
somebody totally removed from her usual circle. Most of the women
she was used to associating with were very much like Claire…wives
of wealthy businessmen who spent more time shopping and gossip-
ing about one another than anything else and Jennifer didn’t really
like the person she became when she was with them. She was glad
Thy Neighbor’s Wife 13
to be in a completely different environment, away from all that. She
didn’t feel the least bit awkward relaxing on Alex’s deck; she felt
relieved.
As she snuggled into the soft-cushioned chair, Kinsey took it
upon himself to jump into her lap and perch his little butt on her
thighs. His chain was plenty long enough to allow him access to
most of the deck, just not most of the neighborhood. She chuckled
at his assertiveness and scratched his side. As she did so, he lifted
his right front paw, as if directing her to scratch under his little arm.
She, of course, did as she was requested and that’s the position they
were in when Alex returned with a tall glass in her hand.
“Kinsey! Get down!” she scolded, slightly embarrassed. He
blinked up at her in wide-eyed innocence, but made no move.
“Oh, no. He’s okay, Alex. Really. I don’t mind.” The truth was,
Jennifer was flattered by the way he had taken to her and was not
quite ready to give him up.
Alex looked uncertain, but relented. “If he bugs you, just tell
him to get down. He’s very bossy. Aren’t you, bad boy?” She affec-
tionately scratched the top of his head and handed Jennifer the
glass. “Here you go. Guaranteed to allay any type of stress.”
It looked like a glass of cola, but Jennifer had the sneaking sus-
picion there was more to it than that. She took a sip, immediately
loving the creamy, spiced taste as it slid down her throat and she
hummed her approval, raising an eyebrow in question.
“Captain Morgan’s and Coke,” Alex announced with a smile.
“There’s no pressure the Captain can’t relieve.”
Jennifer smiled back at her. It had been a long time since some-
body had done something to brighten her day and she was flattered.
She took another sip, relishing the feel of the rum as it settled into
her stomach and spread throughout her body. Her goose bumps had
disappeared.
“So, the move’s not going so well?” Alex ventured. A couple
strands of her dark hair had escaped her ponytail and skimmed
along the side of her face in the soft breeze as she met Jennifer’s
gaze.
“Oh, it’s going all right,” Jennifer said. “It would be a lot less
stressful, though, if I could figure out a way to tactfully get rid of
my mother-in-law.”
“Ah. Too much help is she?”
Jennifer laughed. “Yeah, that’s about it. Plus, everything she
says is right and everything I say is wrong.”
“And this surprises you? Isn’t that the first thing they teach you
in Being the Model Daughter-In-Law 101?”
“I think I was sick that day.”
“And didn’t study for the final, apparently.”
14 Georgia Beers
“Jesus, I guess not.” They both chuckled. “First, she was abso-
lutely certain the sofa was not going to fit through the doorway,
despite the fact that the delivery guys didn’t see it as a problem.”
“And then?”
“Then, she swears that the oversized chair doesn’t match it.”
“The sofa?”
“Right.”
“Does it?”
“The matching oversized chair?” Jennifer smirked. “Yeah, it
does. I picked it out myself. Thus the term ‘matched set.’”
“I see. Any other furniture give her a hard time?”
“No, but she hates my dishes.”
“Your dishes.”
“Yes. She can’t put her finger on it, but they’re ‘just not right.’”
Jennifer launched into her best imitation of Claire, one she had
damn near perfected over the years, mixing the perfect combination
of haughtiness and egotism. She sat up straight as a rod, her voice
taking on the mysterious almost-English accent that Claire had
affected over the years for no apparent reason. “These…these
dishes, Jennifah, where on earth did you get them? The pattern is
so…so…” She waved her hand in the air as if she couldn’t be both-
ered with finding the right word. “They’re just not right.”
“Wow.” Alex laughed. “She sounds…um…difficult.”
Jennifer was amused by Alex’s obvious attempt to tread care-
fully when speaking about a woman she’d never met who was
related to Jennifer. “Oh, it’s okay. Don’t be polite on my account.
She’s a bitch.”
“We should introduce her to my mother.”
“Yeah? She the same way?”
“Without the polish or the money, yes. I never do anything
right.”
“Are you married?”
“Nope.”
“Well, hopefully when you are, you won’t get a mother-in-law
who’s as bad. If you do, come and see me and I’ll give you my best
advice on how to deal with two of them at once.”
“You’re mom’s just as bad?”
“She’s close.”
“My God, Jennifer. How do you stay sane?”
“Who says I am?”
They laughed over that. Jennifer sighed and took another swig
from her glass. “I didn’t think it was going to be this hard.”
“What? Moving?”
“Yeah,” Jennifer replied, almost honestly.
Alex looked at her, waiting for her to elaborate.
Thy Neighbor’s Wife 15
Jennifer wasn’t sure where it came from and was very surprised
to feel it, but she had the sudden, almost irresistible urge to spill her
guts, to pour out her heart to this complete stranger. She was able to
control herself and to keep from doing just that, but it was such a
weird feeling. She knew that if things had been the other way
around, if Alex had come to her home and began to tell her woes
after they’d only met once, Jennifer probably would have figured
out how to shoo her away and would have rolled her eyes about
Alex later. As it was, she just felt so comfortable sitting there that
she couldn’t bring herself to leave. Alex gazed openly at her, expect-
antly, like she really cared what her new friend was about to say,
like she really intended to listen. For the first time in years, Jennifer
felt like she could be herself and she wouldn’t be judged.
“How long have you and Eric been married?” Alex asked.
“Almost eight years. I’m twenty-nine.”
“You’re a baby.”
“Wipe that smirk off your face. What are you, thirty?”
“Many moons ago. I’m looking at the big three-five next Janu-
ary.” She grimaced at the thought, only half-jokingly.
“Ouch. You’ll have to let me know how that goes. I’m already
dreading it and I’ve got five more years.”
“Eric the same age as you?”
“A year older.”
“You guys married young, huh?”
“Yeah, I suppose we did.”
“I bet you had a beautiful wedding.” She had an image of a
huge extravaganza, probably at Oak Hill Country Club or some-
place equally gorgeous. Expensive food, tons of guests, Jennifer
looking beautiful in a flowing, white gown, Eric all handsome in his
tailored tux.
“It was.” Jennifer nodded. “Though I think our parents were
more excited about it than we were.” I wasn’t ready to get married
and neither was Eric, she wanted to add.
“He seems like a nice guy,” Alex commented sincerely.
“He is. He’s been a little stressed lately with his job, but I sup-
pose that’s to be expected in his line of work.”
“What does he do?”
“He’s a lawyer in his dad’s firm. He’s being groomed to take
over as partner when his father retires next year. Daniel’s been
handing his clients over to Eric little by little and with the addition
of the Buffalo office, I think Eric’s a bit overwhelmed. He’s really a
great guy, though. I could do a lot worse, that’s for sure. Feels like
I’ve known him forever.”
“Are you high school sweethearts?”
“Yup. Actually, we grew up together. We’ve known each other
16 Georgia Beers
for…” She did a quick calculation in her head. “Jesus, twenty
years.”
“Wow.”
“His family and my family are very tight. When Eric and I
started dating in high school, our parents sort of latched onto the
pairing and the rest is history.”
“That’s really very sweet.”
“Yeah, I suppose it is.” She drained the rest of her glass.
They gazed steadily out at the water, watching the seagulls dive
and swoop. They were quiet and the silence was comfortable and
warm. Kinsey had curled up in Jennifer’s lap and twitched restlessly
every now and then as he chased something in his sleep, small snor-