Thy Neighbor's Wife (30 page)

to me,” she’d said as she’d stolen it from Alex’s clothesbasket. Alex

smiled as her eyes followed the lines of her lover’s body, sleek and

tan, muscles flexing as she moved. She could still smell the scent of

Jennifer’s skin, feel the smoothness beneath her fingers. She could

still hear Jennifer gasping her name as she came, begging her not to

stop…

“Hey.” Jackie snapped her fingers in Alex’s face. She shook her

head and was quickly zapped back to reality. “You’re up.” Jackie’s

voice was blunt.

“Sure. Sorry.” Jennifer smiled knowingly at her, causing her to

blush. “Quit smirking and set me.”

The team played well as a whole, but Alex and Jennifer were so

completely in sync, it was almost unreal. They couldn’t miss. Jenni-

fer set Alex dead solid perfect every single time and Alex’s hits were

Thy Neighbor’s Wife 159

right on the money. She had kills left and right, leaving the other

team lying in the sand in various awkward positions. Jennifer

grinned through the entire game and Alex was practically giddy.

They high-fived often.

It wasn’t until halfway through the third and final game that

Alex became aware of the subtle glares and scowls coming from

both Jackie and Nikki. At one point, Jennifer threw her a question-

ing glance, telling her that she noticed, too. Alex shrugged at her in

confusion. They were playing well and the game was as good as

won, so she was unsure of what the problem could be.

When their opponents called a time out, everybody broke to

find their Gatorade or water and gulped thirstily. Alex followed

Jackie to her pile of belongings near where Rita sat in the sand

watching Hannah.

“Hey,” Alex said. “You okay?”

“Fine.” Jackie didn’t look at her, just took her bottle from

Rita’s hand and drank. Alex knew Jackie like a book and the tone of

her “fine” said she was anything but.

“Talk to me, Jack.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“And you’re lying. You’ve been shooting me looks all night.

Something you want to tell me?”

Jackie finally met her eyes and the hostility there took Alex by

surprise. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Alex blinked at her and swallowed, knowing full well that she’d

been busted.

“I know you, Alex. You may think you’re being subtle, but

you’re not. Not to me.” Her voice was harsh and nothing more than

a heated whisper. “I see the way you look at her. You’re a friggin’

puddle. You told us you were just friends.”

“We were.” Alex said quietly, her eyes on the sand.

“You were. And now you’re suddenly more than that.”

“Yes.”

“Just exactly where do you think this is going?”

Alex swallowed. “I don’t know,” she answered truthfully.

“Really. Well, allow me to help you out with that. The general

order of things goes something like this: she’s going to wait until

you fall in love with her—which has already happened, judging by

the look on your face. She’s going to let you think she’s in love with

you, too, at least for a while. Then she’s going to grow tired of the

experiment and decide it was much easier and less controversial liv-

ing in Boystown and she’s going to head back there. You, my friend,

will end up on the other side of the tracks, a sniveling wreck holed

up in Heartbreak Hotel and your friends will have to clean up the

mess even though they warned you profusely that you were making

160 Georgia Beers

a huge mistake with her.” Her eyes bored into Alex, flashing with

frustration. “Jesus, Alex, you know this. You’ve seen it happen a

million times around you. What makes you think this will be any

different?”

Alex swallowed hard. She had seen it, over and over. The dan-

ger of falling for a straight girl was not imaginary; there were very

real consequences. She had seen friends have their hearts ripped out

by women just like Jennifer. Her stomach churned as the fears she’d

been working so hard to ignore reared up full force. She simply

looked at Jackie, having no response whatsoever.

Jackie tossed her bottle to the sand and nodded. “I hope you

know what the hell you’re doing.” She turned and headed back to

the court without waiting for her friend.

Alex looked down at Rita, who had observed the discussion

quietly. Somehow, she managed to appear both sympathetic and

stern at the same time, just like a mother. Alex sighed and joined

her team, smiling a weak reassurance at Jennifer’s questioning

glance.

The team won third place.

* * *

The celebratory drinks didn’t last long. Though third place was

a nice finish, considering there were a dozen teams, the tension was

fairly obvious. Jackie was quiet. Alex was worried. Jennifer was

confused. The party broke up quickly.

The game had been an early one, finished in less than an hour.

When Alex and Jennifer returned to Alex’s house, the sun had not

yet set and both women were famished. Alex set her hunger aside

long enough to wrap her arms around Jennifer from behind and

hold her tightly, burying her nose in the blonde hair, closing her

eyes and losing herself in the scent.

“Was Jackie okay tonight?” Jennifer asked.

Alex swallowed. “Yeah. She’s been having a tough time at

work.” The lie slid out so easily, it surprised her.

“She was kind of cold to me.”

“She gets that way when she’s stressed. Don’t take it person-

ally.”

Jennifer thought about turning around and looking Alex in the

face, but decided against it. “Okay. I think I’m going to jump in the

shower.”

Alex kissed the side of her neck. “The shower, huh?” She

tongued an ear, causing a shiver to shoot through Jennifer.

“Uh-huh.” She turned in Alex’s arms and their mouths met.

After several minutes, Jennifer pulled herself away. “Okay. I’m

Thy Neighbor’s Wife 161

going. To the shower.”

Alex followed her all the way to the bathroom. When they got

to the doorway, Jennifer turned and planted her hand in the center

of Alex’s chest and gave her a gentle shove, knowing full well what

would happen if they showered together. “No,” she said with a

smirk. “I don’t want to be in here for days on end. Go order a pizza.

You can have the shower when I’m done.” And with that, she closed

the door and locked it.

“You’re locking me out?” Alex cried, feigning hurt.

“I don’t trust you,” Jennifer said through the door, the smile

plain in her voice.

“Smart girl,” Alex muttered as she left and went to order din-

ner.

Jackie’s words came back to her as she hung up the phone a few

minutes later. She took a Heineken from the refrigerator and leaned

against the counter, trying not to think about what her friend had

said, but unable to shut off the worry. It really would be so much

easier for Jennifer to stay in her current life, her life with Eric,

wouldn’t it? Why on earth would she want to sacrifice all that she

had?Am I worth it? Really, am I?

She suddenly felt the weight of the world pressing down on her.

Who the hell did she think she was? Jennifer had money and status

and a normal life. Who was Alex to make her question all that? She

closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, willing her mind to shift from

the subject, lest it drive her completely mad.

The water had stopped, so she busied herself fetching plates

and napkins from the cupboards. When the doorbell rang, she

glanced at the clock on the microwave, surprised by the speedy

delivery.

“I’ve got it,” Jennifer called before Alex could make a move.

“The money’s right there on the table,” Alex called as she

headed out with her armload of items.

Alex had heard the phrase “time stood still” on many occa-

sions, but she’d never actually experienced it until that moment.

Jennifer stood in the doorway, her hair wet and combed back from

her face. She was dressed in a pair of Alex’s boxers and her Rohr-

bach’s Brewing Company t-shirt. Both were very obviously too big

for her.

On the other side of the screen door stood Dawn and Kayla.

It seemed the four of them simply stood there looking at each

other for an eternity. Finally, Kayla spoke up in a flurry of words as

Dawn’s eyes focused on her sister-in-law.

“Jen, where have you been? We’ve been worried sick. You

haven’t been answering your phone at either house. I tried to call

162 Georgia Beers

Eric at work, but somebody told me he was no longer employed

there and he’s not answering his cell phone. We came here because

we thought maybe your neighbor could tell us if she’d seen you.”

It was only a second before Dawn opened her mouth that Alex

noticed she’d been fixated on Jennifer’s shoulder for an unusually

long period of time. The t-shirt was slightly askew on her, the neck-

line hanging to one side, revealing a bright red mark on her skin,

one that Alex had put there with her own teeth just before the vol-

leyball game.

Dawn sneered. “I see we were right. Your neighbor obviously

has seen you. All of you.” Jennifer realized to what Dawn was

referring, flushed, and pulled the t-shirt up over her shoulder. “Col-

lege all over again, Jen?”

Jennifer’s face showed horror and embarrassment; it was obvi-

ous that she didn’t know Dawn was aware of the situation with

Sarah.

“That’s right. I’m all up to speed on your extracurricular activ-

ities—the whole family is. Eric is my little brother, after all. It’s my

duty to look out for him.” It was glaringly apparent that Dawn was

taking great delight in skewering Jennifer. She could barely contain

her glee. “I was sure to warn him about her.” She jutted her chin in

Alex’s direction. “I told him he couldn’t be too careful, especially

after that fiasco of yours in New York. I see I was right to be con-

cerned.” She threw a disdainful glance in Alex’s direction and the

expression instantly reminded Alex which of her former students

were Dawn’s.

Jennifer hadn’t uttered a single word. Alex wondered if she was

in shock. She was very visibly shaken by Dawn’s diatribe. And visi-

bly shaking; Alex could see her hands trembling. Simultaneously,

she felt her own do the same thing. She quickly set the armload of

dishes and utensils on the table, clattering loudly. Approaching the

door, she tried to focus all her concentration on keeping her voice

steady. The last thing she wanted was for Dawn to know how terri-

fied she was…terrified of the repercussions of this meeting, terrified

of what was going through Jennifer’s head at that very moment, ter-

rified that she was about to run screaming into the night, never to

return.

“I was not fired from my teaching position. I resigned.” Thank-

fully, her voice didn’t waver. She stole a glance at Jennifer, who was

looking at the floor. When she looked back at the twosome on her

doorstep, she set her gaze on Kayla. “You came here to find Jenni-

fer. You found her. Now please go.” She gently guided Jennifer

backwards so she could shut the door, closing out the triumphant

expression on Dawn’s cold, beautiful face. Alex leaned her forehead

against the wood, trying to keep from collapsing under the

Thy Neighbor’s Wife 163

onslaught of worry that threatened to bury her like an avalanche.

The door vibrated against Alex’s forehead as somebody

knocked. She lifted her head, wondering if Dawn had come back for

another round, wondering where Jennifer had gone, wondering how

this whole thing had become such a mess so quickly. She opened the

door warily and was greeted by a pimply-faced kid wearing a dirty

baseball hat and holding a pizza box. The smell of food nauseated

her.

She wandered into the kitchen with dinner, finding Jennifer

standing with Kinsey cradled in her arms, staring out onto the

water. After setting the pizza on the counter, she approached Jenni-

fer quietly, and wrapped her arms around her from behind. Kissing

the top of her head, she felt the slight tremor run through Jennifer’s

body. Alex tried to swallow her worry.

“You okay?”

“I don’t know,” Jennifer whispered. “I did face Dawn. I’ve

never done that before. I didn’t say a goddamn thing, but I faced

her.”

“Which is the equivalent of facing Satan, if you ask me,” Alex

muttered, attempting to inject a bit of humor into the situation, but

failing miserably.

“But, she knows now. The cat is out of the bag—and you can be

sure it is because everybody and their brother will know soon

enough. Dawn isn’t one to keep such a scoop to herself.” Her voice

shook slightly, whether with anger, fear, or terror, Alex couldn’t be

sure. Jennifer sighed quietly. “God, my mother is going to freak.”

“They all do, babe.”

They stood silently for several long minutes before Jennifer

spoke again, her body snapping to attention with sudden realiza-

tion.

“I have to talk to Eric.” She moved out of Alex’s embrace, set

Kinsey down on the floor, and looked around the room.