Thy Neighbor's Wife Read Online Free PDF Page B

her way
    out of the queen-size bed, made a quick detour to the bathroom,
    and then tossed on some cleaning sweats. Although they’d most
    likely spend the better part of the day on the deck, it would be the
    first time her friends would see the lake house since it had officially
    become hers and she wanted it spotless.
    It was a small house by lake standards—less than half the size
    of Jennifer and Eric’s—but it was valuable by sheer location alone.
    It had started out as a cottage decades before, but was gradually
    refurbished and solidified so that it became suitable for year-round
    living. It was only one level. The L-shaped deck supported two
    entrances—a sliding glass door from the back, facing the water, and
    a regular door from the side. Both entered into the kitchen. The
    front door led to a good-sized living room with a small fireplace. A
    Thy Neighbor’s Wife 21
    hallway off the living room led to the master bedroom, bathroom,
    and guest room. Alex was still trying to get used to sleeping in the
    master. Whenever she’d stayed with Aunt Margie growing up, she’d
    slept in the guest bedroom, so the adjustment was strange, even
    after several months.
    Exactly one hour before the party was to officially start, Kinsey
    began to bark. Alex, smiling, came out of the bedroom in fresh
    jeans and a white t-shirt. She knew it would be Jackie and Rita.
    They always arrived early so Alex could have extra time with their
    daughter. Kinsey continued to bark excitedly as Alex opened the
    side door and clipped his chain onto his collar, as she watched her
    friends clamor out of their minivan.
    “Awek!” The beautiful baby girl voice of her goddaughter never
    failed to melt Alex’s heart.
    “Hannah Banana? Is that you?”
    No sooner had Jackie set the toddler on the ground, than her
    little feet carried her as quickly as they could to her godmother’s
    outstretched arms. Alex swooped her up, smothered her giggling
    face with kisses, and inhaled the incomparable toddler smell of
    baby powder and sweetness.
    “Nothing warms the heart like a three-year-old who thinks
    you’re the Queen of All Things, does it?” Jackie asked with a wry
    grin.
    “Not a thing.”
    “How’s it going, Stretch?” Jackie kissed Alex’s cheek.
    “Not bad. Not bad at all. You?”
    “It’s all good.”
    The resemblance between Jackie and Hannah was remarkable,
    given that they did not share the same blood. Rita had been insemi-
    nated with sperm from a donor she and Jackie had picked together.
    Rita had wanted the father to be as similar physically to Jackie as
    possible. As a result, both mother and child had fine, blonde hair,
    big, blue eyes, and long, thin frames. Rita, with her mostly Hispanic
    background, had given Hannah her fiery temper and her passion for
    the things she loved. The child was the perfect mix of Alex’s two
    dearest friends and it couldn’t have worked any better if they’d been
    heterosexual and conceived her the old fashioned way.
    Jackie glanced up at the house, hefting a diaper bag over her
    shoulder as Rita approached from the vehicle with a large bowl in
    her arms. “It’s really yours, huh?”
    Alex sighed and set Hannah on her feet so she could go pay
    attention to Kinsey, who was still barking. “Yup. All mine. I still
    can’t believe it.”
    “So tell me how this came about,” Rita ordered. “Jackie didn’t
    give me any details.”
    22 Georgia Beers
    “I did, too,” Jackie whined.
    “‘Alex’s aunt gave her the lake house’ doesn’t constitute
    details, my love,” she said sweetly, an unruly dark curl hanging over
    one eye.
    “I was quick and to the point,” Jackie said.
    “Hope you’re not like that in bed,” Alex teased.
    “Funny.”
    Alex took the bowl from Rita’s arms and led them into the
    house. “As you know, I was staying here on and off, keeping an eye
    on the place for Aunt Margie while she was away with Rafael. The
    lease on my apartment was up at the end of