Thy Neighbor's Wife by Georgia Beers Read Free Book Online Page B

with
    startling force. Jennifer would bet that she fooled many an oppo-
    nent the same way. Alex wasn’t quite as strong as Jackie, but she
    was amazingly consistent and Jennifer guessed that the team looked
    to her to hold them together. David was also very good and she got
    the impression that he hadn’t been playing very long. He seemed a
    little unsure of his position on the court, but once he figured it out,
    he was rock solid. Steve was wiry and fast and all over the sand.
    Jennifer laughed more than once at his diving saves, realizing with
    great clarity just exactly why he had to stretch so much before a
    game; Rita referred to him as the ‘floor mop.’ Nikki was definitely
    the weak link. She did her best to set, but had a very stiff touch,
    often sending the ball careening away instead of up to her hitter.
    She got frustrated very quickly, but Jennifer was sure if she could
    just relax and focus, she could be quite good. Alex was constantly
    reassuring her, reminding her that it was just practice, the first of
    the season.
    The interaction between the two of them was very interesting
    to Jennifer and she watched them carefully. Alex seemed very car-
    Thy Neighbor’s Wife 31
    ing, very concerned with Nikki, but there was an obvious line she
    wouldn’t cross. She was physical in a sisterly way, stroking an arm
    or patting a shoulder when Nikki seemed upset. Nikki, on the other
    hand, looked at Alex with complete love and devotion. It was abso-
    lutely unmistakable and Jennifer’s immediate reaction was that they
    had been lovers, but were not any more. Either that or Nikki wanted
    something Alex wouldn’t give her. Or both. It was at that moment
    that Jennifer stopped wondering and became quite certain that Alex
    was gay.
    On the other side of the net were four men. None of them were
    very good, but all of them put one hundred and ten percent into
    their efforts. Jennifer predicted that if they continued to play
    together, in time they’d make a formidable opponent to Alex’s
    team. The best part was, everybody was having fun. Lots of laughter
    carried through the air. Playful name calling and bending of the
    rules abounded.
    “So, Jennifer.” Rita’s friendly voice pulled her from her specu-
    lations. “What do you do?”
    Jennifer blinked several times, trying to figure out why she
    despised answering that particular question so much.
    “I’m…between jobs right now. How ’bout you?” Nice, Jen, her
    inner voice mocked her. Redirect the focus. Very smooth.
    “I’m a stay at home mom.” She said it proudly, which sur-
    prised Jennifer. Rita glanced lovingly at Hannah and Jennifer felt
    her heart warm.
    “Really? Lucky Hannah,” she commented, meaning it sin-
    cerely.
    “Jackie and I discussed it long and hard before we even got
    pregnant. I was the vice president of a bank, made a pretty good liv-
    ing, but…” Her voice drifted off and she looked out onto the churn-
    ing water of the lake. Bringing her own brown gaze back to Jennifer,
    she shrugged and smiled. “I remember my mom always being there
    when my sisters and I got home from school. The house was always
    bright, there were always cookies, she was always able to help us
    with our homework or school projects. I just wanted that for my
    kids, too, you know?”
    Jennifer nodded, smiling back at her. “It’s hard to do that now,
    both because of the high cost of living and the attitude that society
    has today about women who don’t work.” She knew that all too
    well. She was one of those women. She was also one of those people
    with the attitude.
    “Jackie makes a decent living and I was able to do some smart
    investing while I was still working, so we do okay.”
    “Will you have more kids?”
    “Oh, absolutely.” She said it with such enthusiasm that it made
    32 Georgia Beers
    Jennifer laugh. “What about you? Any children in the future for
    you and your husband?”
    The question made the laughter die in Jennifer’s