Newton Neighbors (New England Trilogy) (3 page)

The sitter smiled at his enthusiasm. “Now what’s that?”
 

“Well, you see everybody expects candy when they’re ghosted, so it’s sick to give them burnt toast instead and see how mad they get when they open their bags.”

“It’s not very nice.” Maria pretended to look stern, but she wasn’t annoyed at all. In fact, she was relieved to see Alice was still content. The baby seemed very happy with Jessie. It was amazing how fast she’d calmed down. Jessie seemed to have Cody and Ricky’s talent for keeping the baby happy. What was their secret?

“Aw, Mom.” In a heartbeat, Cody was back to looking miserable. “Can I just do Mitch Jackson’s house? He did us last night.”

“Mitch is a boy who lives a few houses down the road at number thirteen. He’s a seventh grader, so he’s a little older than Cody,” she told Jessie. “He’s a bit mean to Cody sometimes.”

The sitter gave an understanding nod.
 

Maria looked at her son. “Tell you what—if Todd’s mom says it’s all right, I’m okay with both of you toasting Mitch Jackson. But nobody else. Promise?”

Cody punched the air with his hand. “Score!” he yelled, frightening Alice a little, but Jessie was on it and upped her cooing for a moment.

“Just Mitch, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. I have to call Todd.” He ran out of the room again. “Adios!” he yelled as he disappeared down the hall.
 

“Is your little brother as energetic as he is?” Maria asked.

“Tristan? He sure is.” Jessie smiled. “And the others are worse.”

“Are they away from home, too?”

The girl shook her head. “No. I’m the first. The next one down is doing her A levels this year, so she’ll head to college next autumn.”

“That’s tough on your parents. Education is expensive.”

“It’s not as bad in the UK as it is here, and I’m on a scholarship. My mum couldn’t afford to pay Wiswall fees. My dad is deceased.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Jessie shrugged.

Rick reappeared at the door to the living room.
 

“Ready to go, honey?” He looked at Maria. She nodded and stood.

“Well, you seem more than capable of handling things here. I’ve left both our numbers next to the phone in the kitchen, although I know you have mine already. I’ll have my cell with me all night, and we should be home around midnight. All right?”

The sitter stood up and shifted Alice to her hip with the fluency and ease of a young mom.

“That’s fine. I do have your number, but I’ll save Rick’s in my phone, too, so we’re doubly covered. Have a good night.”

“Don’t come out to the door with us. It’ll upset the baby,” Maria said, although she didn’t think her daughter looked too sad anymore.

Rick reached over and stroked her arm. “Are you aware Cody is on the phone calling Todd? I overheard him asking his partner-in-crime to come over so they can toast Mitch Jackson together.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “You know what, if it amuses him and makes Jessie’s job a little easier, I say go for it.”
 

Jessie was studying Alice and playing with her tiny hand. “I think we’re okay coming out to the door with you.”

It irked Maria that the girl was overriding her authority, and what’s more, she seemed so damn capable with Alice. She knew that was crazy, because it was great to have a good sitter. Maria and Rick got their coats from the closet while Jessie focused on keeping Alice happy.

“By the way,” Maria said, “I turned on the house alarm but left the front door off the system. That way the boys can come and go, and you’ll be able to answer it if you get ghosted.”

Jessie nodded. “Have a smashing night,” she said.

Maria smiled. “Your British accent’s really cute.”

Jessie looked a little embarrassed. “I do feel a bit conspicuous. I keep using words I assumed were normal over here, but they’re not.”

“Gimme an example,” Rick said.

“Oh, let me think.
Fortnight
caused some confusion when I started school.”

“I know what a fortnight is,” he said, looking proud. “It’s fourteen nights—two weeks. So Wednesday fortnight would be the Wednesday two weeks from next. Am I right?”

Jessie smiled and nodded. “My roommate didn’t know what I was talking about.”

“American English and English English—they’re not the same language, are they?” Rick asked.

She shook her head. “Definitely not, but we get by.”
 

Maria kissed Alice on the cheek and shouted a good-bye to her son, who was more interested in his phone call than seeing his parents off. “See you around midnight.”

Rick took Maria by the arm when they were walking to their car. “She seems cool.”

“She’s very pretty.”

“A pretty sitter, sitting pretty with our precious little babies.” Rick had a habit of making up marketing jingles on the spot because it was part of his job, but Maria was in no mood for them just then.

Maria looked at her husband. It was getting dark, but she could still see his face. “She’s very beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Is she? I hadn’t noticed.”
 

She elbowed her husband. “Rick, you would have to be blind not to notice.”

Chapter Two

Blind Ambition

“Michael, you should’ve seen our new sitter.” It was almost the first thing Rick said to his best friend when he got him alone. Maria and Rick had been late arriving at the party because of all the fuss with Alice, and by the time they’d arrived, the party was in full swing. Maria had gone in search of the hostess to give her the champagne, while Rick made a beeline for Michael. He found him at the bar, so they each grabbed a bottle of beer and moved away to talk in private.

Michael studied his friend’s face. “Tell me all about her. Is she nice?”

“Nice doesn’t even start to cover it, man. She’s an eleven out of ten. No, scratch that. She’s twenty out of ten—plus she’s good with the kids.”

Michael laughed. “You were doing well till you mentioned the bit about being good with the kids. If she’s that hot, who cares?”

Rick shrugged and grinned. “What can I say? I’m a broken man. But I have to tell you, I haven’t seen a girl that gorgeous in years.” Then he stood a little taller. “Don’t get me wrong. I know she’s a kid and I’m married, but still, I know beauty when I see it—and she’s British.”
 

“Ah, a European import? Sweet.” Michael looked like he was studying his beer bottle label. “Tell me—would you?”

“Would I what?”

“You know—would you?” He nodded toward the door of the room as if that explained what he was saying, but Rick already knew.
 

“Nah, relax.” He tried to sound convincing while remaining blasé. “Too much hassle. Not worth the risk. Besides, I love Maria.”

Michael laughed again. “I can see it in your eyes, friend. Beautiful women make the most moderate men morons.”

“What is that? A quote from Shakespeare?”

“No. Me.” He draped an arm around Rick’s shoulders and whispered, “Can I recommend a cold shower and getting a new sitter?”

“Did I mention she’s great with the kids?”

Michael shook his head and pulled his arm back. “Lose her, bro. Get her the hell away from you. One of two things is gonna happen. One, she’ll drive you crazy with desire, or two, you’ll do something you’re sure to regret—or three, you’ll do one and two. I’m telling you, get her out of
su casa
.”

Rick said nothing and took a large swig of beer. Michael seemed to understand the situation pretty well. “This sort of thing ever happen to you?”

“What? Having a hot sitter? Cathi wouldn’t let me. She has more sense.”

“Well, tonight was just her first night. We got her from a sitter website. Her credentials were great. I just didn’t realize her body—that is, the rest of her was so great, too,” Rick said. “I couldn’t exactly fire her as soon as I saw her.”

Michael raised a hand in defeat. “Okay. Whatever you say.”

Rick began to grind his teeth in annoyance. “All right, I’m going to get another beer. Do you want one?”

“Sure. Thanks. That way we can get drunk and pretend there isn’t a twenty out of ten sitting in your house giving Cody all of her attention instead of you.”

Rick threw him a dirty look as if to say
enough
and went to get the beers. The problem was everything Michael had said was true.

“I love your dress,” Cathi said when Maria eventually caught up with her. “Did you get that in Boston?”

“You know this old dress, but thanks,
chica
. I need you to boost my spirits.”

Cathi wrapped her arm around her old friend. “Maria? Honey, what’s wrong? Your dress might be nice, but you look miserable. What happened? Is it Alice again?”

Maria was relieved to get a supporting shoulder to cry on. “Yes. I swear, Cathi, that child hates me. I did have a new dress for tonight, but she vomited all over me and my new miracle underwear.”

Cathi squeezed her friend a little firmer. “How many times do I have to tell you? You don’t need it! Your figure is fabulous, and you know that this just a phase with Alice. She’ll come through the other side. Is she not sleeping? Could she be teething?”

Maria pulled away and looked at her friend. “Oh, I never thought of that. It’s like I’ve forgotten all about babies. Cody never gave me a moment’s trouble. No, I managed to get Alice to sleep. I really worked hard this evening to get organized. I gave her a bath, read to her. I took it real slow so she’d settle well, and it all worked. She was out cold until my idiot of a husband yelled up the stairs at me and woke her just minutes before we were walking out the door. When she wakes like that, she’s impossible to get back to sleep.”

A passing waiter carried a large silver tray of glasses full of pink punch. Cathi grabbed a fresh one for herself and Maria.

“Here, you need this. You poor doll. We forget how much work babies are, but remember, they do grow up pretty fast.”

Maria took a large gulp of punch and continued. “You’re the best, Cathi, but I haven’t told you the worst part yet. The most beautiful girl in the world walked into my home just as I was being puked on and Alice was screaming her head off. You should have seen her. She’s so beautiful. Damn near perfect. And she’s young and great with kids and she’s over here to do a master’s in psychology. So she’s smart on top of being beautiful. God, I feel sick.” She gulped down the rest of the punch in her glass.

“Over here from where?”

“Oh yeah, she has a real sophisticated accent, as well. She’s British. She was even teaching Rick words before we left. Rick—my husband—not Cody. That said, I think Cody has his first crush, too.”

“It’s not Cody I’d worry about. Come on, let’s get you a refill, girl. I think you need it. What did you say she was doing with Rick?”

The women headed over to the punchbowl and took another glass of the raspberry-colored liquid for Maria.

“Oh, I was there for that. It wasn’t suspicious or underhanded. It was more annoying than anything. They were just talking about the difference between American English and English English, and next thing I knew she was telling him new words like
fortnight
.” Maria tried to speak in an upper class English voice, which made Cathi laugh.
 

“Your Puerto Rican accent is too thick. That’s the funniest attempt at an English accent I’ve ever heard.” Then Cathi tried to put on an English voice, too. “Is she rather posh?”
 

“Nah, I don’t think so. She seemed pretty normal, eldest of five. Her dad is dead. It’s just—oh, I don’t know. To see both my men acting dopey around her . . . that’s some power. It’s a pain in the ass, if you want to know the truth. I mean do these women, these—what would you call them—swans? Do they know the power they have over normal men?”

“Don’t forget she’s smart, too.”

“Yeah.”

“And good with kids.”

“Okay, don’t rub it in.”

But Cathi wouldn’t stop. “So you’re saying this girl literally has it all, beauty and intelligence. She’s thoughtful, caring, and even has a sense of humor. You know we have a better word to describe these women. Just take the first letter from each word to abbreviate it—
B
for beauty,
I
for intelligence,
T
for thoughtfulness,
C
for caring, and
H
for humor. Now let me think . . .”