Thy Neighbor's Wife (22 page)

back a bit on the amount of work he’s given his son? Then why was

Eric never home? She knew why. She’d known why for a long time.

“When that didn’t seem to help,” Daniel went on, “I started

thinking.” He paused and Jennifer took the time to really study his

face. Daniel was a handsome man, distinguished and debonair, and

aging amazingly well. His silver hair was thick and his face rugged,

but not haggard. His green eyes, so like Dawn’s, normally twinkled

with merriment. Instead, they were dull. There were lines on his

face, lines she hadn’t noticed before. He looked older. And worried.

“Thinking about what?”

“Jennifer, do you think Eric really wants to run the firm? I

know this is what I’ve been grooming him for, ever since he gradu-

ated, but now I’m not so sure it’s the right thing to do. For him.”

She hesitated, her loyalties to her husband warring with her

desire to be honest with her father-in-law.

He held up a hand, palm toward Jennifer. “I know this is a very

awkward and unfair position for you. I’d never normally ask you to

betray his confidence.” He looked at the floor. “I’m just not sure

who else to ask.”

“Have you tried talking to Eric?” she asked softly.

He smiled a knowing smile and Jennifer was sure she saw a

flash of pride in his eyes. “I had a feeling that’s what you’d say.

Honestly, though? I don’t know whether he’d tell me the truth or

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what he thinks I want to hear.”

He had a very strong point. She tried to put herself in Eric’s

shoes. She really wasn’t sure what she would have done, how she

would have answered. The fear of disappointing her parents—her

father especially—was always such a huge burden and she’d carried

it from her childhood into her adult life. She knew Eric felt the

same way and she was suddenly angry with both herself and her

husband for never being able to overcome that stigma.

She took a deep breath. “Eric has never said in so many words

that he doesn’t want to run the firm. Not to me.”

“I sense a ‘but’ in there.”

She nodded. “But…” She hesitated for a long moment. “I think

it would be too much for him. I don’t think he’d be happy. This, of

course, is simply my opinion.” She snapped her mouth shut before

she spilled any more information, glad to have it on the table, but

not sure she’d done the right thing by analyzing her husband’s feel-

ings without asking him flat out how he felt. In the back of her

mind, she also questioned her own motivation for doing so. The

possibilities frightened her.

Daniel pressed his lips together. Jennifer got the impression

that he was not at all surprised by what she’d told him. He took a

long, final swig of his tea and stood. “Thank you, Jennifer. Thank

you for being honest with me.” He sighed in resignation. “I just

want my boy to be happy. I don’t think he knows that.”

“Maybe you should tell him some time.”

“Maybe I should.” He smiled grimly at her. “Thanks for the

tea.”

She watched him drive away, wondering what had spurred him

to come to her in the first place and suffering from the niggling feel-

ing that she may have just opened Pandora’s Box.

Chapter

Thirteen

“I think that’s it.” Nikki’s voice shook slightly as she handed a

box to Jackie, who took it down to David and his waiting SUV. She

wiped her clammy hands on the legs of her shorts; terrified that

Diane would come home before the lot of them were gone. True,

she felt much stronger with her friends supporting her, but she knew

Diane didn’t understand and just the thought of having to explain

yet again why she was leaving was almost too much to bear.

“You’re sure?” Alex stood next to her.

“I think so.”

“What about this?” Alex picked up a small cactus in a purple

pot, a knowing grin crossing over her face. “Isn’t this yours?”

Nikki smiled back—her first since they’d arrived there—and

took the plant from Alex’s hand. “You know it is. You bought it for

me.”

“I’m glad to see you didn’t kill it in retaliation.”

“It’s not the plant’s fault you were an idiot.”

“True enough.” The playful tone of Nikki’s voice took the sting

out of the comment, but Alex still felt a flush of guilt. They stood

quietly together. “Well. This is a little weird, huh?”

Nikki chuckled. “What, my ex helping me leave my girlfriend?

That’s just typical lesbian behavior, isn’t it?”

Alex’s laughter died in her throat as she turned to the front

door and saw Diane standing there.

“What the hell is this?” she asked, clearly aware of what it was.

Nikki turned white as a sheet. “Diane.”

“What the hell is going on, Nick?”

Alex was relieved to see both Jackie and David appear in the

hall behind Diane. They were hanging back out of respect, knowing

Diane and Nikki needed to have it out, but they could be inside in a

flash should things get ugly.

“I’m leaving.” Nikki’s voice was barely audible and she studied

her feet as she spoke.

“No, you’re not.” Diane’s eyes flashed and she blinked repeat-

Thy Neighbor’s Wife 119

edly. It was a bit unnerving and Alex—who had been thinking about

slipping out the door—decided she’d stay nearby.

“Yes, Diane. I am.”

“But…”

“It’s been coming for a long time. You know that.”

Diane’s eyes filled with tears. “Why? I don’t understand.

Why?” Her voice broke.

Nikki’s shoulders slumped further and she covered her face

with her hands in frustration. “God, Diane. We’ve been over this a

hundred times. Why don’t you ever listen to me when I talk?”

“I’m sorry. You’re right.” Diane spoke quickly, reaching

toward Nikki. “You’re right. I’ll listen. I promise. I’ll be better. I

can be better.”

Nikki shook her head. “No. No, you won’t. You don’t even

try.”

“I will. I’ll try.” Diane’s voice cracked with desperation. “I

promise I’ll try.”

Nikki looked like she might be sick right there on the floor.

This was the Diane she’d fallen in love with. This woman, pleading

with her, was the one who seemed to have disappeared. “I can’t do

this any more,” she said softly. “I can’t.”

“I get it,” Diane said frantically. “I get it. Okay? I do. You

made your point. You’ve scared me. I hear you. I can change. I’ll fix

it. I can change.”

Nikki’s voice was scarcely a whisper. “No, you can’t.”

Alex watched the change on Diane’s face in horrified fascina-

tion. She went from pathetic pleading to steely anger in a matter of

seconds, her eyes hardening, her nostrils flaring slightly. When she

spoke, it was a low, menacing growl.

“You ungrateful little bitch.”

Nikki’s head snapped up in recognition and dread. This was

the woman she was leaving.

“Come on, Nikki,” Alex said hurriedly, reaching out for her

friend’s arm. “Let’s go.”

“And who the fuck do you think you are?” Diane spat at Alex.

“It’s not enough you broke her heart once, now you’ve got to wreck

what she’s got with me?”

“I don’t think I’m the one doing the wrecking.”

“Alex has nothing to do with this, Diane. You know that.”

Nikki was visibly shaking.

Diane’s laugh was chilling and her voice was a venomous

sneer. “You think I don’t know you’ve never quite gotten over her?

You were nothing but her throwaway when I met you. You were

pathetic.” She spat the word with disgust at Nikki, who flinched as

though she’d been slapped and tried to swallow down the pain of

120 Georgia Beers

the words. “I took you in. I loved you after she destroyed you.” She

poked a finger in Alex’s direction. “And this is the thanks I get?

This is my repayment? You leave with her? How long has this been

going on, you fucking tramp?”

Alex had had enough. After months of putting up with Diane

for the sake of everybody else, after endless occasions where she’d

simply bitten her tongue or stifled a remark, she’d had enough.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Diane. Get the hell over yourself, would

you? She’s not leaving with me. She’s leaving you. Why don’t you

try to get that through your thick, self-absorbed skull, huh?” She

tugged at Nikki’s arm. “Come on, Nick. Time to go.”

Diane’s eye twitched once as she glared at Alex. “Good luck

trying to pry her knees apart.” She reached out as she spoke and

shoved Nikki viciously toward Alex. “Go, you frigid little cunt.”

Nikki stumbled as she tried to keep her balance and the cactus

slipped from her grasp, crashing loudly to the hardwood floor and

shattering into several pieces, dirt flying everywhere.

Alex felt the rush of anger wash over her like a tsunami. “Don’t

you touch her, you psychotic bitch! Don’t you ever lay a hand on

her again, you hear me?”

David was through the door in just enough time to place his

bulk between the two as Alex hurled herself at Diane, the latter egg-

ing her on. The expletives that flew from their lips made even David

raise his eyebrows in surprise as he towered over the two of them,

keeping them apart with a hand on each.

Jackie rushed to Nikki’s side, protectively placed an arm

around her shoulders, and escorted her out the door.

“Back off, Diane,” David said, fire flashing in his normally

kind eyes. “I have a rule about hitting women, but I’ll gladly make

an exception for you.” He physically directed Alex to the door.

“Let’s go, Alex. Come on.”

“Fuck you,” Diane spat, her face flushed an angry red. “Fuck

all of you!”

Alex pointed at her as David pushed her through the doorway.

“This is your fault. You blew it. Remember that while you’re curs-

ing us. You’re nothing but a coward and you have no idea what you

had. Not a clue.”

* * *

The interior of David’s SUV was quiet as they drove. The back

was full of what few possessions Nikki had chosen to keep with her

when she moved in with Diane. The rest of her stuff was in storage.

The foursome sat in silence as they cruised out of the city and

headed east. Jackie was in the passenger seat staring out the win-

Thy Neighbor’s Wife 121

dow. Nikki and Alex sat in the back, Alex’s arm wrapped comfort-

ingly around her ex’s shoulders. Nikki’s head rested against Alex.

Her sobs had subsided, silent tears running down her cheeks

instead. Alex’s heart hurt for her.

As Alex gazed out at the scenery passing by, she thought about

relationships. Seeing one fall apart before her eyes—be it her own

or somebody else’s—always made her stop and try to put her own

feelings into perspective. She considered herself a fairly cautious

person and she often wondered if she was too cautious. Nikki

tended to be the opposite; she jumped right in with both feet,

always had, always would, and she knew it. She had told Alex once

that she didn’t know how to do it any other way. She’d said that life

was too damn short to be guarded about everything. She’d admitted

that she’d been burned—painfully—by this philosophy more than

once and she was sure she’d be burned again, but it had been worth

it every single time. When she sniffled from her place on Alex’s

shoulder, Alex wondered if she still felt the same way.

As they drove, Alex found her thoughts turning to Jennifer,

something that seemed to be happening often. She wondered if Jen-

nifer considered herself to be the look-before-you-leap type or if she

just leapt. She wondered about being careful and if there had actu-

ally been times when she’d let a good thing slip away or pass her by

because she’d been too busy taking precautions. The thought made

her uneasy and she tightened her grip on Nikki, who lifted her head

and took a deep breath.

“Thanks, you guys,” she said, breaking the silence. “Sorry

about the mess. She’s never home early from the gym. Just my luck,

huh?”

David chuckled. “No problem, Nick. I find a helping of good,

old-fashioned dyke drama every so often is good for me. Reminds

me how much less stressful it is to be a gay man, to just fuck whom-

ever I want and be on my way. None of this emotional attachment

bullshit.”

They all knew David and they all knew he was speaking com-

pletely tongue-in-cheek. Jackie and Alex laughed. Nikki said, “I do

wonder if that’s the way to do it.”

“The casual sex thing?” Alex asked. Nikki nodded. “I never

could do it. Always wanted to be able to, but I could never bring

myself to sleep with somebody I didn’t care a lot about. And once I

slept with them, I was hooked.”

“Same here,” Nikki said.

“Same here,” Jackie added.

“Same here,” David chimed in and they all laughed.

“So, Mr. Fuck ’Em and Leave ’Em is actually your stage

name?” Nikki teased.

122 Georgia Beers

“I’m afraid so,” he admitted. “I’m a hopeless romantic. I

should have been a dyke.”

“In your dreams, baby,” Alex said, grinning at his reflection in

the rearview mirror.

“You’re sure Rita doesn’t mind if I crash with you guys until

my new place is ready?” Nikki asked Jackie.