throat. “Oh, I
don’t know…” She had a quick flashback of her most recent conver-
sation with Eric on that very subject. He thought they were ready,
but for her, the thought of children caused the sound of a slamming
prison door to reverberate in her head.
“Well, you’re great with Hannah.” Rita gestured to the fact
that Jennifer sat close to the toddler, up to her elbows in sand.
“That’s because she’s a little doll.” She grinned, winking at the
child.
“Jennifer! Come on!”
Jennifer looked up at Alex as she waved her toward the court,
eternally grateful for being saved from the conversation. Smiling
apologetically at Rita, she jumped up, eager to leave the topic to die
in the sand, and jogged onto the court.
“Six on four?” she asked as she looked around. “Hardly seems
fair.”
“You’re right,” Jackie agreed. “Nikki, why don’t you help the
boys out? They need a setter.”
Nikki looked less than pleased to switch teams, but she went.
“Here.” Alex tossed Jennifer the ball. “Thought you might like
to actually touch it before you play.”
Jennifer tossed it back at her, causing the brunette’s eyebrows
to raise. “Not necessary,” she said, her voice cocky.
“Is that so?”
“Yup. Think you can hit?”
“If you think you can set me.”
“Oh, I’ll set you.”
“Really.”
“You just be ready.”
“Baby, I was born ready.”
They grinned playfully at each other, holding one another’s
gaze until it felt like the rest of the court had disappeared.
Jackie cleared her throat. “Can the rest of us play, too?” she
asked teasingly.
Alex sighed. “I suppose.”
“And what did I tell you about flirting with the straight girls?”
Alex pouted. “She started it.”
“Did not,” Jennifer whined back.
“Did, too.” They grinned at one another as Alex tossed the ball
to Jackie for the serve and the game began in earnest.
Jennifer was amazed by how quickly everything came back to
her. She hadn’t played in several years, since intramural volleyball
her first semester in college and quite simply, she had forgotten how
Thy Neighbor’s Wife 33
much she enjoyed the game.
She and Alex played like they’d been teammates for years. Jen-
nifer instinctively knew just where to set the taller woman in order
to get her to hit most effectively. Alex was spiking kills left and
right, much to even her own surprise. The other team was left
strewn in the sand on more than one occasion. They all had a fan-
tastic time and the rain actually held off until just before they
decided to call it a day.
Rita had seen it coming and had Hannah all packed up in the
car when the players scrambled for their belongings. The poor tod-
dler was completely tuckered out and had fallen asleep in her car
seat in a matter of minutes after being strapped in. Rita really
wanted to get her home and into her own bed.
Knowing Jackie and Rita had picked up Alex, Jennifer offered
to give her a ride home.
“You’re sure?” she asked. “I don’t want to inconvenience you.”
“Of course I’m sure. Alex, you live next door. How inconve-
nient can it be?”
Alex smiled a goofy grin. “Okay. I’d appreciate it.” She jogged
over to Rita’s car and leaned in the passenger side window to talk to
Jackie. Jackie punched her playfully on the arm and waggled a fin-
ger at her, like a mother scolding a child. Alex slapped her in
return, then hurried back to Jennifer as her friends drove away. She
just got into the car when the sky opened up and drops of rain the
size of ping pong balls fell.
“Damn,” Jennifer muttered. “I can’t see a thing.”
“It’s okay. We can just sit here for a bit. This won’t last long.”
It only took a few minutes for the combination of the body heat
inside and the falling rain outside to cause the car windows to fog
over. Jennifer looked around at the sudden cocoon they’d found
themselves in.
“People are
don’t know…” She had a quick flashback of her most recent conver-
sation with Eric on that very subject. He thought they were ready,
but for her, the thought of children caused the sound of a slamming
prison door to reverberate in her head.
“Well, you’re great with Hannah.” Rita gestured to the fact
that Jennifer sat close to the toddler, up to her elbows in sand.
“That’s because she’s a little doll.” She grinned, winking at the
child.
“Jennifer! Come on!”
Jennifer looked up at Alex as she waved her toward the court,
eternally grateful for being saved from the conversation. Smiling
apologetically at Rita, she jumped up, eager to leave the topic to die
in the sand, and jogged onto the court.
“Six on four?” she asked as she looked around. “Hardly seems
fair.”
“You’re right,” Jackie agreed. “Nikki, why don’t you help the
boys out? They need a setter.”
Nikki looked less than pleased to switch teams, but she went.
“Here.” Alex tossed Jennifer the ball. “Thought you might like
to actually touch it before you play.”
Jennifer tossed it back at her, causing the brunette’s eyebrows
to raise. “Not necessary,” she said, her voice cocky.
“Is that so?”
“Yup. Think you can hit?”
“If you think you can set me.”
“Oh, I’ll set you.”
“Really.”
“You just be ready.”
“Baby, I was born ready.”
They grinned playfully at each other, holding one another’s
gaze until it felt like the rest of the court had disappeared.
Jackie cleared her throat. “Can the rest of us play, too?” she
asked teasingly.
Alex sighed. “I suppose.”
“And what did I tell you about flirting with the straight girls?”
Alex pouted. “She started it.”
“Did not,” Jennifer whined back.
“Did, too.” They grinned at one another as Alex tossed the ball
to Jackie for the serve and the game began in earnest.
Jennifer was amazed by how quickly everything came back to
her. She hadn’t played in several years, since intramural volleyball
her first semester in college and quite simply, she had forgotten how
Thy Neighbor’s Wife 33
much she enjoyed the game.
She and Alex played like they’d been teammates for years. Jen-
nifer instinctively knew just where to set the taller woman in order
to get her to hit most effectively. Alex was spiking kills left and
right, much to even her own surprise. The other team was left
strewn in the sand on more than one occasion. They all had a fan-
tastic time and the rain actually held off until just before they
decided to call it a day.
Rita had seen it coming and had Hannah all packed up in the
car when the players scrambled for their belongings. The poor tod-
dler was completely tuckered out and had fallen asleep in her car
seat in a matter of minutes after being strapped in. Rita really
wanted to get her home and into her own bed.
Knowing Jackie and Rita had picked up Alex, Jennifer offered
to give her a ride home.
“You’re sure?” she asked. “I don’t want to inconvenience you.”
“Of course I’m sure. Alex, you live next door. How inconve-
nient can it be?”
Alex smiled a goofy grin. “Okay. I’d appreciate it.” She jogged
over to Rita’s car and leaned in the passenger side window to talk to
Jackie. Jackie punched her playfully on the arm and waggled a fin-
ger at her, like a mother scolding a child. Alex slapped her in
return, then hurried back to Jennifer as her friends drove away. She
just got into the car when the sky opened up and drops of rain the
size of ping pong balls fell.
“Damn,” Jennifer muttered. “I can’t see a thing.”
“It’s okay. We can just sit here for a bit. This won’t last long.”
It only took a few minutes for the combination of the body heat
inside and the falling rain outside to cause the car windows to fog
over. Jennifer looked around at the sudden cocoon they’d found
themselves in.
“People are
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