Free Thy Neighbor's Wife by Georgia Beers

mom
    thinks he walks on water.”
    “And your dad?”
    “He passed away last year.”
    “Oh, Jennifer. I’m sorry.” Alex felt awful for touching on such
    a fresh nerve.
    “No, it’s okay. I like talking about him. We got along very
    well.”
    “Daddy’s little girl, huh?”
    “Absolutely. Whenever Mom got too hard on me, Daddy would
    come to my rescue. Now with him gone, I’m forced to fight my own
    battles with her. I know I’m a big girl and shouldn’t have trouble
    with it, but she always manages to make me feel like I’m twelve.”
    Alex snorted at the all too familiar description. “Believe me, I
    know just how you feel. I have very similar issues in my family, just
    no big brother. I’m an only child and my father left my mother
    when I was nine. She’s never gotten over it and—though she’d never
    admit it—she has trouble being around me because I look just like
    him.”
    “And I bet she’s exceptionally hard on you,” Jennifer ventured.
    “Exceptionally. It’s so difficult sometimes. I get torn, you
    know?” She sipped her wine, gazing into space. “She’s so bitter and
    angry and hurt because my dad didn’t give her any explanation. He
    just went and that was that. I understand why that would be hard, I
    do. But Jesus, it was more than twenty years ago. Isn’t it about time
    to get the hell over it? Get on with your life? You know? I waver
    between sympathizing with her—which causes me to do anything
    and everything she expects of me—and wanting to scream at her to
    just suck it up and move on, harsh as that sounds.”
    “It’s not harsh. It’s understandable and perfectly normal for
    you to feel like that.”
    “You think?”
    “It sounds like our moms are very, very similar.”
    Alex grinned. “Eerily so. Although I will admit to being
    slightly relieved to find I didn’t get stuck with the only insane one.”
    “Ditto.”
    They were comfortably quiet for several minutes. Alex was so
    happy with the way the night had progressed, she didn’t want it to
    end. She hadn’t connected so solidly with somebody since she’d met
    Jackie and she was having a great time. Unfortunately, all good
    things come to an end. When Jennifer tried to stifle her fourth
    yawn, Alex took pity on her, glancing blatantly at her watch.
    “Oh my God, is it almost midnight already?”
    44 Georgia Beers
    Jennifer blinked and squinted at the round Eddie Bauer clock
    mounted on the wall. “Wow. It is.”
    “We should let you get some rest.” She shook her head in dis-
    believing affection at the furry white body that had twisted between
    Jennifer’s knees. Kinsey was on his back, all four paws sticking up
    in the air as he snored softly. “I think he likes you better than me.
    Did you know that it shows security when a dog sleeps on his
    back?”
    “Really?”
    “Uh-huh. That’s the most vulnerable position he can be in.
    Right now, he’s saying that he feels perfectly safe here with you.”
    Jennifer’s expression softened and she flushed slightly, flat-
    tered by the comment. “Well, he’s welcome here any time. As are
    you. I’ve had a really great time.”
    Alex stood and gently stroked Kinsey’s stomach, not wanting
    to shock him awake. “Me, too. Next time, we’ll cook for you.”
    “Kinsey cooks?” Jennifer teased.
    “Oh, yeah. You’d be amazed. Come on, buddy. Time to go
    home.” The Westie twisted himself back to a normal position, then
    stretched his entire body. Alex watched in disbelief as he and Jenni-
    fer yawned at exactly the same time. “I hate to break it to you,” she
    said while snapping on Kinsey’s leash. “But I think your soul mate
    is a West Highland White Terrier.”
    Jennifer shrugged, scratching his head. “Well, I suppose I
    could do worse.”
    “Good point.”
    They said their goodnights and Alex hummed her way across
    the yard, feeling that giddy elation she only ever felt when she met
    somebody she knew was going to be a part of her life for