Read Online Slice by William Patterson - Free Book Online Page B

freighted history among that particular group.
    â€œI was pleased to see how well your son and Abby played together the other day,” Jessie said at last, breaking the silence. “Why didn’t your daughter come up as well?”
    Bryan and Heather were looking at her blankly.
    â€œYour son,” Jessie repeated.
    â€œThis is the first time Ashton has been here,” Heather said.
    Jessie smiled. “No, actually, he came up the other day. . . . He and Abby swung on the swings for a bit, then walked down to the brook. Inga was with them.”
    â€œThat’s impossible,” Heather insisted. “Ashton never goes anywhere without his sister, and they know better than to leave our yard without asking permission.”
    Jessie frowned. “Well, it was some little boy. . . . Aunt Paulette said it must have been Ashton because there aren’t any other little boys in the neighborhood.”
    â€œThat’s right. No other little kids, period. I don’t know who it was that played with your daughter, Jessie, but it wasn’t Ashton.”
    Jessie looked off at the boy on the swing set.
    â€œStrange,” she said.
    â€œWell,” Bryan offered, “I suppose whoever it was, we’ll learn next week. Is Abby starting school at Independent Day?”
    â€œYes,” Jessie replied. “She starts kindergarten.”
    â€œAshton’s in first grade there, and Piper’s in second,” Bryan said. “I imagine you’ll find Abby’s little playmate there. Maybe he comes from one of the new houses they built on the other side of the woods.”
    â€œBut then he would have had to cross Manning’s property,” Todd said, “and our esteemed neighbor has ‘no trespassing’ signs everywhere.”
    â€œI don’t know about you, Todd,” Bryan said, “but a ‘no trespassing’ sign never stopped me as a kid.”
    â€œWell, some of us like to play by the rules,” Todd replied icily.
    Jessie picked up on the disdain between the two men, and wondered why. Then she remembered that they worked at rival investment brokerages in the city. Both had gotten help early in their careers from Mr. Thayer, but then Bryan had jumped ship, going over to the other side. Now they were like two hostile tomcats, each staking out their territories and trying to assert their claim as the alpha male. Jessie found it all terribly tedious, and oh so terribly just like men.
    Another awkward silence had descended.
    â€œYou should see the work Jessie has already done inside Mom’s house,” Monica said, trying to keep the conversation going. “Hardly here a week, and already she’s retiling the bathroom and repainting the kitchen. . . .”
    â€œWell,” Jessie admitted, “it’s mostly Inga, Abby’s nanny. She’s a terrific help around the house. Really handy.”
    She watched as Bryan’s eyes looked back over at the swings and seemed to take in every detail of Inga’s solid, strong, full figure.
    â€œWe’ve been through four nannies in six years,” Heather said, sighing. “Our two are rather . . . a handful.”
    At that moment Ashton was shouting at the top of his lungs, angry at his sister for swinging higher than he could manage. The little girl was laughing derisively at him. Jessie noticed that Abby still stood off to the side, watching the other children monopolize her swing set.
    â€œKids,” Heather said, shaking her head.
    â€œWell, I should mingle,” Jessie said, feeling she’d spent more than enough time trying to make conversation. “Please help yourself to some punch.”
    Everyone smiled as Jessie moved off across the yard.
    She headed straight for the swing set.
    â€œEverything going okay?” Inga asked as Jessie approached.
    Inga knew the backstories that united the afternoon’s guests. Jessie had shared the basic details: the breakups, the