Jennifer Greene - Yours, Mine & Ours

“Because they’re neighbors. And we want them to be good neighbors. So we’re going to show them that we’re nice people. Everybody has problems come up, honey. Friends, neighbors, family. Disagreements don’t disappear if you ignore them.” She’d been an expert at doing just that, all her life, and particularly in her marriage. So for damn sure, Molly wasn’t going to make the same mistakes. “We’re going to be on our very, very, very best behavior, okay?”

“Got it. We’ll show ’em. I’m going to be so good you won’t believe it. I’m going to be so good you’ll probably want to get me an outfit for my American Girl doll. I’m going to be so good that you’ll let me stay u-”

“We’re both going to be on our best manners because it’s a good idea. But we’ll talk about that other stuff when we get home.” Amanda didn’t want to commit to bribery. Unless she had to. In the meantime, there was still a ton to get ready before heading next door. Darling had to be walked-on a leash. Princess expected a treat right before dinner. Amanda had to unearth the picnic basket, then start stacking the dinner-the hot plate of lasagna, silverware, napkins, a warm towel-wrapped loaf of Italian bread, a chilled bowl of fruits for salad. There was also carrot cake with a butterscotch sauce, but she couldn’t carry it all at once. Truthfully, she couldn’t carry what she had now.

“I’ll help, Mommy.” Using her most virtuous voice, Molly reached for the napkins.

“Thanks, honey.” Amanda tried to keep the irony from her tone, took a breath, and off they went.

“Good grief,” Mike said when he opened the back door. “Amanda, I figured you’d bring a pan, not a whole feast. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble-”

Oh, yeah, she did. Looking at that sweaty, oiled man all morning-shirtless, muscles gleaming, laughing with his son-well, the whole morning had put bad ideas in her mind, that was all. Unacceptable ideas. The trauma with the dogs was just a different layer of tension. She was living next door to this guy. She had to make it all more comfortable-a lot more comfortable-than she was feeling right now. And food seemed the best way to do it, because he was a guy.

Food always worked with guys.

“It was no trouble,” her daughter informed him, in her best grown-up voice.

Mike, to give him credit, didn’t laugh. “Well, we sure appreciate it,” Mike told Molly with due seriousness, and then herded them all onto the shady back deck.

Not that Amanda wanted to dwell on it, but Mike definitely cleaned up well. A white polo set off his ruddy skin; the denim shorts even had a belt.

His hand touched her lower back for only a second, yet it was enough to put a tick in her pulse.

Teddy had been spruced up, too, his unruly hair still damp and hard-combed. The dog was completely out of sight, although there was a hint of mournful baying coming from the second floor. The deck table had been cleaned off. The view overlooked their almost-finished water garden.

The kids sat across from each other, while Mike and Amanda unpacked the picnic basket. “That’s an amazing project you took on,” she said, wanting her voice to come out as cheerful as a stranger’s. Specifically, she wanted to sound like an unfamiliar woman he’d never kissed, and for damn sure, never rattled.

“It’s going to take a lot of hours of blood, sweat and tears, but I’m hoping it’ll turn out.”

His son piped up, “We’re gonna put frogs in the pond. And then we’ll feed them our own worms.”

“Yuck! Mommy,” Molly said.

“Remember. Gracious.” At Amanda’s reminder, Molly bobbed her head in exuberant agreement. And that was when the whole dinner started a crash-dive that just never recovered.

Her sweet daughter looked up at Mike. “We’re going to be gracious to you two even if you’re complete pigs.”

Amanda winced.

“Well. We’ll try not to be pigs for you,” Mike told her. “What would you kids like to drink?”

“Root beer,” his son answered, where Molly said, “Iced tea with a little sugar and a little lemon and two small ice cubes. But not too big a glass because I could spill it. And I can’t spill it because I’m being extra polite today. Thank you. Oh. I mean, please. Right, Mommy?”

Amanda glanced under the table. Nope, no room to hide there.

Teddy said to his dad, “What’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing’s wrong with anyone,” Mike said firmly, and stopped choking long enough to deliver drinks. Everyone but her suddenly impossibly fussy daughter were easily pleased by having only to pop a top.

For a short stretch, food captured everyone’s attention. Molly sat next to her, crossing her legs exactly as Amanda did. Teddy looked at them both across the table as if they were as fascinating-almost-as dead animals. He started a steady round of kicking, only once in a while kicking Amanda-which was far, far better, she thought, than the Armageddon that would follow if he accidentally kicked Molly.

But those few moments of good luck just couldn’t hold. She’d never seen anyone eat as much as Mike-easy proof he was nuts for lasagna. Both kids gained red stains on their clothes, but that was to be expected. One drink spilled. A nearby bee made Molly shriek. Their golden cat with the scary eyes attempted several times to leap on the table.

But it was almost over-and nothing too terrible had happened-until the subject of sex came up.

It wasn’t exactly Mike’s fault. Everybody was shoveling in food, and Mike took the occasion of quiet to murmur sotto voce, “So…did you have the chance to call your vet?”

She answered carefully. “Yes. At least, I reached her office. She’s not in for the next few days. The receptionist said there’s a type of morning-after pill. I’m not sure if it applies. We’ll see.”

“I told you I’d pay.”

“Not necessary,” Amanda started to say, but hearing the words we’ll see triggered a knee-jerk response in her daughter.

“Yeah. You know what we’ll see means. It means we’ll talk about it later. That’s what Mom said about what your dog was doing to our dog.”

“Now, Molly, I didn’t-”

Molly had hunched forward, was looking both male Conroys in the eye with her drama-queen face on. “I don’t get it. Why your dog would hurt my Darling. My dog is sweet and wonderful. I can’t believe you’d let your dog be so mean.”

“Honey,” Amanda said again, but she was drowned out by Teddy’s voice.

“ My dog isn’t mean. My dog is the best dog in the whole world. Your dog must have done something,” Teddy informed her.

“ My dog didn’t do anything . That’s why I named her Darling. Because she’s a darling. And your dog was hurting her.”

“He was not!”

“Kids,” Amanda said, “Neither dog was hurting the other. Molly, we talked about this.”

“No, we didn’t. You just said the dogs were playing. They weren’t playing. I don’t know why you’re not telling me the truth, but I know what the truth is this time,” Molly said, and turned again to Teddy. “I saw it. I saw your dog on top of my dog. I think your dog should say he’s sorry!”

“Hold it, both of you,” Mike said firmly. “Neither dog was being mean. Neither dog was hurting the other. What was going on was…”

He glanced at Amanda, as if asking permission. But as much as she wanted to make the situation better, right then, she was busy wiping up lasagna spots from the table.

So Mike said, “Listen up. That’s just what a boy and girl dog do when they really, really like each other.”

“Why?” Teddy asked.

“Yeah, why?” Molly echoed.