The Neighbor [The Complete Collection] by Abby Weeks Page A

finding your husband sitting next to another woman at a bar. It wasn’t just the fact that they were having an affair. She knew that. She’d been coming to terms with that fact, or at least trying to. What she found so difficult right at that moment was more the openness of his relationship with Suzy. He was there, surrounded by the partners of his firm, and Suzy was sitting right next to him as if she belonged there. It was as if everyone at the bar somehow supported Suzy, just because she was sitting next to Ben in their company. She realized just how important other people’s perceptions and opinions mattered. The only reason an affair was wrong, after all, was because society deemed it so. If the society at Ben’s firm supported the affair, then it wasn’t wrong at all, it was a legitimate relationship. That was the thread of Janey’s thinking as she grew increasingly uncomfortable and paranoid in the bar.
    She wondered for one horrified second what she’d walked into. She felt like a sheep that has mistakenly walked into a wolf lair. Did everyone at the office know about Ben and Suzy? Were they on Suzy’s side already? Was
she
, Janey, Ben’s lawfully wedded wife, the intruder here? She didn’t know the answer to that.
    Her heart shuddered at the thought but she knew she’d have to overcome it. Suzy had thankfully taken her greasy paw off of Ben’s shoulder. She was still sitting up next to him but the bar was so crammed full of people that it didn’t necessarily mean they were together.
    —Ben, she called out again.
    John Blake turned and saw her and got Ben’s attention for her.
    —Ben, your wife’s here.
    Blake chivalrously made room for her, allowing her to squeeze in past him and get to Ben. She was eternally grateful to him for doing so. She wouldn’t have been surprised if everyone at the bar had simply ignored her. Blake was holding a shot glass over her and she prayed he didn’t let it spill as she squeezed past.
    —Honey, Ben said.
    He didn’t seem especially pleased to see her, but he’d had enough to drink that the smiles and kisses were coming pretty freely at this point. He put a big, slobbery kiss on her lips and the crowd at the bar cheered. Janey hadn’t exactly enjoyed kiss, it tasted of scotch, but she felt relieved to have been accepted into the crowd. She looked over at Suzy, as nonchalantly and casually as possible, and saw that the slut had reluctantly created a little distance between Ben and herself.
    That’s right, bitch,
Janey thought to herself,
stay the hell away from my man.

III
    T HE MOOD AT THE BAR was jovial and the drinks flowed freely. The bartender kept round after round of shots coming and the group got drunker and sloppier as the evening progressed. Even Janey began to relax and let go of the inhibitions and pent up stress she had been carrying.
    —To fifty thousand dollars, someone roared as they all downed another tequila shot.
    —To fifty thousand a month, Blake roared.
    To Janey’s surprise she was actually beginning to enjoy herself. She looked around at the faces surrounding her. Walter Blake and another partner, Bill Warren were there. Neither had his wife with him. There was also a few other employees from the firm, some associates and support staff. Janey didn’t really know any of them. To her left was Ben and to his left was Suzy, who still hadn’t found somewhere more appropriate to sit.
    —I signed up for the gym, she said drunkenly to the whole crowd of them.
    —Good for you, Suzy called out.
    Suzy was really hammered and Janey ignored her.
    —It only cost me six hundred dollars a month!
    Ben spat out his drink.
    —You’re kidding, right?
    —Six hundred a month, baby, Janey said and kissed him drunkenly on the lips.
    John Blake and Bill Warren began laughing furiously.
    —What’s so funny? Ben said when Janey stopped kissing him.
    —Let me guess, Blake said. The gym’s called Blue?
    —That’s right, Janey said and patted him on