Slice by William Patterson Page A

startled to realize he was moving in on her.
    â€œI have to tell you, Jessaloo, you look amazing,” he breathed in her ear as he sat down.
    Jessaloo was the name he’d called her in college. Jessie blushed despite herself.
    â€œReally, really amazing,” he said, keeping his eyes on her as he took a bite of his hamburger, juice running down over his chin.
    â€œThanks,” Jessie said, stiffening.
    â€œLook,” Bryan said, smiling at her, “it can either be comfortable or uncomfortable living down the street from each other.” He paused. “I vote for comfortable.”
    â€œOf course,” Jessie said, keeping her shoulder from touching his and her eyes from returning his gaze. “That’s why I had this picnic. I want us all to be good neighbors.”
    â€œYou know I’m sorry for how everything happened.. . .”
    â€œIt’s ancient history, Bryan,” Jessie said. She turned to Aunt Paulette and asked how she liked her veggie burger, but before her aunt could reply, Bryan was touching her shoulder, indicating he had more to say.
    â€œI made the wrong choice, you know,” he whispered. “I never should have married Heather. I should have—”
    â€œDon’t say any more,” Jessie said harshly, spinning around to look at him. “Don’t you dare say another word.”
    Gathering her plate and napkin, she stood up from the picnic table and stalked off. Aunt Paulette followed.
    â€œYou okay, honey?”
    â€œYes,” Jessie said. “Just need to use the little girl’s room.”
    She hurried back inside the house, letting the screen door slam behind her.
    She took a deep breath. Then another, and another.
    She couldn’t eat any more of her burger, so she tossed her plate into the trash.
    How dare Bryan say such a thing, after all this time, and with Heather sitting just a few feet away at the other table?
    Was it even true?
    Jessie felt certain that something was going on between Heather and John Manning. If his wife was having an affair, Bryan would naturally want to lash out. And who better to make Heather jealous than Bryan’s former girlfriend, the woman he’d left on her account?
    That was all it was. Bryan was trying to use her in a ploy against his wife, to get back at Heather, to have a little revenge.
    But what if what he’d said was true?
    Jessaloo, you look amazing.
    Jessie looked at herself in the hallway mirror. She did look good. She was finally starting to see that about herself again. She was pretty. She could admit that now.
    Maybe Bryan really did feel he’d been wrong to choose Heather over her.
    What if seeing Jessie again had rekindled his feelings for her? What if he really did regret hurting her the way he had, and wanted to see if he still had a chance?
    â€œAll the more reason to spit in his face,” Jessie whispered again.
    What a lout for saying such a thing— now , in front of everyone.
    Jessie couldn’t believe how furious she was. Maybe this whole housewarming party was a mistake. What had she accomplished? She knew Monica and Todd weren’t happy about the idea. They guarded their privacy closely; they never liked socializing with the neighbors. And Jessie had gone and invited that snoop, Gert Gorin, right into their yard. Moreover, she’d brought Todd into contact with Bryan, a man he loathed, and she’d forced Abby to endure the brattiness of Bryan’s two spoiled, selfish kids. She’d dredged up all sorts of emotions she’d thought she’d banished forever: insecurity, rejection, jealousy, heartbreak. Jessie just wanted all these people to go home, right now.
    But she couldn’t exactly head back out there and order them all off her property. She looked again at the photo of Mom and the words she’d written. Jessie could get through this. She’d gotten through far worse.
    She returned to the party.
    The first thing she