Newton Neighbors (New England Trilogy) (41 page)

Jessie laughed. “Not at a Cathi Grant party,” she said and headed back into the crowd.
 

“I’m going to find Michael. He’s got to have a beer stash somewhere,” Rick said. “Want to come?”

Maria shook her head. “I think I’ll wander around. You said Greg and Michelle Palmer would be here. Some of these people have to be nice. They can’t all be as shallow as they look. I’m going to find some fun.”

He smiled at her. “That’s my girl. Call me when you find the fun people.” He kissed her on the cheek and headed off in search of his friend.

Maria wandered back out into the hall.

“Is that you, sweetie?” Noreen Palmer came up beside her.

“Hi.” Maria kissed her next-door neighbor on the cheek. “Crazy party, isn’t it?”

“Wonderful. Have you seen the champagne pyramid in the dining room? Reminds me of something similar we had back in the day. Don’t know how you can call it a party without a good strong martini, though.”

There was an attractive gentleman hovering beside Noreen. “Oh, where are my manners? Maria, this is Hugo Hendrix, a very dear old friend of mine.”
 

He had nice olive-toned skin and was well-dressed. Even at his mature years, the man had class. They made a cute couple, too.
 

“How do you two know each other?” Maria asked.

“I’ve known Noreen and her late husband Joe for decades.” Hugo smiled indulgently at Noreen. “We’ve stayed in touch ever since. I was in Boston on business, and she agreed to meet me.”

Bruce was walking by and replenished their glasses without interrupting.

“Have you had a look at the Botox room yet? Hugo and I are thinking of getting some bits done,” Noreen said.

“You’re not!”

“We are! We’ve only got one life, we gotta live it. That’s what my lovely lodger, Ely, always says. Now come with us.” She took Hugo in one hand and Maria in the other.

They made their way into the study where a very beautiful young woman was dressed in a white coat. Her hair was pulled back tight into a high ponytail, and she wore red patent leather stilettos. Maria thought she looked more like a James Bond spy than a regular aesthetician. She had three ladies sitting on the sofa, their faces covered in a thick white cream.

“What’s that?” Maria whispered to Noreen.
 

“It’s the topical,” one of the sofa ladies answered.
 

“Looks like diaper cream to me,” Maria whispered, but Noreen nudged her to hush.

“It kills the pain,” another lady on the sofa said, and pointed to the study desk where a row of syringes were lined up and ready for use.

The woman in the lab coat spoke with a strong Russian accent. “I am Svetlana. I am registered aesthetician. My qualifications are on the table.”

Definitely a spy
, Maria thought but decided not to mention it. “Hi, Svetlana. My friends and I just wanted to watch for a while,” she said, grateful for Bruce’s recent refill.

“Let’s do it.” Noreen’s eyes twinkled with mischief, and she winked at Hugo. Then she turned to Svetlana again. “I’d prefer something stronger than a topical. What have you got?”
 

The Russian beauty clicked her heels and nodded. She seemed happy with the request for stronger drugs. From her metal case, she pulled out another set of vials. “With this, you will feel absolutely nothing.”

“I’m in,” Hugo said. “At my age, it’s great to feel nothing, and if I look more handsome after, so much the better.”

“I’m not so sure,” Maria said.
 

“You don’t need it.” Noreen smiled at her next-door neighbor. “You’re still beautiful, angel.” She stroked Maria’s cheek with her hand. “Your life is perfect right now.”

For that split second, time seemed to stand still. Maria felt the warm soft skin of Noreen’s hand on her face. It was like a mother-daughter connection, but just as quickly, the feeling slipped away. Maria felt bereft.

“I have to go. I have to find Ricky.” Maria fled the room, leaving Noreen and her new friend in the capable hands of the Russian spy.

“Maria, there you are.” Cathi was gliding through her hallway with the grace and stealth of an F-22 fighter jet. “Have you seen Michael? I need him to speak with the pyrotechnics people.”

Maria knew this was all part of the show. Her friend wasn’t even looking at her. She just needed somebody to talk at.
What the heck? It’s her party. If this is the way she wants to play,
Maria thought,
I won’t spoil it.

“No idea where he is, but I think Ricky’s with him. Can I help?”

This time Cathi did look at her. “Oh, you are a
darling
, aren’t you?” Cathi gave one of her frosty smiles. “No, no, everything’s under control. It’s just the fireworks men are here, and they’re worried about hitting some of the rather gorgeous cars out front. I think we should move the show out back, but they think it’s too tight on space. Can you imagine? That backyard is so large it’s crazy. I’m sure there’s enough room.”

Who are you and what have you done with my friend?
Maria thought but said nothing while forcing a smile.

Cathi flapped her arms a few more times and huffed a little bit more, and then she swooped off to find a new place to complain.

Bruce reappeared and filled her glass again. “Having fun yet?”

“The more visits I get from you the better the party seems to get.” She raised her glass to toast him. “Don’t suppose you’ve seen Ricky anywhere.”

“Yup, he and Michael are in the laundry room feeding Fifi eggnog. I think they found something else to drink for themselves, too.”

She gave Bruce a suspicious glare. “Please tell me it’s beer. What did they find?”

“Um, I’m not sure.”

“You’re stalling. You know exactly what they’re doing. Are you going to tell me, or do I have to find them myself?”

“I think it might have been a wee bottle of tequila, but you didn’t hear it from me.”

“Aw jeez, this party just got a whole lot messier.”

“It’s a mess.” Michael sounded miserable.
 

Jessie overheard her employer talking when she came into the laundry room to get more kitchen paper. Michael and Rick were sitting on the top step of the stairs that led to the basement. They had their backs turned to Jessie, so they didn’t see her. Next to them, Fifi was drinking what looked like a bowl of milk.

“It’ll work out.” Rick wrapped his arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Maria and I? We’ve just come through the biggest fight of our lives. I mean huge, but now I think we’re back on track. Just take one day at a time, bro.” He slapped Michael on the shoulder.

Jessie stepped back to the doorway for the kitchen, so it would look like she was just walking in if they turned around. She watched Rick refill their shot glasses. He laughed. “Oops, we finished a full bottle between us.”

“It’s this pregnancy, Rick. It’s changed her—like she’s possessed.”

Jessie froze. Cathi Grant was pregnant? It had to be very early days, because she sure didn’t look it. Michael was still talking. “I don’t know any of the people here tonight.”

“Where’d she find ’em?”

“The girls’ school. They’re private-school types—cliquey.” He tapped the side of his nose as if to say they were snobs, but even that was enough to make him sway a little. Rick wrapped an arm round his shoulders and steadied his friend, and then they clinked their glasses. She knew they were getting really drunk, really fast. Cathi wouldn’t be happy.

Michael scooped up the dog and kept talking. “I mean what was she thinking? Botox and Bollinger?”

“Bullshit and Bollinger more like.” Rick banged his shoulder into his friend in agreement.

“Yeah.” Michael sounded vindicated.
 

Jessie thought it would have been comical if it wasn’t so sad.

“I don’t even know how much it’s going to cost!”

“Michael, you gotta explain to her that money doesn’t grow on trees.”

“She won’t listen. Even this house.” He pushed the empty tequila bottle down the basement stairs. Jessie winced as she listened to it
plop
,
plop
,
plop
down the carpeted steps. Thankfully, it didn’t break.

“This is way out of our price range. What the hell are we doing here? And now a baby?”

Jessie had heard enough. She backed out of the laundry room and returned to the noise and bustle of the kitchen. The music was loud and the people even louder at this stage.

“You okay?” Bruce was by her side again. He was good at that, but she had stopped jumping every time it happened.

“Yeah, the host and Rick are sitting on the stairs to the basement getting absolutely steamed.”

Bruce smiled. “Do you blame them? Have you ever seen such a shower of pretentious people?”

“Cathi’s pregnant.”

“The boss?”

“Yeah, her husband sounds a bit overwhelmed.”

“Over the hill more like. How old are they?”

She laughed. “Far side of forty.”

Bruce made a hissing sound and shook his head. “No, no, no. Too late. You have to be young having babies.”

She laughed at him. “I don’t see you rushing out to Babies ‘R’ Us, Mr. Wiswall.”

He looked at her straight in the eye. “Maybe I haven’t found the right girl yet.”

Jessie looked away. What was he doing? What was
she
doing? No, there would be no new men in her life. Not now—not ever. Dan the fireman had reminded her once and for all that men were horrible—at least the ones she always ended up with.

“Gotta go,” she said, scooping up the tray of glasses and heading back into the crowd.

“Jessie, there you are. Where have you been?” Cathi sounded annoyed.
 

“Just restocking my tray.”

“Do you know where Michael is? He has to speak with the pyrotechnician.”

“Um, I think I saw him around. Shall I find him for you?” She didn’t want her boss to overhear the men or see what they were up to.

Cathi’s face softened. “Would you? Thanks, Jessie. You’re a good girl.”
 

Her condescension annoyed Jessie, but she let it go. She was getting paid. Jessie left the tray on the hall table and went back in search of Michael. He hadn’t moved. Neither had Rick or Fifi.

“Michael, Cathi needs your help,” she said as soon as she came into the laundry room.

Michael let the dog down and tried to jump to his feet. That was when she noticed the bottle of eggnog beside the dog’s bowl. Fifi, at least, had four legs and was lower to the ground. She seemed better at holding her liquor than Michael.

“Jessie, sorry,” he said. “I’m just catching up with my good buddy here.”

Rick pulled himself up to a standing position with the help of the banister rail.

“Where is she?”

“In the hall. I think she needs you to talk with the fireworks guys.”

“We have fireworks?” Michael walked out of the room doing his best impression of a sober man with Fifi trotting behind.

Rick didn’t seem too bothered. “You’re a great girl, Jessie,” he said. “Did I ever tell you that?” He was making his way over to her, but he was swaying a little.

“Um, I think you did.” She backed toward the door to the kitchen, not wanting to get stuck in a conversation with a drunk Rick Sanchez.

Rick seemed to have no such reservations. “You know.” He raised his hand and pointed to her. “If I was a younger guy, I’d have chased you, girl. I mean really chased you.”

Jessie faked a laugh.

“Where have you been?” Maria walked into the laundry room.

Rick gave a tequila-soaked smile. “I was just talking to this little delight here.”

Jessie knew it was the wrong thing to say, because Maria wasn’t too sober either. She tried to help. “I was getting Michael for Cathi. He was talking with Ricky.”

“
Ricky
?”

“Rick. Sorry, I mean Rick. I know you’re the only one who calls him Ricky.”

“Seriously, Ricky. She knows not to call you Ricky—not in front of me. You told her that was my name for you? Or is she able to use it when I’m out of earshot? Is that it?”