BooksBarbecue
Back The Mother Next Door Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Dedication
  4. About the Author
  5. HALLOWEEN
  6. Seven Weeks Before Halloween
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. HALLOWEEN
  11. Six Weeks Before Halloween
  12. FOUR
  13. FIVE
  14. SIX
  15. HALLOWEEN
  16. Five Weeks Before Halloween
  17. SEVEN
  18. EIGHT
  19. HALLOWEEN
  20. NINE
  21. TEN
  22. HALLOWEEN
  23. ELEVEN
  24. TWELVE
  25. Twenty-Five Days Until Halloween
  26. THIRTEEN
  27. FOURTEEN
  28. HALLOWEEN
  29. FIFTEEN
  30. SIXTEEN
  31. SEVENTEEN
  32. EIGHTEEN
  33. NINETEEN
  34. TWENTY
  35. HALLOWEEN
  36. Eighteen Days Until Halloween
  37. TWENTY-ONE
  38. TWENTY-TWO
  39. HALLOWEEN
  40. TWENTY-THREE
  41. TWENTY-FOUR
  42. Eleven Days Until Halloween
  43. TWENTY-FIVE
  44. TWENTY-SIX
  45. Eight Days Until Halloween
  46. TWENTY-SEVEN
  47. TWENTY-EIGHT
  48. TWENTY-NINE
  49. HALLOWEEN
  50. THIRTY
  51. Four Days Until Halloween
  52. THIRTY-ONE
  53. HALLOWEEN
  54. THIRTY-TWO
  55. Two Days Until Halloween
  56. THIRTY-THREE
  57. The Night Before Halloween
  58. THIRTY-FOUR
  59. HALLOWEEN
  60. THIRTY-FIVE
  61. Halloween, Present Day
  62. THIRTY-SIX
  63. THIRTY-SEVEN
  64. HALLOWEEN
  65. THIRTY-EIGHT
  66. HALLOWEEN
  67. THIRTY-NINE
  68. HALLOWEEN
  69. FORTY
  70. HALLOWEEN
  71. FORTY-ONE
  72. FORTY-TWO
  73. FORTY-THREE
  74. FORTY-FOUR
  75. HALLOWEEN... NOW
  76. FORTY-FIVE
  77. Seven Months Later
  78. FORTY-SIX
  79. FORTY-SEVEN
  80. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  81. ALICE SWANSON’S
  82. Reader's Guide
  83. Questions for Discussion
  84. Booklist

She’s new to town. This is her first Halloween party, and she doesn’t see the flaws. She only sees perfection. She loves these people, this community. She loves wandering around the eerie lake in fall. She loves the house, so big and beautiful, especially the giant round attic window that looks out onto all of Ivy Woods. She’s happy that her daughter seems to love it, too.

And now, this party. This night. Where everyone can pretend they are someone else and bask in the orange glow of pumpkin light and kiddie laughter.

I can understand that feeling. It’s getting dark, after all. It starts getting dark so early now. And look, even the weird neighbor, Mrs. Tressle, is here, and she hates Halloween. Her house is usually as dark as tar. I’ve never seen a bowl of candy on the porch, not even one sign of a skeleton.

But here she is, walking around, eating food, a glob of icing stuck to her cheek. The neighbors soon realize she’s watching. They make witch jokes behind her back but mostly ignore her. Mrs. Tressle’s presence doesn’t stop anyone from behaving badly.

If anything, she enhances the mood. The music seems louder. The drinks stronger. Conversation takes on a pattern, and if you close your eyes, you can hear it.

Murmur, stop. Murmur murmur—laughter.

Like an irregular heartbeat. An underlying condition you can’t see.

Potentially fatal.

An impromptu dance party starts up in the middle of the cul-de-sac, and a bat and her mummy husband start waltzing, trying not to trip on his unraveling bandages. Someone hands out glow sticks, and in the dimming light of the evening, the children streak like lightning bugs, green and yellow circles moving around and around.

And perhaps here is where she begins to relax. Here is where she decides that everything’s going to be okay. That all her past mistakes don’t matter. She can transform here, become someone new. The moms like her. They trust her.

But do they really accept her?

Can she ever really escape her past?

Or will they begin to wonder just what her intentions are?

Is here where the spark catches, a slow burn that will suddenly turn to fire?

Five Weeks Before Halloween

FIVE WEEKS BEFORE HALLOWEEN

SEVEN

Kendra

Paul and I were watching television in the den when Bettina called. More like he was watching, and I was focused on checking things off my to-do list. I stepped to the front of the house to take the call.

“You busy?” She was in the car. I could hear the whoosh of her driving, her voice cracking in and out.

“I just emailed you the website for the Halloween costumes. Send me your size and preference soon so I can get the order in and out of the way.” I checked the time. 8:30 p.m. “What are you doing out so late?”