11 Chapter 11

He got two lite beers from the fridge and handed one to Nick.

“To having great neighbors,” said Nick, holding his bottle up and toasting Jesse.

“To great neighbors,” Jesse repeated, tapping his brew against Nick’s.

When Jesse had gotten the moussaka into the oven warming on low heat, and had made the salad and refrigerated it, they went out to the patio, set the table and put the champagne on ice. When it was finished, Nick stood back and said, “Well, the stage is set for a repeat performance.”

“Yeah, only with a different cast,” Jesse replied, once again finding himself experiencing strange feelings at making another comparison between Nick and Denny.

Jesse and Nick returned to the living room with two fresh beers. They sat on opposite ends of the couch facing each other. The dogs, tired out from their wrestling match, lay in a puppy pile on the floor between the men.

As they sat talking quietly, the sound of the front door opening interrupted their conversation.