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Ava sat, doing the same, and wiggled back against the cushions. “Wow, these are so comfortable.”
“Nothing but the best for this tight ass.”
Huh?Ava shot her curious gaze at her new neighbor. She’d had strange neighbors in her lifetime, but none as edgy as Rosa Hathaway.
“I’m joking you.” She tossed her head back and laughed, her hat brim flopping around. “Your face! Why are you always so serious?”
Because if Ava allowed her emotions to run free, they’d run rampant. She had to guard them. Besides, what did Rosa know about her other than spending an hour across from her at the rehearsal dinner weeks ago?
“Why are you always so talkative?” Ava countered.
Rosa seemed to think that over for a second before merriment refilled her eyes. “Shit, I don’t know, but my husband asks me that all the time.”
A chuckle bubbled forth from Ava as Rosa cracked up all over again.This woman was crazy.And Ava kind of liked her. But Ava didn’t get too excited about having a gal pal to hang with. Those kinds of friendships never lasted. Turned out she got along better with dudes, being just one of the guys. She grew up rough around the edges, and her trucker’s mouth didn’t help. Turns out some ladies don’t like swearing.Well, fuck them.Though she’d vowed to curb her swearing, mental swearing was perfectly acceptable.
Rosa leaned forward. “I’ve been dying to ask you—”
Ava held her breath, wondering what intimate question she could possibly have. She’d already brought up Wesley and the absurd idea they were seeing each other. Dangerous to ponder, she froze and listened as heavy footsteps approached.
“Hello,” said a middle-aged man, fit in a tight black T-shirt, who set a tray down on the small table between the chairs.
“Thanks, Ramon.”
“Anything else?” He shifted his gaze between them.
“Check on Miguel and his friend. See if they want snacks or an early lunch.”
Ramon nodded and walked away.
Rosa handed her a glass of ice-cold lemonade. “Cheers, my new friend.”
Ava accepted the offering. She sipped, relaxing further into the cushions and gazing out at the lawns, infinity pool, and Atlantic Ocean beyond. The breeze blew salty and clean. Seagulls cried overhead, and she almost forgot Rosa was about to ask her a possibly very personal question.
“Okay. Give it to me straight.” Rosa set her glass and her huge floppy hat aside.
Ava grumbled inwardly, thinking this little reprieve had been fleeting. “Well, spit it out.”
“How do you think Jorge did, managing the whole wedding weekend?”
“Jorge? You want to know about Jorge?”Good grief, what a relief.“He did great. Very accommodating. Why do you ask?”
“So, no slip-ups or things he could have done better?”
“I don’t think so. Why? What’s your obsession?”
“Didn’t you know? Jorge is my cousin.”
“I had no idea.”
“My whole family is from the Dominican Republic. Remember we discussed my hummingbird tattoo?” She rolled her hip, showing the bird residing high on her leg.
“Yes, I remember,” she replied tersely, also recalling how Wesley had raised his brows, checking it out under the table that day.
“I’m only asking because I love getting dirt on my cousins. Lord knows they have enough to tease me about.”
“Did you get Jorge the gig next door?”
“No, more like the other way around. I worked for a catering company, making regular deliveries to the Bluff House estate, where Jorge had worked for years. That’s when I met Cliff—and his wife Barb.”
