“Thanks,” she said. Then her mind went blank.Quick! Fill in the blank.“Welcome to the neighborhood,” she said. Not very creative, but oh, well.
“Thanks,” he said.
“I’m Zona Hartman. I think you already met my mom,” she added.Who wanted me to bring you cookies. Do you like cookies?
Don’t say that. No cookies! No more men!
“Alec James,” he said. “Looks like this is turning out to be a friendly neighborhood. Condos, you don’t always get to know your neighbors. I wasn’t sure about buying a house, but this one was a steal. Looks like it was a good investment.”
“Well, we are friendly.”
Don’t even think about it. Friendly leads to trouble.
Okay, it was time to get inside before she did something foolish like invite him to join her and Cary and Audrey for the evening. “I guess I’d better let you get back to your lawn mower,” she said.
“And I’d better let you get busy with your onion.”
She nodded. “If you need a lawn service, I can recommend a good one.”
“Nah. I’m not big on having strangers around. Anyway, it’s not much to mow. Thanks, though.”
“No problem,” she said. “Have a good one.”
“You, too,” he said, and returned to his own property.
She stuffed the onion back in with the other produce, took a firm grip on her bag, and went inside the house.
Darling was thrilled to see her, jumping on her and nearly tipping the produce out again.
“I know, you’ve been abandoned for forever,” she said. “I’ll give you a treat and then we’ll put on your doggy Crocs and go for a quick walk.”
After Mr. Temptation was back inside his house and out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
Half an hour later they were out the door and on their way.
It looked like her neighbor had plans for the evening because here came a red PT Cruiser pulling into his driveway and parking next to his truck. A thirty-something woman with long, curly red hair popped out of it, grabbed a designer overnight bag, and skipped to the front door. She wore white shorts with a black T-shirt half tucked in them, showing off great legs and fit arms.
A moment later, Alec James, Louise’s candidate for Zona’s perfect man, came to the door.
“Surprise, I’m here,” caroled the woman, loud enough for Zona to hear, and stepped inside.
Zona hadn’t heard what he said in response, but considering how cute his visitor was, it had to be something welcoming. So much for Louise’s theory that the man was available. Zona had known all along he wasn’t. Good-looking men were always taken. And if they weren’t, there was something seriously wrong with them.
Who needed a man, anyway? Zona had Darling.
Martin had kindly offered to check on Darling and take him for a midmorning walk in Louise and Zona’s absence, which helped, but Darling was young enough to want to move constantly and Zona knew they would be doing early morning and evening walks in addition to what Martin had offered. In an ideal world, Zona would leave Darling in the backyard, with plenty of water, but she wasn’t sure how well that would work. Would the heat be too much for him? Would he bark and howl and make all the neighbors mad? Zona wouldn’t be able to be as attentive as her mother, and Darling was a little on the needy side.
Zona preferred cats. They knew how to entertain themselves without chewing up sofa pillows. So far, Darling, partpoodle, part who knew what else, and entirely spoiled, had shredded two of Louise’s.
When Zona was a child, the family had only had one dog. Poor Buster had gotten hit by a car, and she still remembered how confused and then crushed she’d been when she came home from school and learned that Buster had crossed the rainbow bridge. He’d been her dog in name only. He’d really been Louise’s baby, and Louise had gone into mourning after losing him. That had been the end of owning dogs. They’d switched to cats. Inside cats. Zona had gotten her own cat when Bree was in grade school. But Pitty-Paws died a year ago and Zona had decided she was done with pets. Losing an animal on top of everything else awful happening in her life had been the cherry on top of the poop cupcake.
Louise, on the other hand, had decided she needed companionship. With Dad not around to raise objections and remind her about Buster, she’d gone to the local animal shelter a few months earlier and fallen in love. So now Darling was a part of their lives.
It smelled like someone nearby was barbecuing as they made their way back down their street. Was that someone Alec James? He was probably grilling steaks, drinking an IPA beer. Maybe his guest was putting together a salad to go with what was on the grill.
Who cared what the neighbors were doing? Zona had a life of her own. Her book and Cary and Audrey were waiting.
THE SHIP’S LIDOdeck was buzzing with happy people and the band was playing “Sea Cruise” for the throng enjoying the sail-away party. One of the happiest buzzing people at that party was Louise, who was enjoying her second piña colada. This was the life. Why had she waited so long to do something fun?
