“Like Kitty?”
Riva wrinkled her nose. “Let’s not push it.” She pointed to the front yard, still in need of some attention. “I meant energetic enough to pull some more weeds.”
Windy put her car in park. “Don’t get overheated. I heard we’ll be close to triple digits today.”
“Good point. Maybe I’ll wait until a cool morning.” She opened the front door. “Do you need any help with dinner tonight? Or have you changed plans?”
“You mean due to our feuding roomies?”
“Or the heat.”
“Fiona already invited some of her bandmates, and I told Marcus he has to bring at least one friend. Plus, I’ve made salads and haveseafood all ready to grill. So as far as I’m concerned, we’re still on.” Windy looked up toward the house and then lowered her voice. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and Kitty will have other plans. She seemed to make a number of young male friends last night. Cross your fingers. She could have a hot date.”
Riva crossed her fingers.
“And if not, we’ll just let the good times roll. Right?”
“Yeah, right.” But Riva wondered what it might really take to get Kitty to seek alternative housing. She didn’t want to do anything underhanded. Perhaps she just needed to be the adult here and talk face-to-face with Kitty. Riva would gently explain her incompatibility concerns with the other tenants. She could offer Kitty two weeks’ notice, refund her last month’s rent, as well as return her full security deposit regardless of the condition of her bedroom and hall bath, which based on Windy’s descriptions, was less than pristine. But she didn’t want to throw a wrench into tonight’s dinner plans. Maybe this conversation could wait until tomorrow.
Riva was relieved not to cross paths with Kitty for the whole day, and when she went to help Windy with dinner preparations, Kitty was still nowhere to be seen.
“Do you think she’s okay?” Riva asked as she wiped down the backyard table. “Should anyone check on her?”
“Fiona saw her leaving earlier. She thought she was headed to her salon.”
“Have you talked to Laurel?”
Windy nodded. “Yes, she was just down here offering to help.”
“How did she seem? I mean, after last night’s turbulence.” Riva shook out a gingham tablecloth, then smoothed it over the table.
Windy bit her lip. “To be honest, she seemed a little stressed. I think Kitty’s taking her toll on poor Laurel.”
“Just one more reason to encourage Kitty to move on.” Riva cringed to imagine that conversation. What had made her think she could be a landlord?
Windy fanned herself with a hand. “It’s still awfully warm out here. Do you think our guests can handle it?”
“It should be cooling off soon. How about I make a gallon of ice water with lemons to put out here? And we used to have a backyard fan. Maybe I can hunt it down in the garage.”
“Good idea.” Windy looked around. “I think things are under control out here. I’m going to make a fresh pitcher of iced tea.”
Glad to be out of the heat, Riva went to the garage to see if she could unearth the fan Paul had gotten for days like this. While poking around, she found her old box of art supplies. Paul had made the box for her when the kids were small. She opened the lid to see everything still neatly in place, just like she’d left it. Maybe this was the “new thing” she wanted to take on. How long had it been since she’d dabbled? She set the wooden box by the door, promising herself to look into it later.
Finally, she found the fan behind a stack of tires. She dusted it off, then set it up near the picnic table in back. Then, remembering how Paul used to water everything down, including the pavers, to cool things off on evenings like this, she decided to do the same. As she turned on the hose, she thought of Paul and how he would approve. How he’d be happy to see her out here enjoying the yard again. Like maybe she was coming back to life.
Feeling grimy and rumpled by the heat, Riva took a quick shower, then pulled out a lightweight dress she hadn’t worn in ages. She held it up in front of the mirror and frowned. Was it too youthful? Was the Hawaiian print too bright? Or was she just being overly cautious? Remembering her energy today after drumming, she decided it was time to embrace another challenge. She slipped into the dress, enjoying the cool feel of cotton. In fact, the dress itself made her feel happy. It represented goodcarefree times in past summers. Perhaps it was just what she needed tonight. Because she was determined to have a good time.
She could hear voices in the house as she left her room. Marcus and Windy and a tall gray-haired man were visiting in the foyer. “There she is now.” Windy waved Riva over. “Come meet Marcus’s friend Wes Walker. Wes, this is Riva.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Riva.” With a wide smile on his face, Wes shook her hand. “I was just telling Windy this is a gorgeous old house. Amazing woodwork. I’m guessing it was built in the late 1800s?”
“1898,” she told him.
“Wes’s an architect,” Windy supplied, leading them toward the kitchen.
“Retired architect,” he said. “But I can still admire a work of art like this.”
“I’ve never heard it called that, but I don’t disagree.” Riva watched as Marcus put a bottle of white wine in her fridge. It was kind of cute the way he already knew his way around her house.
