Page 4 of Tequila Tuesdays

I set my computer aside. “Who usually goes?”

“Whoever’s invited and a few regulars. Her niece is continuing the tradition along with Ramone and Jonathan, Grace’s bosses. Sometimes the parties have themes. Those are my favorite.”

“What kinds of themes?”

“Fern, the lady who started them, hired a jazz band one time and had a Mardi Gras party with dancing, beads, masks. The whole nine yards. That was before I moved here. And a few years ago, she held it on New Year’s Eve at the Avalon Hotel when it fell on a Monday. It went on all night.”

I raised my eyebrows. “That sounds expensive.”

Ava sighed. “It was amazing. I may have had a little fling with a much younger hotel server that night.”

I gagged a little. “Why do you tell me things like that?”

Ava smirked. “I hate to say it, but you’re a prude. The love of my life might be gone, but he wouldn’t have wantedmylady parts to atrophy.”

“Thanks for putting that image in my brain.”

“Harley, you have the personality of a stale cracker. It’s sad that your fortyish-year-old mother has a more exciting life than you do.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not sad, it’s kind of creepy. And fortyish? Is that like the new sixtyish now?”

Ava smacked my arm, then picked up her quart-size coffee mug and magazine and stood up. She had a deep and abiding love for caffeine these days. Whatever helped her cope.

“So? Are you coming?”

I sighed, loud and long. “Yeah, I’ll come.”

“Good. Have a nice day. Grace and I are going golfing this afternoon.”

Ava had moved to Palm Springs not long after my younger sister graduated from high school. I’d been relieved and grateful when Grace and Sheila befriended her.

“Wash your hair,” she threw over her shoulder as she walked away.

I watched her go and shook my head.

“Hello, neighbors! Harley, thanks for coming tonight.” Sheila met us at their front door on Monday evening. Sheila also liked golf but wasn’t as fanatical about it as Grace and Ava.

I walked in and looked around. “Your house turned out beautifully. Ava said it’s been a major pain, but the results are stunning.”

She grimaced. “Maybe in a year or ten I’ll look back and think it was worth it. It’s still too soon, though.”

Over the last year, I’d watched their renovation from my front yard. I understood how painful it could be. My little property included a small house and a tiny yard with a back patio and a spool—a small pool that was a cross between a spa and a pool. Even that small space had been a major headache to clean up and remodel.

Their renovation had taken three times as long and a lot more money, but it looked wonderful. The old wood beams and refinished wood floors in the living room gleamed. They’d stayed true to the Spanish revival style of the home, and it had a nostalgic and charming feel to it.

After giving us the tour, we walked out to their backyard. They’d redone the landscaping around their pool area to make it look like a natural lagoon.

Soft string lights hung around the perimeter, and rose bushes climbed the red brick and white stucco wall surrounding the yard. Their fragrance, along with the orange tree blossoms, scented the air. The whole backyard was enchanting.

Ava saw one of her golf buddies and excused herself, and I turned to Sheila. “Grace said she has a friend who just graduated from law school she wants me to meet.”

Sheila pointed to a woman with long dark brown hair about my age who was talking with Grace. “That’s Laurel. She transferred from back East when she found out her aunt had breast cancer and finished her degree in Las Vegas. Her aunt Fern passed away last Spring and left her a house over in the Deepwell estates area.”

“That’s too bad about Fern. I didn’t know her, but Ava liked her.”

Sheila sighed. “Fern was a fabulous woman, inside and out.”

“She sounds fascinating.”

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