"Oh!" I ball up the napkin and leave it on the table. "He's told me all about you. You're the one who creates the beautiful jewelry. Look!"
I hold out my wrist, showing her the silver bangle with a delicate starfish. "Remy gave this to me. Said you made it. I toldhim to tell you that I love it. It was such a thoughtful gift. He totally didn't have to."
Natalia exchanges a smirk with one of the women. "No, he didn't, and Remy usually doesn't give things like that to women. Which is why I wanted to meet you. And I wanted to bring the welcome wagon. Figured you'd want to get to know locals other than my weirdo brother."
I giggle. She looks nothing like Remy, but her laid-back, brash attitude is very similar.
She gestures to a familiar-looking woman wearing jeans, flip-flops, and a black T-shirt that says Lime and Salt in cursive. "This is Kate. She runs the tiki hut, at the springs."
"I know you — the tiki bar owner. Hang on, let me turn the music down," I say, going for my phone and tapping. I go over to Kate and shake her hand. "It's nice to see you again. You're married to Remy's twin, right? And you were at the Chamber meeting, I think?"
"Sure am and sure was."
Natalia stands between the other two women. She rests her hand on the shoulder of a woman wearing an expensive-looking romper and gold wedges. Totally glamorous.
"This is Lauren. She's dating my brother Max. And this," she waves her hand in the direction of a woman with pin-straight hair and a pink polo, "is Isabella. She's with my brother Tate and works at the turtle sanctuary. So, you four can all talk about my brothers. Save the gushy stuff for when I'm not present, though."
We all grin, and I shake Lauren and Isabella's hands.
"You were on the platform that day with Remy and Tate." I gesture toward Isabella, who is holding a small paper bag with twine handles, emblazoned with the logo of Ice Ice Baby, the coffee shop.
"Yes! You are such a great swimmer. I loved watching you and can't wait to see what you turn this into." Her eyes go aroundthe bar. There's something unusual about Isabella, like she's from another country. She has a formal way of speaking that I can't quite grasp. Maybe she's from a remote part of England?
"And this little one — is this your dog?" I bend down and hold out my hand toward the pug.
"That's Steve," Isabella says. "He's Tate's dog. Well, our dog, but the whole family shares him."
The dog waddles over and I pet his velvety head. I look up at the women. "I think I'm in love."
Natalia rolls her eyes. "Watch out, or my mom's going to add you to the dog-sitting list. He now has his own Google calendar."
I stand and cock my head. "Why?"
Natalia shrugs. "He apparently can't be left alone. It's one of those mysteries of Cypress Grove. Like Jack's Grocery."
"Huh?" I ask. "What about it? That's where I've been shopping."
"No one knows why it's called Jack's Grocery. No one named Jack has ever owned it," Kate chimes in.
I nod, not quite getting it.
"My mother thinks that Steve should never be on his own. We don't really know why, and can't get a good explanation out of her. So, we all pass him around. I assume that this will all change when one of these women bears a Hastings grandbaby." Natalia shoots Lauren a pointed look.
"Don't look at me," she yelps.
I press my hands to my chest. "I'm so rude. Do y'all want something to drink? I have some sodas and beer in the cooler."
Lauren nods thoughtfully. "It is Saturday at three."
"Which means it's five o'clock somewhere," Natalia responds.
"It's always five o'clock in Cypress Grove, so beers it is," says Kate.
I practically skip to the cooler, where I have a six-pack of Remy's favorite beer. I'd hoped to surprise him when he came over today, but cracking one open with these women seems like an excellent idea.
When I come back out, they've settled around the lone, oval table. I begin popping tops, handing out the beers.
"Thanks for coming over like this. That's really kind. I've been working non-stop to get this place going, so I haven't had time to meet many people yet."