Sundowner that night, so we did. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him since, but apparently this is enough for Kendall to predict a wedding.” She glared at her friend in a manner only partly playful; she actually felt a tad annoyed.
But Kendall seemed unfazed. “You left out the part about how the two of you were glowing while you were dancing Saturday night. It reminds me of the way Spencer and I were the first time we danced together. I didn’t know him well then, either. Shucks, it was our first date, too. The man had come to town to put me out of business, for heaven’s sake.” Spencer, like Kendall, was a restaurateur, and he had come to town specifically to open a soul food restaurant that would be in direct competition with Kendall’s. Now that they were married they combined their resources and operated their establishments jointly. “Who’d believe we’d end up married a year later?”
“ Your friend sounds intriguing, Ava,” Valerie said. “Why don’t you bring him to the wedding?”
“ Ooh, that’s a wonderful idea!” Kendall exclaimed.
Ava incredulously looked at one friend, then the other. “Have the two of you lost your minds? No, I will not bring Hilton to the wedding. I just met the man. I really don’t know anything about him. Inviting him to a wedding is not appropriate.” She decided to poke fun at Kendall’s situation with Spencer. “He could be planning to open a really snazzy bridal shop and lure away my customers, for all I know.”
The three of them burst out laughing, and they returned to lighthearted chatter and gossip, just longtime friends enjoying a meal, like they had done so many times in the past.
Ava didn’t think twice about it when the doorbell rang. She got to her feet as quickly as she could, which wasn’t all that fast because she’d consumed two shrimp rolls and generous helpings of beef and broccoli, lobster egg foo yung, sweet and sour chicken, and spare ribs. Because of the relatively early hour and because she was not alone in the house, she opened the door without first looking through the curtains, but left the chain on.
Hilton stood on the other side of the door, his massive frame blocking the view beyond.
Ava made no attempt to conceal the smile that immediately formed on her lips. “Hi! Just a minute; I want to undo the chain.” She closed the door and slid the chain out of its holder, then opened the door wide.
“ Hi. Here I am, Husband For Hire at your service.” He held up his tape measure.
Ava ’s hand flew up to the side of her face. “It’s Monday, isn’t it? Hilton…I completely forgot!”
“ Is this a bad time?”
She glanced inside the house. “Well—”
Ava ’s response was interrupted by Kendall, who approached from behind, stopping a few yards away. “Just wanted to make sure you were okay. Oh, hello, Hilton.”
“ How’s it goin’, Kendall?”
“ Pretty good, thanks. Oh, I’m glad I saw you. Spencer and I are having a few people over for a tree-decorating party Christmas Eve. It’ll be an early evening, from six-thirty to nine. Ava has the address. Hope to see you, if you can make it.”
“ Thanks for the invite, Kendall. I’m not sure if I can make it, but I’ll get the address just in case. I’m driving up to Augusta for the holidays, and I’ll probably be on the road by five.”
“ Well, we’d love to have you if you can make it.”
“ Thanks.” He raised his hand in salute as Kendall retreated to the kitchen, then turned his attentions to Ava with an intimate smile. “Don’t worry about forgetting. It’s no big deal. People always get caught up in the holidays. Why don’t we just do it another time? If we can’t get together before I leave, I’ll come by the shop when I get back into town.”
When will that be? she wanted to know. But she had to follow his lead, and he wasn’t offering any information. It surprised her at how disturbing she found it not to know how long he would be
But Kendall seemed unfazed. “You left out the part about how the two of you were glowing while you were dancing Saturday night. It reminds me of the way Spencer and I were the first time we danced together. I didn’t know him well then, either. Shucks, it was our first date, too. The man had come to town to put me out of business, for heaven’s sake.” Spencer, like Kendall, was a restaurateur, and he had come to town specifically to open a soul food restaurant that would be in direct competition with Kendall’s. Now that they were married they combined their resources and operated their establishments jointly. “Who’d believe we’d end up married a year later?”
“ Your friend sounds intriguing, Ava,” Valerie said. “Why don’t you bring him to the wedding?”
“ Ooh, that’s a wonderful idea!” Kendall exclaimed.
Ava incredulously looked at one friend, then the other. “Have the two of you lost your minds? No, I will not bring Hilton to the wedding. I just met the man. I really don’t know anything about him. Inviting him to a wedding is not appropriate.” She decided to poke fun at Kendall’s situation with Spencer. “He could be planning to open a really snazzy bridal shop and lure away my customers, for all I know.”
The three of them burst out laughing, and they returned to lighthearted chatter and gossip, just longtime friends enjoying a meal, like they had done so many times in the past.
Ava didn’t think twice about it when the doorbell rang. She got to her feet as quickly as she could, which wasn’t all that fast because she’d consumed two shrimp rolls and generous helpings of beef and broccoli, lobster egg foo yung, sweet and sour chicken, and spare ribs. Because of the relatively early hour and because she was not alone in the house, she opened the door without first looking through the curtains, but left the chain on.
Hilton stood on the other side of the door, his massive frame blocking the view beyond.
Ava made no attempt to conceal the smile that immediately formed on her lips. “Hi! Just a minute; I want to undo the chain.” She closed the door and slid the chain out of its holder, then opened the door wide.
“ Hi. Here I am, Husband For Hire at your service.” He held up his tape measure.
Ava ’s hand flew up to the side of her face. “It’s Monday, isn’t it? Hilton…I completely forgot!”
“ Is this a bad time?”
She glanced inside the house. “Well—”
Ava ’s response was interrupted by Kendall, who approached from behind, stopping a few yards away. “Just wanted to make sure you were okay. Oh, hello, Hilton.”
“ How’s it goin’, Kendall?”
“ Pretty good, thanks. Oh, I’m glad I saw you. Spencer and I are having a few people over for a tree-decorating party Christmas Eve. It’ll be an early evening, from six-thirty to nine. Ava has the address. Hope to see you, if you can make it.”
“ Thanks for the invite, Kendall. I’m not sure if I can make it, but I’ll get the address just in case. I’m driving up to Augusta for the holidays, and I’ll probably be on the road by five.”
“ Well, we’d love to have you if you can make it.”
“ Thanks.” He raised his hand in salute as Kendall retreated to the kitchen, then turned his attentions to Ava with an intimate smile. “Don’t worry about forgetting. It’s no big deal. People always get caught up in the holidays. Why don’t we just do it another time? If we can’t get together before I leave, I’ll come by the shop when I get back into town.”
When will that be? she wanted to know. But she had to follow his lead, and he wasn’t offering any information. It surprised her at how disturbing she found it not to know how long he would be
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