Fear Thy Neighbor (34)

She nodded and followed Renée upstairs, the winding staircase leading to a large landing that overlooked the downstairs. “The bedrooms are all up here, all with a view of the beach.”

Renée showed Ali her bedroom, that of a typical teenager, other than the fact she had an awesome view of the beach, a bathroom fit for a queen, and closets filled with more clothes than Ali had ever seen in one closet. “It’s a lot if you’re not used to it.”

Ali thought this an understatement, but just nodded.

She saw the other bedrooms, each grander than she expected. They were all white, with shades of aqua blue throughout. Alison imagined this place could easily cost a few million bucks, though she’d never be so crude as to ask. Even unsophisticated folks like her had some class.

“This is the most gorgeous place I’ve ever seen,” Alison told Renée as they headed back downstairs.

Valentina carried a large aqua dish to the table on the deck. “I hope you like crab salad,” she said. “I can make you something else if not. Rummy—he owns the seafood house right before the Pass—brought these in yesterday, and I like them when they’re fresh.”

Crab was one of Ali’s favorites. Could this day get any more perfect? she thought. “I love crab, shrimp, oysters. All seafood, it’s the best.”

“Good, then come on out, and let’s eat.”

There were large chunks of shrimp with big bites of chilled blue crab piled high on a bed of butter lettuce drizzled with a delicious citrus dressing, the lettuce so tender one barely had to chew. Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers topped with flakes of freshly grated parmesan and white pepper. Ali closed her eyes, relishing every single bite. The crab was sweet, the shrimp tender. When she opened her eyes, Valentina and Renée were smiling.

“Sorry, but this is the best crab salad I’ve ever eaten. In my entire life,” she added for extra emphasis. “Thank you for inviting me.”

She wanted to tell Valentina how impressed she was with her home, the view, the table settings, which were thick white bowls with tiny aqua blue seahorses etched around the rim. She was almost afraid to use the aqua blue cloth napkins, encircled with white rings and the same seahorse design. A basket of warm garlic rolls were the icing on the cake.

“I made these last week, had a few in the freezer, so I figured all of us girls needed a few carbs with our salad.” Valentina winked at Renée.

“Mom, don’t lie to Ali—you and I both eat carbs all the time. Almost every meal.”

“We do, but it sounds nice to pretend we don’t,” Valentina told her daughter.

“Whatever you two are eating, it certainly looks good. On both of you. If I didn’t know better, I would guess you were sisters,” Ali said.

“Thanks, but I’m just the mom. With an amazing daughter,” Valentina stated, giving Renée a smile.

For the next few minutes, no one spoke while they consumed the fresh crab salad, washing it down with tall glasses of sweet tea with sprigs of mint and lemon slices.

Alison wondered if Valentina’s dinners could top lunch. Part of her couldn’t wait to find out, and another part of her felt kind of cheesy for even having the thought. If they turned out to be good friends, she was sure she would be invited for another meal, but in due time. This new life was wild, all over the place in so many ways. Ways she never expected. Some were bad; obviously, digging up that bone being the worst. Then there was that weirdo John, but meeting Renée and Valentina made up for all the negativity she’d encountered. So far.

“She is amazing,” Ali agreed. “Both of you are. I can’t tell you how kind it was of you to do all this.” She waved her hand across the table. “It’s the fanciest lunch I’ve had.”

Valentina smiled. “Thanks, but it’s a simple meal. I did use the good dishes though, just so you know we don’t always set the table this way, except on special occasions. I thought a new friend and neighbor was a special occasion.”

“Yeah, Ali, next time you’ll get paper plates and leftover napkins saved from McDonald’s.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Then I’ll make sure not to toss any extra napkins from McDonald’s.”

“Waste not, want not,” Valentina said.

“Absolutely,” Alison agreed, as she’d spent most of her adult life scrimping and saving. When she had enough to start investing, she found Henry.

“Mom, please don’t start with your sayings.” Renée rolled her eyes, though she had a grin as wide as the strip of beach below them on her pretty young face. “She does this to me all the time. ‘A dime a dozen,’ ‘biting off more than you can chew,’ plus a zillion others.”

“I guess you’re not up for a piece of cake,” Valentina said, using another idiom.

“Mom, you know I’ll bite off more than I can chew!”

Ali laughed at them. They were unlike any mother and daughter she’d seen. Love radiated from both. Ali could see this in their eyes, their actions. Never having experienced such a relationship, she was in awe of this mother-daughter duo.

“It just so happens I have a scrumptious key lime pie from Terri’s,” Valentina said to Renée and Ali.

“Mom! You know that’s my favorite. I told you I was off dessert for the rest of the summer. I don’t want to look like a whale when I go back to school.”