Page 52 of That Time in Venice
Chapter19
“Hey cuz!”Anika called as she walked up the driveway of her cousin’shouse.
Veronica Taylor, nicknamed Ronnie, was her complete opposite. Ronnie was an auto mechanic and preferred comfortable shoes, no makeup, and had worn her hair in a low-maintenance natural style foryears.
As she approached, Ronnie looked up from crouching over a tool box beside her pickup. “Hey!What’sup?”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’dstopby.”
“Oh really?” Ronnie saidskeptically.
“Fine, I wanted some ribs. Did Uncle Ezekiel fire up the grilltoday?”
Ronnie’s father often grilled on Sundays after church. Newly married, he lived next door with his wife of overayear.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but he and Loretta went on a weekend trip with thechurch.”
“Again? I swear, those seniors get around,don’tthey?”
“Tell me about it. They’re always gone. At least they’re out there being active, not stuck at home letting old age keep them in a rocking chair collecting dust.” Ronnie rummaged in hertoolbox.
“What are you working on?” Inspecting the area, Anika searched for a place to sit. Finding none, she leaned against the interior wall of thegarage.
“You planning to help me?” Ronnie asked, dragging her toolbox to the leftfronttire.
“And get dirt and grease all over my clothes? Thanks for the offer, butI’llpass.”
Ronnie smirked. “That’s what I thought. I’m changing the oil.” She removed the oil cap from underthehood.
“How are the salsa lessonscoming?”
Ronnie’s fiancé, Diego, was Cuban and she took salsa lessons twice a week to prepare for the wedding in a couple of weeks. Being a no-frills type of bride, Ronnie’s ceremony was going to be a small affair with a small wedding party. As the maid of honor, Anika’s most demanding moment had been helping Ronnie pick out a dress. At one point, her cousin had insisted on giving up, but Anika talked her into staying at the boutique, and after two hours, they found theperfectgown.
Ronnie grimaced. “I still suck even with the dance classes. I tried to convince Diego to let me out of it, but he said if he has to learn the electric slide, I have to learnsalsa.”
Anika giggled. “He has a point,Ronnie.”
“Who’s side areyouon?”
“Yours, ofcourse!”
“Uh-huh. I’m hanging in there, but don’t expect much. So what’s going on with you?” Ronnie lay on her back on a mechanic’s creeper and slid under the jackedupcar.
Anika stuck her hands in the pockets of her denim dress. “Things areinteresting.”
“Interestinghow?”
“I’mdating.”
“You’re always dating.” She could hear her cousin tinkering under the car with awrench.
“This is different. It’s a little moreserious.”
“When did that happen? Did you meet himonline?”
“I should start from the beginning. Remember when I told you that I’d only had sex with Emerson andAdrian?”
“Yes.”
