Page 48 of Bottle Rocket
Sasha grinned and handed her a boxed Bombette. Rosie heard Leo’s laugh, gruff and warm, from the other side of the room. She turned to see him having a conversation with Benji.
“That’s a disaster waiting to happen,” Rosie said under her breath. Another customer needed Sasha, so Rosie moved toward the outer wall to get a better view of Leo’s art displayed around the room. She recognized some of it fromCharacters, but seeing the originals was very different than viewing the prints in the book.
There were superheroes and soldiers and one very sexy Statue of Liberty. Her favorite, though, was a Black woman posed like Rosie the Riveter. The woman’s jumpsuit was open to her belly button and a slip of nipple was visible. She had tattoos on her arms and a trans flag pin on her lapel.
“That one’s gorgeous, huh?”
Rosie turned toward the voice to find Robin Erco watching her from behind a lemonade station.
“He’s talented,” Rosie said. The novelty straws in the lemonade had little strippers hanging off them. Rosie picked up a glass.
“He is that.”
Rosie tried to hide her smile. She knew just how talented Leo was, in all the ways.
“Whitt told me you guys were coming to my barbecue.”
It took a second for Rosie to remember that Leo’s friends called him Whitt.
“I hope you don’t mind me crashing,” Rosie said.
“Of course not! It’s been too long since we’ve hung out.”
“It has. I’m sorry.”
Robin was part of a huge friend group that included Sasha, William, and Wren Rebello. Way back when, before Rosie’s marriage had fallen apart, she had been part of that crowd. It was impossible to explain the ways Landon had incrementally pulled her away from them.
“No big deal. The best friendships are the ones that can withstand a bit of space, time, and weirdness.”
“Thank you. I agree.”
“So, the barbecue. You know what will probably happen if you stay late enough, correct?” Robin sounded very much like the badass businesswoman she was.
Rosie blushed. “I’m aware.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful. I’m sure there will be no shortage of people who would be happy to help you put Leo in his place. Present company included. Not that you need help. I suspect you’re quite adept.”
Rosie’s mouth went dry as she met Robin’s eyes. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Leo’s desires were so well known, and Robin was a beautiful woman. The thought ofLady Robinbeing involved in whatever happened between her and Leo was not unappealing. In fact, it was the opposite.
They chatted for a few more minutes. Rosie told her about the jam she’d made, promising to bring some to the party. They spoke about Benji’s new kite obsession, and the flawlessness of Sasha’s small wedding the month previous.
Then Robin said, “I was pretty thrilled to be able to get Whitt here on the day his book released.”
Rosie blinked a few times. She hadn’t been aware it was his release day.
An employee with a question caught Robin’s attention, so Rosie approached Leo. When she got close enough, he stood up and gave her a kiss over the table. It simultaneously embarrassed her and thrilled her to be claimed in front of, well, her entire family.
“Hey you,” Leo said, his voice sending a sexy twist to her stomach.
“Hi. I saw you met my brother. He’s a handful.”
“He gave me the shotgun speech.”
She frowned. “What’s the shotgun speech?”
