assumed it was one of the neighbors. Sure enough, my lawn had been taken care of as well. My mower, however, was still sitting beside the garage where I'd left it. Not that I was upset or anything, but they clearly hadn't used it. These guys had just used their own to mow my grass! Clearly, that "neighborly" thing was real around here.
"I honestly didn't expect them to do that," I admitted.
"Them?"
"Yeah. Ian from next door stopped me this morning to say my mower sounded like it was about to break. I think I woke him. That's what started all of this anyway."
"And speaking of 'this,'" she said, "where is your darling daughter?"
"Upstairs, like always." I raised my voice. "Gabby!"
The door to her bedroom creaked open, the sound audible from downstairs. "I'm not going."
That was what she thought. "Ashley bought you something," I called back.
With a dramatic teenaged huff, she stormed over to the rail. "I don't know anyone at this stupid cookout, ok? And I'd rather just talk to my real friends."
Ashley just held up a very adorable shirt. "You sure? Because if you don't need this, I'll just take it back. I got the one that shows more cleavage than your mom approves of - and she can't complain because it's a gift."
That made Gabby almost smile. "Yeah?"
Ashley turned the shirt as she held it up for Gabby's long-distance inspection. The fabric was dark and clingy, and the cut? Yep, I would not normally let her wear something like that until she was at least sixteen, but if it would make her leave the house, I'd let it slide.
"And," Ashley teased, "I happen to know that at least four guys your age will be there. So... Going once, going twice -"
"Fine!" Gabby grumbled. "But don't think this means I want to. I'd rather be at home."
I inhaled to say something, but Ashley nudged me. "Fair enough. I'd still like to see you, and I have to go to this. So does your mom. Come keep us company, and we can all be miserable together, ok? Besides, it's not like we're going far."
"How far?" Gabby asked.
Ashley smiled deviously. "Oh, just next door. It'll be almost painless."
My daughter's mouth fell open. "You mean the cute guys are throwing this party? Why didn't you say so, Mom?"
Ashley chuckled. "Ian does this every so often. So, yeah. Might as well come see what all the fuss is about, right?"
"I guess."
Giving in - and once again making it clear she wasn't happy about it - my daughter finally descended from on high. Mumbling something that almost sounded like thank you, she retreated back to her room to change, and I took the chance to finish my face. Unfortunately, the only lipstick Ashley had brought was a deep red. The kind Gerardo always said I was too old to wear, but it didn't clash with my skin tone, so I just went with it.
Eventually, we were all ready to go, yet the moment we stepped outside, I realized this was a much bigger deal than I'd been expecting. Cars lined our little wanna-be cul de sac, and most of them were the kind that made people stop and stare. Then there were the sounds.
Laughter, mostly. As we crossed my freshly mown lawn, I heard guys break out in a groan and some kids squealing. It sounded like a lot of fun until we all stepped through the back gate. In an instant, the entire yard fell silent - and all eyes turned to us.
There had to be at least fifty people there, maybe more. Plenty of them were in the massive pool that sprawled behind the house, and the rest were dressed a little too nice to consider it. Groups were clustered around the edge of that pool. A few were in the grassy yard behind it. Then there was another open space past that on the overly green lawn, but it was almost empty. Thankfully, most of the guests were dressed about the same as me. Jeans and t-shirts were the most common, but plenty of men wore button-downs. The thing that made me uncomfortable was how everyone looked much too pretty to be natural.
"So," Ashley said, raising her voice to carry, "I'd like to introduce Elena Castillo, my new employee, and her daughter, Gabriella. They're dear friends of mine."
The sound of an older man's laugh made me glance over in time to see a very distinguished-looking gentleman heave himself up from one