The car trundled up the long driveway, gravel crackling lightly under the tires. Alex glanced over to Ariel, her arm slung out the window, her dark brown hair flowing over her shoulders. His hand had been on her knee for most of the drive, settled atop that stretch of smooth olive skin.
Their destination waited just ahead, the sprawling house surrounded by lush green.
"So," she spoke up, turning to smile at him, "what's the over-under on how many times Aunt Sylvia tries to set you up?"
He laughed.
"Do you even know what an over-under is?"
"No clue. I've just heard it a lot lately."
He laughed again, guiding the car around to the left, where a small paved area held other cars.
"Well, all I know is you wouldn't make any money on that bet."
He parked at the end of the line of cars, and squeezed her knee before slipping out into the humid air. She grabbed her canvas bag from the backseat and followed.
A path wound around behind the house.
Two men stood just beyond a short white fence, part of a pool and some lounge chairs visible behind them. The side door into the house waited to the right.
"Alex!" one of them greeted him. "And Ariel! Welcome, welcome! Hope the drive wasn't bad."
"Nothing we couldn't handle," he replied, accepting a hug.
"Uncle Ralph!" Ariel chirped brightly, going in for her own hug.
"Hey there, munchkin!"
"I'm Alex," Alex said to the second man, holding out a hand.
"Cliff, nice to meet you."
"Oh right," Ralph said. "This is Cliff, he's a new guy at work. Figured he should come by and get to know some people."
"New guy?" Cliff said with a grin. "It's been six months."
"Well, you're new to them."
"Go change," Alex told Ariel. "I know you're dying to get in that pool."
Ralph nodded and gestured for her to slip past them.
"Nice to meet you," Ariel added to Cliff on her way through.
"You too."
Ralph glanced at her for a second and then back at Alex.
"She looks more like Carmen everyday."
"You're telling me," Alex said drily.
"Who's Carmen?" Cliff asked.
"My wife," Alex answered.
Here it comes.
Cliff glanced past him, back in the direction he and Ariel had come.
"Is she coming too?"
Ralph winced slightly.
"She, uh, passed away years ago," he explained.
"When Ariel was a baby," Alex added.
"Oh shit, I'm so sorry."
"All good."
"That must've been so hard."
Yep.
"By the way," Ralph cut in.
Whew.
"You're single, right? Sylvia asked me but I wasn't sure."
"Yeah, I am. Not really looking though."
"Why not? You're a catch."
He shrugged.
"I have work and Ariel. That's all I need."
"Well, I get it, but Sylvia has a few people she thinks would be good for you. Fair warning."
Alex chuckled.
"Thanks."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ariel strolled back outside, air conditioning giving way to warmth. Her daddy was still chatting with Uncle Ralph and Cliff, his eyes flickering over to her. She smiled, and turned towards the pool, adding a quick sashay to her hips to tease him.
A few people were already at the party, some of them family members. She greeted each one on her way to the pool, accepting hugs and kisses and comments about how much she looked like her mom. Vanessa was lounging on a pool float, two friends swimming idly around her.
"Hey bitch!" she called over, holding up a beer can in a long-distance toast.
Ariel dove in, the embrace of the cool water wonderfully refreshing, and swam lazily towards her. Pool noodles were strewn around, so she grabbed a few, kicking her feet to get closer.
"Hey bitch," she shot back, smirking.
"Y'know, this is my party, so only I can call people bitch."
Ariel laughed.
"Congrats on the graduation."
"Thanks."
"I got you something but I can't give it to you right now."
Vanessa raised her sunglasses and arched an eyebrow.
Ariel pinched the tips of her pointer finger and thumb together and brought them to her lips.
"Really?" Vanessa asked, leaning forward in interest.
Ariel nodded.
"I know a guy on campus."
Vanessa nodded in approval.
"Lemme find out my little cuz has a plug."
More than one kind.
"I'll give you the goods later."
The friends came over, surfacing around Ariel.
"What's up?" Liz asked her.
"Y'know, surviving."
"Did she tell you only she can call people bitch yet?" Michelle asked, nodding towards Vanessa.
"Yeah, it's her party and all that."
Vanessa scoffed.
"Oh, when's Jordan getting here?" Liz asked her.
The scoff became a smirk.
"He should be here soon."
"I see you kept it modest with the swimsuit," Michelle said to Ariel. "Didn't want to dazzle him too much?"
"You can see some boob, but not too much," Vanessa commented. "It's perfect."
"Especially for a family thing," Ariel added. "I didn't want to scandalize Grandma."
Vanessa laughed.
"Thank you for that. She'd just end up making today about herself."
"God forbid anyone steals your spotlight," Liz joked.
"Damn right."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"I'm just saying, go out for dinner with her, see how you two get along."
Alex hesitated.
"I appreciate that you're trying to do right by me, but I'm not really looking for anything serious."
Sylvia shook her head.
"I'm not saying marry her. And she's not looking for anything serious either. She got out of a long engagement last year, so she'd be fine with something a little casual."
Alex glanced over at Ariel, chatting with the other girls.
More people had arrived over the past hour, some he knew to varying extents, others completely new faces. The pool was still mostly populated by Ariel, Vanessa, and her friends. He had eventually gone in, and Sylvia had strolled over soon after, taking a break from her self-imposed hostess duties to dip her feet in the pool.
"You don't even have to introduce her to Ariel," Sylvia continued, noticing the glance.
"Nah, I'm not worried about that. Not anymore, at least."
Sylvia nodded.
A new arrival came into the backyard, young and lean, a small white box tied with red string under his arm.
She noticed his glance again and looked over her shoulder.
"Jordan!"
He waved, ambling over, a slight relief on his face.
"Hey, Mrs. McKinney."
"Alex, this is Jordan. He's Cliff's son. Jordan, this is Alex, my brother-in-law. And his daughter is...ah, she's over there with Vanessa and her friends."
