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“I don’t plan on staying out. I just, ah, passed out. I don’t think I’ll be out again. Do you think I need to worry?”

“Well, me and mine,” she said, waving back toward her little girls, who got distracted by one of Lainey’s cute stuffed animals, “we’ve been living here, shoot, it’s coming on a year now. Caught me a looky-loo outside my windows once. Though, to be fair, I hadn’t closed the blinds and was spread eagle on the bed in my underwear. Mywash dayunderwear,” she added with a grimace.

I couldn’t help but smile at her animated nature, despite my concerns about my tossed room.

“And there was once a knock-down, drag-out domestic incident,” she added. “And by knock-down, drag-out, I mean she whacked him on the head with a whiskey bottle and dragged him outta the room by his rat tail while screaming at him about spending all their money at the titty bar. Again.”

“Oh, geez.”

“And someone once took my favorite sunglasses I’d accidentally left at the pool. But, no. I haven’t seen anyone get robbed. Hey, Tasha,” she called down to the pool where a woman was dipping a toe in the water, her bright orange bathing suit contrasting her flawless dark skin. In the shallow end of the pool, a boy who looked about eight or so was riding a pool noodle like a horse.

“Yeah?” Tasha asked, shielding her eyes as she looked up.

“You see anyone shady outside Zoe’s room last night? She got robbed.”

“I had a kid’s birthday party yesterday. We were wiped after. Passed out early. You know how it is.”

“Heck yeah, I do.” Brooke looked tired at just the idea of a children’s birthday party. Somethingnotto look forward to, it seemed.

“Did they get anything?”

“No, but Zoe’s worried about crime around here.”

“Only crime I’ve seen is the increase in room prices earlier this year,” Tasha called back.

“I know that’s right. Had to cut out our Sunday Sundaes at The Dip and start making ‘em at home,” Brooke called back.

“I’ll keep an eye out, though,” Tasha called up. “You need anything? We take care of one another around here.”

“They didn’t take nothing. Just made a big mess. We’ll be down in a few,” she called, waving at Tasha, then moving away from the railing. “That’s Tasha. She moved in three months back after catching her husband with some office w-h-o-r-e. Know I’m not supposed to use that word. But she knew he was married with a little boy, so I call a spade a spade.”

“Are there a lot of single moms here?”

“Just the three of us right now. Had Ava here until a few weeks back. She finally got her deadbeat ex to pay some child support, so between that and her checker-girl salary, shemanaged to get a nice little place. Don’t think any of us plan to be here forever.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “It’s not ideal.”

“Definitely not. But it’s cheap. It’s got a pool. And right now, my writing gig is just keeping us afloat. And Lord knows, I can’t afford child care when school is out, so we do what we can. My own deadbeat,” she said, pitching her voice lower, “is living with his mama and not working so he doesn’t have to pay us anything.”

“Wow,” I said, shaking my head.

“I know. She was a real monster-in-law when we was together, too. That boy of hers never did no wrong. Not even when he brought the neighbor intoourbed. Apparently, it was my fault for not hiding his gerken in my coin purse two weeks after popping this one out,” she said, jiggling her son.

“Sure you got your own horror story. And Tasha and I would love to hear it when you’re ready to tell it. Now that school is out, we are down at the pool each morning by ten. Hang there most of the day. Tire these little devils right out. I still have the little infant float with the visor and a life vest that should fit your sweet one. Come hang with us when you’re not busy. We gotta stick together, y’know?”

“Yeah,” I agreed, giving her a genuine smile. “Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

“Nothing to appreciate. We take care of our own. Come on, girls,” she called.

“Thank you so much, girls,” I said to them, getting matching twin smiles back.

“This is Scout and Soleil,” she said, petting her hand down the braid on one of their heads. “We keep this braid in to keep them straight,” she said, shooting me a wince.

I mean, not that I could blame her. The girls were identical down to the little clefts in their chins.

“And this is Joshua,” she added.

“This is Lainey.”