“You’re good at that,” Harriett noted.
“I’m not fancy like Claude,” Leonard said. “I worked my way through college as a waiter.”
“Leonard is the personification of the American dream.” Claude gave him a playful pat on the ass. “Janitor’s kid goes to Harvard on a scholarship and works his way up to the top.”
“Impressive. What was the secret to your success?” Harriett asked.
“A penis,” Leonard deadpanned, and Claude burst out laughing.
“That, and an almost supernatural ability to sense what others are after,” Claude added. “Leonard can peer into people’s hearts and minds.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed,” Harriett said. “You two seem to have honed in on my friend Jo’s deepest desires.”
Claude blanched. “I was horrified by what happened to Lucy. I wanted to do something to help.”
“Lucy will be fine,” Harriett assured her. “I’ll see to that. But the self-defense program is just what Jo needed.”
“That butt-kicking academy is stroke of genius.” Leonard beamed with pride.
“Jo deserves all the credit,” Claude said. “It was her idea. The next time a man like Spencer Harding goes after a girl, he may be in for a surprise.”
“Instead of training every girl in the country, why not just get rid of the handful of men like Spencer Harding?” Harriett suggested.
“Why not do both?” Claude asked.
“She’s so ambitious,” Leonard joked. “Speaking of ambition, didn’t you have a successful career in advertising before you left it all for the world of plants?”
“It could have been a success,” Harriett said. “But it turned out I was missing something very important.”
“Which was?” Leonard asked.
“A penis,” Harriett said, and they all laughed loudly.
“Well, we’re certainly glad you’ve turned to horticulture,” Claude said. “If you can get rid of the weeds on the Pointe, you can name your price. Leonard will ensure Jackson pays it.”
Harriett took a toke on her joint. She hadn’t touched any of the food. She plucked a pomegranate aril from her fruit salad and squeezed it until its red juice stained her fingertips. “Money matters very little to me. I charge what I believe is fair—no more and no less,” she said. “I suppose that’s why I’ll never be rich enough for a house on the Pointe.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Leonard said. “I never expected to be wealthy, either. I just happened to stumble into a lucrative field.”
“You’re in finance, are you not? Hard field to stumble into.”
“I retired from finance ten years ago,” he reminded her. “Now I’m just an ordinary retiree.”
“An ordinary retiree with the clout to make a man like Jackson Dunn shake in his boots.”
Leonard laughed. “He’s worried I won’t renew his lease. After what happened with Harding, I’ve been cracking down. This is a family community. I don’t want any more trouble.”
Harriett turned her eyes to a flock of seagulls pecking the sand. As she took another toke, three of them lifted off and flew directly toward a pair of French doors that Leonard had left open. The sound of glass breaking soon followed.