— LISA

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It's hot as hell out here. I'm used to working under the sun, but today I could fry an egg on the fucking concrete. We started work on the Kim project four days ago. Between me and the other workers, it's been successful. The foundation of the guesthouse is almost done, and I suspect by Monday we can begin the framing. With ten-hour shifts, our team has been known to beat its deadline.

"Lunch time," Mingyu calls out. I drop the hammer in my hand and hear the loud thump it makes as it hits the ground.

I'm starving.

Mrs. Kim insisted we use her patio instead of having us hanging around on the back of our trucks to eat our lunches. Either way, I don't care where I eat. I'm a big girl and food is a necessity to keep me going.

When I approach one of the tables, I see that Jimin, Suga, and RM are already seated and digging into their sandwiches. An arm loops around my shoulder, and I tilt my head to look at Mingyu.

A wide grin spreads across his face. "My aunt makes the best sandwiches around." He winks. His remark about my mother makes me laugh. It's true. They're simple lunchmeat sandwiches on fresh Amoroso's rolls, but something about them just tastes like fucking heaven on earth. My mother makes a point to prepare all of the lunches for Manoban Construction employees.

"Yep," I agree. We take a seat at the table with the others.

Suga lifts his head and looks around, searching for something. "Where the hell is JK?" he asks.

I give a one-shoulder shrug. "No damn clue, but he can eat on his own time," I say, digging into the bag and searching for my sandwich.

"Damn," JK utters as he exits the sliding doors from inside. "No love whatsoever. It's cool, Lisa. I see how it is. I was just using the bathroom."

I laugh once. "You know how I get when I'm hungry. I'm not waiting for no one." It's true. I turn into the fucking devil himself when I don't eat. I open the foil of my sandwich, ignoring everyone around me, and bite into the deliciousness my mother prepared. JK finally joins us at the table. Uncle George had to leave early today for another doctor's appointment. Before leaving, he gave each man his assignment and put his son in charge.

JK clears his throat. "Yo, I have to tell you about this chick I met up with last night."

"The blonde from Wasted?" Suga asks.

While chewing my lunch, I sit back and watch the conversation unfold. "Nah." JK shakes his head. "Another chick." He waves his hand. "So there we are in my bed. Her wrists are tied to my bedpost. Her tits are bouncing as I'm banging her. I'm whispering sweet nothings in Spanish, and—"

"Spanish?" I ask.

JK turns his head my way, his face clearly annoyed by my interruption. "Yeah. She wanted me to talk Spanish to her while we banged."

"But you don't speak Spanish," I remind him. He's probably the only Puerto Rican I've met who doesn't speak a lick of it.

JK flashes a mischievous grin. "She doesn't know that."

I lean over the table, laughing at him. "So you basically chanted a made-up language and passed it off as Spanish?" He nods, and his smile grows wider. "And she bought it?" I ask. JK nods again. The rest of the guys burst into a hard laugh. "I bow down to you, master." I stand up, raise both arms, and bow.

"All right, can I finish my damn story now?"

The patio door slides open and closed. All six of us turn to see who it is. Both Jennie and her blonde friend—whose name I think is Rosé—step out in their bikinis, each with a towel in hand. Jennie glances over, hesitant to move forward. She starts to turn back around, but her friend tugs at her arm just in time. My eyes flick over her face; it's a weird instant reaction for me. There are two hot girls practically naked before me, but I glance at her face? She ducks her head low, nervously pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

When I last saw Jennie on Monday in the shed, it was clear that something was bothering her. The moistness on her cheeks and the red rim around her eyes clearly showed she'd been crying. I know I shouldn't have allowed it to bother me as much as it did. Women cry all the damn time, but Jennie seemed to be lost deep in thought. I've seen that sad, empty look a dozen times before in my mother's eyes—when she cries, when she thinks back on my father, and when she thinks about Jackson's death.

"Ladies," JK greets with a nod.

Rosé smiles brightly and walks over to our table, dragging Jennie the entire way. "Hey, guys. What are you all up to?"

JK leans in and whispers to us, "Watch and learn, guys. Watch and learn." He turns, giving Rosé his winning smile, and begins spouting off stuff in some made-up language in an attempt to sound sexy.

Rosé smiles, pleased. "What does that mean?" she asks.

JK looks at her with smoldering eyes. It takes every bit of me to not burst out laughing. "It means, 'I was thinking maybe you and I could be up to something.'" I was doing well biting back my laugh, but the moment my gaze shifts over to Jennie and I see her pressed brows and the look of disgust aimed right at JK, I lose it. I burst into the hardest laugh I've ever had, which starts everyone else up. Laughter erupts around the table. Everyone but JK is howling, but he just glares at us. That makes us laugh even harder.

"That's not what you said," Jennie pipes up.

JK drags his glare her way. "Oh yeah? Then what did I say?"

"I have no clue," she replies. I snort louder. Her eyes meet mine, and for a second I think her lips are about to twitch into a slight smile. But just as quickly, they fall back into the thin line she's famous for.

"If you don't speak Spanish, it may sound like gibberish to you. So, yeah, that's exactly what I said." JK states matter-of-factly.

Rosé snakes her arm around Jennie's shoulder, pulling her in closer. "But Jennie's fluent in Spanish."

Oh my God, this might be the best day of my life. I'm crying from laughing so hard. "Busted!" I cough out, pointing at JK, who's completely dumbfounded at this point.

Jennie nods. "Esto es cierto." I'm not sure what she just said, but it's priceless. It's the cherry on top of this entire conversation.

Staggered and a bit played, JK smacks his lips aside in a cocky way. He then changes the subject. "Anyway, you ladies still coming to the lake house party this weekend?"

Now this brings me to full alert. I wasn't aware JK invited them. I don't care, but we typically keep the invites to a minimum, only inviting people we know and trust to our yearly summer bashes.

Originally, it was a family vacation getaway in the Poconos. My uncle built the home himself. I spent most every summer of my childhood at the small cottage by the lake. Jackson, Mingyu, and I looked forward to it every year. But as we grew older and my uncle's business expanded, our little family vacations slowly vanished. It wasn't until Mingyu's twenty-first birthday, when he convinced his father to give him the keys to the lake house for a small get-together with friends, that our new summer tradition began. Let's just say that the "small" get-together was a major success, one we repeated most weekends that summer. Ever since, we've been throwing parties there on the weekends every summer, starting with Mingyu's birthday bash.

"I'm trying to convince this one to go." Rosé points her thumb at Jennie. "She's not so keen on spending a weekend with you guys." I look over at Jennie, whose wide eyes have zoomed in on Rosé.

JK gets up from his chair and makes his way over to the girls, nestling between Jennie and Rosé. He wraps his arms around the both of them. "I promise we won't bite, ladies. We'll be perfect gentlemen, unless you want us to have a taste. That'd be awesome too." He says, looking at Jennie.

She shoves out of his hold. "No, thank you." I can see her repulsion at the idea when she glances over at me one last time before marching to the opposite side of the pool. I watch as she tosses her towel on the ground and belly flops onto one of the lounge chairs.

"What's up with your friend?" JK asks. "She's so uptight."

I'm still focused on Jennie when I hear Rosé say, "No, she's just going through a rough time."

"Is she always like this?" I ask. I met Jennie less than a week ago, and I've already seen so many sides to her.

"Like what, exactly?" Rosé asks.

My eyes meet hers. She's staring at me inquisitively, making me feel a bit uneasy for having been caught staring at her friend. I'm not sure why; I never feel uncomfortable or even a tad bit embarrassed—especially not in front of women. "Up and down. Like you're not sure what to expect when you're around her."

Rosé crosses her arms over her chest and drops her hip as she sizes me up. "Yes. She's always like that."

"Pfft. Cray-cray," Suga interjects.

Rosé jerks her head around and glares at him. She chucks JK's arm off her shoulder and bends over Suga. Her small frame looms over him, creating a shadow across his surprised face. One small hand goes to his shoulder, the other rests on the edge of the table. "The next time you call my friend crazy, I'll show you just how crazy I can get. And never, ever say that to her. Do you understand me?" Damn. For a tiny thing, she can be deadly. Suga nods. "Good," she finishes. Then she stands and strolls off to join Jennie.

Mingyu lets out a long, low whistle. "That was intense. What the hell was that about?"

"I have no idea," I respond.

The rest of the lunch hour we all poke fun at each other. JK finishes the story he tried to tell when we first sat down, and a few of the other guys tell stories of their own. All the while, I sneak glances at the girls from across the pool. My eyes may be playing tricks on me, but I think Jennie's been sneaking a few glances over here as well.

"Hey. Maybe we should make amends?" Mingyu nods toward the other side of the pool. "The last thing we want is my father finding out that JK's sexually harassing our clients."

"Yeah. You're right. Let's get it over with so we can focus on finishing today's goals."

The rest of the guys head back to work as Mingyu and I make our way over to the girls.

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