CHAPTER 20
Early the next morning, the house was already alive with activity. Decorations were going up everywhere—Jordan's birthday was the next day, and Violet had clearly taken full control.
From upstairs, I could hear her voice cutting through the house.
"Pick that up! No white flowers!" she kept shouting.
I brushed my teeth and headed to Jordan's room.
Empty.
Of course.
I went downstairs and found him with the ladies. He lit up the moment he saw me.
"Good morning, Mom!"
"Morning, Jordan," I replied, my eyes already scanning the room.
I was looking for one person.
Lupita.
There she was—in the corner, tying balloons.
Perfect.
I made my way through the ladies and the event planners Violet had hired, slipping in beside her.
"You owe me some gossip," I whispered.
Her face immediately broke into a wide smile. She was just about to speak when her phone rang. She signaled for a second and picked up.
The second she heard the voice on the other end, her whole energy changed. She tried to step away, but I grabbed her wrist.
"You're staying right here."
She let out a small, nervous laugh.
"Yes… just cooking something," she said into the phone. "Of course it's hectic. Really? Sure, anytime… bye."
She hung up.
"What time did you come back yesterday?" I asked instantly.
She didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed my hand and pulled me upstairs to her room. She locked the door behind us.
I sat on the couch.
She stayed standing.
Smiling.
I gave her a look.
"Don't drag it. Talk."
"It was good," she said dreamily.
"What was good?"
"The date… the kiss—"
"The kiss?" I cut in, leaning forward.
"Relax, let me finish," she said, laughing. "We kissed and… Brandi, that man can hold eye contact. It was intense. Like… uncomfortably intense."
She looked happy.
Really happy.
And for once, I didn't ruin it.
"Lupita," I said, more seriously now. "Have you ever been with a man?"
She paused.
"No… this is my first time."
She covered her mouth immediately after saying it, like she surprised herself.
"So you're basically a virgin?" I pressed.
"No!" she shot back quickly. "I've been with women before."
"What kind of sex?" I said bluntly. "Look, I'm talking about men. Have you ever experienced that?"
She went quiet.
I softened my tone a bit.
"Lupita… being with a man is different. It can be good, it can be bad. It can be everything at once—pain, joy, laughter, tears… even betrayal. Sometimes it's love. Sometimes it's not. You just have to be ready for all of it."
She placed her hand on my thigh and smiled.
"Thank you, Brandi. I'm willing to take that risk. I mean… I'm thirty-five. I've never been with a man before."
We both laughed.
It was a little crazy when you thought about it.
We headed back downstairs.
I was wrapping Jordan's gift when Indira walked in, arms full of shopping bags. She dropped them and collapsed onto the couch.
"Kora called," she said. "She'll be home tomorrow… with Felipe."
"Finally," I muttered.
"What did you get Jordan?" she asked, eyeing the gift.
"You'll see tomorrow."
She didn't respond.
Something was off.
"What's wrong?" I asked, tying the ribbon and setting the gift aside.
She stretched her legs onto the table—dusty shoes and all—then noticed my look and quickly pulled them off.
"It's the map," she said quietly.
"The map?"
"The diamond map… the one that got my whole family killed."
I paused.
"What about it?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "I just feel like it's going to bring trouble again. Last night… I felt like someone was watching me. Like… someone's keeping an eye on us."
I frowned.
"Maybe we should just burn it."
She shook her head immediately.
"And if people come looking for it? Then what? We die for nothing?" she said, her voice tightening.
I didn't have an answer for that.
Before I could say anything else, Jordan walked in.
"Aunt Indira, I'm hungry."
Indira raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you telling your mother?"
He glanced at me… then looked right back at her.
"She doesn't know how to cook what I want."
I scoffed.
"Oh really? What do you want?"
"My favorite dessert," he said proudly. "You make it best."
Indira smiled.
"Custard with basil seeds and edible rose petals—coming right up."
She pinched his cheek lightly.
"I'll be upstairs," he said, already heading off.
I followed Indira into the kitchen, watching closely as she worked.
She blended strawberries, mixed the juice into the custard, stirred it smoothly until it thickened just right—no lumps. Then she added basil seeds and rose petals on top.
I watched carefully.
There was no difference from how I made mine.
Jordan was just dramatic.
She took it upstairs to him.
A while later, the cake arrived.
Violet had outdone herself.
A large blue cake, decorated with perfectly placed strawberries.
Everything looked perfect.
Everything felt perfect.
Until… something shifted.