“I got nervous,” I confess. “Once he said I would do it with Emiliano and Manuel, I kind of went into full panic mode.”
“I’m sorry that they make you so uncomfortable. I’m sure this is part of Papa’s test, to make sure you do this on your own, without us, and with the two who might call you into question. These sorts of things bond you together. If they’re implicated, so are you. I know it seems backward, but it works. You’ll see.”
“Okay, I trust you,” I sigh. “So, what is the package?”
Elian grins. “Diamonds.”
“No shit! You’re serious?”
“Yes, if you’d paid attention, you’d know this already.”
“Sorry, I know. This is just… I mean, it’s kind of cool. Like some James Bond type shit. So I’m going to have a case of diamonds and somehow smuggle it into the party? You’re sure that won’t look suspicious?”
“No, mama. You’re going to be wearing a very expensive necklace to the party, and at the appropriate time, you’re going to swap necklaces with another girl.”
“Well, that seems decidedly less clandestine. Why can’t we just hand them over? It feels like there’s a much simpler way to handle this.”
“This is neutral ground. My papa needs to pay someone for some valuable information, and he and this other man don’t want to be seen doing business. Particularly by the long arm of the law. So they’re exchanging the goods and funds in a more… creative way.”
My brain spins ahead and catches up. “I get it. He bought a ridiculously expensive necklace. I swap it for a cheap one with another girl. The girl hands the information to the cousins. Your dad and this other person aren’t ever connected.”
“Exactly. So you see? It’s very simple. It’s at a party hosted by my cousins, so it’s very safe for you. We’ll complete this test and then Emiliano will chill out, and we can go back to spoiling the pants off of you.” With that, he grasps my hand and lifts it to his lips.
“And when is this party?”
“Friday,” he chuckles. “Vincente will drop you off and pick you up. And don’t worry, we’ll play it cooler with your work this week. I certainly don’t want you to lose your job before you have time to build our warehouse.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that. AJ seemed a little… put out about the whole thing.”
“Yes, well, when that much money is involved, people get nervous. You don’t have to worry, you know that, right? But if you lose it, we’ll take care of you.”
“I know, but I’ve spent my whole life working toward getting this job. I would feel like an utter failure to lose it a week in.”
“And if it makes you happy to have this job, you know that we’ll support you, right? But you know that once… I should say, if things become more serious between all of us, eventually Kellerman will find out.”
Yeah, that’s the source of the sick feeling in my stomach.
“I know, but really what he said was that he doesn’t want to choose between me and your business. So I suppose, if we come to that point, it would be good for his business to keep me on?”
“Now you’re thinking like a boss, mama,” Elian nods approvingly as we pull onto my street and into my driveway. “Have fun babysitting tonight. I’ll text you later.”
We share a tender kiss, then I exit his shiny Beemer and walk up to my house. I’m nervous about the implications of everything that happened today, but strangely moony and a little excited, too. It really is like some sort of James Bond clandestine stuff, and what am I really doing besides going to a party and wearing an expensive necklace?
The night spent with Elian and afternoon spent with Sandro were both their own versions of dreamy, but I’m still not sure how I feel about the knowledge that Vincente apparently vetoed me at some point. Obviously, his feelings have changed now, but it makes me wonder why he was against it before?
Of course, my daydreamy mood comes crashing down around my ears as soon as I walk in the door.
Here I thought my mom would be happy that I’m home a good hour before she needs to leave for work. Instead, she’s glaring at me with a look I can only describe as ‘Spanish Inquisition.’
“I thought you were spending the day with your friends?” She’s not in uniform yet, still wearing her sweats with her frizzy strawberry blonde haphazardly piled on her head. Even so, the terror of her finding out what I’ve been up to and who I’ve been doing it with is real. I love my mom, but the woman is justscarywhen she wants to be.
“I did.” I know playing coy doesn’t work with her, but I’m trying to buy time to come up with a reasonable explanation. Clearly, she saw the car that dropped me off and realized it wasn’t any of my poor friends.
“None of the friends I know about drives a car like that.”Bingo.
“Well, I can make new friends.”
“New friends like who?” Her arms are crossed, and she’s got me in the crosshairs of the one raised eyebrow. I swear it’s so high it’s practically in her hairline.