Page 49 of Espíritu

“Why don’t you stay for breakfast?” Lita asked, wiping her hands on her apron. “Or dinner? We always have plenty of food!” Both Enrique and Yadriel looked alarmed, probably for the same reason, but Julian had noticed that sometimes Lita would just override a situation and no one ever stopped her.

Probably out of fear and respect. Maybe heavy on the fear.

“Thanks, but I’ve got another one back home to drop off at work before I start my day,” Rio declined.

“Another one?” Lita balked, her hand pressing to her chest. “How many do you have?”

Rio’s grin was tired. “Depends on the day.”

Lita threw her hands in the air. “Aye yi yi!” She disappeared back into the kitchen.

“Hey, everyone!” Maritza’s voice cut through the tension as she waltzed through the front door, oblivious to the number-swapping fiasco. Her dark eyes lifted as she saw the packed room. “Wow! Full house this morning, huh?” she asked with a laugh that quickly died out when she saw the looks on Julian’s and Yadriel’s faces.

In a blink, Lita was back, a huge tinfoil catering tray in her hands. “Here you go!” she said, pushing it into Rio’s hands unceremoniously. His arms shifted under its weight. “Beans, rice, tortillas I made from scratch”—she batted her eyes up at Rio—“steak, and chicken!”

Julian expected Rio to put up a fuss—he didn’t like handouts—but not even he could turn down the alluring smell of Lita’s cooking.

“That’s really nice of you—” Rio started to say.

“Oh, it’s nothing! Just slaving away over the stove since sunrise,” she replied in that way grandmas could humble themselves while expertly fishing for compliments. Lita slid a warm hand around Rio’s bicep and gave it an approving squeeze, lingering like she’d just discovered her new favorite telenovela lead. “You come see me whenever you’d like. I’ll keep you fed!”

“Uh, are we ready to go?” Maritza murmured out of the corner of her mouth to Julian and Yadriel while Lita continued to fawn over Rio.

“More than ready,” Julian said, grabbing Yadriel’s hand and pulling him toward the door. He and Maritza exchanged fist bumps before he shot a glare at Rio. “We’re leaving now!”

“Have a good day!” Lita called after them, waving cheerily as she hung on Rio’s arm.

“Yo, should we be leaving Rio alone with them?” Maritza asked, glancing back at the house as Julian made a beeline down the path that led into the cemetery.

“You mean ‘her’?” Yadriel corrected. He ran a hand over his face as if he were trying to scrub the past five minutes from his memory.

“He’ll be fine!” Julian grumbled. “That’s what he gets for being an asshole,” he said, scanning the shadows between gravestones. “Come on—let’s move.”

As they walked through the cemetery, old trees cast long shadows across the path. The morning mist clung to the weathered stones and wrought iron gates like a shroud. Despite the festive decorations dotting some of the graves, an undeniable chill seeped into Julian’s bones.

Julian marched ahead, each step crunching over gravel and dried leaves as he quickened his pace.

“Grumpy?” Yadriel nudged Julian’s arm, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“He’s always grumpy,” Maritza teased, bumping her hip into Julian’s.

“I mean, grumpier.”

“I’m not grumpy!” Julian barked, his mood as sour as the milk he’d almost poured into his cereal. “I’m annoyed! It’s totally different!”

That and he had something very important to tell them. Several somethings, in fact, none of which he wanted Rio, Enrique, or Lita to overhear.

“That was super convincing,” Maritza said flatly. She pulled a stained Tupperware from her bag and popped it open. Bright-red Haitian spaghetti steamed into the cold morning air, the vegan sausage and peppers smelling amazing as she dug in for a huge bite.

“You’re annoyed about Rio?” Yadriel asked. “It really wasn’t that bad,” he tried to rationalize. “It’s totally reasonable that Rio would want my dad’s contact info. Honestly, it’d be more weird if he didn’t, considering we’re dating and spend so much time together.”

Julian grunted. He continued forward on his mission, glancing over his shoulder as they walked, eyes darting from mausoleums to dark corners.

“I agree with Yads,” Maritza said. “This time I do think he was doing the right thing and not being a dick.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “Or, not only being a dick.”

“I guess,” Julian replied disdainfully.

Somehow, it was worse that Yadriel and Maritza were on Rio’s side when Julian was pissed off at him. He kicked a loose pebble, sending it skittering across the cemetery path.