Even from where she was sitting, Kira could hear the chatter of the Luz clan inside. Business had been properly conducted, the family plans were set in place for the year. All that was left was the best part—lunch.
But Kira didn’t really feel like eating right now, even if the bagnet kare-kare had looked tempting. Right now she needed time to herself, to process what had happened in that ballroom.
The sudden, but soft downpour of rain made it feel like there was a strange magic in the air, and made Kira want to stare out at the garden all the more. The ballroom was bordered by tropical plants, mostly birds of paradise, and capiz lanterns that lit up the space. There was a bamboo fence behind the plants, but it was the side of the property that faced a still-empty lot. Kira listened to the falling rain, listened to the music, and closed her eyes.
She’d done it. It had taken two sleepless nights, a lot of her and Sam Tomas talking and asking each other questions in circles, ordering alotof takeout until they finally remembered that Sari was much better at this stuff, and asked for her help. But they’d done it.
If Kira worked alongside Tomas Coffee Co. and paid the farmers’ family members seeking part-time employment to ferment and sort the beans for her, she would create a whole supply chain that actually reduced her costs, enough to meet her deadlines on the return on investment.
Enough to save Gemini, and for Kira to keep her place in the community that she loved being a part of. Giving her the chance to play with the Batangas cacao, finding out her flavors was just the fun part.
She had to admit, seeing her family’s slightly stunned faces at her presentation was delightful. Just about as delightful as Tito Nicos bringing up the Carlton’s letter of interest to buy the Laneways, and every Luz in attendance laughing like it was some cosmic joke. Her cousin Kuya Uno looked aghast, until his own father explained it to him.
“We would never sell the Laneways, Uno,” Tito Nicos explained. “It’s a safe space for anyone in our family who needs it. And someone will always need it.”
Kira laughed, and hot air blew out of her. The cool air of December and January had dissipated, and summer was creeping its long arm into the tropics. Thank you, global warming, but summers in Lipa always came in hot and angry, even when it was raining. Heat just settled under the skin like you were walking through a hot swamp. The night air was cooler, but it was still early evening, and the rocks on the ground seemed to be radiating heat, more so when the rain fell on them.
With summers came better things. New things.
“You have to promise that you’ll come back. When I’m old, like, thirty, and when I need you most. Like a knight in shining armor. With a horse and everything!”
The funny thing about princesses waiting for knights to save them was that eventually they would figure out a way to save themselves. The knight was simply the getaway vehicle. Or maybe the knight was the one that believed in them, so the princess believed in themselves.
Something like that.
Kira rested her elbow on the table next to her, and her chin on her palm. Who would have thought that making business presentations about supply chains to her family would be so exhausting? The vote to keep Gemini running had been unanimous, helped along by samples of the new chocolate.
Inside, she heard cheering and roars of happiness (because it wouldn’t be a family event if someone didn’t roar of happiness). Just as Kira was about to check it out, the door suddenly slid open, revealing Kuya Kiko glaring at her.
“Gah!” Kira exclaimed, practically falling off of the metal chair. “Kuya, what the hell!”
“What do you mean, what the hell, I wasn’t exactly being subtle when I said, ‘Kira, are you here, how the fuck does this door work?’” Kiko said, taking the second batibot chair and looking out at the view. He smelled a little like kare-kare and Kira’s stomach grumbled. Maybe the dramatic muni-muni was best doneafterlunch. “You missed the proposal. Apparently Kuya Uno wanted to move back to Lipa to be with his girlfriend. When the board officially voted for him to take over the Laneways, he proposed.”
“That’s...sweet?” Kira asked, unsure how romantic a board meeting proposal was. But maybe it was a thing for his cousin, to move back. It certainly had been for Santi.
“It was a little dramatic for me. Pero I guess the couple is happy?” Kiko shrugged. “Makes you think.”
Kira gasped and turned to her brother. “Kuya, if you want to go to the States to get married, I will support you one billion percent, I will officiate the wedding if I have to, I will bully anyone who says it’s not legal.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, Kiki, but Jake and I decided we wouldn’t think about marriage until it’s available here, and I don’t think it’s going to happen in our lifetime,” Kiko explained, a wistful little smile on his face. “I think it’s more than enough for now for us to stay together the way we are, to decide on these things together.”
“Were you guys always so wise that way?” Kira asked, sighing as she leaned against her chair. “Sana all.”
“Definitely not.” Kiko laughed with all the wisdom of a man in a two-year relationship. “Half our issues were because we kept waiting for the other to say something. It gets easier, but it’s always like pulling water from a stone.”
She hadn’t even realized that she was scowling until Kiko gave her leg a playful kick. “Hey, watch the skirts, bro!”
“Kasi naman, who wears long skirts to a board meeting!”
“I do! And so does the Duchess of Sussex, leave me alone. Lola Luz said I looked very professional, okay.”
“Kiki. You know it hurts my heart to see you brooding. It’s like hearing a sad puppy whimper,” Kiko laughed. “Is this about Santi?”
“Maybe.” Bless Kuya Kiko, who probably didn’t know what was going on, but had noticed Santi’s absence in the meeting.
“Whatever it is, just remember it’s a conversation. You have to find the happy that you both can live with.”
“You don’t let the other sacrifice themselves to freeze in the sea.” Kira nodded, because she’d pulled theTitaniccard from her movie oracle cards that morning. She’d thought it was a bad sign, but to be fair, it was one of the top earners in the world at some point. Kira explained as much to Kiko.
