“Mija, I have new equipment to do that,” Eliza said, waving her hand.“As I said, I'm fancy now.Come eat.I made your favoritechoripán, humita en chala and locro.You hungry?Come.Eat.Eat.”
Alita followed her mother and brother into the kitchen.At the table, she filled them in on The Cranberry’s wedding, visiting different colleges in the States, and the trip to the UK, and she presented small gifts to her brother and mother.Her father arrived smelling of rum, happy to see her, joining them at the table, and she passed him the gift she'd gotten in Kentucky, a nice bottle of Bourbon which he held like a small child.
Everything would be as it should be, and for the second time, Alita Mendoza cried, simply because she was happy.
****
MICAH DELGADO WASN'Thappy.He was pissed.Each day he seemed to get angrier and angrier, and by the time Alita arrived on Friday, he was nearly in a fighting mood.She entered the kitchens to find him sitting at the table, abusing a plate ofasada, seemingly angry at the beef, stabbing it with his fork.
“We have time to ride before the first guests begin to arrive,” Alita said.“I could use the fresh air.You game, Boss?”
“Sure, why not,” he said, rising slowly.
He followed her to the stable, grabbing his horse's lead and bringing the stallion out of the paddock.The gentle mare Alita normally rode wasn't being gentle today, leaving her to choose another mount.They rode for an hour, saying nothing, returning to the house and their quarters to dress for the first guests’ arrival, two of whom would be Raj van Dijk and his daughter Zoë.
Suriname was one of the countries she'd never visited, and Alita was interested in the Dutch colony.It was a silo, based on what Micah had said, and very few of the people spoke Spanish although the base language of the continent was Spanish outside of Brazil, which was Portuguese.She dressed quickly in the green silk, a long-sleeved lacy wrap dress which came mid-calf.She added simple earrings to her ears, and she wished she'd brought with her the string of pearls Ryanne had given her as a gift for her 18th birthday.
In the dressing area where she and Micah shared a space, she checked her hair and makeup in the mirror and attached her thigh holders for her knife and the small-caliber weapon.
“You won't need those tonight,” he said, asking her to remove the weapons.“You will need these, however.”
He presented her with a green square box, which she recognized fromLas Tierras.In it were emeralds.Her hands shook as she opened the box to see the stunning emerald necklace, bracelet, earrings, and a princess-cut ring.She gasped as she looked at the items handcrafted by the jeweler at Las Tierras.
“These are stunning,” she said.“I will take care to return these to the Lady of the Lands when we return toLas Tierras.”
“Alita, these are yours,” Micah said.“I had them crafted for your birthday, but they weren't ready, and so much was happening.Will you honor me by wearing these tonight?They are from my portion of the family mine.”
“Yes, I will,” she said, turning and lifting her hair for him to place the necklace on her.He then added the bracelet, and she placed the earrings.Alita went to place the ring on her right hand, but he slapped her fingers, placing the ring on her left.
“Boss?”
“Hush up, we're going to be late to this meat parade,” Micah said, sighing deeply.
She reached for his hands, taking them into her own.“You say the word, I move.I have your back.”
“You had my front too, and we haven't discussed that at all,” Micah said.
“Nothing to discuss.You needed it, and so did I,” Alita said.“We learned a couple of things about each other, and we moved forward.Let's get through the night and meet your potential matches.”
“I want to go home,” Micah said.“All I want is to go home to my lab and my beautiful horse Molecule, who actually likes me, versus that cranky ass stallion Isotope that attempts to bite me every chance he gets.I don't like that fucker.”
Isotope, an Argentine Criollo stallion, didn’t move like Molecule—less precision, more instinct—but he covered ground like he was built for it.Like nothing in the world could outlast him.However, the horse was mean and it unnerved him at times sitting astride the animal.
“Perhaps Isotope can sense your hostility,” she told him.“Let's recenter before you meet your matches so they can't feel your resentment as well, Boss.Fortitude is required.”
She said it once.She said it twice.At the base of the grand staircase, she repeated herself, and it didn't mean a damned thing to Micah.He was knee deep in his emotions and before the receiving line was over, he was already sniping at people.Alita even apologized to Zoë van Dijk even though she was uncertain if the girl understood a word she said.
Zoë made a beeline for Micah once the receiving line ended and held a glass of champagne in her hand.She offered him a bold smile, attempting to start a conversation with him.The broken English she spoke irritated him to start.
“Señorita van Dijk, do you speak any Spanish?”he asked.
“No, my English.I work on.Each day I work on my English,” she told him.
“Your native language is Dutch?”
“No, in Sranan Tongo, we speak Dutch in formal settings,” she said, batting her lashes at him.
“Is something in your eye?”he asked, trying to determine if she was looking at him or the wall.
