between us.
“I didn’t say anything about the fence. I just went by to say a quick hello,” he defended. “We do need to foster a civil acquaintanceship with them.”
“Well, goodness...we can do that at parties and social events. At least when everyone can actually see our efforts and it does us some good. I don’t see how a private house call helps us any at all. Need I remind all of you that Lucia Chavez and her sister are both unfit matches. I don’t care how much money they have. They come from nothing and always will be nothing, in my book. I expect all of you to stay away from them beyond what is required of us socially!”
“The fence should help with that,” Jorge mumbled sarcastically.
“What fence!?” Mother’s voice was growing shrill with frustration now.
“Just a little fence Lucia is building between our properties to provoke us,” I explained finally. “It’s nothing to worry about. I’ve already told these two...I’ll take care of it.”
I darkened my eyes at Dario and could see Jorge doing the same. He had been in high spirits lately, but now he had a particular glow to his cheek and a spark to him that was driving me nuts. I didn’t dare call him out in front of my mom, but I had a feeling there was more to his little visit with Lucia than what he was letting on to.
Nothing bothered me more than when my cousins blatantly disobeyed me. First off, I was the oldest. Second, this was my house that they just came barging into when we were little. If I was going to have to share my parents and everything else with them, the least they could do was respect my superiority. Which had been the way things went mostly. Mother even seemed to approve of the pecking order, especially after my father died. I was the man of the house.
But now everything seemed to be crumbling. Jorge and Dario were becoming more untrusting of me, and bolder in their ways of showing it. My least favorite servant had become our proclaimed equal and was living right next door. And was also, apparently, the object of my desire now...whether I liked it or not.
I had grown accustomed to being powerful and in control. I was respected and even a little feared, especially around my cousins. Now the gardeners were finding tricky ways to avert my little tests and pranks, which meant the rest of the staff would soon be doing the same. Lucia’s sudden climb to the top likely rattled enough disease among them already. It wasn’t enough that there were tensions in my family, but now I could foresee my employees turning on me as well. What if I was next in line for a heart attack just like what took out my dear old dad?
“What’s on your mind, Leonardo?” Mother prodded with a dab of her napkin to her lips. “You seem awfully sullen tonight...and in general, lately.”
“Nothing,” I protested, knowing I could share any of my thoughts with her.
She would tell me to stop pouting and to go fix whatever it was like a man. Unfortunately, that’s what I thought I was doing yesterday when I stormed the construction site. But other manly tendencies took over and now things were worse than they were before.
10
Lucia
I marveled at the sight of my mom as she stared out the window of our hacienda. Our new financial status and our new home really had done wonders for her health. Jada had taken on the role as her main caregiver now that Elaina was off living her new life with the Perez brothers. And both seemed accepting of my role in overseeing the construction of the fence. Maybe they suspected my vengeance against the cousins wasn’t nearly finished, but regardless they gave me space to tend to my own matters.
But an air of worry washed over Mama as she joined us at the table for the decadent lunch Jada had prepared. I reached over and squeezed her hand with a comforting smile.
“There’s no need for looks like that anymore. Our days of struggling are behind us.”
“For Elaina, maybe,” she fretted. “But you know it takes more than some land and money to secure our place in this new world. As long as you and Jada are single and living off of our inheritance, we’ll never be equal.”
Jada’s eyes glinted at me with fear. We both knew it was true, no matter how