Olly
“Maya.” I turned my head to the side. Confused on why she was at my parents’ house. “Everything okay?” I was the only one who heard the doorbell ring.
Normally, when I came face-to-face with Maya, I felt immediately frustrated.
Not today, though.
“Is Lola here?” She let out a heavy sigh. “I tried to call, but she didn’t answer. Then, I stopped by her house, but she wasn’t home.” She seemed genuinely upset. Her hands were fidgety, and she kept moving her feet back and forth.
“Um, yeah, let me get her.” I closed the door behind her and went to the kitchen to grab my sister. “Hey.” I tapped my index finger on Lola’s shoulder. “You have a visitor.”
She spun around to face me. “What? Here?” She scowled.
“It’s Maya.” At the mention of her name, her mood visibly changed. “Wait.” I wrapped my hand around her bicep. “She looks upset.”
“Oh…” Her face softened. Instead of annoyance, I could see concern etched all over my sister’s face. “Can you help Ryan? He’s attempting to deep-fry the tortilla strips.”
“On it.” I nodded and stepped closer to the stove.
Ryan was holding several paper towels and was bent down cleaning up something on the floor.
I guess Lola was right; Ryan was attempting to deep-fry the tortilla strips.
“Need a hand?” I glanced at the Dutch oven to see if I needed to pull anything out of the pot.
He threw the paper towels away and turned to face me. “That’s a loaded question.”
“Homemade tortilla strips don’t usually take very long to cook.” I reached for the spider strainer and pulled several overly cooked tortilla strips out of the hot, bubbling oil.
“That might be my problem.” Ryan laughed and rubbed his hands together. “How long should they cook?”
“It depends.” I placed a new batch of tortilla strips into the hot oil. “If the oil is at the proper temperature, sometimes less than a minute.”
“Under a minute. Really?.” He shook his head. “That explains why they all look burnt.”
I pulled the new batch of golden brown tortilla strips out of the hot oil and let them rest on a plate lined with paper towels. “Wait, are we having Chilaquiles?”
“Yup.” Jules stepped up beside me and wrapped her arm around my waist. “Ryan requested the dish.”
“Well, not technically,” Ryan said, and then paused for a beat. “If you want to make something else, it’s okay.” He seemed uncomfortable.
“Have you ever had Chilaquiles?” I carefully placed another batch of tortilla strips into the bubbling oil.
“I’ve never even heard of it.” Ryan shrugged.
“Oh, well, then, you’re in for a treat.” I smiled and pulled the strips out of the oil. “Mom, do you have salsa verde already prepared?”
“Made some this morning after I talked to Lola.” She beamed. “It’s in the fridge.”
I grabbed Jules’ hand and tugged her over to the fridge with me. “I should probably warn you about something.”
“Uh oh, is it about our brunch option?” She glanced over at the stove. “I’ve never had Chilaquiles either.”
“Oh, no, you’re going to love that. Trust me.” I squeezed her hand.
Someone cleared their throat from behind me. Jules’ face fell. “I think I might know what that something is.” She nodded her head toward the doorway to the kitchen.
“Maya’s here,” I whispered.
Memories of Jules’ first meeting with Maya popped into my mind.
Maya had a crush on me since high school. When she discovered I was seeing someone, she had fun being her usual bitchy self, making rude comments after rude comments to Jules. My mom had intervened on that specific occasion.
Normally, I would be planning an exit strategy to avoid any interaction with her. Today was different. There was something about her demeanor that felt off.
She didn’t even react when she noticed I was the one who answered the door.
She was focused and determined to talk to Lola.
“Is she okay?” Jules whispered.
“That’s a good question.” We glanced at each other and back at Maya. “She looks like she’s seen a ghost.”
“Mom,” Lola appeared in the doorway. “Maya needs a place to hang out for a bit. Is that okay?”
The room went silent. Everyone but Ryan could feel the tension in the air.
We all stopped what we were doing, curious how my mom would approach the situation.
The last time Maya was in our house, my mom let her know her actions were unacceptable.
“Maya.” My mom stood and turned to face her. She had this serious look on her face until she saw Maya. “Are you okay, dear?” She grabbed her hands and glanced over at Lola. “Get her some water, sweetie.”
Jules and I looked at each other. We both had expressions that said, what the hell is going on?
AUTHOR NOTE:
I love when the whole family is together. This time, it was less about the chaos and more about the mystery surrounding Maya. Spoiler alert: Maya and a special man will be our new couple in the Taking Chances serial. I’m trying to figure out why Maya is upset. We can make this mystery something ridiculous. Like, she’s being dramatic over the guy she just met, which will create a whole new dynamic in the house. OR, we can go intense, and something happened to the guy she’s been talking to, and she needs her best friend right now. Second Spoiler Alert: This new couple will be more of a slow burn, especially since Maya has not always been the kindest person.