Christian didn't look the least bit concerned.
"What's there to worry about? This is my brother's place. Sooner or later, it's mine too."
He pulled open the walk-in closet door.
"See? All of this is my sister-in-law's. Want to try something on?"
Bess didn't say anything, but her eyes drifted from dress to dress, lingering on each one.
A little past seven that evening, the whole family sat in the living room eating dinner.
Jim picked up a piece of fish, grease shining on his lips as he chewed. "Once Patsy marries in, your mother and I will give up the old apartment and move in here."
"This house is big enough for all of us."
Christian talked through a mouthful of food, the words half-garbled. "Then I'll take the room next to the master bedroom. The one with the balcony. Good natural light."
"Fine." Jim didn't even think about it. "That one's yours and Bess's."
Gabriel kept his head down and ate. He didn't agree. He didn't disagree.
Jim went on. "Your mother and I will take the room downstairs. Easier on the knees, no stairs."
"And if your grandparents come to visit, they can have the guest room across the hall."
"What about the study?" Christian asked.
"The study's for your brother. He needs it for work."
Christian pursed his lips.
"And what about my sister-in-law? Where does her stuff go?"
Eliana set down her chopsticks and answered at her own leisurely pace. "Once she marries in, she's a Chavez. What does it matter where her things go? Don't worry about that."
Christian let out a low laugh, then brought up the cars.
"Hey, bro, I drove your BMW. The pickup's weak. Your girl's Mercedes is way better. Smooth acceleration."
Gabriel finally spoke.
"That's her car."
Christian grinned. "Hers, yours, same thing. Once you two tie the knot, what's the difference? I think the Mercedes suits me perfectly. My Jetta's been on its last legs for a while now."
"Besides, she's still got a Porsche. She's not gonna say anything."
Eliana jumped right in. "Exactly. We're family. No need to keep score."
"Your brother's dating now. A nicer car gives him a better impression."
Gabriel was silent for four, five seconds. "We'll see."
We'll see.
Not "no." Not "that's hers, I can't make that call."
We'll see.
Christian clearly took it as a yes. He turned to Bess. "Hear that? Tomorrow I'm taking you for a ride in the Mercedes."
Bess smiled faintly, glancing at Gabriel first, then at Eliana, before asking in a quiet voice:
"But... will your sister-in-law be okay with that?"
The living room went still for two seconds.
Jim's voice shot up. "Why the hell wouldn't she be okay with it? Once she's married, she's a Chavez. I run this family. She doesn't get a say."
Then he added one more thing.
"She's got no parents, no family of her own. Once she marries in, we're all she has. We're doing her a favor looking out for her. It's not like we're mistreating her."
Bess stopped talking and went back to her food, head down.
On screen, Gabriel never pushed back. Not once.
He never even looked up.
His face stayed completely blank the entire time.
On the third day, Bess picked out a dress from the walk-in closet.
The yellow floral one I'd just bought before my business trip. The one I'd never even worn.
She twirled in front of the full-length mirror in the master bedroom while Christian leaned against the doorframe, filming her on his phone.
"Gorgeous. Looks way better on you than on my sister-in-law!"
Bess gave an embarrassed little laugh. "Stop it. She'd be upset if she heard that."
"So what if she hears? She barely wears this stuff anyway. It's just sitting here collecting dust."
Bess wore it the entire day.
She had it on when she left the house that afternoon and didn't change out of it until she came back that night.
