“Nice place,” he said.

“It’s Teddy’s,” I said. “Mariela’s, actually. She owns it. I pay a little rent.”

“You’ve always had a knack for getting the discount upgrade.”

Teddy came out of the bedroom in a black cotton dress, large silver earrings, and a turquoise pendant she’d bought in Chiapas. I went to the bedroom to wash my face and change. When I came back out to the courtyard, Teddy was flushed, giggling at something Arch had said. It reminded me of that time I’d found them together outside the great house on the Boulevard. I smiled, recalling how I’d thought I’d walked up on something inappropriate.

Pancho and Murray arrived, followed shortly by Mariela. Introductions were made. I served drinks in the courtyard, then left to help Teddy and Mariela with dinner. Arch and Murray seemed to have a lot to talk about. Pancho joined us in the kitchen.

“Archer knows quite a bit about the oil trade in the Southern Hemisphere,” Pancho said.

“Pancho,” I said, “I have to go back with Arch to the States. My mother’s very sick. She hasn’t got long to live.”

“Your mother?” Mariela said. “Oh, Carlitos, lo siento. Teddy, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I just found out myself,” she said.

“Do you need money?” Pancho asked.

“No,” I said.

“When are you leaving?” Mariela asked.

“In the morning,” I said.

“How’d you get a flight on such short notice?” Pancho asked.

“Arch has a private jet,” Teddy said.

Pancho’s eyes widened.

“It’s not his,” I said. “It’s my stepdad’s.”

Mariela let out a low whistle.

“You said they were rich,” she said. “You didn’t say how rich.”

“My stepfather prefers the term ‘affluent.’”

“My, my, Carlitos,” Pancho said. “Maybe you should be loaning money to me.”

He leaned out the kitchen door.

“Murray,” he shouted, “did Archer tell you about Charlie’s mother?”

“Charlie has a mother?” Murray called.

“I know,” Pancho said. “Can you believe it? After all these years.”

“What’s happened?” Murray asked.

“Cancer,” Arch said.

“How long has she been sick?”

“A little over three years,” Arch said.

“Three years?” Pancho said. “Shame on you, Charlie.”

“Go easy on Charlie, Pancho,” Arch said. “She kept it very quiet. I didn’t even know myself until very recently, and Charlie’s stepdad is my father-in-law. But we were great friends before all of that.”

“So the two of you are stepbrothers-in-law, but you were friends before,” Pancho said. “There must be a story.”

“It’s a long one,” I said.

“Do tell,” Pancho said.

“I’d rather not.”

“If you won’t tell, I’ll just ask Archer,” Pancho said. “You’ll tell us all about it, won’t you, Archer?”

“I’m an open book,” Arch said.

“Save it for the table,” Teddy said from the kitchen. “Dinner is served.”