India was so deep in thought, she didn’t hear the footsteps approach.
“Hey, sweetie, wanna come help me with these groceries?” Aunt Val called from the kitchen entrance.
India smiled, glad for the company. “Sure.” She went into the kitchen and began to unpack the food, while her Aunt went back outside to retrieve more bags.
She was putting things away when her aunt returned. “You shouldn’t have bought all my favorite foods.”
“Think nothing of it. Besides, we have to put a little meat back on your bones. You’re still gorgeous as ever, but if you lose any more weight, you’re going to make Nicole Ritchie look like a fatso.”
India laughed. “I’m not that skinny.”
Her aunt eyed her up and down. “When I saw you at the airport, I wanted to give you a sandwich. Now stop arguing. Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to argue with your elders?”
“Well, if you continue to cook for me the way you have, then I’ll have no problem putting weight back on.”
They finished putting the remainder of the groceries away together, and India took the kettle out, filled it with water and placed it on the stove, knowing her aunt liked having her tea after a long day’s work.
Val sighed, taking a seat at the kitchen table. “You’re a doll. Can I keep you?”
India sat across from her. “I think you’ll get tired of me after a while, besides, I have to sort out my work situation. I knew they wouldn’t hold my job with no word from me, but the starting over again is a little depressing. I know you don’t make a lot of money as a public defender and yes, I know some of my clients were guilty as sin, but for those few kids who may have gotten caught up in the wrong crowd, or made stupid mistakes—that’s the part about my job that I miss. I liked helping those people turn their lives around. I knew their names and I cared about every single one of them.”
“I know you did, baby. You have a good heart.”
“My parents think I was stupid to take such a low paying job.”
“Who cares what they think? Your parents are idiots.”
“But they are my parents.”
“It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good at it. Stop worrying about what they think and do what makes you happy. Maybe you could work with legal aide or do some pro bono work.”
“Actually, I was thinking about moving.” India wanted to gauge her aunt’s reaction to her declaration.
Val frowned. “What do you mean? Where would you go? You’ve lived in this area all your life?”
“And that’s why I need a change. Can…can I ask you a personal question.”
“Sure, honey. You know you can ask me anything.”
She licked her lips before broaching the subject that had been plaguing her mind since her first dinner back. “Did you agree with Mom about what she said?”
Her aunt lifted a perfectly arched brow. “There’s a lot I don’t agree on with your mother. You’d have to be more specific, sweetie.”
“At dinner, she was…upset when that waitress made the comment about not being able to keep her hands off of Rafe and Grant. Mom seemed to think it was wrong.”
“Oh.” Val frowned before understanding dawned. “Ooooohhh. Did something happen on your island with the three of you?”
“You answer my question first.”
“Well…I wouldn’t call it gross, but certainly unconventional. I will say this, however, if Denzel Washington and Jaime Foxx slid in my bed, I wouldn’t kick them out. Now that I think about it, what woman wouldn’t want to have two hunks in her bed?”
“Apparently my mother,” India said dryly.
“Your mother has a stick up her ass. So now, answer my question. Did something happen on the island between the three of you?”
India closed her eyes briefly. “Yes.”
“Hmm, I thought I noticed a chemistry there during that interview, but I thought I was imagining things. What happened?”
She knew she could tell her aunt anything, but would she understand what those men meant to her. Would she think her disgusting and crazy for feeling the way she did about them? The last thing she wanted was her aunt’s disapproval. She was India’s only ally besides Rafe and Grant. If Aunt Val condemned her, it would be upsetting.
India took a deep breath and spilled everything, from the very beginning when she’d met them in the airport and noted her initial attraction to them, to the point where she discovered her love for them.
Val listened quietly until her niece was finished, her expression not giving anything away.
“So we made these plans to be together, but now that I’m back home, I’m scared. They’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but every serious relationship I’ve had has shattered to pieces. I can’t help but wonder if this will be any different. It’s almost like some greater force is telling me I don’t have the right to be happy.”