Sana blushed and waved away the compliment. “Let’s head out, shall we? I’m starting to feel a bit peckish and could use a nibble before my class.”
We each took our separate cars to Tita Rosie’s Kitchen and joined the busy lunchtime rush. It was after two, but most of the tables were still full. I managed to snag a booth for four near the kitchen and excused myself to greet my aunt and grandmother.
They were hard at work, churning out lunch platters and smaller plates for meryenda, or snack time.
“Oh, anak, are you done with your pageant duties?” Tita Rosie brushed her old-fashioned bangs out of the way to look at me.
“Sort of. I brought some of the pageant people over for lunch. Thought it’d be good to get to know them and see if I can get any information for Detective Park.”
She smiled. “Good idea. Are they ready to order yet? Any special requests?”
“One of the members can’t eat gluten, so make sure to use the gluten-free soy sauce and keep all wheat products away when you prepare her food.”
I said this to Tita Rosie, but it was really directed at Lola Flor, who was in charge of the baking and sweets, and not so careful when it came to people’s dietary restrictions. She ignored me, but my aunt gave me a knowing smile.
“I’ll handle it. Now go back to your guests. Joy’s probably waiting to take your order.”
She was right. Joy was giving the pageant table recommendations on what to order and guiding Valerie to safe menu options when I joined them.
“As long as you order a dish that says it’s served with rice or rice noodles, you should be fine. And the majority of our desserts are made with glutinous rice and rice flour, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Great job, Joy,” I said, taking my seat next to Sana. “I’d planned on being their guide but needed to talk to Tita Rosie really quick.”
She smiled, her dimples making her look extra sweet. “No problem, Ate. Are you all ready to order?”
Rob ordered my aunt’s signature mixed adobo lunch platter, while Sana echoed my order for shrimp sinigang, a delicious, tangy soup that managed to be both comforting and refreshing. Valerie went with one of our breakfast platters, available all day due to their popularity. She couldn’t decide which meat to choose—I kept pushing her toward longganisa, the most delicious sausage ever—so Joy told her she could get a sampler platter with small portions of the sweet, garlicky longganisa, sweet, cured tocino, and salty, lightly dried tapa.
Joy left to give our orders to the kitchen, and Rob’s eyes followed her every step. Valerie dug her elbow into his side and he turned his attention back to us, wincing slightly.
“She’s the pageant contestant I mentioned earlier. Practically a member of the family. I will, of course, be completely objective when it comes to judging, but I’m glad that I took this position. I remember from my own pageant days that older creeps loved hanging around the girls,” I said, looking him in the eye to make sure he got my meaning. His scowl told me that he did.
Satisfied, I turned toward Valerie. “I’ve been meaning to ask. You said it didn’t matter that I have a personal connection to one of the contestants. So then why was Bernadette rejected?”
“Bernadette?” she repeated, brow creased.
“Bernadette Arroyo. She’s my cousin and the runner-up from my year. She said she couldn’t be the judge because she was coaching Joy.”
When the Calendar Crew put the pressure on me to accept the position, I tried to redirect them and have Bernadette take on the responsibility. She cared about the pageant way more than I did and should’ve won the year we competed together. She wasn’t happy about having to admit that she’d already volunteered, and they’d turned her down.
“Oh. Well, coaching involves training a specific candidate to win, so that’s more of a conflict of interest than your family employing a contestant. Though I don’t remember talking to a Bernadette about being a judge. We were pretty adamant it be you.”
Ouch, no wonder Bernadette’s pride was hurt. This woman must’ve dismissed her with barely a glance, considering how she couldn’t even remember her. “Why? I mean, I get that she didn’t win, but she would’ve taken my place if I hadn’t been able to fulfill my duties. Plus she’s a nurse. She’d be a great role model for these girls.”
Valerie shrugged. “That was probably the mayor’s call. I introduced quite a few changes to the rules and events and vetoed the judge who was chosen after you first turned us down. I insisted the last position be filled by a female professional, and the mayor said it had to be a former winner since that was tradition. You’re the only one still in Shady Palms who fits both criteria, so we were at a bit of a stalemate. It was either you or no one.”