Chapter Seven

1. Softly crying, she did the only thing she knew how; she prayed to God for guidance and strength. – This line comes from the scene when Kane leaves the house in the middle of the night. He’s bothered by the fact that Carmen is pregnant again by Jay since he is unable to give her a child. Just like I mentioned in Behind the Book: The Ace of Diamonds (Chapter Five) with Jay, I try to put references to God in my book so readers will know that despite my characters’ shortcomings they do have a relationship with God.
2. “No, Jay, I have diabetes. I’ve known for years. Patricia and I didn’t publicize it. – Lotus breaks into Jay’s apartment to have a conversation with him regarding the diamonds he received and Carmen. He also discloses that he has diabetes. This was always planned even during the creation of the first book, Diamonds in the Rough. There is a scene near the end of that book where Patricia, Lotus’ wife, chastises him for some having too much sugar. I knew my readers wouldn’t remember that small detail, but I still planned on expounding on it later in the series.
3. “No, Jay.” Lotus chuckled, “I’m talking about when you were six. I had brought Carmen to the house one day so Hector could see her. You were playing and you came into the parlor where we were. You asked to hold her. I let you and it was like pulling teeth to get her back. – I always thought that if Hector and Lotus were as good friends as I described them to be, there had to be some point in time when Jay and Carmen’s path crossed. I mean, if your best friend has a baby, you are going to come into contact with the child at some point in time, right? I figured this was the best time to insert a conversation where Lotus shares this information with Jay. I even shared how intrigued Jay was with Carmen even when he was six years old.