As always, interest dwindled after a while, and the kids moved off in different directions. Finally, Soleil and I were the only two left at the table.
“Hey,” she said as she pushed back her chair.
“Hey.” I was piling up the empty pizza boxes.
“It was slice to meet you,” she said before quickly scampering away.
“You too,” I said softly, watching her go. I’d already decided Soleil was going to be my personal project. I would show her that she could have a good life. This start didn’t need to define who she was.
As I tossed the last of the cardboard into the recycling bin, my phone went off. I’d forgotten to set it to vibrate, and the song that burst out of my purse sent blood rushing to my face. I scrambled to answer it before another racy lyric could make itself heard.
“Mai.”
“Oh good, you answered!” my roommate and best friend said. I could hear a crowd in the background and hoped she wasn’t drunk dialing me. She didn’t usually drink during the day, but every once in a while, she went a little crazy. I loved her, but some of the things she did made me cringe.
“I always answer for you,” I said. “Remind me to change the ringtone you downloaded on my phone. It’s embarrassing enough when I forget to turn my phone on silent, but to have it blasting outthatsong–”
“There’s nothing wrong with some classic Madonna,” Mai said.
“There is whenLike a Virginstarts up on the chorus,” I countered.
“Agree to disagree,” she said lightly. “Hey, can you pick up a shift? My favorite person in the whole wide world…”
Ugh, working on a Friday…it was bad enough that I had to work tomorrow, but at least then I’d be doing administrative work rather than massage therapy. I was grateful for my job and knew there were a lot of worse places I could be working, but I was looking forward to cutting down my hours.
“I was planning on preparing for my new job,” I said, but I already knew I was going to give in. I had a hard time saying ‘no’ to Mai. Which was how I’d ended up with this job in the first place.
“I know yesterday was supposed to be your last MT shift,” Mai went on, “but Itotallydouble-booked. Me and Hob are at a movie – like, we’reatthe theater – and Mama needs someone to take care of walk-ins. I would’ve asked Ru, but Mama said he’s not allowed to take any shifts alone since the incident with Mrs. Mah.”
I made a mental note to smack Ru the next time I saw him. The closest of Mai’s siblings in age, he behaved more like he was the baby of the family.
“You know I haven’t seen Hob all week.” Mai was begging now. “I wouldn’t ask it if I didn’t absolutelyneedthe time with him.”
“No worries, Mai,” I said, feigning enthusiasm. “I’m your girl.”
As lame as it was to work on a Friday evening, it wasn’t like I had a hot date or a club to go to.
“You’re thebest!” Mai cheered. “The shift started ten minutes ago. Thanks, Lu-Lu!”
She made a kissing noise and hung up before I could change my mind. I sighed and mentally shifted my plans for the night. Looking out for each other was what a family did, and the Jins were the closest thing I’d had to a family in a long time. I’d never do anything to risk losing them.
Three
Alec
If there wasone positive thing about tonight, it was that it was beautiful out. A surprisingly dry evening in mid-August with barely any cloud cover. I always enjoyed walking the Fremont area, particularly Canal Park, so after my dramatic escape from the restaurant, I flagged down a cab to cover the four and a half miles quicker than I could on my feet, gave a generous tip, and set out to enjoy the rest of my night.
Seattle was different from Scotland where I’d been born, though the weather was more similar than it had been in Northern California where I’d spent my adolescence. The frequent rain reminded me of Edinburgh, though it was a lot steadier here. The clouds made it far less hot than California, which I appreciated, particularly when I was in a full suit.
I took a slow, deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment, smelling the salt from the sea. I’d missed the sea in California. There was nothing like the way it smelled after the rain. I opened my eyes and took in the rare sight of stars in a clear sky. How could I stress out in such a beautiful time and place?
Easily, it seemed.
Between work and that horrible date, I felt like a kettle about to boil. While I was never sure of just how good a father I truly was, I wanted to be the best I could for Evanne. Part of that meant providing financially for my ex-girlfriend, who had primary custody of our little girl. I had no argument with that, except I didn’t want to be the type of father who signed checks and had nothing to do with his kid. I loved Evanne, and I loved every minute I spent with her, even if I wished it could be more.
I sighed and checked my phone. Still no emergency messages, and nothing from Evanne. I didn’t expect anything. She was eight years old, and a sleepover at eight was a much bigger deal than a sleepover as a ‘baby.’ She’d informed me of that in her most serious eight-year-old voice, and I’d been left to wonder just when she’d grown up.
When I turned around a street corner, a bright neon sign made me blink. I squinted to read the name of it. “Real Life Bodywork.” Why did that sound familiar?
