Jack leans back on his heels. “Ah, yes. My Gong Gong was an ocean engineer. Sometimes he’d be out on ships and want ice cream asa snack. A snack, not a dessert. Important distinction. To him, snacks were something he could keep in his pocket,” he says with a grin. “So he and my grandma learned how to make freeze-dried ice cream using the appliances at her job. She was a design engineer for a kitchen equipment manufacturer. Years after she died, Gong Gong taught me how to make our own machine using more updated parts.”
“I change my mind,” Brian says. “I want to learn how to make freeze-dried ice cream.”
“It’s a pretty sweet story, right?” Jack asks. “No pun intended.”
His team laughs.
I look around dramatically for effect and say, “Now I’ll only remember this place as the Dessert Garden.”
Nell hooks her thumbs into the pockets of her overalls. “Sometimes, after working late, we go to the ice cream freezer outside of the mission control room. Jackson, you should come with us next time,” she offers. “You too, Rooney.”
“That would be fun. Thanks,” I say as Jack nods.
When no one else is looking, Jack dramatically wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. I give him a discreet thumbs-up.
“This was a pleasant surprise,” Maria and Nell say to me as we continue to follow Dusty’s guided tour. Jack, Brian, and Toby stay close to him as he talks about an aloe vera plant.
“This outing?” I ask.
“Yeah, we thought it was going to be awkward,” Maria says. “We’ve never spent time with Jackson outside of work. We all go to Dusty’s Social Science happy hour, so we know each other fairly well, but Jackson? I don’t even know where he lives.”
“That was the most I’ve ever heard Jackson say about nonwork topics, and I’ve worked with the man for two years,” Nell chimes in. “He’s definitely gotten more comfortable since becoming liaison and you being here. It’s nice.”
I don’t quite know how to respond. Up until recently, Jack and I have only ever talked about things other than work. Even here in California, it feels like we can pick up where we left off. Talking about work doesn’t feel like work. I’m glad the Jack from New York is starting to show, but I’m also glad I get to know him in his work element, reserved and all. It’s every side of him that makes him who he is, and it’s really something to see.
I turn to Maria and Nell and smile. “I agree. The man’s got layers.”
Chapter 16
ROONEY
Ibrought this as my object,” I whisper to Jack as I pull a red thread between my fingers.
“So that she’d be a string artist like you?” he asks.
“So that she’d have a long life, but I like the way you think,” I say. “Your rocket ship was very on brand.”
Jack gives the plush a light squeeze. “We’re on a mission here. Find a lost object.”
“Vague,” I say. “And difficult. I don’t know if that’s more inspirational or anxiety-inducing.”
“We have to keep our eyes out for something. There’s a pile of things sitting over there. You think all of them have an owner?”
“Probably since people were told to bring them,” I say.
“We may need to rethink how we go about testing,” Jack says with a frown. “Reconsider some variables.”
“Okay, it’s fine. Let’s see what happens.”
We’re at Olivia and Bennett’s house in a part of town called Silver Lake. Their living room contains furniture in various earth tones that complement each other nicely. Hanging on the walls and resting on tables throughout are photographs and various mementos that naturally get collected over the course of a relationship. The observation sends a pang of longing through me.
“Rooney! So great to meet you,” Olivia says, bringing me backto the moment. She embraces me in a hug. I’ve never been hugged more in my life than I have here in Los Angeles. “Have you met my husband, Bennett, yet?”
After picking me up for the party, Jack prepped me about the hosts. He knows Bennett because they volunteer together in the same Shoot for the Stars group where they work to get kids interested in STEM. Olivia took over Lunar Love, her Pó Po’s matchmaking business, at the same time Bennett was launching his matchmaking app, ZodiaCupid. When they teamed up, business boomed, and they became a highly rated and sought-after matchmaking service.
A tall man with a friendly smile approaches us and nods to Jack. “Hi, I’m Bennett. You’re Rooney, right? This is baby June.”
“Nice to meet you both. Hi, baby June,” I say, looking up at her in Bennett’s arms. I lift a knitted stuffed tiger out of a glittery gift bag. The tiger has small bead eyes and a floppy long tail hanging off the back. “Chinese folklore says tigers are the king of all beasts. They possess protective powers to keep you safe.” I lean back. “I’ve said a lot of words that June can’t understand. Here.”
