Original Jorge’s is already buzzing when I arrive. The air is a thick, familiar blend of fried onions and buffalo sauce, and every TV above the bar is tuned to a different sports channel, their flashing lights competing with the trivia host’s voice booming over the speakers. I spot the guys at our usual long table shoved against the back wall, already cluttered with beer pitchers and overflowing baskets of fries.
Tonight, our group has grown. Ted ishere with his wife Jamie. And sitting across from Andy and Derrick are Amaya and Ela from Mamma Lina’s.
“Hi, guys.” I wave as I approach.
The conversation dips, then picks back up as their heads turn toward me.
“Minami! You made it!” Ted grins, raising his glass. “Perfect timing. We need your help on the sushi category.”
“She literally just got here,” Ted’s wife says, swatting his arm. “At least let her sit down before you start interrogating her.” She turns to me with a warm smile. “Hi, Minami. I’m Jamie. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“It’s actually Kaori. Minami’s my last name,” I say, sliding into the open seat beside Leon, happy to have some female companionship tonight. “It’s really nice to meet you too.”
Across the table, Andy slides a basket of wings toward me. “Welcome, Kaori. Fuel up. We’re about to crush round one.”
“We told you not to say that,” Derrick mutters, tossing a stray fry at him. “Last time you said that, we came in ninth.”
“Out of ten,” Leon deadpans, earning a round of laughter.
Before I can respond, Amaya grins. “Relax. You’ll do better tonight. We’re here.” She gestures around the table. “That’s most of the women at Excelsior Parks all in one place. There’s no way you’ll fail.”
I smile, though the realization sits uneasily with me. I knew engineering was male-dominated, but I hadn’t realized just how stark the landscape looked until someone said it out loud. “Wait, seriously?” I blink. “That’s it?”
Ela sighs. “Afraid so. Aside from you and Anya, there are the two other female engineers in the children’s division.Add Jamie, three executive assistants, Amaya in finance, and me in HR, and that’s what? Ten total? Out of almost sixty people in the Orlando office.”
Andy frowns. “I could’ve sworn it wasn’t mostly dudes.”
“That’s because you only notice us when we’re fixing your mistakes,” Amaya says pleasantly.
Leon raises his glass. “Touché.”
The trivia host’s voice crackles through the speaker. “All right, folks, you have about two minutes left to record all your answers for round one.”
Ted rubs his hands together. “Kaori, I hate to pressure you, but we need you to scribble down the answers to the sushi stuff.”
“On it.” I pull the answer sheet toward me and scan the categories: “Sushi, “Space Travel,” and “’90s Sitcoms.”
Andy leans over my shoulder. “Okay, question one—what does ‘sashimi’ literally mean?”
Too easy. “Raw sliced fish,” I say automatically, jotting it down. “Next.”
I answer the rest without thinking and slide the sheet to Ted just as the timer buzzes. He jogs toward the front with an exaggerated salute.
As the noise swells around us again, I lean back in my chair, warmth spreading through my chest. This—this—is what Theo needs. The ’90s alt-rock blaring over the speakers, the two-dollar tacos on paper plates, the sticky bar tables, and laughter.
I can already picture him at our table, hesitantly biting into a carnitas taco and realizing, with that small, surprised lift of his brow, how delicious food from a hole-in-the-wall place can be.
On a whim, I pull out my phone, snapping a quick photo of the sushi questions.
Kaori:This is what you have to look forward to.
I click Send and set the phone face-down.
Theo and I have been texting on and off throughout the week. At first, it was strictly work updates and the occasional dry comment from him about how dull London is compared to Orlando. And now, here we are a week later, exchanging texts about our days.
Take yesterday, for instance. I discovered he has a soft spot for classic sci-fi books. I can’t remember exactly how the conversations started, but we started talking aboutDune, his favorite novel. That turned into an extended debate aboutJurassic Parkand books versus their film adaptations. I prefer the movie, but Theo, no surprise, is a purist.
My phone buzzes.
