“Perfect. I’ll have a guest pass waiting for you. And Tae...”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
Tae had received anI need youand athanksin one quick phone conversation. These were the small things that made him feel like he wasn’t a lost cause after all.
Tae smiled down at his phone. He might be a stone’s throw away from being unemployed and homeless. But being there for Julia Song, helping her with the things she needed, including prepping for these dates, was going to be fun. And it was exactly the distraction Tae needed right now.
7
A Vegan Ally
Julia
Julia was starting to believe it had all been a really bonkers dream.
She hadn’t heard from her parents or her grandmother in over a week. Maybe she’d gotten it all wrong. Maybe her grandmother hadn’t told her she was dying. Maybe she hadn’t told Julia her impossible last wish of seeing her fall in love. Maybe Julia hadn’t agreed to being set up and asking Tae Kim to be her dating coach.
Except Julia knew it all had happened and she was now stuck in the worst scenario ever. She’d have to succeed at the one thing she was well and truly bad at—dating—to make the person who meant the most to her happy. Failure was not an option.
So she wouldn’t go down without a fight. Julia never shied away from asking for help when she needed it. And though she had to admit asking Tae to be her dating coach was a bruise to her ego, if he could help in any way, then she was going to do whatever it took.
Julia thought back to the boy she’d grown up with. He was always by her side, willing to let her read her books aloud to him or be dressed up in silly costumes by her. He was just... there.When had she stopped keeping in touch with Tae? They’d texted and emailed a few times when she was in college. So it was likely when she started Starlight, when she put everything on the line and buried her nose in nothing but work. She had sacrificed a lot in those four years. She just didn’t realize old friendships—Tae—was one of those things. And how could she not remember that he was at her launch party? She was very curious about this much-buzzed-about gray suit, that was for sure.
Julia started to wonder what else she’d unknowingly given up while single-mindedly working toward success. But that would do her no good. She was right where she wanted to be professionally, on the cusp of something huge. If she could make it work. She had to make it work.
And now she was forced to try and make her personal life finally catch up.
It was another incredibly busy day for her. After the Oprah news leaked, the interest in Starlight had spiked with traffic both online and in their stores. The magazine hadn’t even hit newsstands yet, and Julia had been on the phone most all of Monday and this morning.
So why had she agreed to coffee with Tae?
“My dying wish...”She couldn’t get her grandmother’s words out of her head. She needed to see if they could get a follow-up appointment sooner than the one her grandmother had been offered.
Speaking of appointments...
“Annette?” she called out through the open door.
“Yeah?” Annette called back.
Julia walked out to stand in the doorway between her office and Annette’s desk. “Could you move my calendar around and save me thirty minutes at two o’clock this afternoon? Oh, and can you have Security make a guest pass for Tae Kim?”
“Oooh, Tae Kim is coming? I needed some excitement today. He is a perfect serotonin boost.”
“Remind me how you know my childhood neighbor?” Julia squinted her eyes in suspicion.
“I’m on speed dial with your parents and grandmother.”
“Yes, my dad made me aware of this. And?” Julia motioned for Annette to keep going. What did this have to do with Tae Kim?
“Your entire family talks about Tae all the time. Especially your grandmother. ‘Tae will fix this. Tae will take care of that. Tae is coming home from Chicago to take care of his dad. Tae is driving me to the swap meet.’?”
Tae took her grandmother to the swap meet? That used to be the thing Julia and she did together when she was younger. When she had more time.
“Plus, I remember him from your launch party in that—” Annette let out a sigh “—gray suit.”
“Annette...” Julia tried to put an edge of warning in her tone.
