If Tae agreed and it worked out, it could be a win-win for everyone. Julia’s mother had mentioned all the medical bills Tae’s family was drowning under. Whether Tae planned on going back to his life in Chicago she didn’t know for sure. But she could help him now if he’d let her. And give him a viable option if he wanted to stay in California.
“I’m not sure I’m looking for anything full-time. But I could be open to some freelance project work, here and there, like Jess mentioned. Maybe.” That was it. No mention of his plans for the future and if those included staying here. That was all he was going to give her. She wouldn’t push.
“You could be a consultant,” Julia suggested.
Tae shook his head. “I prefer hands-on work and being involved in the process. But why don’t you give Jess my contact info, and we’ll see if it even makes sense to try and work something out.”
Julia nodded. She hoped it could work out. Selfishly, she’d like to see Tae around the office more.
“Hey, my mom asked me earlier if you could come over around four o’clock to fix the water heater. And she insists you stay for dinner. I’ve gotta go down there too, apparently. Important family meeting.”
“Uh-oh. Sounds ominous. Are they sure I should be there for dinner?”
“She says it’s nothing bad. But that usually means nothing bad for anyone else but me. And you absolutely will be there. I need you as my buffer.”
“This sounds like fun,” Tae said.
“Oh yeah, a real blast.”
“It smells amazing in here,” Tae said.
Julia took in a deep breath, the aromas of garlic and spice hitting her nose. It smelled delicious. It smelled like home.
Julia watched Tae greet her mom and her dad. Smiles and ease abounded. All the tension that Julia was so used to carrying faded away. What was this magical power that Tae held over people? Kindness? Generosity? Putting others before himself? But what about Tae? Who was offering all of this in return?
Julia’s thoughts turned to Tae’s now ex-girlfriend. What was Kari’s problem? Maybe she wasn’t close to her family, and that was why she couldn’t support Tae in his current situation.
But she also hated that Tae didn’t have someone who understood it, who got it. Family was everything.
Family was why Julia was stuck in this situation.
One setup to go. The first two had been flops, just like all the dates Julia had managed to land on her own.
Tae picked up his toolbox and started toward the door to the garage. But Julia’s grandmother stopped him along the way. She pulled him into her bedroom and closed the door behind them. That was odd. What would Halmoni have to say to Tae in private? She didn’t even close the door when using the bathroom.
“Julia-ya, set the table please.”
“Okay. Umma, how is everyone doing these days? Everybody in good health?”
“Sure, sure. You know, my back hurts sometimes when I stand up. And Daddy’s knees still ache when it’s a full moon. Uncle Eugene’s had a very bad case of hemorrhoids that he’s going to see an acupuncturist about—”
“And Halmoni?” Julia was fishing. Her grandmother had been a steel trap when it came to sharing information. But if something was really wrong, if the doctor had told her she was truly sick, she would tell the family, right? Julia had to believe that was true.
“Well, ever since you bought her that expensive red ginseng supplement, she brags to everyone how she can afford to have the good stuff and it helps her to walk a mile everyday.” Julia’s mom patted her on the back while passing her the container with all the metal chopsticks to place at each seat around the table.
Her family sure seemed to be going along as if Grandma was in the clear with a clean bill of health.
Julia was brought out of her thoughts with her mom smiling to herself in the kitchen. Julia’s suspicions rose. This could not be good. “Okay, Umma, are you going to tell me the important business you wanted to share? Why are we having a family dinner in the middle of the week?”
Julia’s mother looked over her shoulder at Julia, trying to look completely innocent. But she couldn’t hold it in any longer, a huge smile spread across her face. She rushed up to her side, wrapping both hands around Julia’s arm, eyes dancing.
“I was going to wait till dinner to tell you. But I can’t hold it in. We found him, Julia. We finally found him.”
“Who?”
“The One. We found The One.”
The One? Was it a long-lost uncle Julia hadn’t known about? Some K-drama star whose show finally was available to stream in the States?
