She was getting whiplash with how he’d been acting. One minute he was hot and the next minute he was cold. Had she misread his intentions all along? Was he only looking for her forgiveness because he wanted to repair their friendship?
Does he only want to be my friend?
Her stomach soured at the thought—being friend-zoned by Jake didn’t sit right with her. It made her feel like a lovesick teenager with a crush on her brother’s best friend all over again. She hated it. Did she want more from Jake?
No, of course not. That ship sailed a long time ago.
Gia was a different person now. She was a grown woman and more experienced. She knew what she wanted out of a relationship. Being in a one-sided relationship was not what she wanted. Or needed.
In fact, Jake was the opposite of everything she wanted. So much so that she had been intentionally dating men who didn’t remind her of him.
Blond hair and blue eyes?
Nope. Not a chance in hell.
A charming smile that sent butterflies into a frenzy?
Absolutely not.
A wicked tongue that made her toes curl?
An unfortunate consequence.
“Uh oh. You’re stress cleaning again.” Minh’s amused voice announced her looming presence where Gia kneeled, scrubbing at a stubborn stain on the kitchen floor. “What’s your deal?”
Tuy?t Mai stared at Gia from her position on her mother’s hip, as if she were assessing her too.
Blowing out a breath, Gia sat back on her haunches and shook her head.
“I am not stress cleaning.”
“We watched you scrub at that spot for the last ten minutes, and you had no idea we were even watching you. Oh, and you had a very… scary look on your face the whole time.” Tuy?t Mai nodded her little head. “And you were talking to yourself. Scary stuff.”
“I was not.” Gia scoffed, pulling the gloves off her sweaty hands.
“Were too.” Minh grinned when Gia only rolled her eyes at her in response. “Come on, I’ll make us lunch.”
“Where’s Thuy Mai?” Gia groaned at how her joints ached as she moved to stand. She hadn’t realized how long she’d been kneeling on the floor.
“Out back. She decided she was going to help with weeding because apparently it looked fun.” Gia smiled at Minh’s shrug. “Her words, not mine.”
“Hey, weeding can be fun.”
“Pfft. Not my idea of fun, but go wild. I’m sure Mom appreciates your green thumb bringing those flowers back to life.”
“They just needed some pruning and TLC.” Gia put her sponge and gloves on the counter while she washed her hands. Once dry, she reached for Tuy?t Mai, who practically leaped into her arms.
“Want to go see the pretty flowers, pretty girl?” Gia huggedTuy?t Mai to her chest. Gia grinned at Tuy?t Mai’s enthusiastic nod, making her dark hair bounce with the movement.
When they got to the backyard, Thuy Mai was swinging on the swing set. She beamed an infectious smile at Gia when she spotted them.
“Auntie! Come play!”
At Th?y Mai’s beckoning, Gia smiled and helped Tuy?t Mai into the adjacent bucket swing. She pulled her back for the count of three and let the toddler go as she swung forward. Once Tuy?t Mai built up momentum, Gia plopped down on the swing next to Th?y Mai.
Pumping her legs, Gia brought herself as high as she could get. A childish glee filled her, one she hadn’t felt in a long time. An elation at being able to defy gravity, even for a moment. Up this high, it almost felt like she was soaring. If she reached her hand out, she could touch the stars. But inevitably, gravity would force her back down to earth. Against her will.
Much like her life, she was always reaching for the stars. Chasing after the next best thing, the next high, or the next life-changing job. The chase motivated her. She was laser-focused on getting the job and doing what she needed to keep it. She knew how easy it was to replace her if the powers that be deemed her unnecessary. Or, worse, her lines or entire scenes would get cut from the project completely.
