by Nia Arthurs
He tamped the impulse down. Sun Gi didn’t plan on living the bachelor life—no matter how well it had served him—when he was married.
His father would roll in his grave if he ever cheated on his wife. And though he’d been a disappointment to Eric Kim for most of his life, Sun Gi didn’t want to deviate so far from the example his father set that it would shame him.
When he put on that tux, welcomed Hanna at the end of the aisle, and said ‘I do’, that was it. Sun Gi had already made that choice.
Yet, doubts plagued him.
Was it worth it to marry someone he didn’t love or even enjoy being around? Was the connection he’d felt between him and the singer worth pursuing?
Hanna set her legs flat against the floor and leaned forward. “Are you inviting Joon to the wedding?”
“He’s my brother,” Sun Gi murmured, returning his attention to the files. “Are you inviting Tyler?”
“Really?” Hanna draped her arms over the arm of the chair, pale fingers dangling close to the floor.
“You’re right. Tyler probably wouldn’t want to see the love of his life get married to another man. I don’t blame the guy.”
Hanna shot to her feet. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that, Sun Gi?”
“I fake-love you too, darling,” he said, eyes on the files.
Hanna stormed to the door.
“Hey, set up a dinner with your parents at a nice restaurant. Send me the time and address. I’ll show up.”
“You’ll pay too.” Hanna flung her hair over her shoulder.
“Fine.”
She strode out and slammed the door behind her.
4
Sweet Treats had a habit of filling up very fast. One minute, no customers. The next, the building was stuffed to capacity.
The bell on the door jangled as the last customer trotted out of the store. Jo collapsed against the counter and swiped her forehead with the back of her hand.
“Girl, I am so done,” Sky croaked. “My feet are about to bust out of these sneakers.”
Jo chuckled and stared at Sky’s dainty shoes. “I hear you.”
“How’d you do this alone?” Sky balked, expressive brown eyes widening in horror. “I’d die if I had to man the counter by myself for the morning rush. Just drop flat to the ground and perish.”
“It got busier after you started posting pictures of the store and the menu online. Things weren’t this hectic before.”
“Still…”
Jo shook her head. “Don’t feel guilty. I really appreciate your help. It’s so much easier with someone else to handle the counter with me.”
She meant that sincerely. Truth was… Jo was beyond happy that Sky had started to pitch in every morning.
Together, they met the rising demands of the soccer moms, school kids, and office workers fueling up for the day. No matter who stepped into Sweet Treats, Jo ensured that they left with a smile.
Unless they were all out of stuffed jacks, of course.
Few people smiled when they heard that news.
“You ready to do it all again later?” Jo looked over and smiled as Sky dropped into a chair behind the counter.
“Can I have a minute to catch my breath?” Sky begged.
“Sorry.”
Sky leaned her head back and rotated her shoulders. “I need a massage.”
“If your boyfriend were here, I’m sure he would have obliged,” Jo teased. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, “I thought Joon Gi was going to stop by today?”
At the mention of her boyfriend’s name, Sky brightened. “He’s setting things up with the workers at the dock. The shipping company is having some trouble.”
“When’s the business opening again?” Jo dropped to a heap on the floor and leaned her hands back on the tile. “I keep forgetting.”
“In two months.”
“You don’t look happy about it.”
“Why would you say that?” Sky asked.
“Because of the three giant wrinkles that suddenly appeared on your forehead when I mentioned Joon Gi’s business.”
“You caught me.” Sky threw her hands up. “I’m trying to be supportive, but I’d prefer if there was no opening ceremony at all.”
“Why?”
“It hasn’t even been a year since Joon’s scandal and arrest. He’s inviting all the local news outlets and I know how they’re going to spin this.”
Jo held a fist up to her mouth and spoke in a baseball announcer voice, “Local Businessman Previously Arrested For Bribery Opens New Store’. This is it, folks. The Asians really are taking over.”
“Exactly.” Sky rolled her eyes. “But you know Joon. Even though the press is going to rake his name through the mud again, he believes that all publicity is good publicity.”
“Hey, at least he’s getting back on his feet.”
“True. I just…” Sky stared at her hands, “I wish he wasn’t so determined to prove… whatever it is he thinks he needs to prove.”
“Is he still moving out?”
Sky nodded sadly. “I’ve heard of couples moving in together after dating a while, but moving out? Not so much.”
“Joon Gi has a lot of pride, but that’s not a bad thing. I’m sure he’ll still spend as much time as possible with you.”
“I know, it’s just—gosh, he can be so emotion-less sometimes. Is that an Asian thing or just a Joon-Gi thing?”
Jo rose on her haunches. “Maybe a little bit of both?”
“I guess you’re right.”
“Get over those doubts, girl. Joon loves you.”
Sky gave her a trembling smile.
Jo grinned back, but inside she hoped that Sky was listening. She would hate to be fired from Halmoni’s store only to have Joon Gi and Sky break up over this.
Sky nudged her with a foot. “Look at you, being all marriage-counselor on me. When are you going to put your words to practice and start dating?”
“You sound like my mother.” Jo squinted. “Are you sure you’re not at least quarter Korean?”
“Maybe. We’re all so mixed up here in Belize anyway, but don’t try to change the subject.” Sky wiggled her finger. “It’s been… how many years since you had a relationship?”
“Hey, I’m blessedly single and loving it.”
“You know,” Sky stretched her legs, “I’ve been noticing the way Sun Gi keeps hanging around the store lately.”
“Sun Gi?” Jo’s heartbeat quickened.
“Don’t you think there’s a reason for that?”
“Maybe he’s like all the other customers who love your stuffed jacks.”
“Noooo.” Sky drew out the word like she was speaking to a toddler. “I think there’s more to it than that. I think Sun Gi might be interested in you.”
Jo burst out laughing. As much as she wished that were true, it wasn’t. “You’re crazy.”
“I am not.”
“That’s it. I’m calling your boyfriend.” Jo pulled out her cellphone. “I’ll tell him you need to see a doctor ASAP.”
Sky pounced on the phone and dropped to the floor beside her. “Hear me out—”
“There’s nothing to hear. Besides, he’s engaged.” She shot her friend a dubious look, one she’d casted at herself in the mirror many times. “Why are you trying to push a man who’s nearly married on me?”
“He’s not married yet…”
“Wow.”
“Look, about Sun Gi, it was a joke. Kind of. It’s just weird, you know? His relationship with Joon is super strained and he could send one of his employees to buy him breakfast.”
“So your point is?”
“That you’re stunning and you deserve all the happiness in the world.”
Jo groaned. “You finally found a guy who treats you right and now you want everyone to have their own romance, is that it?”
Sky winked and jumped to her feet. After dusting her hands off on the back of her jeans, she extended it to Jo. �
�Come on. You should head to your grandmother’s store before she scolds me again.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Jo groaned.
“It’s fine.” Sky chuckled good-naturedly. “If it’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Korean women can be feisty.”
“You’re right. Sass comes in all shapes and colors. Both my grandmothers are nothing to play with.”
“Huh. True.”
Jo knew that Sky didn’t really understand.
No one did.
Growing up as both black and Korean, her experiences were unique. Jo wasn’t ‘black’ enough for one side of the family and she definitely wasn’t ‘Asian’ enough for the other.
Trapped between two worlds, she’d spent her life trying not to stand out too much on either side.
Was it tiring?
Yes.
But the last thing Jo wanted was to ruin her relationship with either family. There was enough bad blood between the Lees and the Gregorys.
Neither of her grandmothers had approved of her parents’ marriage. Her Creole grandmother hadn’t even shown up to the wedding. Halmoni—her Korean grandmother—still held a grudge.
Jo was the only thing binding the generations of women together.
It was why she hesitated to quit her job at the grocery store. Halmoni started talking to her mother again after Jo began working there. Would she cut her mother off if Jo stopped?
You can’t worry about that now, girl.
With a sigh, she said her goodbyes to Sky and drove north.
Ten minutes later, Jo parked in front of Halmoni’s massive grocery store and grabbed her purse. The moment she hopped out of the car, the heat rammed into her. She hustled through the double doors and spotted her cousin Jenifer behind the counter.
Jen tapped her watch, eyes narrowing into slits. “You’re playing it close.”
“Is Halmoni here yet?”
“Nope.” Jenifer tossed her an apron. “I signed in for you. Act busy.”
“You’re the best.”
Jenifer waved her away. “Yeah, yeah. I know.”
Though Jo had many cousins on the Lee side, she wasn’t close to any of them. Apart from the fact that most of her cousins were shy and—okay—maybe a teeny bit snobby, the issues ran deeper than that.
Most of her aunts and uncles were very traditional. Her mother’s decision to find love outside her race didn’t just break her relationship with Halmoni; it destroyed the link between her siblings too.
Jo was a walking, talking offense to the Lees. Though the ties of family were strong in their culture, her extended family could never quite hide their discomfort.
She sighed as she tied the apron around her waist and headed into the storeroom to restock the shelves.
All her cousins had grown up within the grocery store aisles and she was no exception.
Since Jo was eleven, she’d been stocking, cleaning and manning the cash register. It was why she handled Sweet Treats so well. Twelve years of prep had made her a beast with ringing up purchases.
But today was all about the inventory.
Grabbing the nearest box, she snagged a pocketknife from the shelf and broke the tape. The work was mundane and repetitive so she hummed under her breath to pass the time.
After a few minutes, Jo stood, stretching her back. Her phone vibrated. She took it out and saw Halmoni’s name on the screen.
Jo picked up immediately. “Hello?”
“Come to my office.”
Click.
As Jo scurried to the stairs, she spotted Jenifer stacking papayas in the display crates. “Psst, I got a summons from Halmoni. How did she look when she walked in?”
Jenifer shook her head. “Same as always. Like she was just sucking on some sour limes.”
Jo winced. “Great.”
“Fighting!” Jenifer fisted her hands and pumped them in encouragement as Jo ran to the office.
Halmoni was standing at the window when she walked in. She wore a silky blue shirt and matching turquoise pants. Her fluffy grey hair was cut bluntly to her chin.
Timidly, Jo knocked on the door. “Halmoni, you wanted to see me?”
Her grandmother turned around. She had a wide face with half-moon eyes, a blunt nose and thin pink lips. An edge rode the undercurrent of her voice when she said, “Have you decided about that bakery?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Jo sucked in a deep breath. What she was about to do would shatter the fabric of her family’s life, but she couldn’t let Halmoni push her around.
“I love working at the bakery. And Sky’s not just a boss but a friend. I won’t leave her in the lurch because of who she chooses to love.” Jo stepped forward. “But Halmoni, I—”
“Pack your things. You no longer work at this store.”
Jo wheeled back. “Halmoni…”
“I tried to be understanding to you.” In a cold voice, she added, “But I’m done running after someone who should never have been born.”
Tears stung her eyes, but Jo lifted her chin. “I’m sorry you feel that way. And… I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
Halmoni gave Jo her back.
Jo trembled and strode to the door, heading all the way to the parking lot without breaking down. The moment she climbed into her car, Halmoni’s words settled.
Jo bowed her head against the steering wheel and wept.
5
“So do I have to bow or…?” the freshly minted college graduate with the perky chest barely contained in a white button-down shirt preened at him. She had dark brown hair, tan skin and wide, expectant eyes.
Pretty, but arrogant.
She’d swaggered into the office earlier like she’d owned it; hips swaying and hair flinging from side to side. Confidence had oozed from every pore and the first thing she’d done was set her purse down on the floor, intentionally lowering her body so he could look down her blouse.
Which he didn’t because he was a gentleman.
Okay, he did.
But just for a second.
“No, you don’t have to bow to me.” Sun Gi chuckled.
“Okay, great.” Her voice was high-pitched, squeaky.
“Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”
“Well, I’m a hard worker. Not only that, but I’m really good with things like Excel and like other computer programs.”
He studied her glossy lips, amazed—and by amazed he meant slightly freaked out—by the way she pronounced words. Her mouth seemed to expand whenever she uttered a vowel and the phrase ‘like’ was generously peppered into every statement.
“You’re okay with working late nights?”
“More than okay. Anything you need,” she lowered her lids and stared intently at him, “anytime, anywhere, I’ll do it.”
Were they still talking about a receptionist job here?
Sun Gi shifted in his chair and avoided her gaze. Ms. Top-Heavy here had probably coasted through life on her looks alone. Sun Gi could see why she chosen that path. His eyes slid down to her chest again before he pulled it back to her face.
He could also understand why men would indulge her.
Other men.
Not him.
His business needed someone competent, not someone with a D-cup and as much as his body approved, his brain—a part that was, surprisingly, still functioning said it was a hard pass.
Sun Gi stood and offered his hand. “Thanks. I’ll be in touch.”
“You’re welcome.” She squeezed his fingers, brown eyes locked on his and pink tongue darting out to wet her lips. “I have a feeling we’ll work, like, very good together.”
“It’s well.”
Plucked eyebrows shifted up. “What?”
“It’s work well together, not work good.”
“Huh?” Her glossy lips pried back to reveal her gums.
Oh, forget it. Sun Gi wrenched his hand away from hers and wiped it against the side of his pants. “It’s nothing.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later.” She bounced, causing her breasts to jiggle for effect, and then sashayed out of the room.
Sun Gi collapsed into his office chair, sending it skittering toward the wall. The door opened again and heels clicked against the floor.
He recognized Bo Young’s footsteps and groaned. “You’re doing this intentionally, aren’t you?”
“Sir?”
He glanced up and found Bo Young standing across the desk. She wore a tailored blue shirt with puffy sleeves and a tan skirt. Her brown eyes were sharp and attentive as she tilted her head.
“Tell me the truth.” Sun Gi frowned. “You secretly hate me and you’re finally getting your revenge, aren’t you?”
Bo Young snorted.
“Why else would you send me all those air heads and… and sugar babies.” He threw his arms wide.
“Sugar babies?”
“That girl who just left? The one with the shirt she borrowed from an infant? I think she must have gotten her interviews messed up. She came to my store instead of the strip club.”
Bo Young pulled her lips in, a vain attempt at keeping her laughter inside. “I noticed that she seemed… charismatic, but her résumé was in order. I assure you that she was highly qualified.”
Sun Gi barked out a laugh. “Then I’m doomed.”
“Not just yet. There are a few more candidates.”
“Did you pluck them from off some street corner at midnight too?”
Bo Young looked offended. “Sun Gi!”
“Sorry. I’m just annoyed. This is a waste of time. I know that none of those women will match up to you.”
“Not unless you give them a chance.”
“A chance to what? Undress me? Shackle me to eighteen years of child support?”
Bo Young arched an eyebrow. “Are you exaggerating or were they really flirting with you?”
“Bo Young-shi.” Joon reached out and took her hand. “I’ll double—no, I’ll triple your salary. I’ll work around your schedule. Hire an assistant for you. Whatever you ask.” He pushed out his bottom lip. “Just don’t leave me. I need you.”
Bo Young patted his hand. “There, there. You’ll get through this.”
“Is that a no?”
“A fat one.”
Sun Gi spun away from her and stared through the window at the Belize City skyline. It was another beautiful day in the Caribbean. Blue skies. Dancing coconut tree leaves. The sea rippled in the distance, bleeding into the orange and purple horizon.
