by Nia Arthurs
“I’m changing!” she yelled.
Benson checked his watch, but he knew better than to rush her. He and Carrie were sitting down to lunch with his aunt and uncle before they drove to the airport. Their flight was later in the afternoon, but if he knew Mae Choi, she’d want to check in early.
Ten minutes later, Carrie returned in a modest white dress that still managed to cling to her curves. She bobbed her head, allowing her long hair to fan around her shoulders. “Okay. I think this will work.”
“You look stunning.” He set his laptop aside, strode over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She fit right against him as if she was made to be by his side. Benson pressed his lips against her face and rocked her. “They’ll adore you as much as I do.”
She swatted at him. “Stop. You’ll mess up my makeup.”
Benson wanted to kiss her properly, but he heeded her warning and let her go. “You ready?”
“Let’s do this thing.”
The table in Stacie’s kitchen trembled beneath the weight of all the side dishes. Benson’s stomach rumbled when he laid his eyes on the feast. Korean pancakes, fried to a crisp, japchae—noodles made from sweet potatoes and sprinkled with mustard seeds, and Korean rice were just a few of the dishes he recognized.
“Welcome!” Aunt Mae spread her arms wide and attacked him with a tight hug. He squeezed her and then stepped back when she moved her attention to Carrie.
She stood nervously, feet together and strained smile on her face. Bowing slightly, she greeted in Korean, “Annyeongheseyo. Hello.”
“Did you teach her that?” Aunt Mae asked, eyebrows high and eyes sparkling in delight.
“No. That’s…” Carrie gestured nervously, “six years of intense Korean drama watching.”
“You watch our dramas? How do you understand them?”
“Subtitles.”
“How innovative.” Aunt Mae gasped.
The two women dove into a passionate exchange about an old drama and Benson wandered over to his uncle. Ji Soo sat in his wheelchair, staring fondly at his wife and Carrie.
“You good, Uncle?” Benson drew out a chair and sat across from him. It was strange walking into Stacie’s house and knowing she wasn’t coming home.
The past few days, Benson had found himself picking up his phone to call in and check on her before he remembered that she wouldn’t answer no matter how much he called.
He felt her absence like a hole in his chest, but every day got a little easier.
“Your aunt found a new friend,” Ji Soo murmured in Korean.
“Carrie has a slight Korean drama obsession.”
“So does Mae.” Ji Soo chuckled. “She screams at the TV when those shows are on the way I do when I’m watching football.”
“But my shows are ten times more entertaining,” Aunt Mae said, leading Carrie to the table. “And talk in English, dear. Carrie can’t understand Korean.”
“I know a few words, but I’ll try harder to learn more.”
Benson stood and drew out a chair for his aunt and Carrie.
Aunt Mae tapped his cheek. “Thank you, dear. Such a gentleman.”
As they ate everything she’d prepared, Benson felt an immense gratefulness for the people around the table. For Aunt Mae, who had raised him and loved him as her son.
For Uncle Ji Soo, who’d supported all his endeavors with both finances and wise advice.
He turned to Carrie. And for the beautiful woman at his side who was more radiant than any human being should be. He would never regret taking her hand that night at his bar and running away with her.
Carrie caught him staring and gave him a questioning eye. “What?”
“Nothing.” He slipped his hand beneath the table and linked their fingers.
“Okay then.” She chuckled self-consciously but didn’t comment.
The dinner went off without a hitch and, a few hours later, he waved goodbye to his Aunt and Uncle as they headed into the boarding area of the airport.
The moment they disappeared, Carrie turned to him and rested her forehead on his chest. “That went better than expected.”
He kissed the top of her head and slung his arm over her shoulder. “Just brace yourself. In the next few weeks, she’ll start hinting about marriage and grandkids.”
“Kids!” Carrie straightened.
He winked. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
“Benson Choi!”
He laughed, leading her out of the airport and into the bright sunshine.
28
“Joon Gi?” Carrie saw the handsome man draped over a bar stool when she entered Hidden Reef a few minutes later.
Sky’ boyfriend clutched a drink in slim fingers and took a nervous sip.
Benson lifted his chin in a welcoming gesture. “Sup.”
“Hey, guys.” Joon glanced at the door and lifted his hand. Carrie glanced that way and saw Joana step into the bar.
Her brows pulled low and she pursed her lips, swinging her gaze back to Joon Gi.
“I came.” Jo huffed and stuffed her purse on the bar. “What’s the emergency?”
“I need your help,” Joon Gi said.
“With what?” Carrie asked.
Joon dotted his forehead with a napkin and leaned forward as if he had an earth-shattering secret. “I’m proposing to Sky this weekend.”
“What?” Jo blurted.
Carrie’s heart jumped. “Joon, that’s incredible! Congratulations.”
“She hasn’t said yes yet.”
“She will.” Carrie nodded confidently.
“I’ve asked Sky to make a lot of sacrifices so I can get back on my feet and she hasn’t complained once.”
“That sounds like Sky,” Jo mumbled.
“I know I don’t deserve her.” Joon planted one foot on the ground and gestured with his hands. “That’s why I want to make this proposal special. I want to remind her of how much she means to me and I can’t do it alone.”
“I’m happy for you, man.” Benson rubbed his chin. “But we were planning on going to San Pedro this weekend so we won’t be here.”
Jo’s eyes brightened. “That’s it!”
“What’s it?” Joon’s forehead wrinkled.
“Why not have an island getaway proposal?”
Benson’s expression fell. “Wait, that’s not what I was…”
“I think it’s a great idea.” Carrie caressed his arm. “You don’t mind if our friends crash our little getaway, do you?”
“Uh…”
“I’ll convince you later,” she whispered, winking suggestively.
Benson dove into a barstool and pulled out his cell phone. “The more the merrier. Will Sun Gi be joining us as well?”
Jo rolled her eyes.
Carrie chuckled. “Do you have a ring?”
“Yeah.” Joon thrust trembling fingers into his pocket and pulled out a silver princess-cut ring.
Jo and Carrie gravitated to it like honing pigeons.
“That’s pretty,” Jo whispered.
Carrie jerked her chin down, unable to speak.
Joon slapped the lid closed and the spell was broken. Both women shook their heads and glanced around as if they’d just returned to reality.
“Okay.” Carrie cleared her throat. “So we tell Sky to close her store half-day on Saturday. We’ll handle getting her to the boat. When do you want to pop the question?”
Joon ran a hand through his silky black hair. “I’m thinking at a nice restaurant.”
“Done. And done.” Jo squealed. “This is so exciting.”
Carrie exchanged a tender look with Benson.
Okay, so they’d just officially started dating and the last thing she wanted to do was get married, but now that one of her friends were about to tie the knot with the love of her life, Carrie couldn’t help feeling a little… what was the word? Yearning?
She’d never set out to be the bitter, promiscuous friend that dated, got du
mped and had one night stands to cope. Like most little girls, she’d dreamed of Prince Charming and a fantastic wedding for all the ages.
Now that she was older, Carrie’s expectations had tempered, but somehow… she’d still managed to find that Prince Charming.
Except he wasn’t black, like she’d always imagined. And maybe he could be an enormous pain in the butt when he wanted to be. But he was exactly what she’d never known she’d needed.
“That sounds like a plan,” Joon said, jerking her attention back to the conversation.
Carrie realized she’d missed out on a ton of details but slapped a smile on her face and nodded as if she’d heard every word. “I can’t wait.”
Joon looked like he wanted to faint, but he bobbed his head and agreed. “Me too.”
“Leave it to us, Joon. We’ll get your future bride to San Pedro. No problem.”
They had a big problem.
Sky hiked a tray of brownies into her industrial-sized oven and swiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand. “I’m not going to no San Pedro tomorrow. Are you crazy?”
Carrie winced and exchanged a frantic look with Jo. Following Sky around the kitchen as she prepared another batch, she frowned. “Sky, you have to.”
“Why?” Sky’s eyes narrowed.
Jo cleared her throat. “Because I have cancer and I’ve only got two days to live.”
“Really?” Sky placed a hand on her hip and arched an eyebrow.
“Well…”
“You shouldn’t joke about things like that, Jo.” Sky turned away and started rolling out fried jack dough.
“Really? Cancer?” Carrie mouthed behind Jo’s back.
“It’s all I could think of on the fly!” Jo mimed back.
“Anyway,” Sky glanced up and both she and Jo dropped their arms and tried to look as innocent as possible. “Why are you two acting so strange lately? You know I’m too cheap to blow a grand on a trip to an island.”
“You don’t have to spend any money,” Carrie said, remembering Joon’s insistence that he’d pay for everything.
“I don’t?” Sky paused.
Jo’s gaze darted from left to right. “Yeah because… we’re pooling together to take you.”
“Guys…” Sky’s expression melted. “Are you serious?”
Carrie pinned her lips shut and nodded.
Sky tapped her chin. “I mean, I guess I could pack tonight and close the shop up early. Is Jewel coming with us?”
“We weren’t planning on taking her…” Carrie hedged.
Sky frowned. “Guys, if we’re having a girl trip, we can’t just leave Jewel out of it. If finance is the issue, I’ll dip into my savings and you two can sponsor her.”
“Okay. Jewel can come,” Jo mumbled.
“Great!” Sky bounced up and down, her short curls flailing behind her. “I’ll be ready.”
“Awesome.” Carrie gave her a thumbs-up.
Jo took a giant step toward the door. “Tomorrow. We’ll pick you up.”
Carrie followed Jo outside and took a deep breath. “Jewel won’t mind being the only single girl on a couple’s trip, right?”
Jo shrugged.
“So who’s going to tell her?”
“You’re the one giving her makeup lessons. You tell her.” Jo glanced at her phone and let on an exaggerated gasp. “Is it so late already? Wow. I should get going.”
“Jo!” Carrie stalked after her friend.
Joana laughed like a crazy woman and dove into her car. She barely avoided hitting into the lamppost as she reversed recklessly and pealed into the street.
Carrie tipped her chin back and stared at the ceiling. Man, she couldn’t stand her friends sometimes.
A few minutes later, Carrie slowed her car down in front of a rickety wooden house once painted green. It looked more like a dusty grey now. The steps trembled when she mounted them and the verandah had a glaring hole in the middle as if someone’s foot had broken through and no one had bothered to fix it.
A police siren rang in the distance. Carrie clutched her purse closer to her side and knocked on the door. “Jewel?” Her voice trembled and she glanced around, noticing the group of young men with sagging pants and scowls cruising her way.
Stray bullets were known to kill around here and she didn’t like being exposed for this long.
Losing all restraint, Carrie raised her arms and banged on the door. “Jewel!”
“Coming!” She heard footsteps and then Jewel hurled the door open, staring her down with wide, brown eyes. “Carrie, what are you doing here?”
Carrie stumbled in. “I wanted to invite you on a trip tomorrow…” Her words faded as her gaze skimmed the room. Most of her friends were well off and, despite her parents’ minimalistic approach to life, she’d never seen a room this bare and downtrodden.
“Sorry. I haven’t had a chance to clean up,” Jewel said. She ran around, picking clothes off the floor and heaving them into another room.
“No, it’s fine. You should see my place,” Carrie joked lightly.
“It’s embarrassing, isn’t it?” Jewel rubbed the back of her neck and stared at her bare toes. “My brother’s going to school in San Pedro and I send all my money there. This was all I could afford after.”
“Hey, it’s no big deal.” Carrie dropped into the ugly brown couch, careful not to sit on the exposed spring that threatened to impale her. “And I don’t care. Really.”
Jewel smiled and the dimples popped out of her cheeks. “Why’d you stop by?”
“How do you feel about couples and islands?”
Jewel blinked innocently.
“Joon Gi wants to propose to Sky, but she thinks it’s a girls-only trip. We need you to come along. You’ll have your own room and you can leave whenever you want if you’re uncomfortable.”
“I don’t know.” Jewel rubbed her elbow. “I don’t want to be that weird girl wearing a sweatshirt and long pants at the beach.”
“Who cares what you’re wearing? Is that all you’re concerned about? Girl, people be walking around naked out there. We need some balance.”
Jewel grinned. “Okay. I’ll go.”
Carrie exchanged more details about the trip and what to pack for it and then she left.
On her way down the rickety stairs, Carrie stopped and glanced back at Jewel’s home.
She could never imagine living in a place like this. Despite hearing Jewel’s story, the reality of her financial plight hadn’t really hit her until she saw it in person. Her admiration for Jewel’s strength and fighting spirit skyrocketed.
Despite her background, Carrie sensed that Jewel would do great things.
Feeling optimistic for the weekend and the success of Joon’s proposal, Carrie slid her shades on and strutted to her car. Now, she’d head to Hidden Reef and finish her shift and then… she had some convincing to do.
29
“Well, that was a convincing argument,” Benson murmured as he pressed a kiss to Carrie’s forehead while struggling to catch his breath.
“If there’s one thing I know how to do”—Carrie shot him a wicked smirk, her hair frizzing and her body dotted with sweat—“it’s… argue.”
“Right.” Benson pulled her deeper into his arms and pressed kisses all over her body. He had never been this affectionate—in private or in public—but Carrie brought out that side of him and he couldn’t control himself.
She knocked the breath out of his lungs with one look. Every time he touched her, tracked her curves and felt her in his arms, he was floored. She’d been created by someone with fine tastes, and he’d spend his life giving thanks for her.
Carrie nuzzled his chest with her nose and sighed. “You ready for Operation: Sky Proposal tomorrow?”
“I still can’t believe that our trip got hi-jacked.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I thought you said you were convinced.”
“Baby, I am. This is just some residual bitterness.”
&n
bsp; Carrie laughed and wrapped her arms around him, her eyelashes fluttering closed. “I’m happy.”
“Because of me?”
“Yes, you.” She rolled her eyes. “And your humility.”
“I’ve got that in spades.” He winked. Carrie sobered and Benson took note of her grim expression. “What’s up?”
She sighed. “When I went to visit a friend today, I was reminded of everything I have and how much I don’t appreciate it. Here I am, getting love and a business handed to me, while someone else has to fight just to make it another day. She can’t even look a guy in the eye, much less touch him.”
“Can I take a guess here and say you’re talking about Jewel?” Benson had observed how skittish and scared the younger woman was. Carrie, Joana, and Sky all huddled around Jewel and snapped at anyone who dared to invade her personal space like mama lions with their cub.
He’d been curious about what happened to her, the writer inside imagining the worst.
“Is she… okay?”
“She’s incredibly fragile and yet so strong.” Carrie tilted her head, eyes narrowed in confusion. “It’s the weirdest thing.” He felt her breath hit his chest like tiny hammers. “When I met Jewel today, I realized that I’m content, but I want to do more for myself. You know?”
“You said you were going back to school. Maybe start there. Take it slow.”
“I wouldn’t even know what to study.”
Benson pressed his chin to the top of her head. “You’re great at managing the bar. Why not study something along those lines—maybe public relations or marketing?”
“Hm.” She seemed to consider it. “You think I’ll be any good at school after being away for so long?”
“Of course. My only concern is letting you loose on campus with all those wild college boys thinking they can make a move…”
“I’ll just tell them I have a scary boyfriend who can kick-box.”
“I’ll print pamphlets,” Benson murmured.
Carrie’s soft laughter carried them both to sleep.
The next day, he left Carrie’s apartment and got ready for the trip. When he was about to head out, he got a message. Benson checked the screen and grinned.
