by Anne R. Tan
Raina jerked, almost tipping the flimsy chair backwards. A shadow stepped out from the fog and reached a hand to steady her. Her heart took a flying leap. She froze as the thought hit her that she was in a dimly lit alley with a stranger. Even if her screams were heard, the fog would hide her from view.
19
CHRISTMAS BLUES
The stranger stepped back as if sensing her unease. His face was half in the shadows, but what she could see was open and friendly. Tall, dark, and handsome. Even the way he walked out of the fog had a fairytale quality to it.
She gave herself a mental headshake. Prince Charming didn't exist. “Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just carry on.” She waved her hand to dismiss him. Maybe it was a little rude, but how was she to know he wasn't a serial killer?
The stranger pulled out a chair and sat. “My name is Blue. We spoke before, on the phone. Your uncle—”
“You're the one who called me a hooker.”
He tugged at the collar of his sweater. “Sorry about that. Your Uncle Anthony said that you were single. And since I'm single—”
“And so we have that much in common, huh?” Raina raised an eyebrow. She sounded like a grump, but she didn't care. A blind date was the last thing she needed.
“It's that bad, huh? Families can do that to you sometimes.”
Raina's face burned. Did everyone know she was the black sheep of the family? She glanced up into a pair of warm gold-flecked hazel eyes framed in black lashes. The stranger smiled, flashing a deep dimple on his right cheek. A lock of black hair curled on his temple. He had those distinct features of mixed children. She liked to call it Caucasian with a twist.
Perhaps it was the understanding look in his eyes, or her desire to unburden herself, but without even being aware she’d made a decision, Raina told Blue everything. She unloaded the entire sob story about Ah Gong’s will and what he wanted her to do with the money.
Blue’s eyes blinked several times when she got to the part about Ah Gong’s secret wife, son, and grandchild in China, but he didn’t interrupt her. Gosh, this man could be a keeper.
“To top it off, Po Po didn’t even come over to defend me.” Her voice wobbled, but she held it together. It was one thing to confess her shameful family secret to a stranger, but another thing to do it while weeping like a ninny. “If she’d explained the whole convoluted arrangement, my mom and my sister could stop hounding me to share”--she made air quotes with her hands--”my largess.”
“Maybe your grandma didn’t say anything because she felt betrayed. It took you almost two years to get around to telling her.” Blue shrugged out of his black wool jacket and draped it over Raina’s shoulders. “Sometimes family can be your worst enemy.”
Raina tucked her chilled hands into the pockets. The jacket still held his body heat, and the warmth seeped through her sweater. Was his last comment referring to her? Was Po Po secretly angry with her? “Aren’t you cold?”
“You have been out here longer than me. It’d take a few more minutes yet before I feel the cold.”
He was probably lying through his pearly whites, but Raina was more than happy to snuggle in the jacket. “I didn’t exactly lie. I just didn’t tell her the truth.”
He raised an eyebrow. “How would you feel if she did the same to you?”
Raina squirmed under his gaze. Po Po couldn’t have handled the truth. She’d needed time to process her husband’s death at the time. “Do you think I did the right thing?”
“It was right at the time for you. That’s all that matters.”
Raina sighed. “Thank you.”
“Have you thought about meeting this other family? For all you know, they might feel the same way about your family.”
“What do you mean?”
“What if your granddad fooled his other wife too? What if the other wife thinks she’s the number one wife, and your grandma was the interloper?”
Raina’s mouth fell open. The idea was so crazy; it had merit. She snapped it shut at Blue’s pitying look. “Po Po and Ah Gong were married.”
“I thought polygamy was common in China.”
“No, it’s not. Sometimes rich men would set up a separate household for their mistresses, but these women are never wives.”
“I don’t understand. What difference does it make if the mistress is a wife or not?”
“It does—both legally and socially. Women might tolerate a mistress in their social circle if the man is rich or powerful enough, but their sympathies always lie with the wife.”
He was silent for a moment as if considering her words. “Cheating is cheating no matter how you spin it, right? I’m sorry you were caught up in the drama.”
She gave him a thin smile. “In dark corners we find ourselves, and more knowledge lights our way.”
“Gotta love a woman who can quote Yoda. You’re a keeper. Just remember that a truth depends on your point of view.”
Raina snorted in an unladylike manner. Was he flirting with her? Why? Her other female cousins were much more attractive with their hourglass figures and straight hair. Raina’s boyish frame and curly bush of hair made her looked more like a walking lollipop than a dainty Chinese doll. “So what’s your story? Are you related to one of my cousins?”
“No relation to your family, thank God,” he said. At her raised eyebrow, he amended, “It’d weird to show interest in a family member even if it is a cousin of a cousin.”
Raina blushed. He was flirting with her.
“I’m Anthony Wong’s contractor for the bump out of his office space,” Blue continued. “The people next door moved out, and he decided use the entire second floor of the building for his law firm.”
“Where’s your family?” Raina asked. “Why aren’t you spending Christmas with them?”
“Mom is a wannabe actress living in a trailer in Tracy and dad is gone with the wind. I’m as footloose and fancy free as an orphan.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to bring up… I thought you would tell me your family is from overseas.”
He grinned at her, exposing a crooked top tooth. “Don’t worry about it. I did spend my childhood in Italy where my mom was trying to get into opera singing. The woman could barely sing the ABC song without cracking a windshield. My childhood is done and over with. I survived it. The relationship with my mom only includes the few times a year I send her money. There are no calls and no interactions. It suits both of us.”
Raina couldn’t imagine never speaking with her mom again. In some ways Blue’s relationship with his mom was worse than death. At least Raina could visit her dad’s grave, and burn incense to feed his spirit and ask for his protection. She’d never felt alone because her ancestors walked with her. To willingly cut off his family wasn’t something she understood.
“What’s your last name?”
“Pufferneck,” he said. “Blue Pufferneck.”
Raina’s mouth dropped. Did his parents hate him? A bubble of mirth escaped her lips and before she could stop herself, she laughed until her shoulders shook. She tried stopping herself by turning away from his twinkling eyes, but to no avail. She clutched her thighs, digging her nails into her leg. The pain finally calmed her down. It felt good to release the tension.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. For someone so attractive, I was expecting something… sexier.”
He held out his hand. “Sebastian de Amor”
She shook it. “Really?”
“It’s Sebastian Luc, but please call me Superfly.”
Raina rolled her eyes. “I’m not calling you Superfly. I feel silly even saying it out loud.”
“What’s wrong with silly? Call me anything but the crab in Little Mermaid. It was the play my mom was in when she was pregnant with me. Just call me Blue. You smile when you say it.”
Did she? Raina hadn’t even noticed it. What she noticed was that he still held her hand. More like enclosed it with a warmth and gentleness that was a
surprising contrast to his comedic performance. And his voice was smooth with a trace of a European accent. She could listen to his voice all day.
The door behind them banged open.
Matthew called out, “Rainy, the banquet is starting. They were just done with the cold dish when I left to look for you. If we hurry, we might get back before the deep-fried crab balls. When it’s family style, the good dishes disappear fast.”
Raina extracted her hand, blushing with guilt. She averted her face from Matthew’s penetrating look when she strolled past him.
The rest of the evening passed in a haze of good food and cold wine. She kept an eye on Po Po, but she didn’t seem to be nursing any secret grudge. By the time she got home, she dismissed Blue’s comment. How could a stranger know her family as well as she did?
* * *
The next morning Raina was once again preparing the maid’s cart by herself at the resort. Lucille had texted that she was running late. Right. She was probably somewhere getting her freak on with Eric.
Raina sighed as she stacked the rolls of toilet paper. Why was she having all these uncharitable thoughts lately? Especially at the happiest time of the year. At least the Christmas dinner was done and over with, and she would have a couple months of reprieve until the Chinese New Year banquet. Holidays were meant for selling Hallmark cards as far she was concerned, not for actual face-to-face conversations.
And to top things off, she hadn’t done laundry all week, so she had to wear the same pair of jeans she had on the day her grandma set the stink bomb off in her apartment. She was tempted to strip down to her underwear and toss them into the commercial washer in front of her. All things in life were relative. At least her underwear was clean.
Cecelia came in with Lucille close on her heels. The resort owner looked upset, but Lucille had a smug smile as if someone just gave her a foot rub.
Raina tensed, not trusting the look on her coworker’s face. Her pulse kicked up a notch as if preparing for battle.
“Come with me. I want you to take a look at something,” Cecelia said.
“Um, okay,” Raina said.
The resort owner spun on her heels and marched out. Raina followed Cecelia with Lucille bringing up the rear. Hadn’t Lucille heard of personal space? The whiff of cigarette smoke and the breaths on her neck intensified the closer they got to Suite Eighteen.
Cecelia opened Sui Yuk Liang’s room and gestured for Raina to step inside.
Raina scanned the room. Her spider sense tingled. Everything looked as it did when she was in the suite a few days earlier, except someone had taken out the trash and the police probably removed the laptop. She turned to find both Cecelia and Lucille studying her. She gave them a raised eyebrow.
“Someone stole Sui Yuk’s jewelry,” Cecelia said.
Raina’s gaze swept the room again, but the windows appeared locked. “Was there a break-in?”
“There was no sign of a break-in. The thief had a key,” Cecelia continued.
Raina slid a glance at Lucille. Could the thief be Eric Wagner? He might not have a room key, but he had access to a key via Lucille. Or maybe the head housekeeper had been in cahoots with Eric the entire time.
Cecelia flushed and averted her gaze. “Someone told me that you showed an excessive amount of interest in the valuables in this room.”
“The person misunderstood the situation,” Raina said.
“I saw you taking pictures of the jewelry and computer ,” Lucille said. “They are probably still on her phone.”
Raina gasped as understanding finally hit her. Lucille was trying to get rid of her like Eric had told her to do. “You were the one who got all excited over Sui Yuk’s laptop because you wanted it for your son’s Christmas present. You have a room key too.”
Cecelia studied Lucille with furrowed brows as if suspecting her for the first time.
“The laptop is set up for Chinese. What use would I have for such a laptop?” Lucille smirked as if she’d won her case.
“You just go to the System Preferences and reset it for English. It’s not rocket science to change the settings,” Raina said. “I have no interest in the laptop or her jewelry.”
“Tell that to the judge. If you weren’t desperate for money, why would you be at a labor intensive minimum wage job during your winter break? Especially with your fancy education.”
If Lucille knew of the money Raina had inherited from Ah Gong, desperate wouldn’t be the correct word to describe her. And what was wrong with working a minimum wage job for a couple weeks? It was either that or stay cooped up in her apartment with her best friend out of town and no boyfriend in sight.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I don’t want to touch my savings to pay off a rather large car repair bill,” Raina said. “This doesn’t make me a thief.”
Lucille turned to Cecelia. “We never had a theft before she started working here. All we got to do is check her phone.”
Cecelia looked uncertain but finally nodded. “I’m sorry, Raina, but Lucille is right. We never had a theft before. I think it’s better if you just leave.”
“Wait. Are you firing me?” Raina asked. “You have no evidence other than Lucille’s word that I’m interested in this laptop.”
“Why don’t you start on your duties?” Cecelia asked Lucille, but the tone was more of a command.
Lucille huffed in disappointment as if she’d expected to be the one to tell Raina to pack up. The door slammed shut, but there was no wind.
“There’s no proof that I stole anything,” Raina said.
“I’m sorry,” Cecelia said. “You’re a temp, but Lucille has been with me since I first opened the resort. She’s a great help to me. It’s much easier to replace you than her.”
Raina swallowed her protest. There was no point in arguing her case when the resort owner had already made up her mind. “But what about Sonia? She has nothing to do with this. Would she be able to keep her job when she gets back?”
“I’ll talk to Sonia when she gets back. Lucille said her cousin could help out for the rest of the winter break.”
“Isn’t it mighty convenient that Lucille’s cousin is ready to swoop in after you fire me?”
“I’m not firing you. We’re just parting ways.”
Raina had enough of the word wrangling. “Fine. When do I collect my paycheck?”
Cecelia pulled a thick envelope out of her back pocket. “Here. I even added four hours for today. Merry Christmas.”
Raina reached for the envelope and frowned at the weight. “Please don’t tell me you wrote a check for each day I was here.”
“It’s cash. Let’s just say you never worked here by my books.”
So Toni Moody was right. Cecelia probably had another set of books for her business transactions that the IRS would be more than happy to get their hands on. “Why cash?”
“Why not? You only worked here a few days. Less paperwork for me to take care of during tax season.”
“Do you have the same cavalier attitude with our guests? I heard rumors that some of our guests literally show up with a suitcase of cash because the banking system in their country is not as sophisticated as ours.” She made up the last comment, but the resort owner didn’t have to know this.
Cecelia cocked her head as if seeing Raina clearly for the first time. “Are you trying to blackmail me?”
Raina shook her head. “I’m not a blackmailer. But if I’m able to figure this out after working here for a week, it makes me wonder who else knows about this and what they would do with the information.”
“Well, I’ll keep this in mind for the future. Good-bye, Raina.”
“Will there be a future? You can’t expect to throw cash around like a money laundering front when you’re operating a legitimate business.”
“Do you see me asking you for financial advice?”
“But you’re stripping down to your panties to save a couple of bucks.”
“A couple
of bucks? Do you even know how much taxes a business has to pay?”
“You always have to pay the piper. One way or the other.”
Cecelia took a step closer. “What are you trying to say?”
Raina swallowed as she looked up at the tense expression on the resort owner’s face. Maybe she should stop baiting the bear, especially since this particular bear could pound her into a hamburger. “Merry Christmas.”
She left the suite with as much dignity as she could, even though she felt like a wimp for not defending herself against Lucille’s accusation. She wanted to make a comment about the baby swap, but there was no proof and it was smarter to not alert Cecelia. Just as it was smarter to keep silent about Lucille and Eric…for now.
Once outside and out of view, she hunched her shoulders against the wind and jogged to her car. It wasn’t like she got fired from a dream job, but rankled all the same that whoever wanted her away from the resort would be able to get away with this.
She started the engine, and pulled out her cell phone to text her grandma while the car was warming up. “Fired from resort.”
“Let me buy you breakfast,” Po Po texted back.
Raina smiled at the thought of picking her grandma’s brain on how to plot her revenge on Lucille and Eric. Normally she wasn’t a vengeful person, but this wasn’t a normal situation. A baby’s future was at stake, and Cecelia wasn’t the only one with something to protect.
20
A SIMPLE MAN
Raina parked across the street from the Sullivans’ home. Po Po chewed on her croissant thoughtfully as she leaned over to stare out the driver’s side window.
“What do you think is going on?” Po Po asked.
The neighborhood was quiet as if hung-over from too much Christmas joy. Without the cloak of darkness, the decorations on the Sullivan’s house looked as if a three-year-old had vomited all over their yard. It didn’t help matters to have a police cruiser parked up front.
Officer Hopper, Matthew came out with grim faces. Joe and Brenda followed behind them, their heads tilted together in a low conversation.
