by Vivien Chien
“Set it up, and it’s a date.” Brandon nodded with resolution.
“We’ll let you go home now.” Isabelle stepped aside to let me pass. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night and be careful out there! I hear everything’s turning to ice.”
I waved my goodbyes and scurried out into the already cold, dark evening, muttering to myself. Yeah, Adam on a double date? He was just going to love this.
CHAPTER
3
Anna May had come in to the restaurant the next morning so that my mother and I could go over the details of running things while she was gone. I knew how to do most of what my mother did, but there were a few tasks that she reserved for herself, like completing food orders and dealing with payments to vendors and suppliers.
My mother’s work space was a complete mess, but she had it down to a science. She knew where everything was, and the way she flowed through the stacks of papers and folders impressed me.
She showed me all of the order forms, the contact lists, and the database system she used to keep track of sales.
“It is very important that we keep track of how much people like certain dishes,” my mother said to me. “This way we know what specials to make if business becomes too slow.”
“I don’t think we’ll have that problem right now, Mom,” I replied. “With the holiday coming up, you know we should have good business no matter what’s on the menu.”
She clucked her tongue. “Can you just listen to Mommy? I am trying to teach you something very important.”
“Okay, sorry … go ahead.”
We spent the next hour going over the specials she had planned for while she was gone and the scheduled shifts that all of us would work. According to her master plan, everything would work perfectly if we followed her exact instructions.
After we finished, my mother sat back in her chair, observing me. She nodded to herself. “This is going to be very good for you.”
“Yeah, it’s going to be great.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I wish you would not act this way about everything that Mommy thinks is good for you. You are still too young to know what is good. One day you will thank Mommy for all her help.”
“I’m not too young to know what’s good for me. I’m not a little girl anymore.”
She waved a hand at me. “This is nothing. You have so much life to live yet.”
“Yes, Mom, I know,” I said through gritted teeth. “But in order to live my life, I have to start living my life.”
My mother cocked her head at me. “Sometimes when you talk, I don’t know what you are saying to me. You are living your life, yah?”
I huffed. “Never mind. I wish you would trust me with making my own decisions. I know what I want to do and it’s not running this restaurant. I want to do something else, okay?”
The minute it came out, I was filled with regret. I hadn’t meant to have this conversation with my mother before her big trip, but it had been so heavy on my mind the past few weeks, it slipped out.
My mother stiffened in her chair. “I want you to have a good life. That is what Mommy is trying to help you do. If you do not appreciate this…” She twisted away from me, focusing her eyes on the computer screen.
“Mom…” I gave a heavy sigh. “It’s okay, I know. I’m just frustrated lately, that’s all. I don’t mind working at the restaurant.”
She perked up, turning back to face me. “If you had a boyfriend, that would make you happy, yes?”
I buried my face in my hands. This argument, which had been going on for months on end—ever since I broke up with jerk-face—was our never-ending battle. Time and time again, I had told her that I was just fine on my own. Even with Adam somewhat in the picture, she hadn’t let up on her argument about me finding the perfect match to solve all my worries and woes. I didn’t know how else to tell her that finding the perfect man wasn’t always the answer to life’s problems.
She’d met my father early in life, and things had worked out swimmingly for them. My dad was truly one of a kind. He had the patience of a saint, and even when my mother was at her most difficult, he kept his cool and worked alongside her moods. On top of that, he was thoughtful, always putting my mother’s needs before his own. Call me a daddy’s girl, but I admired my dad, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
Anna May tapped on the door. “Excuse me, Lana … I hate to break you away from your oh-so-important training session, but you have a visitor.”
I looked up at her. “Who is it?”
“Detective Trudeau … or should I say … Adam. He’s waiting at a table near the front. I told him you were busy but he won’t go away.”
“Anna May!” I looked at my mother for support. “Do you see what I put up with?”
My mother shrugged.
I marched past my sister and made my way out into the dining room, spotting Adam at a table toward the front, right where my sister said he’d be.
My stomach did flip-flops.
Adam was a classic sort of handsome. His strong jawline was covered in a five o’clock shadow more often than not, and the prominence of his cheekbones gave him an excellent profile. And his eyes … I could go on for at least an hour on how green they were and how I’d never seen eyes more beautiful than his. The reddish tint to his brown hair helped bring out the color, and when he was dressed in all black, like he was today, they became even more intense.
A crooked smile appeared on his face as we made eye contact, and a small part of me melted at the dimple that formed in his cheek.
“You dyed your hair blue. I like it.”
“I didn’t expect to see you today.” I sat down in the chair across from him. “What brings you by?”
“I had this sudden urge for noodles, so I thought I’d stop in,” he replied with a wink.
Stomach flop. “Oh, I can get you something…” I started to get up, my nerves getting the best of me. “Do you want to take it to go?”
He put a hand over mine and squeezed. “Lana … sit down. Your sister is taking care of it.”
I blushed, sitting back in the chair. “Right. Anna May.”
“She told me that you’re training with your mother while she goes to Taiwan? She’s really leaving tomorrow?”
“Yup. She’s all ready with her empty suitcase.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind,” I said, dismissing the topic. “There was actually something I wanted to talk to you about.”
He folded his hands in front of him on the table. “Okay, shoot.”
“So, you know my friend Isabelle, right?”
“The one that works in the new souvenir shop?”
“Yeah, her.” I squirmed in my chair.
“Okay…”
“Well, her husband—Brandon’s his name—he asked if we would want to go on a double date with them.”
He stared at me with a blank expression. For a minute, I wasn’t sure that he’d heard me.
“I told him that you were really busy and it would probably be a pain even to schedule something like that with everything you have going on. But they insisted that I tell you. So now I have and I’ll tell them no for us so you don’t even have to think about it.” I took a breath. There.
He laughed. “Why would you tell them no?”
My eyes widened. “You mean, you would consider it?”
“Yeah, if it’s something you really wanted to do.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I thought for sure that he’d think it was the lamest idea in the universe.
He seemed to read my thoughts. “You underestimate me, Lana Lee. I’d be more than happy to go on a double date with you and your friends.”
Mentally, I did a dance of joy. I couldn’t wait to tell Isabelle.
* * *
Adam stopping by and his acceptance of the double-date idea carried me on a cloud through the rest of the day. Not even my sister and her negative comments about me running the restaurant could damp
en my mood.
After work, Isabelle and I met up for our bookstore adventure. We stood shoulder-to-shoulder staring at the spines of the books in the mystery section. Neither one of us spoke as our eyes skimmed the titles, searching for our favorite authors.
“I wish I could be like one of these women in the books we read … solving mysteries and serving justice.” Isabelle turned to me. “Do you ever wish that you were a detective?”
I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. “Not really. It seems like it would be kind of dangerous.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she said with a sigh.
I waited for her to say more, but she didn’t.
Instead, we focused back on the books in front of us, picking out a few more titles before heading to the cash register.
The Modern Scroll, one of my favorite places in the plaza, was run by Cindy Kwan, a small woman a few years older than me. If there was any one person who loved books more than Isabelle and me, it was Cindy.
“Well, hello ladies!” Cindy stood behind the register peering at us through her black, thick-framed glasses. A name tag was pinned to her sweater and read I’M A BOOKWORM! under her name. “I see you’re replenishing your winter reading piles.”
I set my books down on the counter. “My parents are leaving for Taiwan tomorrow, and they’re leaving me in charge of the restaurant.”
Isabelle turned to me. “You didn’t tell me that. When did you find out?”
“Sunday.”
“Sunday!” the two women exclaimed.
“Right? They hardly gave me any notice.”
“You had an interview lined up, didn’t you?” Isabelle asked, and then quickly covered her mouth. “Oops … sorry to spill your news.”
“It’s okay, I don’t mind if she knows…” I said, eyeing Cindy. “Just don’t spread it around.”
“Oh, don’t worry, this one I will keep to myself.” Cindy chuckled, sliding my books closer to her side of the counter. “I don’t want the wrath of Mama Lee coming down on me.”
“So what are you going to do?” Isabelle asked.
I shrugged. “The interview is for Thursday, so I have until at least tomorrow to figure it out. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can get someone else to cover for me. But even if they do, who knows if they’ll wait until I’m able to start.”
“How long will your parents be gone?” Isabelle asked.
“They said at least a couple of weeks. And then, of course, we’ll have to find someone to replace me, and who knows how long that will take.”
“Well, you can try at least and see what happens,” Cindy suggested. She started to ring up my books. “Honestly, I’m surprised that you would want to leave. It seems to be going well over there, and you even joined Ian’s new board of directors.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” I answered noncommittally. “I was kind of hoping to get back to office work, you know? Get away from the public and stare at something other than noodles and dumplings all day. Maybe work myself up the corporate ladder or something.”
Cindy scoffed. “The corporate ladder? That doesn’t even sound like you, Lana! You need to be doing something you love. Like how I love books.” She thrust her arms out, waving at the volumes that surrounded us. “My favorite thing to do is come in and set up that table you see when you first walk in. I get to show everyone my very favorite picks … guide them on their next fictional journey or help them learn a new hobby. You need something like that in your life.”
I groaned. “I’m not entirely sure what I love anymore … I’ve felt so lost since…”
All three of us knew what I was thinking, but none of us wanted to comment on it.
“Lana, you love noodles!” Isabelle chimed in.
“I’m not that great a cook.”
Cindy leaned over the counter. “Maybe you should learn then. I have some great cookbooks with Asian recipes if you don’t want to ask your mother or Peter. You could even surprise them with your new culinary skills.”
“I don’t know … maybe.”
Cindy tapped her chin. “Maybe you’re right … scratch the cooking thing. You like to be in charge of things, right? Well, here’s your opportunity to test that out. Why don’t you see how this shoe fits before trying on a different one?”
Even though I didn’t want to admit it, she was right. I hadn’t really given the restaurant a fair chance since I’d started working there full-time. In the back of my mind, it had been a temporary solution until something better came along.
Isabelle linked her arm in mine. “Well, however you want to look at it, I for one am glad that you’re not going anywhere. You help keep me company most days. If it weren’t for you, I might go insane.”
After we finished at the bookstore, we headed over to the Bamboo Lounge for drinks and a light dinner. I told her about Adam accepting the idea of a double date, and when she didn’t respond the way I had anticipated, I knew something was wrong.
“Okay, spill it,” I said. “What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting strange since we met up.”
“Everything is fine.” She forced a smile, looking at something over my shoulder.
“Liar.”
Her eyes focused back on me, and for a second, I thought she was teary-eyed.
“Whatever you tell me will be in total confidence. I promise.” I held up my hand in oath.
“It’s Brandon.”
“Okay … what about Brandon?”
“He’s been acting strange lately … disappearing … and I’m afraid that he…” She turned away from me again.
I could see her eyes blinking rapidly and I suspected that I was right. She was getting teary-eyed.
She took a deep breath. “I’m afraid that he’s getting bored with me.”
My eyes widened. “Seriously? Are you kidding me? I see the way he looks at you, Isabelle. He’s definitely not bored with you.”
“You really think so?”
“I would bet money on it, in fact.” Those are the words that came out. The ones that didn’t were questioning where it was that he was disappearing to every time he left Isabelle at the store. “Maybe you should come right out and ask him.”
“You don’t think that makes me sound like a crazy person?”
“Not at all. It’s a valid question.”
She seemed to mull it over and then nodded in agreement. “You’re right, there’s no reason I can’t ask him. I am his wife, after all.”
When we were done and ready to leave the plaza, we walked together to the main entrance, finalizing our double-date plans. But before we could make it through the door, Brandon flagged us down.
“Hey, are you ladies done with your book escapades?” Brandon asked, jogging up to us.
He was dressed in his coat and gloves and caught up to us where we stood in front of Asian Accents, car keys in hand.
“I’m heading home right now to get dinner ready for you,” Isabelle said, giving Brandon a peck on the cheek.
“Change of plans, sweetheart.” He swung an arm around her neck and pulled her against him. “I have to run a quick errand, and I need you to close up shop.” He looked down at her with an innocent smile. “You don’t mind, do you?”
I stifled a groan.
Isabelle remained silent for a minute, and I imagined that after our little talk, she was having an inner battle with herself. “Can’t the errand wait until after you close up? I’m exhausted tonight and I’d really like to get home. I’ve had to work late every night for the past week.”
“I know, babe, but it’s just this once. I promise that I will open and close tomorrow.”
“Where is it that you need to go?” Isabelle asked. “Maybe I can go for you.”
“No can do, but I appreciate the offer.”
She looked down at her feet, a slight pout forming on her face.
It wasn’t lost on me that he’d avoided answering her other question.
A gust of wind blew agai
nst my back, and I turned to see a tall man with what I couldn’t help but describe as William Shatner hair standing behind us. And when I say William Shatner, I mean the Captain Kirk era. This guy’s hair was a lot darker, but the style was exact.
As if on cue, he ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head in that slow-motion sort of way that men do in movies. In reality, he was just removing the snowflakes from his head, but it looked pretty rehearsed if you asked me.
I turned back around, focusing my attention on Isabelle and Brandon.
“It’s really important.” Brandon noticed the tall man standing behind me and then glanced at his watch. “I have to get there before eight thirty and if I leave right now, I’ll just be able to make it in time. You understand, don’t you?”
Isabelle let out a deep sigh. “Okay, but tomorrow, I get to sleep in.”
He chuckled as he kissed her forehead. “Deal.” He waved a goodbye to me and jogged toward the tall man, giving him a pat on the shoulder.
I watched them as they left the plaza. That’s weird. How come he didn’t introduce us to his friend?
“Well,” Isabelle said, turning to me. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” Her shoulders dropped as she headed toward the souvenir shop.
“Do you want me to stay with you?” I offered, following after her. “I could keep you company.”
“No, that’s all right, you go. I know you have to take your parents to the airport early in the morning.”
“You’re right … ugh.” I shook my head. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. When you get here, stop in and I’ll make you something special … on the house.”
“That sounds great!” She tackled me in a hug, causing me to almost lose my balance. “I’m so glad that I met you, Lana … what would I do without you?”
CHAPTER
4
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is no LAX, but as far as airports go, it holds its own. As I drove my parents around the bend to the second-level departure lanes, a sense of wistfulness passed over me—the same feeling I got every time I came to the airport—and I wished that I was the one bound for a different destination. Palm trees, sandy beaches, and drinks in coconuts danced through my head as I waited for the stoplight to turn green.
