by Nia Arthurs
He stared her right in the eyes, pretending that the past few months were obsolete. “Sun Gi.”
“What about him?”
Joon Gi shifted. He’d been banking on her understanding everything without having to spell out the words. It was a matter of pride and he sensed that Hanna was forcing him to speak aloud so it was clear who had the upper hand.
Maybe I dodged a bullet when I lost her.
His gaze landed on the diamond ring sparkling on her finger. The ring he’d given her had been replaced immediately with a diamond twice the size of the original.
He calculated in his head. The thing probably cost more than his old apartment.
Grimly, he arched an eyebrow. “Don’t get married.”
She laughed humorlessly.
Joon waited her out, his expression calm and sober.
Hanna daintily plucked a napkin and dabbed at her mouth, careful not to smudge her lipstick. When she was finished, she crumpled it beneath her sharp fingernails and glared at him. “You have no right to tell me that.”
“I do when it involves my brother.”
“Is this jealousy?”
“Not the kind you’re thinking.”
“Good. It would have been repulsive if you were acting like our marriage would have been for love.”
“I said nothing about love. This is about my reputation.”
“What reputation?” She leaned forward, her scrawny arm dangling over the back of the chair. “You ruined that along with your business.”
The words stung but he didn’t let it show. “You have the right to marry anyone in the world. I won’t stop you. I’ll wish you well. But it can’t be him.”
“Why not?”
“You’d be nothing but a trophy. His one-up over me. Sun Gi’s not the type to settle down or commit to one woman.”
“So what?”
Joon was too stunned to coax his expression. “Huh?”
“So what if I’m his trophy? He’s mine too. I don’t care which one of the Kim brothers I get, as long as I have a connection to your family.”
He knew that Hanna was ambitious, but he hadn’t expected this. “What about honor? Decorum?”
“You lost your honor when you went bankrupt and then went to jail.” She hissed. “And what about my honor? Hm?” She tapped her chest with a manicured fingernail. “Thanks to the mess you made, my family was almost blackballed.”
“I apologize for that, but I—”
“Doesn’t matter what your intentions were. I’m still scrambling to recover from the damage.” She narrowed her eyes to slits. “Now you’re demanding that I leave Sun Gi to protect your puny ego?”
Every barb bounced off his chest but not before they left a small puncture wound. He stilled his hands and voice before saying, “Don’t get married.”
“Or what?”
Joon settled back into his chair and glanced around the tiny café. The color scheme was cream, orange and pink—three hues that shouldn’t work but did. Large display cases were picked clean by the hordes of customers that had walked in and out since early in the morning.
“You want this place, don’t you?”
Hanna’s eye twitched. It was the first crack in the armor he had seen since she agreed to meet with him. “What are you talking about?”
“This café isn’t your vibe.” He gestured to the tacky metal chairs and the hanging droplights that were low enough to whack someone in the head if they were tall and inattentive.
“Don’t assume—”
“I know you too well, Hanna. You set up our meeting here to kill two birds with one stone.” He lifted his fingers. “You figured you could tell me off and have enough time left in your schedule to proposition the owner.”
Hanna’s exasperated scoff only confirmed that he was on the right track.
Joon shrugged. “If you insist on marrying Sun Gi, I’ll take this place from you.”
“You know nothing about bakeries.”
“I may be broke, but I still know how to run a good business.” He tilted his head. The evidence to back up that statement was dodgy at best.
He’d made a few mistakes. Joon would admit that, but at the core, he was a businessman.
Just like his father.
Hanna tapped her fingers against the table in thought. Flowers and chocolate didn’t appeal to her, but the woman collected plots of land and struggling businesses like basketball cards.
Joon Gi didn’t relish giving threats, but he hated the thought of his brother marrying his ex-fiancée even more.
He’d already hit rock-bottom.
There was nothing left for him here in Belize. The moment he made enough money, Joon Gi would hop on the first flight back to Korea.
Until then, he’d exact his revenge on the people who did him wrong.
Starting with Hanna.
“Do you want me back?” Hanna asked.
The question stunned him into silence.
She licked her lips. “This behavior only makes sense if you cared about me.”
“What makes you think I don’t?”
Dark laughter tumbled from Hanna’s lips. “You honestly believe you’re the ‘bigger man’, don’t you? You think you’re different from Sun Gi?” She shook her head. “The only thing you do is hide your manipulation behind a smile. At least Sun Gi doesn’t pretend with me.”
“I didn’t come here to argue.”
“Just to make demands and threats, is that right?” Hanna folded her arms over her chest.
“I’ll ask you one more time.” Joon Gi stared her down, pleasant and calm. “Don’t marry him.”
She glared.
He held her gaze until she blinked.
Hanna stood and gathered her purse. She flung the strap over her shoulder and tossed her hair. The fitted black pantsuit clung to her willowy figure, and Joon Gi had a sudden image of a black widow spider.
He’d watched a special about them once. How they lured the males while mating only to devour them. It took a truly crafty male to get away from the widow spider.
Joon Gi didn’t plan on being torn apart like that pitiful stuffed jack left on Hanna’s plate.
“You should have stayed in prison,” Hanna hissed.
“I’ll take that as a no to my request then.”
“If you mess this up for me, Joon”—Hanna wiggled a finger—“I swear I will make it my life’s work to make you miserable.”
He watched Hanna stalk to the counter. She exchanged a few words with the server and then plunked a business card down. With a turn of her heels, she strode from the café.
Joon stretched his long legs and took his time gathering the scraps of their breakfast from the table.
The woman behind the counter saw him and seemed genuinely alarmed. “Oh no, sir. You don’t have to do that. I’ll clean up.”
“It’s fine.” Joon gave her a charming smile. She looked a few years younger than him. Maybe twenty-four or twenty-five. Her caramel-colored skin and thick, curly hair caught his attention, but those eyes of hers kept it.
Joon Gi suspected that she was mixed with black and some type of Asian, but he figured it would be impolite to ask. He needed to impress this woman not flirt with her.
Unless she’d respond to that, of course.
“I’m guessing you’re the owner?” he asked, clinging to the dirty napkins.
The girl reached for them, but when she saw that he wasn’t relinquishing the trash, gave up and wiped her hands against the side of her jeans. A rag flapped from her tight grip. “No, I’m not. I already told your friend that Sky stepped out for a minute and I’m not sure when she’ll be back.”
Fumbling for his wallet, he slipped a business card out and handed it to her. “I’d like to talk to Sky when she returns.”
“If you’re one of those investor types, you should give up now. She’s not going to sell.” The woman pocketed the card. “This place belonged to her mother. It’s very important to her.”
“I see.”
That tidbit of information would be stored away for later.
“You look familiar. Have we met?” the girl asked. “I’m Joana Lee Gregory.”
“Lee. You’re Korean?”
“Half. On my mom’s side.”
“I’m Kim Joon Gi.”
“Your last name is Kim?” She shoved her hand into her pocket and fished around until she found his business card. Her eyes widened with recognition. “Joon Gi Kim? I saw you on the news. Aren’t you that rich guy who got busted for bribery?”
“That was a small misunderstanding—”
Joana snapped the cloth like a whip. “What business do you have with Sky?”
“I just want to talk…”
“Really? Is that what this is?” Another whiplash. “Are you trying to scam her?” Whip. “Is that your plan? Huh?”
“Of course not?” Joon Gi stumbled back.
Her brows lowered. “You should leave if you know what’s good for you.”
“Hear me out.” Joon Gi inched away before Joana and that dusty rag slapped him in the eye. “I’m here to help.”
“Help with what?” a new voice said.
Joon Gi spun and found a woman with medium brown skin, bright eyes and neat black dreads rounding the counter from a door that he presumed led to the kitchen. He did a quick scan of her face. She looked kind and innocent.
Perfect.
“You must be Sky.” He held a hand out to her.
She eyed his hand and then his face. “Who are you?”
He paused. “The man who’s about to change your life.”
3
JOON GI KIM WAS BOLD. Sky would give him that.
Unfortunately for the handsome stranger, her friend Jo wasn’t buying what he was selling and honestly, neither did she. If something was too good to be true, it probably had a wandering eye, secret kids scattered around the country and a thing for women in short skirts and crop tops.
But that was another matter.
Sky straightened her shoulders. “Let me see if I understood that clearly. You’re saying you’d like to help me run the café?”
“That’s right.” He nodded.
She arched both eyebrows. “And you’d work for free?”
“For the first month.” He lifted a pale finger. “If I raise the value of the business by then, I get a salary.”
“Which you want to reinvest into Sweet Treats to become a silent partner.”
“My time and expertise are worth thousands, but I’m giving you a great discount. My only stipulation is that you keep going and never sell this store to anyone.” He lifted his chin like the deal was done and he’d already garnered the profits. “What do you say?”
Sky’s jaw dropped. Joon Gi’s claim of doubling her profits in six months was ridiculous enough, but a niggling voice in the back of her mind told her no sane person would make that kind of offer for nothing.
Just because he was crazy enough to propose it didn’t mean she was crazy enough to accept.
Sky found his request about the store bizarre too. Why should he care if she sold or not?
All kinds of alarm bells were ringing in her head. She might be a soft touch, but she was no fool.
Sky shook her head. “I say thanks but no thanks. I’m not looking for another worker at this time.” She could barely give herself and Jo a salary every week. It was plain math.
“You go, girl,” a voice whispered.
Sky looked over. Jo was across the room leaning on the counter and making no attempts to hide her eavesdropping.
“As I was saying,” she raised her voice so Jo knew that back up was appreciated but unnecessary, “I’m stunned by your offer but I don’t need your help. And even if I did, I don’t know you or trust you.”
“Understandable,” he said.
Well, more like he growled.
Not intentionally, of course. But still. Joon Gi had a gravelly voice, a tone that was far deeper than what she’d assumed he would have based on her limited interactions with the Asians in Belize.
He was on the tall and lean side, solid in way that filled out his turquoise-colored dress shirt well. His face was angular, sharp-looking. From those brown eyes, thin nose and thick pink lips one would never guess he’d be the type to go around traipsing into cafés promising to change lives.
Joon Gi ran a pale hand through his straight black hair. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that your store is spending more than it’s making in profits.”
Sky stiffened.
He continued as if he didn’t notice. Or maybe he just didn’t care. “You’ve got personal bills or responsibilities that keep you from making the proper investments for expansion and you’re probably tied up with mortgages of some kind. Maybe a business loan?”
“Who the heck are you?” Sky’s eyes narrowed to slits and her round chin tipped up. Her suspicion meter was going off the charts and no cute face could disguise the alarm bells.
“Have you been spying on us?” Jo stormed over.
“The woman I was with earlier is a friend of mine. If she’s interested in your bakery, it means it’s close to folding. She’s not the type to play a game she won’t win.”
Sky remained calm. “I’m not intimidated. Plenty of businesses have approached me and I’ve shot them down with no issues.”
Just then, the door opened and customers straggled in.
Jo straightened and shot Joon Gi a warning look. “Don’t do anything suspicious while I’m gone. And you”—she pointed to Sky—“don’t fall for any of his sob stories. I mean it.”
“I won’t.”
“I’m serious, Sky.” Jo narrowed her eyes.
Sky nodded and shooed her friend away. Turning to Joon Gi, she fluttered her hands. “Go on.”
“Look, the truth is …” He glanced aside and lowered his voice. “I need this job. Badly. In the past, I made some bad business decisions and got caught by the cops. I lost my business, my money, my family, and my fiancée.”
“Your fiancée?”
He nodded sadly. “She returned the ring while I was in lock up.”
Compassion welled in Sky’s chest. She knew what it was like to be dumped cruelly and wouldn’t wish it on her worst enemy.
Lowering her lashes so he couldn’t see her internal struggle, she croaked, “That’s awful.”
“I’m trying to get back on my feet, but I need someone to take a chance on me first. The banks won’t approve me for a loan and my associates have distanced themselves because of all the media attention.” He nodded confidently. “I have a lot to offer. I can help you, Sky. If you choose to help me.”
Her defenses crumpled like a wave taking down a sandcastle.
So much for not falling for sob stories.
“Do you know anything about baking?”
“No.” He set his hands on the table. “But I can learn. Plus I can give you tips on marketing, book-keeping, and expansion. I ran several successful businesses before my… downfall.”
Sky whipped her hand out. “How soon can you start?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Jo returned just as the customers left. “What’s going on here?”
“I just got hired.” Joon Gi’s eyes glittered.
Sky had a flashback to this morning when Phillip took off with her money and got the inexplicable sense that she’d been manipulated.
Again.
No, this is different. This is a mutually beneficial exchange, right?
“Sky,” Jo shot through gritted teeth, “can I see you? In the kitchen?”
“Yeah, sure.” She pushed away from the table and followed Jo into the private room.
The moment the door swung behind them, her friend whirled around. “Really? I leave you for ten seconds and you let some random stranger into your money cupboard?”
“He needs a fresh start, Jo. You heard him. The guy was blackballed by every business in the city. No one wants to work with him. Not ev
en his family. Was I just supposed to kick him out after hearing all that?”
“Yes! Yes you were!” Jo sounded utterly exasperated. “Don’t you think they have a reason for shunning him? Maybe because he’s a crook?”
“We should get to know him before we judge. He said he’s willing to work for free for a month. That can be his probationary period. If we don’t like him, he can take a hike.”
“Or maybe we shouldn’t get tangled up with men who bribe custom officers.”
“He seems sorry.”
Jo tapped her cheek and spat sarcastically, “Yeah, I bet he does.”
“I’ve made my decision.”
“I know you’ve got a big heart, Sky. I’ve seen it first hand, but this is insane.”
“Don’t you have work to get to?” Sky reached behind her and checked the phone that she’d left on the counter. “Your grandmother will kill you if you’re late.”
“How do you expect me to leave you alone with him?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“What if he’s a serial killer or something?” Jo nibbled on her bottom lip, her brown eyes growing more frantic with each hypothetical situation. “What if he’s a stalker who’s been waiting for an opportunity to have his way with you?”
“I don’t think Mr. Joon Gi is interested in me like that.”
“Why? Because you’re black?” Jo gestured to herself. “Hello, Asians mingle. Evidence is right here.”
Sky laughed. “You know I didn’t mean it that way. Would you just go? I’ll text you or Phillip if I’m uncomfortable.”
“Fine. I’m leaving. But don’t let him walk all over you. Remember, you’re the boss here.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Sky saluted.
Jo grabbed her backpack that was stashed beneath the counter and used the side-door exit.
Sky let out a relieved breath and grabbed her apron. She’d accepted Joon Gi on an impulse but now that the pity was wearing off, she had no idea what to do about him.
Might as well make the best of it.
After tying her apron behind her, Sky strode outside. Joon Gi was up and pacing around the café with his hands behind his back. His eyes swept back and forth as he inspected every inch of the place.
Doubts cropped in her head, watered by her own insecurities.
