Camy Tang - Sushi for One?

The words struck like a blow from a sword into her gut. A spasm tightened her stomach, then disappeared. She inhaled a shallow breath.

Dad never asked anything of her. Never. He let her find her own way, do her own thing. He made her stand her ground against Richard, he let her choose whatever interested her in college.

This was like the warrior on his knees.

“Yeah, Dad. I’ll find somebody.” The words sounded strong and sure despite working around the tightness in her throat. “I’ll make sure he’s a Suns fan.”

Dad smiled like his old self. Lex moved aside so he could shuffle off to bed.

“Oh, Lex.” His voice echoed down the small hallway. “Mr.

Tomoyoshi called. He said to tell you he’s sorry, but he can’t sponsor the girls’ team.”

What?! Lex turned to stare at her father. Did she hear the wrong thing? “He said no?”

Dad nodded. “Why’d you ask him? Isn’t Grandma sponsoring your team?”

“Ah…” Lex’s mind scrambled. “She might not after Mariko’s wedding. So, I’m asking people just in case.” Oh no! What if Grandma found out? “But don’t say anything, okay, Dad? Grandma didn’t say for sure she wouldn’t do it, and she’d be hurt I was looking.”

Her father nodded and headed back down the hallway with a yawn.

Well, Lex would have to be satisfied with that. She didn’t even want to consider what would happen if Grandma found out.

She’d have already talked to Robyn if she hadn’t been late… Yeah, yeah. Story of her life.

Her grass doubles match now over, Lex gulped water from her Nalgene bottle and looked around for Robyn. She’d just seen her…

“Good game, Lex.” Kin-Mun, her doubles partner, toasted her with his own water bottle and swiped at the sweat pouring down his face.

“You too.” They’d committed to this tournament weeks ago, and Lex had worried that there would be awkwardness because of their almost-date. She had discovered that her initial feelings of complete devastation – okay, maybe it hadn’t been that dramatic – had dissipated as quickly and completely as water on a hot hibachi grill, but she wasn’t sure how Kin-Mun would feel.

She shouldn’t have even wasted the neurons. She didn’t understand how, but Kin-Mun chose to pretend nothing had happened, and they’d played together as fluidly as usual. They’d returned to their competitive, easy-going, platonic relationship with unbelievable ease. Lex supposed that was a good thing. Kin-Mun was the best doubles partner she’d played with yet.

“You were on fire.” Kin-Mun grinned.

Yeah, she felt on fire right now despite the cool temperature. She fished her towel out of her bag and tried to stop Niagara Falls from pouring down her forehead. “Have you seen Robyn?”

“I saw her at registration earlier.”

“I arrived at the tournament late, so I couldn’t talk to her before we started. Where is she now?”

Kin-Mun used his extra inches of height to scan the grass tournament grounds. “Far side, near court three, talking to Jill.”

Lex hoofed it over to court three. Robyn knew practically everyone who played volleyball – she would know whom Lex could approach about sponsoring the girls’ team. Lex hoped she could broach the touchy topic of money with Robyn alone and with tact, for a change.

Robyn smiled and waved hello at Lex but didn’t pause her conversation with Jill. Sounded like something to do with the Nikkei Volleyball League that put on this grass tournament. Lex shifted to one foot, ready to wait.

“Lex!”

Her least-favorite person at the moment approached, sticking out from the T-shirt-clad crowd in his stylish jeans and some designer shirt that made him look muscular. Lex felt mad enough and powerful enough to take Richard down, right there in the middle of the park. She opened her mouth to lash into him when she saw he’d brought a human shield – an okay-looking guy, Richard’s age and probably single. Had Richard talked to Dad? Did he know he was in the doghouse?

Lex gave him a feral smile. “Richard. My most favorite, chaaah-ming brother.”

He froze, hand still lifted in a welcoming wave. “What have I done now?”

“George, you doofus.”

Richard had the grace to wince. “I told him not to do anything stupid.”

“Oh, you mean like open his mouth?”

Richard’s smile became pained. “Uh… Lex, I came up because I wanted to introduce you to my friend, Aiden.” He gestured to the non-descript guy hanging back behind him.

Aiden held out his hand, light eyes intense on Lex’s face. “Hi.”

She returned his brief, firm handshake, and a quiver raced up her arm and down to her toes. Must be nerves. “Hi.”

She wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be civil to another of Richard’s friends. She peeked over at Robyn – still deep in conversation with Jill.

“Richard!” A coy feminine voice made him turn and flash that famous Come hither smile.

“Hi, darling.” He walked away.

No, no, no! Don’t leave me alone with -!

Lex attempted a feeble smile at Aiden. He looked so calm and bland. Nice-looking, but not striking enough to make her heart pound – he already had a point against him from her Ephesians List. Although he did meet her eyes directly, which was something Richard and her father never did. “So, Aiden, what do you do?”

“I’m a physical therapist. I work at Golden Creek Physical Therapy in south San Jose.”

“Oh.” Lex suppressed a shudder. Why did anything having to do with injuries give her the willies? Another thing to add to the List: Must have an occupation I can say without wigging out.

Silence.

Lex glanced at Robyn and tried to will her to finish with Jill so she could talk to her. From their serious expressions, it looked like something important.

Her gaze bounced back to Aiden. “I’m a manufacturing engineer at Pear Technologies.”

Aiden nodded. “Richard told me.”

“How do you know Richard?” Always a good question. Richard collected friends like he used to collect baseball cards.

“He’s friends with one of my patients. I met him last week.”

“Oh.” He wasn’t even one of Richard’s close friends, but Richard threw them together. Well, may as well go down the List. “Do you play sports?”

“I run. I’m training for a marathon right now.” Even when talking about something he obviously enjoyed, Aiden didn’t change his calm expression except to give a half-smile.

Man, he was boring.

She sighed. Robyn still talked to Jill, and Lex didn’t feel like being polite anymore. “I hate running. I only do it because I need to, for training.”

Aiden blinked. “Oh.”

Lex plunged ahead. “Do you play volleyball?”

“No, but I’m thinking of picking it up.”

Scratch Aiden as date material. No way she could respect – much less date – someone who didn’t play volleyball at a higher level. “Take classes. That way you’ll learn proper form and technique.”

“Uh… okay.” He looked at her as if she were a crazy cousin he had to humor.

Lex didn’t care. This topic was her pet peeve. “I hate playing with people who have sloppy form.”

“Oh… Okay.”

“It’s dangerous on the court. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen near-miss accidents…” She should shut up, she was ranting. “Um… It was nice meeting you.” Lex would go and stand next to Robyn’s elbow to let her know she needed to talk to her.

“You look so much like Trish – ” He ended his sentence oddly, as if he hadn’t intended to say that.

Lex paused in the act of escaping. “She’s my cousin.”