Camy Tang - Sushi for One?

Aiden hid behind the paper again. Trish, the drama queen.

“Trish, you’re such a drama queen.” The tall, slender girl – Lex? -had a deeper voice than Trish, but he heard an uncertain quaver in it that hadn’t been there before. He peeked over the newspaper.

Lex thrust out her hand at the junior high girl. “Phone.”

“But I’m – ”

“Now.”

The young girl jumped at Lex’s bark, but then rolled her eyes as she finished her conversation on the phone. “Sorry, Kin-Mun – ”

Lex snatched the phone away and snapped it shut. Her face was as gray as a thundercloud. With the other hand, she propelled Trish toward the restroom at the far end of the coffee shop.

Now was his chance. Aiden flapped the paper shut, picked up his coffee, and hustled out the door.

From the parking lot, Spenser waved as he activated his car alarm.

“Sorry I’m late.”

Talk about rotten luck. Aiden intercepted him in the middle of a parking stall. “Let’s go to Peet’s Coffee instead.”

“No, I did an extra hard workout today just so I could have a caramel mocha freeze.” Spenser flashed his toothy, little-boy grin as he walked past Aiden and yanked open the glass door.

Maybe Trish would stay in the bathroom with that girl while Spenser ordered.

The junior high girl with the long ponytail passed him as he headed back into the shop, her eyes smoky beneath half-closed lids. Up close, he realized she wasn’t as young as he first thought – she looked about college-age. Her mature gaze seemed appraising, and she looked like she might stop and speak to him. He brushed past her and followed Spenser to the counter.

“Caramel mocha freeze with extra whipped cream.” Spenser rolled the syllables with relish.

Aiden lounged against the drink pickup counter with his back to the restrooms. Hopefully they wouldn’t come out soon, and if they did, he hoped Trish wouldn’t recognize him.

Spenser approached the pickup counter, stuffing bills into his wallet. “So, how ya been?”

“I’m good.” He was still too flustered to spill the news – that he’d seen that spoiled flirt Trish, months after they’d finished physical therapy for her shoulder, and that he’d been instantly floored by the gorgeous girl with her.

He could still see her in his mind’s eye – Trish’s sister? Cousin? With her smooth, athletic grace, that beautiful face. But would she be another hypocritical Christian like Trish?

Spenser gave him a sharp look. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. How’s your son?”

Spenser sighed. “At his mom’s house this weekend.” He tapped a quick rhythm on the pickup counter. “So did you read that article I emailed to you?”

“Yeah.”

“Interesting, huh?”

“Sure.” Aiden glanced back at the women’s restroom door. Still no sign of them. Could the barista go any slower?

Spenser looked away. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“No, I do.” But right this moment, he didn’t feel up to another discussion about God. Not that their conversations weren’t interesting -the Christian and the agnostic – but he’d been distracted.

The restroom door opened. Aiden’s entire body stiffened, but he didn’t turn around.

The Indian man walked past him back to his girlfriend sitting near the window.

“You’re a little tense.” Spenser gave a sidelong look.

How to explain the predicament without looking more like an idiot? His gut reaction had been to avoid Trish. After all, she hadn’t taken it very well when she made that blatant pass at him, forcing him to firmly shut her down and transfer her to another physical therapist.

But then one glance at her cousin made him forget his initial desire to leave the shop, and he’d sat there staring at Lex. Too stupid to leave before Trish had come back to the table with their drinks.

He should just come clean. Of anyone, Spenser wouldn’t judge him – although he might poke a little fun. “Actually – ”

“I said I was sorry.” Lex’s voice coincided with the whoosh of the restroom door opening.

Where was Spenser’s mocha freeze?

“Oh, look, you missed a spot.” Trish’s sulky voice faded as the door closed again. No footsteps. They must have gone back into the restroom.

“Caramel mocha freeze, extra whip.” The barista slid the drink across the counter so hard it almost toppled to the floor before Spenser caught it.

Aiden took a deep breath. “Let’s go somewhere else.”

“Sure.” Spenser slurped through the straw as he headed out the door.

He’d managed to avoid Trish and Lex. Strange how Lex had frightened him more than Trish. Well, it didn’t matter now. He’d never see her again.

“You know, Mimi had a point,” Trish said, back in the bathroom to scrub at the remaining liquid.

Lex dabbed at Trish’s shirt. “I don’t care if she had an intelligent thought for once.”

“Hey, a little more gently, please. Do you know how much I paid for this?”

“Do I look like I care?”

“You could have aimed at her instead of me.”

“I’m sorry. Next time I’m lied to, dumped, and shocked in the space of three seconds, I’ll remember to spit my coffee in a more convenient direction.”

“You can’t blame her, though.”

Lex looked up to make sure Trish hadn’t blown a mental gasket. “What are you talking about? I can’t believe you’re saying something nice about Mimi.”

“It’s not something nice about Mimi, it’s an insult to you.”

“Oh, well that’s so much better.”

“Think about it. You and Kin-Mun have been friends for so long. If you guys had anything between you two, don’t you think it would have happened already?”

“I told you, he just never saw me – ”

“Oh, dream on. Mimi had every right to ask Kin-Mun on a date. How could she have known you’d suddenly go vampy on him?”

“That’s rich, coming from you, when you just complained about Mimi stealing your boyfriends.”

“No, there’s a difference. Mimi knew they were attached to me – er, belonged… she knew they were mine.”

“She knew Kin-Mun was mine. And she knew about Grandma’s ultimatum. She knew I’d be looking for someone.”

“Unlike you, Mimi can’t be ‘friends’ with a guy. She either loves them or dumps them. Since you and Kin-Mun weren’t lovers, she figured you never would be.”

Lex shot the crumpled paper towel into the trash. “Why are you defending her? I’m the injured party here.”

“You’re stupid is what you are. You wouldn’t listen to me about Kin-Mun. He isn’t right for you.”

“How could I know he wouldn’t be thrilled to date me? There’s nothing wrong with me, Trish. I’m fine the way I am. I don’t have to change for anybody.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I don’t need to look different.”

“Not at all.”

“I’m fine the way I am.”

“Well, you need to aim better.”

Lex eyed the mocha stain on Trish’s sunflower silk top. “I’ll pay for dry-cleaning.”

“No, it won’t come out. I want that pink top you bought today. You won’t need it now.”

“Just thwack my heart open with a Chinese cleaver, why don’t you?”

“Puh-lease. I know you too well. In about an hour, you’ll get over this ‘Oh poor me’ phase. And then, guess what?”

“What?” Lex sighed.

“You are going to be kamikaze mad at Kin-Mun.”

“Kamikaze mad? What – I’m going to ram my car into the side of his house?”

“No. You’ll be so mad that you wouldn’t waste that pink blouse on a date with him if he groveled.” Trish smiled, as persuasive as a geisha. “I’ll get that nasty pink thing off your hands and out of your sight.”