Chapter Ten

The overhead light flared on and Mai bolted upright. A tall shaggy-haired man stood in the doorway. Mai grabbed her book off the nightstand and flung it at the intruder as she scrambled from the bed. “Get the fuck out of here!”

The man screamed when the book hit him in the face.

A flood of adrenaline ripped through her as she grabbed her phone. A sharp stab of pain made her eyes water when she banged her bandaged finger on the table. Swallowing the bile in her throat, she jabbed the emergency button to dial 9-1-1.

“The fuck you doin’ in my room?” The stranger took a step closer.

Mai set her feet, fist cocked, ready to fight. She bit her lip against the pain in her bandaged hand.

“What?” Mai gripped her phone tightly, her palms sweaty.

The dispatcher’s voice came over the line. “Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?”

“Fuck. Seth, the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night?” Dale’s voice was rough with sleep and a short length of black pipe dangled from her hand. “Mai, hang up, it’s my son.”

“What?”

“Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?” The operator’s voice was louder this time.

“Hang up.” Dale grabbed her son’s arm and yanked him toward her. “The fuck you doing, Seth? You’re lucky I didn’t hit you with a pipe.”

Mai raised the phone to her ear. “Sorry. Misunderstanding, operator.” The loud click of the dispatcher as she hung up stung Mai’s ear. She flushed as she realized she was dressed only in boxers and a thin tank top. She crossed her arms over her chest.

Seth turned toward Dale. “I walked in on Eileen fucking Paul.” His face twisted in pain. “And then she kicked me out.” His voice was soft, and Mai had to strain to hear his words.

After placing the pipe on the dresser, Dale wrapped her arms around her son and hugged him close. A good six inches taller than her, he leaned down and buried his head against Dale’s neck. The tight sounds of his muffled sobs tugged at Mai’s heart.

Dale hugged Seth and murmured soothing sounds as she rubbed his back. Mai took advantage of their distraction and pulled on her jeans. Uncomfortable with the intimacy of the moment, Mai picked up her paperback book and placed it back on the nightstand.

Seth straightened and gestured to Mai. “Um, should I look for another place?” His eyes were bloodshot, and he swiped at his nose with his sleeve.

“No.” Mai stuffed her phone in her pocket. “I’ll go. I can find a place for tonight and look for another place tomorrow. Family belongs together.” Mai shoved aside the burn of other memories of leaving in the night with only her clothes as she bent and gathered her clothes and stuffed them into her duffel.

“Stop. Mai, it’s two in the morning for fuck’s sake. Seth, go sleep on the couch. We’ll sort this tomorrow.” Dale pushed her hair back with both hands. The unguarded expression and worry on her face for her son made Mai’s breath hitch.

Seth lifted his shoulders and sniffed. “M’kay, Mom.” He squinted at Mai. “Sorry, I scared you.” He rubbed at the red mark on his cheek where the book had struck him. “But who are you and why are you sleeping in my room?”

“Mai. I’m Mai. Your mom’s…”

“Seth, I said we’d talk in the morning. Go to bed.” Dale’s sharp words cut their conversation off.

Seth nodded and sighed in acknowledgment of Dale’s words. He pushed past her with his head bowed. His heavy tread on the stairs echoed over their heads as he made his way to the kitchen. Mai turned her attention to Dale.

She was barefoot and wrapped in a light-blue satin dressing gown that ended at her thighs. The blood-red polish on her toes and the delicate arch of her foot drew Mai’s gaze. Unwanted visions of herself tracing the lines of Dale’s beautifully manicured feet with her tongue before kissing her way up her thighs filled Mai’s head as she stared.

The hair on the back of Mai’s neck stood up as she sensed Dale’s eyes on her. She straightened and met Dale’s gaze. Dale stepped closer, lifted her chin, and raised an eyebrow. The knowing look on her face made Mai flush and she dropped her gaze. The moment stretched out between them. Dale lifted her hand as if to reach for Mai’s shoulder before she lowered her hand and stepped back.

“I told him she was bad news. It’s been going on for a while. He didn’t believe me when I told him I’d seen Paul’s truck outside his house when he was at work.”

Mai tilted her head and studied Dale’s face from under her lashes. “We all make those kinds of mistakes. And when you’re in love you’re willing to believe anything, even when your eyes and gut tell you different.”

Dale snorted. “True that.” She yawned. “Sorry about the drama.” At the doorway she paused and looked over her shoulder. “Nice tank top by the way.”

A slow smile curled her mouth and Mai shivered. Dale turned and walked away. Mai sat down hard on the bed and dropped her head in her hands, fully aware of the faint scent of Dale’s sleep-warm body hanging in the air and the tension between them.

*

Dale sat at the kitchen bar and sipped her coffee. A black nitrile glove covered Mai’s bandaged hand as she stirred a bowl of eggs, her hand a blur as she whisked the whites and yolks together. The rhythmic scrape of the metal whisk paused as she added a dollop of cream. The sound of the delicate scrape of the whisk resumed.

Dale marveled at how quickly she had become accustomed to the exquisite omelets Mai whipped up for her every Sunday morning. The harsh notes of Seth’s snores from the couch brought Dale back to the problem at hand.

“Once you’ve got the roof done, I could go back to the apartment.”

“No. That’s not the deal we made, and even with a roof the place is not fit to live in.” Dale grit her teeth as she thought about the risk Mai had taken sleeping in the apartment. “We’re not doing that. And Noah likes having you here.”

Mai chewed her lip and placed the sauté pan on the stovetop before she lit the flame. “Noah’s a great kid.” She poured the creamy yellow egg mixture into the pan and scattered fresh marjoram over the top.

“I know you want to put everything toward the renovation. Renting a room somewhere would cut into your money.” Dale took a deep breath and traced the woodgrain pattern of the bar, avoiding Mai’s eyes. “Would you mind sharing my room?”

She glanced up and into Mai’s startled face and swallowed on a dry throat as she realized what she had said.

“I mean you could keep your clothes there. I didn’t mean…I mean if you wouldn’t mind sleeping on the couch.” A loud snore from Seth punctuated the quiet morning. Dale inclined her head toward the living room. “He snores like a bear. I hear him in my room. Thomas slept right through it when they shared a room, but even with their door closed it kept Noah and me up. It’s why we moved him to the basement.”

Mai took a plate from the counter. “I could do that.” She turned the perfectly browned omelet on the plate and placed it in front of Dale. “You sure you don’t mind?”

Dale flushed under Mai’s direct gaze. “No. I mean…it’s your clothes. What’s the big deal?”

“Ugh, my ears. Mom, why is Seth on the couch?” Noah padded into the kitchen. His hair stuck up around his ears and he rubbed his eyes.

Dale scowled. “Eileen.”

“I wondered when that was going to blow up. Good riddance.”

Dale cut a bite of omelet and scooped it up with her fork. The subtle flavor of herbs and eggs was divine. She barely stifled her moan as she wiped her mouth. “Mai, you could make a killing selling these omelets.”

Noah slid off his stool. “We ought to set up at the farmer’s market. The crepe lady went on vacation, and no one else has anything but bread and buns.”

He opened the refrigerator, took a package of spinach out, and placed it on the counter. After sorting through the shelves, he placed a wedge of Swiss cheese next to the greens. He took the grater from its place on the shelf, grated the cheese into a small bowl, and passed it to Mai.

Mai turned to Noah. “How do you get a spot? And I’d need something to cook on.”

“You ask the organizer.” As he spoke Noah filled a bowl with cold water and then he dunked the spinach up and down to wash it. Using a sheet of paper towel from the roll, he dried the greens carefully before he tore the leaves into bite-size pieces. “Lots of time folks pay for a spot and then bail halfway through the season. And Grandpa has a two-burner camp stove. I bet he’d let you borrow it.”

Mai sat next to Dale at the counter. She pulled over Noah’s spiral notebook, turned to a blank page at the back, and began scribbling notes, her brow furrowed. “It might work.” She looked up at Noah. “You going to make my omelet?”

Noah moved to the stove and Dale marveled at her son’s confident movements as he made Mai a Swiss cheese and spinach omelet. He placed the creation in front of her.

Dale sipped her coffee and turned to watch Mai.

She lifted the edge of the omelet and inspected the bottom of it before she turned her fork on edge and cut a bite. She lifted the steaming morsel to her mouth and closed her lips over it. She chewed slowly.

Dale studied the anxious expression on Noah’s face as he filled his juice glass and observed Mai.

“Take it off the heat and plate it ten seconds sooner. The eggs will finish cooking on the plate, and it will be more tender. And you did an excellent job balancing the amount of cheese and spinach. It’s not too wet and you can taste both flavors. Too many folks ruin omelets by adding too much cheese.” She lifted her hand and Noah fist-bumped her, a broad grin on his face.

“Geez, what is this, America’s Next Great Chef?” Seth crossed the kitchen and hip checked Noah out of the way, yanked a cabinet open, and snagged a coffee cup with one finger. “What’cha going to make me for breakfast, Tiny Tot?”

Noah shoved back. Seth rocked back on his heels and barely managed to set his cup on the counter before Noah wrapped his arms around Seth’s waist and lifted him off his feet. Seth jabbed his fingers into Noah’s side. Noah shrieked with laughter, let go, and crumpled to the floor as Seth tickled him relentlessly. The brothers scuffled, laughing and taunting each other. The loud bang of Noah’s foot striking a cabinet rang out.

“First one breaks something fixes it,” Dale shouted over their laughter.

The boys rose from the floor and straightened up. Seth touched two fingers to his brow. “Aye, aye, Mom.”

“Troublemaker.” Dale laughed, crumpled her napkin, and tossed it at Seth. “And there better be enough coffee for me to have another cup.”

“On it, Mom.” Seth grinned and snatched up Dale’s cup to refill it. He placed it gently on the counter in front of her.

Mai touched Dale’s arm, drawing her attention. “I’d like to stay. I’m cool with the couch.” She gestured to the column of figures in front of her. “I think Noah’s on to something. Do you think your dad would lend me his cooktop? It’d mean I’d be out of here sooner.”

Dale’s heart squeezed tight at Mai’s words and she pushed her reluctance aside, ignoring the wave of despair that washed over her at the thought of Mai leaving. Of course, she would leave. She was only here because it was a way back to her own place. This was a pit stop on her way to a new life. And settling down with Yvonne. Dale shrugged. “Let me finish my coffee and we’ll go ask him.”

Mai straightened. “Sure. I’d like to meet your folks.”

“My dad. My mom passed when Noah was in kindergarten.”

“Sorry.” Mai’s fingertips rested on Dale’s forearm.

Dale stared at her hand and the simple gesture and kind tone of Mai’s voice widened the space in her heart Mai had come to occupy.