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BENNY PARKED ACROSS from his family’s restaurant and was overcome by memories. How many hours had he spent inside those walls, toiling alongside his mother and father and two siblings? At the time he’d resented not having the freedom of his schoolmates but looking back now, he recognized that his parents’ work ethic had been instilled in him during those years. His determination not to go back had also spurred him on to excel at law school.
Stepping out of the car, he studied the façade of the building. It hadn’t changed much... a few updates in signage, but basically it was the same. From time to time the family discussed renovating but Benny agreed that a restaurant’s atmosphere was a big part of the dining experience and modern surroundings would take away some of the mystique.
He crossed the street, went down the alley that ran alongside the building and entered at the back. His mother and brother were doing prep work for tonight. His brother Charlie looked up and nodded as though he’d been there all along. “Open that crate of bok choy for me, would you Ben?”
Benny obliged, then went to greet his mother. “Hi Mom. You look younger every time I see you.”
She was making won tons and her hands were sticky, but held her cheek up for a kiss. “We didn’t know you were coming. Your father will be sorry to miss you.”
“I’ll see him later.” He inhaled deeply. “I love the smell of this place.”
His mother sent him a sharp look. “You didn’t think so when you were a boy. You could hardly wait to get out of here and play with your guitar.”
He chuckled. “I saved a long time for that guitar.”
“Do you still have it?”
“Not that one. I’ve purchased a couple more since I started working.”
She tutted loudly and glanced at Charlie. “A guitar-playing lawyer. What’s next?”
“It’s just for relaxation, Mom.” Benny forced himself to speak lightly. They went over this every time he visited; his mother seemed to think that time away from his practise was time wasted. He might have a good work ethic, but there was a limit to everything. He was relieved when she took off her apron and went upstairs.
Charlie continued with the bok choy. “How’s it going, bro? You getting any gigs?”
“I won’t be quitting my day job anytime soon, but we’ve played a bit around town. Fortunately, none of us care about the money. I’ll probably sit in with Rio and the guys tomorrow night. They’re at that club on the highway. You and Judy should stop by.”
“Sounds like a plan. So why are you here? You didn’t come over just for that, did you?”
“No, and as a matter of fact I should get going. I want to check with the bookstore at the mall. I told you about the book signing, right?”
“Yeah, you did.”
“I need to make sure they have enough books, and that they have everything they need. See you later?”
Charlie kept on chopping. “You’ve got it. I’ll tell Dad you’ll be back.”
* * *
BENNY HAD TO DRIVE around a bit before he found a parking spot at the mall. He should probably buy gifts for his parents while he was here, but he hadn’t given it enough thought. Ever practical, his mother disliked what she called frivolous gifts. He paused in front of the lingerie store and wondered how she would react if he bought her some lacy underwear. Amusing as the idea was, he’d gotten used to his head sitting squarely on his shoulders and dismissed the idea.
The book store was right where he remembered. A kiosk was set up outside the store and he noted that it was on wheels. He suspected that they rolled it inside the store at night which meant it could easily be moved out of the way tomorrow when the book signing table was set up.
As he surveyed the scene, Shayna came out and spoke to the young woman manning the kiosk. He might not have recognized her if he hadn’t seen her name in the information the publisher sent to him. The young woman he’d known in school had turned into a beautiful woman. She spoke quietly to the store employee and then headed down the mall toward the Food Court.
He caught up with her within a few steps. “Shayna?”
She turned to face him, brows drawn together in a puzzled frown. “Yes?”
He stuck out his hand. “Benny Lau. We went to school together.”
“Yes, of course. Benny. How are you? Are you home visiting your folks?”
“I’m here now to see you.”
“You’re... what?” Her gaze darted around as though he might be playing a joke on her. “You’re here to see me?”
He nodded. “In your capacity as the store manager. I’m here to see if you need anything for tomorrow’s book signing. I represent Brad Lyon and when his publisher learned that I’d be here, they asked me to look in and offer any assistance.” He shrugged. “Not that I could do much at this late date, but here I am.”
“Really,” she said, trying not to look surprised. “You represent Brad Lyon?”
He grinned. “Somebody has to. Listen, were you heading to the Food Court? I could use a cup of coffee.”
“Me too.” She gave him a tentative smile. “I hadn’t planned to sit down, but if we can find a quiet corner I’d love to get off my feet.”
“Why don’t you grab a table and I’ll get the coffees. Where do you recommend?”
“The Coffee Cup has good coffee and they’re self-service.”
He found her a few minutes later and set their coffees plus a plate of mincemeat tarts on the table, then returned the tray to the nearby service area.
He returned to find her grinning at him. “You’re well trained.”
“You mean the thing with the tray?” He nodded. “It’s all those years working for my father. He was a stickler about putting things back where they belong.”
“Tell me about it.” She bit into a tart and hummed her appreciation. “I just wish people would put the books back on the right shelf.” She popped the last of the tart into her mouth and washed it down with some coffee. “So you’re the advance man for the famous author. How did you come to represent him?”
He gave her an odd look.
“What?” she said, reaching for another tart. “What did I say?”
A slow smile broke over his face. “You don’t know who he is, do you?”
“I know he’s one of the hottest authors in the biz today. What more should I know?”
“Shayna, Brad Lyon is Galen O’Keefe.”
She went very still. “Say that again.”
“Brad Lyon is Galen O’Keefe’s pen name.”
She gave a short, strangled laugh. “You’re kidding.”
He looked at her steadily. “You’re beautiful when you’re flustered.”
“I’m not flustered.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Okay, so I’m flustered, but there’s a good reason for my flustered-ness.”
“Did you just say flustered-ness?”
She tossed her hair. “It’s a perfectly good word.”
“I’m not disputing that. So tell me, why are you so flustered?”
“Galen is skiing up at Mount Washington.”
“That’s true, but –”
“So is Frannie.”
Understanding dawned in his eyes. “And she doesn’t know he’s Brad Lyon.” He chuckled softly.
“It’s not funny.”
“It is, sort of. I take it they ran into each other up there.”
Shayna struggled to hold in a smile. “They had dinner together last night. She called me after, and he didn’t tell her.”
“Oh, boy.”
“What kind of talk is that?”
“It’s lawyer talk. It means someone is in for a big surprise.” He sipped at his coffee.
She threw up her hands. “You’re a lawyer? This is perfect.”
He eyed the last tart on the plate. “Are you going to eat that?”
She frowned at the plate. “Did I eat the other three?”
He nodded soberly. “You did, but I won’t tell anyone.”
She shook her head. “Are you ever serious?”
“As infrequently as possible.”
She studied him as he ate the tart. “You were almost invisible in school and now you’re a smart-mouthed lawyer. What happened?”
He brushed powdered sugar from his lips. “Evolution.”
“A true smart-ass response.”
He tilted his head to one side. “Not to change the subject, but you’re not the same person either. Okay, maybe you’re the same person, but you look different. You’re gorgeous.”
She gave him a saucy smile. “Smoke and mirrors.”
He laughed easily. “Okay, so we’ve established that we’re both smart-asses, but what are we going to do about this Galen-Frannie situation?”
Shayna picked up her coffee cup and seemed surprised to find it empty. “I don’t know.” She waited a few beats. “Do we have to do anything?”
“I suppose not.” He fell silent for a moment. “I wonder why Galen didn’t tell her.”
“The same thing occurred to me.” She gave him a bleak look. “I feel as though we’re co-conspirators, when in fact we’re really innocent bystanders.”
“Have dinner with me tonight.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Why?”
“Does there have to be a reason?” He waved his comment aside. “Because I enjoy talking to you. You challenge me and I like that.”
“Be still my heart.”
“Okay. I’d like to get to know you better and at the risk of being un-PC, you’re also easy on the eyes. How’s that?”
“It’s all good, but I don’t close the store until nine.”
He grinned. “I’ll pick you up. Would you like to eat Chinese at my family’s place or go somewhere else?”
“Your family’s place. Definitely.”
* * *
“YOU’RE BRINGING A WOMAN here?” Benny’s mother gave him a speculative look. He was hanging out in the kitchen, waiting to go to the mall.
“She’s an old friend from school, Mom.”
“You don’t have to explain to me.”
Benny glanced at his brother, who gave his head a shake. They both knew better than to engage in verbal sparring with their mother; they invariably lost.
“What’s good tonight? She’ll probably want me to order.”
“Everything’s good. You know that.”
“That’s true.”
His father kept working but Benny could tell he was listening and smiling. He’d arrived back at the restaurant an hour before they opened for dinner and his father had taken a rare half hour break. The two had occupied a quiet table out front and shared a pot of tea. Benny admired his father more than anyone he’d ever known and they’d grown much closer since Benny struck out on his own. His father had already offered to select the dishes for Benny and Shayna; they would be well fed.
“Okay, I’m off to pick up Shayna,” he said to no one in particular. “Back in a while.”
* * *
BENNY HUNG UP SHAYNA’S coat and guided her to the same table he and his father had occupied earlier.
“How was the rest of your day?” he asked, suddenly nervous.
“Tiring, but good.” She took a moment to look around. “I can’t remember the last time I was here.”
“Would you like something to drink? We have beer and wine.”
“I’d really like some green tea if you don’t mind.”
“Sounds good to me.” His sister appeared with green tea as if by magic. “You remember my sister Lily?”
The two women had seen each other in the mall about a week ago. “Yes, we had a quick visit in the mall last week. How’s the baby, Lily?”
The young woman smiled. “She’s perfect, but then all new mothers think that, don’t they?”
“I suppose so but in your case I have to agree. She’s perfect.”
Lily left and Benny smiled across the table. “You couldn’t have said anything better.”
She looked up sharply. “It’s true. Her daughter is a miniature version of her mother. I’ll bet your Mom is over the moon to have a granddaughter.”
“You’ve got that right. By the way, my Pops is going to choose our menu. I hope that’s okay with you.”
“I love it.” She poured tea. “Tell me about your family.”
“Oh, wow.” He reached for his teacup, rolling it back and forth between his fingers as he thought.
“You’ve heard about the handover in Hong Kong?”
“Wasn’t that where the British returned it to the Chinese?”
“Right. That happened in 1997. Many Chinese families left before that happened and my Dad decided he’d be one of them. The only difference is that most of those families were wealthy whereas we weren’t. But my Dad has always believed that success comes from hard work. He’d worked in the kitchen of the Grand Hyatt on the Island and although he had no business experience to mention, he had faith in himself, and his cooking abilities. So we came here to Nanaimo and he opened the restaurant.” He paused for a moment, lost in the memories. “I turned eight shortly after we arrived. Charlie is two years older, and we both worked in the kitchen.”
“Did you like it?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t hate it, but I always wished I could go out and be with my friends. Nothing like establishing a work ethic early on.”
“It doesn’t seem to have hurt you.”
“No, you’re right about that. But when I said I wanted to go to school and study law, there was a bit of push-back. Mostly from my Mom. She didn’t understand why I couldn’t stay here and work in the family business.”
“But your Dad understood.”
“He did. And he supported me for the first little while until I got a job.”
“You studied law and worked at the same time?”
“It can be done. There wasn’t a lot of time left over for socializing, but I continued to play my guitar.”
“Really? You’re full of surprises.”
He grinned. “I worked at a restaurant and one night the guitar player in the band didn’t show up and I sat in.”
“A star is born.”
“Not quite, but it was fun. I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Lily arrived with their food and Benny served her, explaining each dish.
“This is fantastic,” said Shayna, reaching for more prawns. “So tell me, how did your parents react to your guitar playing?”
“Mom’s always thought it was frivolous – still does as a matter of fact. Dad just sort of accepted it.”
“Do they ever regret leaving Hong Kong?”
“I don’t think so. They go back every other year to visit family, but they seem happy here. And now that Lily is starting a family I don’t see them moving any time soon.”
“What about Charlie?”
“He and Judy are engaged, so he’s not going anywhere either.”
Shayna nodded. “I suppose he’ll take over the restaurant one day.”
“He’s running it now, but don’t tell my Mom. She thinks she’s the boss and we let her have her illusions.”
Shayna looked down at her empty plate. “I can’t believe I ate all that!”
“You have a good appetite. That’s refreshing in a woman.” He poured tea. “I’d like to see you again Shayna.”
“You mean like a date?”
“Yes, like a date.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a great idea.”
“Is that a no?”
“Yes. No. Oh, I don’t know. I’ve had some bad luck with men recently...” her words trailed off.
He leaned across the table and spoke quietly. “It’s just a date, Shayna. And I promise you I won’t hurt you. If this was a romance novel I’d be saying something like ‘don’t make me pay for the mistakes of those other guys’.” He sat back. “Maybe you’d like to think about it. I’m playing at that little club out on the highway tomorrow night. Charlie and Judy will be there as well.”
She brightened. “I’d love to hear you play. It’s a date.” She reached for a fortune cookie, opened it and passed the slip of paper across the table.
“Big journeys begin with a single step” he intoned dramatically.
“What’s yours?” she said.
He opened it and grinned. “Don’t pursue happiness – create it.” He looked up. “Seems appropriate, don’t you think?”
“If this was a romance novel I’d say you set that up.” She frowned. “Please tell me you didn’t.”
“No, but I wish I’d thought of it.”
They laughed easily. “This has been fun,” he said after a moment.
“I was just thinking the same thing. I was even able to forget about Frannie and Galen for a while.”
“Right.” He turned thoughtful. “Do you still think we should let them sort it out on their own?”
“Yes.” She spoke slowly. “I’m not usually one to break a confidence, but I think she really likes him. So I hope not telling her is doing the right thing. Maybe he’ll change his mind and tell her before tomorrow.”
“I doubt it. He plans to drive down in the morning.”
“So much for that idea. I just hope it works out for the best.
“Me too. He’s always had a thing for her. Still does, as far as I know.”
“Oh boy,” she said. “That’s lawyer talk, in case you’ve forgotten.”
He finished off his tea. “Words of wisdom if I ever heard them. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day.”
