by Nia Arthurs
Carrie chuckled. “If you want, I could link you up with Stacie and get you a waitressing job.” She hiked the short skirt that had barely covered Jo’s rear. “You’ll get to wear this baby everyday.”
“If I don’t have any luck with the job search, I might take you up on that.”
A commotion outside grabbed both their attention. Raised voices pierced the wall and footsteps thudded closer.
“Sir, you can’t go in there!”
A moment later, a man crashed through the door. Jo recognized his frame and solid shoulders immediately.
Sun Gi.
Panicked, she jumped behind the boxes stacked near the wall. Carrie spotted her as she dropped to the ground. Jo put a finger to her lips in silent supplication. Please don’t rat me out.
“Excuse me.” Sun Gi’s voice sounded earnest, desperate even.
Jo peeked over the edge of the box. Sun Gi’s presence filled up the entire room. He wore a black jacket over a white shirt and black slacks. She couldn’t see his face from this distance, but she knew it from memory. Almond-shaped eyes. Broad nose. Pink lips.
So handsome.
“Can I help you?” Carrie asked.
“The singer. Where did she go?”
“Oh. Um… she’s already left.”
“She did?”
“Yeah, but I’m sure she’ll be back.”
“Do you know when?”
“No, not really.” Carrie cleared her throat. “Why are you so interested in her?”
Sun Gi dodged the question. “Here’s my number. My name is Sun Gi Kim. Tell her I’d like to speak to her.”
“What about?” Curiosity rang from Carrie’s voice.
“I’m not even sure myself.” Sun Gi blew out a breath. “But I’d appreciate it.”
Jo took a chance and snuck a peek over the line of boxes just in time to catch Sun Gi dipping his head and leaving. She waited a beat to make sure he was gone and then popped out of her hiding place.
Gasping for breath, she held a hand to her chest. “I thought I’d explode back there. Thanks for not giving me away.”
“I did you a favor. Now tell me who that hottie was and why he was looking for you?”
“You have his business card,” Jo mumbled, smoothing her hair down. “Why are you asking me?”
Carrie slapped a hand on her hip. “Uh-uh. Don’t try to get out of this.”
“Out of what?” Jo avoided her eyes.
“You know I’m all about that dark chocolate, but that man was fine and he was asking for you. Why’d you jump behind the boxes?”
“Because I don’t want him to know the singer was me.”
“Why not?”
She wrung her hands together. Jo had been singing to Sun Gi tonight and, even though it was just an illusion, looking him in the eyes and explaining why would be awkward. And embarrassing.
She’d had a slight crush on him ever since last year when he’d invited her, Sky and Joon on his yacht. Jo had tried to snuff the feeling, but it persisted like an irritating burr.
Not only was her one-sided crush doomed because of Sun Gi’s engagement to Hanna Park, but Sun Gi wouldn’t look at her even if he were available.
The few times he’d stopped by Sweet Treats, all his attention was focused on Sky. He pretty much walked right past her.
Technically, singing to a guy behind a mask during a performance wasn’t flirting? Was it?
Gosh, I hate myself.
“Whatever.” Carrie shook her head when she didn’t respond for a while. “You’re weird, Jo.”
“I’m aware.”
“I think he’s gone now. You should make a break for it before he corners you in the parking lot.”
“Thanks, Car.” Jo tiptoed to the door and looked both ways before glancing over her shoulder. “I owe you one!”
“No, we’re even now.”
“Right.” Jo waved and hustled through the side exits.
Carrie’s warning about Sun Gi waiting for her in the parking lot made her nervous, but there were no handsome Asian men loitering around in the darkness. Jo made it to her car safely and drove home.
As the highway blurred outside her window, she pushed the performance and Sun Gi out of her mind and focused on what she’d tell her mother about losing her job at Halmoni’s store.
That wouldn’t go over well.
“Maybe I shouldn’t bring it up,” Jo mused as she parked in front of the split-level. A thick gate and a separate garage protected the house. She pressed the button to open the garage door and then drove her car inside.
When the engine shut down, it left deafening silence. Jo climbed out of her car and plodded inside through the side door that led into the kitchen.
Their house was wide, elegant and expensive. Her dad was a customs broker and her mother was an accountant for a prominent firm. They were both hard workers who had, arguably, spoiled her with the best.
“Mom?” Jo tossed her keys on the counter and padded to the fridge to take out a glass of water.
A moment later, her mother appeared in the doorway. Min-seo had thin black hair—often scooped back into a low ponytail, eyes that were a little wider and more deep-set than Jo’s, a blunt nose and thin, pink lips.
“Hi, baby.” Her mother smiled sleepily. “You’re back late today.”
“I met up with Carrie after work,” she said, hedging the truth just a bit. “Where’s Dad?”
“Don’t you hear him snoring on the couch?”
Jo cocked her head and listened. The television was on, but when the commercial went quiet, she heard Dad’s low hum. It sounded like a distant train. That’s definitely him.
“Ah. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you two were already asleep. Did I wake you?”
Min-seo shook her head. “It’s fine. We needed to get up and go to the room anyway. The couch isn’t good for our backs.”
Jo nodded. Her mother’s voice still carried the hint of an accent even though she’d been living in the Caribbean for thirty years. Her friends often told Jo that she had an accent too, though she’d been born and raised in Belize.
“How was Halmoni?” her mother asked.
Jo froze. “Good. Good. Strict as ever.”
“Yeah. She’s always been that way. But a little roughing up is good for you. Builds character.” Min-seo stole the glass cup that Jo had been drinking from and took a swig.
“Omma!” Jo gaped.
Min-seo blinked innocently.
“I was drinking that!”
“Sorry.” She slid the glass back to her. “There. You can have it now.”
Jo grumpily changed cups. “But your spit’s all over it.”
“How can you scorn your own mother? Wasn’t so long ago you were drinking milk from my breasts.”
Jo made a face. “Gross, mom.” Her mother was so quiet and unassuming in public that no one ever believed she was this graphic at home. “I’m going to bed. Unless you need help waking up Dad?”
“No, I’ve got it. Sweet dreams, honey.”
Jo bobbed her head and strolled to the stairs. The moment she locked herself into her bedroom, she breathed a sigh of relief. Mom was still being her usual, jovial self. That meant Halmoni hadn’t called to inform her of what had happened today.
At least their bad relationship with the Korean side of the family would keep her newly jobless state a secret for a while. Best-case scenario, her mother wouldn’t find out until Jo had scored another place of employment.
Where would she go?
Sweet Treats couldn’t take on a full-time employee and even if Sky went out of her way to hire her, Jo wouldn’t allow it. She couldn’t cook to save her life and Sky needed more hands in the kitchen. Since Jo burned water, she wouldn’t be much help there.
Jo fell face-first on the bed and sighed into her pillow.
All she wanted to do was sing, but music didn’t pay the bills. What was she going to do now?
3
“What do you mea
n you’re pregnant?” Sun Gi glared at his secretary.
“Didn’t you have the birds and the bees conversation with your parents?” The slim woman in the blue sweater and khakis thrust out her hip. “You at least had high school sex ed? Or do I have to walk you through the motions—?”
“No, no.” He scowled in disgust. Bo Young was a few years younger than his mother and the last thing he wanted was a detailed description of her bedroom activities.
“I’m about two months along, but my husband wants me to slow down starting now. You know my first kid had complications and the doctor said it was dangerous for me to get pregnant again.”
“Can’t you work during your bed rest? I’ll personally pimp out your room. Give you the best internet service, buy you a new laptop. I’ll even hire someone to send you files from the office—”
“No.”
Sun Gi groaned. “What am I supposed to do without you?”
“See? I knew you’d act this way. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you anything.” Bo Young raked slender fingers through her long black hair. “I’m sorry, Sun Gi. I really am, but I have to take the break.”
He breathed in deeply and tried to wrangle back his temper before he said something that made Bo Young tear up. What kind of animal would he be if he made a pregnant woman cry?
“No, it’s fine. I’ll just…” He threw up a hand. “I’ll have to find a replacement.”
“I’m already on it,” Bo Young said.
“Are you going to stick around to train her?” Sun Gi noted the irritation in the statement and adjusted his volume level. “I mean, are you up to it?”
“Of course. I’ll take care of everything. I swear. You won’t even notice that I’m gone.”
Sun Gi sincerely doubted that.
Though Bo Young was nearing her forties, she still had the energy of a twenty-year old. Her skin was smooth as silk with not a wrinkle in sight.
He missed her already.
Sun Gi had ‘inherited’ his secretary straight out of college. Bo Young had been working for his father before him. They’d spent five years together. He wouldn’t be surprised if she knew him more than any of his exes.
It was hard not to rely on her when they were always glued together. Bo Young shadowed him from meeting to meeting, keeping his office and his head organized.
He couldn’t imagine this place without her in it, and the thought of some temp stumbling in, thinking she knew everything, and ruining his files for six months didn’t appeal.
Why can’t she have the baby here?
Of course, Sun Gi kept his mouth shut and didn’t share that idea. Bo Young looked like she’d bawl at the drop of the hat or slap him, and he didn’t want a part in either option.
“When are you leaving?” He stuck his hands into his pockets. “I mean, how long do I have you for?”
“Till next month.”
“Next—” He balked. “Are you serious?”
She lifted a shoulder to her cheek. “Sorry.”
“No, I’m…” He sucked in a deep breath. Found his center. Must not make pregnant woman cry. “It’s fine. It’s great. Congratulations. I’m happy for you.”
“Liar.”
“Really.” Sun Gi bared his teeth. “See? I’m smiling.”
“More like snarling. Drop the act. It doesn’t work around me.” Bo Young set her prim hands in her lap. “I’ll arrange the files on your contract with the DollarGram people before I go.”
“Oh, right.” Sun Gi closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. He was in the middle of negotiating a contract with the company. They’d had smooth communications for three months before the DollarGram representative started playing hardball.
Sun Gi was barely holding his patience together. He’d call it all off if not for the booth in the back of his store that already had their name on it.
The DollarGram issue was another reason why he couldn’t let Bo Young go. His secretary knew the ins and outs of that company. They liked and respected her. Skills like that couldn’t be trained.
“Bo Young-shi…jebal.” He pushed out his lips and spoke in Korean to sound more endearing.
Bo Yong nudged him away. “My husband’s already made up his mind, Sun Gi.”
“Then divorce him.” He slapped his chest. “I’ll be your husband.”
“Well, isn’t that a little rude to say in front of your soon-to-be wife?” a voice chimed.
Sun Gi glanced over and found Hanna trotting into the room. She wore a white blouse tucked into a pair of tight leather jeans. Her white heels clicked against the floor and a blue purse swung from her slender fingers.
“Hey.” He greeted her with a nod.
“Hanna!” Bo Young spun and smiled warmly.
“Good morning.” Hanna set a hand over Bo Young’s arm and lightly squeezed. “Wow, aren’t you just glowing today?”
His secretary smiled. “I’m expecting.”
“What?” Hanna screeched.
The two women erupted into a squealing, giggling celebration, while Sun Gi sulked in the corner and tried to understand what the fuss was about.
So Bo Young was giving birth to another person? Pregnancy had been going on since the beginning of time.
And this is why we don’t share our thoughts.
Hanna quieted and tossed a strand of her black hair away from her face. “Wait, if you’re leaving, who’s going to take care of Sun Gi?”
“I’m working on that.” Bo Young rounded her desk and sat behind her computer.
Hanna grinned. “We’re all counting on you.”
“Got it.” Bo Young winked. “I’m okay out here. You two love birds go on.”
Sun Gi mashed his lips together and swept his arm toward his private office. “Come on.”
Hanna sent one more beaming smile at Bo Young and pranced in front of him, her tall heels clicking against the floor. He sighed and followed her into his office.
The minute the lock clicked behind them, Hanna’s smile dropped, replaced with an icy demeanor that made him question what the hell he was doing getting married to her.
She plopped into the sofa, her trim legs pressed together and slanted. “Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”
“As you can see,” he strode to his desk and leaned against it, “I’m busy.”
“What did you think of the wedding dress I added to my Pinterest board?”
“It’s fine.”
“Just fine?” She arched a trim black eyebrow.
“It’s great. Very white and wedding-dressy.”
Hanna looked to the side, her jaw clenching. “You do realize our wedding is in five months, right?”
Painfully aware. “Yes.”
“Do you still want to do this?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t leave that ring on your finger if I didn’t.” Sun Gi shook his head. That stupid diamond had cost him a fortune. It was an impulse-buy, one that was meant to show up his brother’s.
All it did instead was stab him in the wallet. Stupid ego.
“If you’re still with me then you need to act like it,” Hanna hissed.
“Where is this coming from?”
“My parents want to know why you haven’t stopped by once since our last dinner. Their feelings are hurt. You should visit them.”
Ah, her parents.
Now that made more sense. For a minute there, Sun Gi was afraid that Hanna had hit her head and started having feelings for him.
Sun Gi planted himself into his chair. “Like I said, I have a lot on my schedule. It’s going to get even more chaotic when Bo Young goes on maternity leave. Your dad should understand.”
“It’s not him that you need to worry about. Mom is on to us.”
“She knows we’re not in love. You barely waited a week after you dumped Joon before you accepted my proposal.”
“Are you blaming me for that?”
“Of course not. I have no issues with your choices, romantic or otherw
ise. And I hope the same still extends to me.”
Hanna surveyed him with her shrewd black eyes. “What did you do last night?”
“Excuse me?”
She laughed. “You went to a club, didn’t you?” Her eyebrows pooled together, forming a small wrinkle above the bridge of her nose. “After we agreed not to do anything that would make people suspicious.”
“Speaking of that,” Sun Gi pulled up a file and flipped his glasses case open, “how’s Tyler?”
Hanna scoffed. “Really? That’s your way of deflecting the question?”
He put the glasses on and perused the document on DollarGram that Bo Young had printed out and placed on his desk. “Did you check out that new hotel I suggested? They serve way better breakfast choices than that dingy motel you were using. How you two got in the mood when you had no idea who’d been on those sheets is a mystery to me.”
Hanna’s cheeks burned. “Tyler decided to return to Korea.”
“Really?” Sun Gi’s eyes popped up to her. “When did he leave?”
She glanced away. “Last week.”
“Ah. Joon will be happy. Or maybe not.” Sun Gi looked into the distance and thought of his older brother. “I never know how that guy will react to anything. When he found out about you and Tyler last year, I figured he’d be angrier. He was surprisingly chill. Maybe it was because he’d already found Sky…” His heart twinged. Sun Gi cleared his throat. “Are you keeping in touch?”
“Can you stop bringing him up?”
“Who? Your ex-fiancé or your lover?”
Hanna huffed. “You’re insufferable.”
“And yet charming, right?” He shot her a smile.
Hanna folded her arms over her chest. She was a beautiful woman and marrying her would bring them both closer to their goals.
Unfortunately, every time he was around her, he couldn’t help thinking that he was signing himself up for a life of misery.
His thoughts veered to the singer from last night and excitement coiled in his stomach. He wouldn’t mind getting to know her.
One last conquest…