Just Breathe Series (Trilogy Box Set)

by Martha Sweeney

  “Well, look at that,” busts Nǎinai. “Blue Eyes does speak Mandarin.”

  The rest of the families’ attention is on Joe now, not completely understanding Nǎinai’s declaration. If I’m not mistaken, Joe blushes slightly.

  “Of course,” Mrs. Wú says nonchalantly. “Joe knew Mandarin before he and Henry met at in college.”

  “And, here we thought he was just as quiet as you, Emma,” Jared chimes in.

  I give Jared a slightly scolding look to avoid drawing to much attention my way. Thankfully, no one else adds their thoughts or opinions.

  “I like to listen more than I talk,” Joe shares.

  “Indeed,” confirms Mr. Wú. “Joe is very much like his father, John.”

  “Well, he’s perfect for Emma,” Nǎinai proposes.

  I inwardly wince and for some reason I look at Joe who is just grinning from ear to ear.

  We sit for about another hour gathered around the dining table. After finishing her dessert, Jade gets daring and tries to steal some from Jared. She’s able to snitch a bite or two before they play a game of swords with their spoons. Jared usually lets Jade win, but not when it comes to Nǎinai homemade confections.

  Still wanting more, Jade searches for a new target. “You gonna eat that?” She asks Joe in English.

  “What?” he playfully inquires.

  “That,” she says, pointing to the rest of his rice pudding. “Are you going to finish it?”

  “Yes,” He smirks. “Why?”

  “Doesn’t look like you’re eating it,” Jade states.

  “I am . . . slowly,” Joe answers as he takes a small scoop and surrounds it with his gorgeous lips.

  Jade laughs a little as she gives Joe a devilish look. He pulls his bowl closer to himself as his grin stretches outward. Kneeling on my legs, Jade gathers more courage and leans across the table, stretching her right arm out holding a spoon. Joe pulls his bowl in just a bit more, takes a spoonful to his mouth very slowly as his eyes shift to me for a few seconds and then back to Jade as she reaches farther. This has turn into a full on game of the battle of wits and I’m curiously watching to see who wins. Jade has been know to win simply by persistence.

  Unable to reach without drawing attention from Kim or Peter, Jade backs away and slowly creeps off of my lap. Joe watches her out of the corner of his eye while he peers at me. My eyes dart back and forth between him and Jade’s movements. Joe shifts in his seat which gives Jade a clear shot to his rice pudding, pretending he doesn’t see her.

  Last second, after Jade scopes some up on her spoon, Joe grabs her arm, startling her a little. “Hey,” he says, laughing and smiling.

  She giggles in return as he raises her spoon to his mouth. “Hey!” Jade says softly as not to get caught by her parents.

  Joe is obviously pleased with himself for tricking her.

  “Take it,” he says to her reassuringly. “I’m done. You can have it.”

  Jade beams with happiness as she takes the bowl quickly to make sure he wasn’t still teasing. She returns to my lap to enjoy her sweet victory.

  Joe’s watches Jade as she enjoys his leftovers. Several times, Joe looks up at me before noting, “I have a niece Rey’s age and a nephew Jet’s age.”

  I hope I don’t have a look of surprise on my face from his statement. Joe’s face doesn’t give me any indication to if I do.

  As the group starts to break up in the house between clearing the table and having tea and smaller conversations, we younger adults migrate in one area as the senior adults congregate in another. Maggie, Henry and Jared are doing most of the talking while Joe and I stay fairly quiet. On occasion, I glance in Joe’s direction while I pet Sadie and I catch him looking at me. This is not good.

  Jared mentions to Henry that the three of us were going to play some volleyball at the beach next weekend and invites Henry and Joe to join us. Maggie jumps in, insisting they come.

  Henry looks to Joe and Joe replies, “I don’t have any plans. So, I’m in if you are.”

  So it begins — socializing with Maggie’s new love interest and friend. A regular routine that I should be used to by now.

  I excuse myself first from the celebration since I’ve got to be able to catch one of the last trains before they stop for the night. As I finish saying farewell to everyone who is awake, the children have all fallen asleep, Jared offers to walk me to the station. Maggie, Henry and Joe proclaim that they’ll join us which makes me a little uncomfortable. No one has escorted me to the station in a long time, not unless they’e joining me for the ride.

  As we’re walking, Henry asks why I don’t just drive home.

  Without thinking, Maggie blurts out, “Oh, Emma doesn’t drive. She hates cars.”

  I spin sharply at her slip and glare. My discomfort is written in my eyes as I chide, “Maggie.”

  “Oops. Sorry,” she sincerely apologizes.

  “Why do you hate cars?” Joe asks with a hint of concern.

  “No reason,” Jared interjects. “Besides, the train is the fastest way from here to Emma’s.“

  We all climb the stairs to the platform and I wave my TAP card upon entering.

  I can only hope that my two best friends keep their mouths shut and don’t disclose anything else about me after I leave. I prefer that they don’t talk about me at all, I don’t like strangers knowing too much — and my friends know that.

  The train arrives just a few minutes later after some awkward silence. I kiss and hug Jared and Maggie farewell. Everyone pets Sadie and I wave to Henry and Joe from a distance as I walk to get on the train. Henry and Joe seem to be easier with the fact that I’m not embracing them in some way.

  “See you Saturday,” Henry reminds me.

  I smile and nod as the doors close and I take a seat.

  Six

  The week following our New Year’s celebration is busy — good busy. The team has been doing a wonderful job on all aspects of Naturally Me and have about three weeks left of finishing touches for the next quarter’s scheduled pieces. Yesterday, we spent the entire day filming a few videos for the third quarter of product reviews, cooking recipes and home made products right in my kitchen and dinning area. Now, these videos sit in line to be edited. Everyone would rather film a bunch of stuff all at once rather than break it up in a two to three-day span. Since filming for several short videos takes a whole day, I always make sure I feed Jared and the team; Connor, Vanessa and Ian, as a small thank you for all their hard work. The best part is that the food used for the cooking segments get eaten for lunch or snacks and we leave the cameras on while eating. We’ve had some really great feedback from our audience when they see the team actually eat what was just prepared. Once the day concludes, I give them each product samples for them to take home to use and review.

  Maggie is back to work on my other business, Raven Media, which is a social media management services firm I started a few years after social media platforms started showing their effectiveness in connecting with current and potential clients for Naturally Me. Maggie is the chief operating officer of my firm and oversees operations for our staff of fifteen associates who handle social media for the company’s clients. We use a single internet cloud-based software system I created that enables Maggie to communicate and supervise the staff anytime, day or night, and allows the entire team to work remotely. All associates are independent contractors since they work from home and many of them work in a different state. Reports are generated automatically from the system and sent to us and our clients on either a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis for monitoring purposes. Raven Media also provides content creation, social media marketing planning and consultation, as well as general business consulting services that are available in addition, on an as needed basis. My company is a small, yet successful firm that touts itself for having direct and personable interaction with our clients.

  This morning, Maggie and I are reviewing the progress the associates are making and the overall stats
for our clients. Since I was home all day yesterday filming, I hop on the train to meet up with Maggie at the Chinatown station. Once together, we continue to downtown LA, getting off at Union Station a few blocks from the Peking Wok to conduct business before opening hours and then stay to have lunch.

  The Peking Wok has been a client for the past two years, though at first Mŭqīn was apprehensive about it and needed some coaxing. She doesn’t bother with technology outside of the restaurant other than a television or radio on rare occasions. Maggie knows the ins and outs of the family restaurant and started up some social media profiles for the Peking Wok not long after she started working for Raven Media, all before Mŭqīn agreed to become a client — Maggie knew Mŭqīn would respond to results. Sure enough, within two months, the Peking Wok was getting busier during their usually slower times.

  We didn’t tell Mŭqīn right away about what was happening on social media. Then one day, a young couple gave their compliments directly to Mŭqīn and Fŭqīn. The couple explained that they had seen all the great reviews about the restaurant online, that it is one of the few places in LA County with real Chinese cuisine, which they loved and had to visit since they had spent some time in China and missed the food. The couple even took some pictures of the food and the restaurant, and shared their glowing reviews online. Since Maggie was assisting with the restaurant that same day, Mŭqīn mentioned what had happened. Though Mŭqīn didn’t completely understand everything, Mŭqīn and Fŭqīn sat down later so Maggie could explain. Once Maggie filled them in on what Raven Media has been doing online for the Peking Wok, showing them all the reviews and photos people were taking, not just of the food, but of themselves eating, Mŭqīn understood. That was the turning point in Mŭqīn’s and Maggie’s relationship with each other. Though she knew her mother loved her, Maggie told me it was that day when Mŭqīn started treating her differently and stopped questioning her about anything business related for the Peking Wok. I was so happy and proud of them when Maggie told me.

  Even though the Peking Woking is open only from lunch to dinner, the staff is already there putting away fresh food deliveries and prepping as early as eight o’clock in the morning. Maggie and I arrive just after nine and seat ourselves in one of the back, circular booths we prefer. Raven Media has just brought on a new client and there are a lot of things to discuss with her and eventually the client.

  As our meeting is drawing to a close, Amy enters the restaurant with Jet and Rey and joins us temporarily. Amy is a stay at home mom who loves motherhood and helps out Kim whenever she needs Rey and Jade looked after. Amy regularly comes to the restaurant to help out too. Mŭqīn and Fŭqīn have a little play and nap area connected to their office for the children when family visits. Amy and the kids stay at the table just long enough for the boys to eat before Amy takes them to the back for their naps.

  Putting my stuff into my briefcase, Maggie stands up, appearing to stretch. A second later I hear her call, “Over here!”

  The corner of my eye finds Henry and Joe walking toward us. Great, our girls lunch has now turned into something I was hoping wouldn’t occur until after the weekend. Maggie does this with every guy she meets. If a guy is going to be a part of her life, he needs to get along with her family and friends. It’s very important to her. I was just hoping to have a little bit more time observing first in a larger group setting before having open discussions to get to know Maggie’s new boyfriend. Actions speak louder than words to me and Maggie greatly respects my ability to pick up on people’s character. I saw the connection they had when we met Henry at the library, but I’m a little surprised to see her rushing the process. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. Her usual boyfriend scanning protocol has been changed since he did meet the family already.

  Henry greets Maggie more warmly than when I last saw them together. They hug and he kisses her on her cheek and Joe follows suit.

  “Hey, Emma,” says Henry as he releases Maggie. “It’s great to see you again.” He reaches forward to shake my hand.

  I consider the contact but refuse and he’s not disappointed, more understanding. “Hello, Henry. Likewise,” I politely respond.

  Taking the cue from my interaction with Henry, Joe simply greets with a smile, saying, “Hello, Emma.”

  “Hi,” I reply while returning his smile.

  Yep, he’s still yummy.

  “Sit, sit,” Maggie instructs.

  I return to where I was sitting on the far right of the booth cushion. Maggie scoots in beside me knowing to separate me from the two men I hardly know. Henry follows in behind her and Joe sits next to Henry which is directly across from me on the other end of the booth.

  “I hope we weren’t interrupting you ladies,” Henry adds once we’re all seated and looks to me.

  Before I can answer, Maggie jumps in, “Oh no. Not at all. We actually just finished up our business meeting a few minutes ago.”

  “Good, glad to hear it,” Henry confirms.

  From the sound of his answer, Maggie has already informed Henry about the meeting we were having prior to them joining us. I guess today will uncover exactly how much she has divulged. I mentally cringe at the idea.

  “What kind of business?” Joe questions, looking directly at me.

  “Well, Emma actually has two businesses, but I help with her social media firm,” Maggie eagerly shares. “I guess I should let Emma explain what she’s comfortable with. I’m just so excited you guys were able to have your lunch with us.”

  Maggie’s statement confirms a bit of information for me. If the two of them are on their lunch break, that means they work here in the city and probably pretty close. No one drives to lunch in downtown LA unless they’re not returning to the office right away, if at all. Yet, today is Thursday and not Friday, so I would deduce that they are most likely heading back to work which would confirm the idea that their offices are nearby.

  “My first business is an online website. It’s a health and wellness blog. The second, as Maggie explained, is a social media management services firm. Maggie does more than just work for me, she’s the COO for the entire company.” I finally get to answer for myself, giving just enough information while leaving out a lot of detail.

  “They are expanding Naturally Me in the third quarter to add a pet division. Jared had the awesome idea and they’ve already been making arrangements for it. Sadie’s going to be a star,” Maggie adds enthusiastically.

  She has never been known not to be enthusiastic.

  “Naturally Me?” Joe and Henry question at the same time.

  “That’s the name of her wellness website,” Maggie interjects before I have the chance to comment.

  I see a look of revelation from both Henry and Joe that this is typical behavior for Maggie as I just sit patiently and wait for her to finish.

  “I like the name,” Joe firmly states, widening his smile. “So, I would speculate that Jared manages Naturally Me for you since Maggie manages . . .” he pauses, obviously looking for the name of my media company.

  If Joe is making an assumption that Jared manages Naturally Me, I hardly believe that it’s from just finding out that Maggie managers Raven Media. My friends must have revealed some information after I left on New Year’s.

  “Raven Media,” Maggie answers Joe’s lingering question of the name of the company.

  “Sounds like we have a smart business woman in our presence, Henry,” Joe express with interest and intrigue.

  “I think so,” agrees Henry.

  Maggie smiles at us speaking freely and sits quietly hoping it will continue. I think she’s pleased with herself. She thinks I don’t know what she’s doing. Should I play along? It’s still up for debate.

  “Do you have your MBA? If so, did you attend or are you attending UCLA? I’d love to get a fresh perspective on the school and it’s program,” Henry excitedly asks me.

  “No. I hear it’s a great school, though. It’s in the top tier of MBA colleges,” I politely
respond without giving any indication to the extent of my educational background. “Why?”

  Now it’s my turn to ask some questions.

  “Joe and I just started at UCLA this year. One semester under us isn’t enough to know. I figured if you, or anyone you know has attended, that might give us some insight or assistance,” Henry answers. His personality seems a bit like Maggie’s, eager, enthusiastic and very friendly.

  “No. Sorry,” I apologize. “Are you required to work and study at the same time?”

  “Yes, though classes aren’t intrusive to our work schedule. A lot of the classes and teachings are based on us already having experience working with a company to a certain degree. The learning is supposed to work in tandem with our everyday tasks at our jobs and vice versa. Kind of like work and use what you learn at the same time kind of thing and share ideas and experiences in class.”

  Henry is definitely a talker like Maggie. This is good. I can keep my questions simple and flowing and he’ll just keep talking, revealing more.

  “Interesting,” I reply.

  I am genuinely interested, but I want to know more about this guy who my friend has the hots for.

  “So what companies do you both work for?” I inquire.

  “I work with my parents in the family business. We have several businesses overall, but our main industry of business is manufacturing. We have facilities in both China and here in the US and they create a variety of products or product parts from vehicles, to clothing, to technology.” he answers openly.

  I can tell from the way he speaks and his body language that he’s happy to share. I don’t know if this is just who he is yet or if Maggie preempted our meeting by warning him of what Maggie and Jared call Emma Interrogation.

  Silence falls upon us momentarily. Actually, I’m waiting for Joe to answer, but the hush drives Maggie crazy and she clearly doesn’t realize what I’m trying to do.

  “Emma never went to college!” she nearly shouts.

  “Really?” counters Henry as Joe sits back with attentiveness.