Confucius Jane (25 page)

She hadn't dreamt it. They had made love. And every moment had been amazing.

As Jane rounded the corner toward Red Door Apothecary, she tried to compose herself. If she didn't, Sue would be able to read her like an open book, and Jane wanted to keep her newfound intimacy with Sutton as close to the chest as possible. Her entire extended family might know that she hadn't slept in her own bed last night, but hopefully, they would respect her privacy. Composing herself, she opened the door, stepped over the threshold, and immediately drew up short.

The store was more crowded than she had ever seen it. Previously, the apothecary had been patronized mostly by Chinese Americans, but this afternoon, the customers were almost as diverse as New York City itself. Sue looked harried as she tried to answer a young woman's question while ringing up a purchase for an elderly gentleman. And then, to top it off, the phone rang.

Jane darted across the room to grab it before it could go to voicemail. Sue shot her an appreciative look as she hefted the receiver. Only when she raised it to her ear did Jane realize it was connected by a cord. What was this, the Dark Ages?

“Red Door Apothecary. How may I help you?”

“Good afternoon,” said a male voice. “My name is Dan Wong from News 4 New York, and I'm hoping to speak with Ms. Xue Si Ma.”

Jane blinked down at the countertop. The local NBC news affiliate wanted to speak with Sue? “I'm Jane, her assistant,” she said, claiming the title she had long since earned. “Sue is busy at the moment, but I'd be happy to take a message if you'd like.”

“Great. Let her know that News 4 would like to do a brief piece on her store for a special-interest feature on thriving small businesses in the city. If she agrees, we'd like to set up a time to shoot some footage next week.”

“Will do.” Fumbling for a pen, Jane looked around for a scrap of paper, found nothing, and hurriedly wrote Dan's number on the back of her hand. As she returned the phone to its cradle, she looked up to see that the line at the register had grown even longer, and the young woman was still waiting—now impatiently—for Sue's help. Instead of trying to pose as an expert apothecary, she sidestepped around the counter and tapped Sue on the shoulder.

“Let me take care of the register. You handle the questions.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Sue looked completely drained, and as Jane began to ring up the next customer's purchases, she thought back to the last time she'd been in the store, one week ago. It had been busier than usual, but nothing like this. Later today, she was going to have to find Minetta and figure out what on earth she had done for her school project that had managed to raise the apothecary's profile so extremely in the past week. Cringing at the thought of how many unchecked e-mails were waiting in Sue's inbox, she made fast work of the queue.

Once the store's congestion had eased, Sue leaned heavily against the countertop. “Thank you so much, Jane. I don't know what I would have done without you.”

Jane waved away her gratitude. “You would have managed. But I think it might be time for you to hire someone who can be here more than I can.”

“You may be right.” Another customer walked into the store, and Sue greeted the person briefly before turning back to Jane. “Who was on the phone?”

“News 4. They want to do a special-interest piece on the store.” When Sue's jaw dropped, Jane smiled. “I know, right? Pretty cool. Just think how much business you'll have after that.”

Sue paled. “I'm not sure how much more I can handle.”

“You'll be fine.” Jane patted her shoulder awkwardly. “Especially once you hire someone.” But when Sue only continued to look sick with worry, Jane realized she was going to have to do a lot more than simply offer platitudes.

“Okay, how about this. I'll go check out your volume of online orders. You stay here and keep the customers happy. If you run into another traffic jam, just come and get me.”

“What about the reporters?” Sue was actually wringing her hands. Jane didn't think she'd ever seen someone do that before.

“We'll worry about them later.” She flashed what she hoped was an encouraging smile. “Trust me. It's all going to be okay.”

Leaving Sue's skeptical expression behind her, Jane sat down at the computer in the back room. Just as she'd suspected, Sue's inbox was overflowing. Even after weeding out the spam and printing the messages containing questions Sue would have to answer herself, the number of orders was daunting. Suddenly overwhelmed, Jane leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes, taking momentary solace in her memories.

Two hours and one mug of foul-tasting tea later, Jane had processed and boxed half the orders. Twice, Sue had called her out from the back to help with additional customers. The store was finally empty for the first time, and Jane took the opportunity to collapse onto the couch. Her lower back was starting to ache and her eyes felt like sandpaper. The rest would have to wait until tomorrow.

“Are you all right?” Sue hovered above her like an anxious butterfly. “Let me get you more tea.”

“No! No. Thank you. Really.” Jane pried open her eyes. “I'm fine. But I think I need to be done for the day.”

“I cannot thank you enough.” Sue hurried back toward the register. “Here, let me pay you something.”

“No way. Absolutely not.” Jane sat on her hand and shook her head while Sue brandished several twenty-dollar bills at her. “Save them for whoever you hire.”

Sue's face fell. “How should I find someone? How can I be sure they're trustworthy?”

“Go with someone local. Someone whose family you know. They'll have more accountability that way. And—”

The sudden chime of her phone made whatever else she'd been planning to say fly out of her head, and she grabbed it from her pocket before the display could grow dark. Text from Sutton St. James:
I'm in Noodle Treasure. Join me when you're free?

There was nothing Jane could do to hide her smile. The text might not scream hearts and flowers, but it clearly demonstrated that Sutton was thinking about her and wanted to see her. She'd take it. Fatigue forgotten, she jumped to her feet.

“I have an idea.” She quickly checked her watch. “It's almost five. I know you're normally open for another hour, but let's close the place early today and grab a bite at Noodle Treasure.”

“But—”

“You've done at least twice as much business as usual today, right? And have you eaten a thing since breakfast?”

“Well, no, but—”

Jane tried to look stern as she pointed toward the door. “That's it. Out.”

Sue must have truly been exhausted, because she didn't put up any more of a fight. Within a few minutes, they were walking north. Jane turned her face toward the sun, soaking up what warmth she could, thankful for the extra hour of daylight. The promise of spring filled the air, making her feel buoyant inside. This really was the perfect season for falling in love.

She stopped short as she caught herself, prompting a muffled obscenity from the person walking behind her and a concerned glance from Sue. Her heart was suddenly pounding in her ears. Falling in love? Where had that come from?

“Are you all right?”

“Sure. Of course. Sorry.” Jane lurched forward and spent the remainder of the walk lecturing herself about how falling in love was not on the agenda.

Even so, when she didn't see Sutton in the window, she began to worry. Had she been called into the hospital? Jane was just about to flag down Benny and beg an explanation when she caught sight of Sutton sharing Min's table. Their heads were bent over some kind of textbook, and Sutton was tapping her finger on the page as she explained something.

It was hard, now, to remember a time when she hadn't been a regular at the restaurant. She had so easily charmed Jane's entire family, not to mention members of the broader community like Sue and Mei. She'd become a fixture in their lives within a matter of months. And soon, she would be gone. Poof. Just like that. Trying to ignore the tightness in the back of her throat, Jane concentrated on soaking up the moment.

“Sue, how wonderful to see you.” Giancarlo rose from his seat near the door and bent to deliver two cheek-kisses.

Jane didn't pay their cuteness any mind. She couldn't take her eyes off Sutton, who was dressed more casually than usual today in a purple sweatshirt and scrubs. Her hair was down, and as she flipped it over her shoulders, Jane flashed back to the sensation of the silky strands brushing against her collarbone.

She shivered, and that was when Sutton looked up. A slow smile bloomed on her lips, and her light blue eyes grew several shades darker. Jane suddenly couldn't pull a deep breath into her lungs. This was crazy. She had never felt anything like this before. These feelings happened to the characters in the romance novels in her mother's nightstand that she'd read on the sly as a teen, not to real people.

And yet.

“Hi.” When Sutton spoke, Jane realized she had crossed the room without being aware of it. Tracing the edge of the table, she tried to think of something to say that wouldn't sound inane.

“Hey.”

The monosyllables hung in the air between them, and Jane silently cursed everyone else in the restaurant. If not for them, she would have leaned down and shown Sutton exactly how much she'd missed her. Compared to one of their electrifying kisses, all words—even poetry—were paltry.

“How was your day?” Not the most original line, but she really was curious. And she had to say something.

Sutton's lips twitched. “My morning was spectacular. Everything else paled in comparison.”

Jane flashed hot, every muscle in her body suddenly paralyzed by the onslaught of memories. “Um.” She swallowed hard. “Glad to hear it.”

“Oh my god.”

Blinking, Jane glanced over at Min, who was shaking her head and starting to pack up her books. “What?”

“I'm getting out of here. And you guys need to get a room.”

“Minetta. Knock it off.”

Min must have heard the note of real anger in Jane's voice, because she sighed and glanced at Sutton. “I'm sorry.”

Sutton waved off her apology. “You're sure you're feeling okay about the cell nucleus? Because we can go over it one more time if you'd like.”

“I'll be good. Thanks.” She turned to Jane. “See you at home. Or … not.” And then she darted out the door before Jane could open her mouth.

“That kid.” Shaking her head, Jane settled into the vacated seat. She hoped Sutton wasn't upset. “Even if her apology was insincere, mine isn't.”

Sutton's hand slid over to cup her knee. Such a simple touch, but the intimacy it signified felt so, so good. When Sutton began to slide her thumb back and forth, Jane felt a profound sense of relief even as her pulse jumped.

“I wasn't insulted,” Sutton said. “She's just trying to get a rise out of you. She loves you, and she wants your attention.”

“And she's too perceptive for her own good.”

Sutton laughed softly. “That too.” She leaned in closer. “You look exhausted.”

“That reminds me.” Jane looked out the window, but Minetta had completely disappeared. “I meant to ask Min what she did online to turn Sue's shop into a madhouse. It was a zoo in there. I'm completely beat.”

“And you were up early this morning.”

Jane wanted so badly to plant a kiss on that tantalizing spot behind Sutton's ear. She loved the subtle, vaguely floral fragrance of her skin, and its flower-petal softness. “Believe me when I say I'm not complaining.”

Her eyes glinted. “I'm happy to hear that.” Slowly, her hand moved higher, tracing the inner seam of Jane's jeans. “I have an idea. Would you like to hear it?”

At that moment, Jane would have happily listened to her read the phone book. Though come to think of it, did they even print phone books anymore? “I'm all ears.”

“Since we're both tired, why don't we go back to my apartment and order a pizza?”

“O-okay.” Jane didn't even care that she was stammering. Her brain was overloaded with visions of the two of them lying in Sutton's bed, twined around each other, a half-empty pizza box forgotten on the nightstand.

“As soon as we're alone again,” Sutton whispered, “I want you to tell me exactly what popped into your head just now.”

“Why is that?”

“Because your eyes got all hazy, just like they did this morning.”

“Oh.” For the second time in ten minutes, Jane cursed her inability to come up with an eloquent response. She was a published poet, yet Sutton had the power to reduce her to grunting monosyllables.

Sutton smiled knowingly. “Come on. Let's go.”

As they approached the front door, they had to pass Giancarlo's table. Jane momentarily hoped that he and Sue would be too caught up in each other to notice them, but as they walked by, Sue called her name. Her color was high and an excited smile brightened her face.

“Giancarlo is being such a help!” she said, patting his hand where it lay on the table next to a pair of unused chopsticks. “He thinks his nephew may want to work in the shop.”

“A trustworthy boy,” Giancarlo added, nodding sagely. “Very serious. Good head for business.”

“That's great,” Jane said, even as she began inching toward the door.

“That must be a relief,” Sutton echoed, keeping pace with her.

“Jane.” Sue suddenly became serious. “If he does want the job, would you mind teaching him how to do … everything you do?”

“No problem. Happy to.” Jane flashed a quick smile that she hoped didn't betray her eagerness. “Okay. We're heading out. See you around. Tomorrow. Sometime.”

Giancarlo smiled indulgently, and Sue gave them a little wave. Just before she turned, Jane realized their hands were clasped on the tabletop. That was a step forward. They were so sweet together.
Love can find you at any time,
she thought. She should remember that line. It would make a good fortune.