Confucius Jane (26 page)

“You're smiling,” Sutton said as they emerged into the gathering dusk. “Tell me why.”

“Because I'm happy.” Jane reached for her hand, feeling so light inside. So free. “It's that simple. You, us, them, this … this whole thing. All of it makes me happy.”

When Sutton's expression grew pensive, Jane realized she might have said too much. “But do you know what would make me even happier?”

“What?”

“Going back to your place and ordering that pizza.”

 

C
HAPTER
T
WELVE

S
UTTON PERCHED ON A
stool near the register, sipping a tea made from some kind of root that she still couldn't pronounce despite the fact that Sue had repeated the name twice. It smelled pungent and tasted awful, but she was determined to finish the whole thing.

“You're really part of the family now,” Jane had said, her nose wrinkling as they clinked mugs.

Part of the family. The warmth in her chest somewhat mitigated the bitterness of the tea. When she sat back and thought about it, the way in which Jane's friends and relatives had embraced her was truly remarkable. Despite the many cultural differences, she felt more at home with them in many ways than with her own parents.

Today marked one week since her announcement about Sweden, and she still hadn't spoken to either of them since. Jane had invited her to dinner with her aunt and uncle tonight, even going so far as to promise that Min would be on her best behavior. Sutton knew exactly what Jane was doing—trying to provide a distraction so she wouldn't feel upset during her family's habitual Sunday night family time. She was so considerate that way. And not only to her, of course—Jane's generosity clearly permeated the entire community. She helped Min with her homework. She donated her time to Sue's shop. Today, as soon as the news crew arrived, she had jumped up to lend them a hand. Sutton didn't think she had ever met a more selfless person.

Right now, Jane was helping Giancarlo's nephew, Giovanni, move the couch so that it could be better illuminated by the hot, bright lights the crew had brought. Over the past few days, Jane had been busy teaching him how to help manage Sue's inventory. Tall and lanky, with a shock of red hair that was constantly falling into his eyes, he wore wire-rimmed glasses and his Adam's apple bobbed precipitously every time he swallowed. Today he sported a blazer that was slightly too large and slacks that were slightly too short. He and his dark-haired, debonair uncle looked about as related as an ostrich and a sparrow.

Sutton glanced at Min, sitting a few feet away. She had her phone out, but was holding it idly against her knee, its screen dark. Ever since Jane had introduced them both to Giovanni, Min hadn't been able to take her eyes off him. By all indications, she had the beginnings of a crush, and it was adorable. Sutton couldn't wait to hear Jane's reaction.

Of course, she thought as she watched Jane conversing with Dan, the reporter, it wouldn't be fair for her to poke too much fun at Min when she was nursing a crush herself. A few weeks ago, it would have frightened her to admit such a thing, but at this point there was no use in denying it. Unexpectedly, Jane had become an important person in her life. As long as she didn't lose her head completely, where was the harm in admitting it?

Perhaps, just to be safe, she shouldn't invite Jane home with her this evening. They hadn't spent a night apart since their first time together, and maybe that was a little crazy. But it felt so good to fall asleep each night curled into the curve of Jane's body, one arm slung around her waist, luxuriating in the aftermath of their shared pleasure. She couldn't remember ever having slept so well.

The door opened to admit Giancarlo, and Sutton watched as Sue looked up from her conversation with a customer to wave shyly at him. They were adorable. Romance certainly seemed to be in the air at the moment, and Sutton found herself wondering whether anyone had ever tried to scientifically study why so many relationships blossomed in the springtime.

“Doctor Sutton!” Giancarlo's jovial voice pulled her out of her thoughts. He leaned against the counter and stroked his mustache as he smiled. “And Minetta. How are you both?”

“Fine, thanks,” Min said, quickly returning her attention to his nephew.

Sutton struggled not to laugh. “I'm well. And you?”

He mimed wiping sweat from his forehead. “Sundays are always so busy at the restaurant, but I wanted to see how everything is here.”

“Fine so far. I think they're about ready to start filming.”

“Good, good.” He patted her on the shoulder. “I'll be back in a moment. Excuse me.”

As he headed in Sue's direction, Sutton's attention was caught by Jane. She had tied her plaid flannel shirt around her waist, and the white tank top beneath accentuated the swell of her breasts. As she approached, Sutton had to grip the edge of her stool to stop herself from smoothing her palms along Jane's waistline and dipping under the hem of her shirt. Just last night, she had pressed her hand firmly against the soft, hot skin of Jane's abdomen, holding her in place as she drew out her desire with gentle, teasing strokes. If she concentrated, she could still hear the needy sounds Jane had made in response.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Sutton blinked and focused immediately on Jane's broad smile. Whatever her expression had been, it must have given her away. But she wasn't about to let Jane have the upper hand so easily. “A penny? Seriously?”

“It's an expression.”

“Mmhmm.”

“So you're not going to tell me what you were thinking?”

“Not until you give me a clearer picture of how much that would be worth to you.”

Jane's eyes—mostly brown today, with just a touch of green—grew darker, and she leaned down so that her mouth was close to Sutton's ear.

“I'll give you anything you want,” she murmured, her breath ghosting against Sutton's neck, raising goose bumps in its wake.

“Anything. Really.”

“Really.”

Sutton turned her face slightly, not wanting her words to be overheard. “I was thinking about the sounds you were making last night.”

When Jane pulled back and jammed her hands into her pockets, Sutton smiled up at her sweetly, loving the clear effect of her words. The muscles in Jane's arms stood out in sharp relief, and her jaw was tightly clenched. She was vibrating with tension, and Sutton wanted nothing more than to drag Jane back to her apartment and allow all that passion to be unleashed.

“All right, everyone, let's begin!” Dan's raised voice cut through the room, curtailing all conversation. “We're going to start by filming a few astrological consultations. So, I need some volunteers.” He glanced around the shop and suddenly pointed at Sutton. “How about you? The camera loves you.”

“I guess that runs in my family,” Sutton murmured.

“You really don't have to.” Jane said.

Dan beckoned her forward. “It won't take more than ten minutes.”

Sutton was possessed of a sudden urge not to just sit on the periphery anymore. This little community had given her a second home. The least she could do was to give back ten minutes, even if they were in front of a camera. She might be incapable of pleasing her own parents, but she could do this much for Sue.

“All right. I'll do it.”

“That's the spirit!” Dan gave her one of those kilowatt smiles that media people always seemed to be able to summon at will. “Come on down. We'll get you and Sue hooked up with mics.”

As one of the technicians clipped a small microphone to her shirt collar, she smiled reassuringly at Sue, who was starting to look a little green. “Don't worry,” she said. “We've done this before, remember? Let's focus on that and forget all about the cameras.”

Sue took a deep breath as she sat down on the couch and rested her hands on the large book she had consulted last time. “Of course. Yes. Thank you.”

“Okay,” Dan said as Sutton sat beside her. “We're rolling. Go ahead and start. Don't worry about any gaffes. We'll be editing this down quite a bit. Just pretend we're not here.”

Sutton angled her body toward Sue, trying to ignore the heat and light of the lamps beating down on her shoulders. Just behind the cameras, Jane was watching avidly. Tuning out the media was one thing, but ignoring Jane was much easier said than done.

Sue flipped open her file folder and extracted Sutton's chart. Her fingers were trembling slightly, but as she met Sutton's eyes, she grew visibly calmer. “Since we've already discussed your basic chart, and what it means that you were born in the year of the Earth Dragon, we can move on to answering some of your more specific questions. Is there any aspect of your life that has been particularly on your mind, recently? Your career? Family? Love life?”

“My career,” Sutton said, thinking it would be the safest to discuss.

“No, no, no,” Dan interjected. “Careers are boring. No one wants to hear about that. Talk about her family and love life instead!”

When Sue raised her eyebrows, Sutton reluctantly nodded her assent. It wasn't as though she believed in astrology anyway. If the conversation became uncomfortable, she could always ask Dan to edit part of it out.

“Very well. We'll focus on your family and love life today.” Sue glanced down at the book and then back up to Sutton. “When did you have your last menstrual cycle?”

Sutton could only hope she wasn't blushing. It was impossible for her to tell under the heat of the lamps, but she hoped her flash of discomfort wasn't obvious. She was a physician, and periods were a fact of life. “Let me check,” she said, pulling her phone from her pocket.

“You keep track on your phone?” Jane's voice sounded incredulous, and Sutton had to force herself not to look up and glare.

“Shhhhh!” someone said.

Sutton tried to focus. “When did it last start, or when did I begin ovulating?”

Sue looked up from what she was writing. “Oh, both would be wonderful.”

As Sutton read off the dates, she heard Min whisper, “Is there an app for that?”

“Probably,” Jane said.

“Shhhhh!”

“When were your parents born?” Sue asked. At Sutton's reply, a frown creased her brow. “And you have no siblings, correct?”

“No.”

“This will likely be a year of conflict for your family,” Sue said. “As you know, the year of the Monkey has just begun. The Monkey is a sign of cleverness and inquisitiveness, and the years that it governs are full of epiphanies. These revelations may create tension between you and your parents.”

Sutton struggled not to betray surprise at the accuracy of Sue's prognostication. Surely it was a coincidence, wasn't it?

Sue's frown deepened. “Also, this is not a good year for you to conceive a child. In fact, you must avoid doing so at all costs. See?” She stabbed her finger down on the page. “The Monkey child tramples the Dragon mother!”

Taken aback, Sutton shook her head. “Don't worry. That's not going to happen for a long, long time. If ever.”

Sue's expression turned wistful. “Oh, I hope you do decide to become a mother. You would be wonderful. But not right now.” She looked back to the page. “And after—let me just do a quick conversion—May first, you should not enter into a new relationship for the remainder of the year.” She raised her head and wagged her index finger. “Very bad idea.”

Relief that she had met Jane before that deadline was trumped, moments later, by logic's insistence that their relationship was casual and temporary. The emotional seesaw made her feel a little dizzy, and she leaned back against the couch as she struggled to regain her equilibrium.

“However,” Sue continued, “if you do begin a relationship before May first, it has the potential to grow into a powerful and durable connection.”

“Okay.” Sutton forced her thoughts away from Jane. How could they build something powerful and durable when both their lives were so up in the air? “Is there anything else?”

“Not at the moment.” Sue extended her slender hand. “Best wishes as the year continues.”

“Thank you,” Sutton replied.

“And, cut.” Dan stepped forward. “Thanks. We should be able to use some of that. Now let's see if we can get footage of someone new to the process. A customer, maybe?”

“I'm new,” Giovanni said, moving into the circle of light.

Dan looked him up and down critically. “But are you legal?”

“I just turned eighteen.”

“All right, have a seat.”

Sutton surrendered her microphone and rejoined Jane, who immediately reached for her hand. “Are you doing okay? Some of that hit a little close to home.”

As much as Sutton appreciated her concern, she didn't feel like having a serious conversation right now. “You mean the part about being sure not to conceive a child?”

Jane's shoulders hunched as she tried to keep her laughter quiet. “‘The Monkey child tramples the Dragon mother?' What on earth is that supposed to mean?”

“I don't know, but it sounds ominous.” She leaned her shoulder against Jane's. “Good thing you can't get me pregnant.”

“Mm.” For a moment, it looked as though Jane wanted to say something more, but then she apparently thought better of it. “Do you want to get out of here? We can hang out at my aunt and uncle's until dinner's ready, or we can stay. Up to you.”

“Let's go.” Sutton tapped Min on the shoulder. “Coming with us?”

“I'll stay,” she said, never taking her eyes off Giovanni. “Text me when dinner's ready.”

“Sure thing, Your Highness.” When Min didn't so much as react, Jane looked to Sutton. “What's gotten into her?”

“I'll tell you, but not here.”