Page 63 of The Waiting Game

“True,” Jonah said thoughtfully.

“And frankly, focusing on that will make me feel I have something concrete to do instead of just worrying.”

Jonah nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Besides.” Felix shot him a teasing grin. “We both know Grandma Ji-min is going to fight you tooth and nail on everything but she’s totally soft for me.”

“Yeah, yeah, she likes you better than me.”

Felix was glad to see Jonah laughing. It was exactly why he’d said it. “I’m just saying …”

“Fine. You can widen your eyes and look pathetic and convince her to stop being a stubborn old woman.”

“Well, let’s not expect miracles here,” Felix joked. “I’m cute but even I can’t pull that off. I bet I can sway her a little though.”

Jonah rolled his eyes.

“I already have all my shit packed for a few days anyway.” Felix gestured vaguely to the trunk. They’d stopped at their condo building to pack bags in between the golf game and dinner.

“Yeah, true.”

“Although I can keep borrowing your underwear if you really want, dude.”

“Yeah, let’s skip that,” Jonah said drily. “We’ve gotten enough chirping already. Okay, let’s head to Grandma’s house.”

Traffic wasn’t terrible so it didn’t take long to get there.

When they arrived, she was sitting in her favorite comfortable chair in front of the television and her neighbor Nancy was on the couch. They both looked innocent, which was entirely suspicious.

“Have you been good tonight, Grandma Ji-min?” Felix teased as he stooped down to kiss her cheek.

She sniffed. “I’m always good.”

“She’s been an angel all night,” Nancy said.

“And this is how I know you’re both lying,” Jonah said, but he was laughing, clearly relieved to see his grandmother in one piece.

And that made Felix happy.

“You need to open the rest of your birthday gifts, Felix,” Grandma Ji-min said after Nancy left. “And have some more cake.”

Jonah chuckled to himself at the look of horror on Felix’s face.

“My pants are going to split if I eat another bite of anything. But I can open gifts. I think I’ll go with Grandma Ji-min’s first.”

Jonah fetched them from the kitchen and set them on the coffee table.

There were several from Grandma Ji-min. Jonah watched Felix carefully unwrap the first one, smoothing out the paper and setting it aside.

It was a stack of hardbound books and Felix inspected them closely, a curly lock of his red-gold hair falling onto his forehead in a way that Jonah wanted to smooth away.

He looked great tonight. He’d dressed well as always, with a snug cobalt blue T-shirt layered under a dark navy suit. A little more casual than what he typically wore on game days but perfect for the upscale steakhouse they’d been to tonight.

Felix got up to kiss Grandma Ji-min’s cheek. “These are perfect. Exactly what I need for when I’m bored on the plane.”

She grinned. “Well, let me know if I need to get you some more for later in the postseason.”

Jonah winced and they all knocked on wood.

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