Page 26 of Happy Endings

Trixie gulped down half her glass in the time it took for him to sip his tonic. He refilled her glass and waited. When they first started dating, he’d tried to fix her problems right away, which made her even more upset. After a few big fights over minor things, he learned to give her time to process her feelings and think things through. He hated not being able to fix things right away, but Trixie wouldn’t let herself be helped until she was ready.

She opened her bag and flipped through the papers inside, counting under her breath. He couldn’t make out the numbers,but she looked better already. Color had come back to her cheeks, and her breathing was back to normal.

“Order forms, index cards, penis pencil toppers. Crap, I forgot to pack another box of pens.”

“I have extras in the back office.” There was the Trixie he knew. Worrying about all the practical aspects so she didn’t have to deal with what was truly bothering her. “Trixie, want to talk about your dad?”

“Can we reserve that back booth for ordering? There’s more privacy than doing it by the display table.” She pointed to the booth they’d sat in a couple of weeks ago when she’d almost passed out. “I think I’ll play orgasm bingo instead of Glo-Man ring toss.”

“Slow down, babe.” He cringed. The endearment fell from his lips too easily. So much for keeping things business only. “What’s going on?”

She ignored the question and riffled through a side pocket of her bag.

“Trixie!” He reached over the bar and stilled her hand. “Talk to me. Why is your dad in the hospital?”

Her eyes closed, and she bit her lip. Was she going to cry?

He’d met her father only a couple of times. Mr. Nguyen was a quiet yet stern-looking man who clocked eighty-hour weeks to take care of his family. The last time Andre had seen him, he seemed strong and healthy.

Trixie placed her hand on top of his, sandwiching it with her other hand. Her light-tan skin contrasted against his dark hand. He missed seeing their skin next to each other.

“My mom called in a panic while I was packing for the pop-up.”

He nodded and squeezed her hand, encouraging her to continue.

“He had a minor heart attack. He was in the doctor’s office getting tests done when it happened. I can be grateful for that. He’s been transferred to the hospital for observation.”

“Thank God.” Andre breathed a sigh of relief. “We can reschedule tonight’s pop-up if you need to fly home.”

“No.” Trixie shook her head. “My mom told me to stay put and save the money. Besides, he doesn’t want to see me.”

“Of course he does. Why wouldn’t he?”

“He refuses to see or talk to me since I quit pharmacy school.” Her voice cracked. “I’m a failure to my dad.”

“You’re not a failure.” He meant it. She was good at her job. Not everyone could stand in front of strangers and talk about the benefits of water-based versus silicone lube. “I take it he doesn’t approve of what you’re doing now?”

She laughed bitterly. “Good Vietnamese girls don’t talk about sex. Ever.”

“Maybe if you explained—”

“No way. Did you ever talk to your mom about vibrators?”

His expression turned to horror. Trixie laughed.

“You have a point.”

“He also didn’t want me to move to DC, but after you—what happened—I needed a fresh start.”

There it was again. His fucking breakup note to remind him of what a horrible person he’d been.

“Right after I moved here, my car broke down and I had to ask my parents for money to get it fixed. My mom unleashed a string of I-told-you-so’s while my dad gave me his usual disapproving look. Gotta love the wonders of Skype. I can see every frown and wrinkle reminding me what a disappointment I am.”

“Trixie, they don’t think you’re a disappointment. They loveyou.” He meant it. She wouldn’t fail, because she always picked herself back up again. Besides his mom and Keisha, he’d never seen someone work so hard to get what they wanted.

“I keep hoping he’ll come around, but he won’t even talk to me on the phone.” Trixie shook her head. “You must think this is so stupid. I should be able to separate what I want from what my parents want me to do, but I can’t.”

Despite the sacrifice he’d made by leaving her, she and her parents were still at odds. He’d hurt her deeply for nothing. What an ass he was. To both Trixie and his mom. He’d left both of them when they needed him. Andre had to make things right between him and Trixie. But how? He walked around to where she sat. She turned so they were now face-to-face. Andre tipped her chin up so he could meet her deep-brown eyes.

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