Page 15 of Something Cheeky

“And if it doesn’t? Do you have a backup plan?” she countered.

Her question wasn’t due to lack of confidence in his skills but to practicality. Raising a child on her own meant pragmaticismwas her default. She always had backup plans for her backup plan, because she couldn’t afford not to. She’d sacrificed her own needs for him.

“The world will be singingT?m Cámsongs by next year. I promise,” he proclaimed emphatically. He didn’t have a backup plan. “Then you can retire.”

“Are you saying I’m too old to work?” She clicked her tongue and shook her head. “I like staying busy.”

“No, but you could do something you enjoy instead of being the business manager of my old high school.” She’d taken the job so his tuition could be waived, but the rest of his experience at the elite private school was best forgotten.

“And when you can’t find your next job? Who will take care of you then?”

“We’re workshopping the show in DC,” he said, ignoring her questions about his future. “If I buy you a plane ticket, will you come to opening night? I have a guest room here.”

“That sounds expensive.” She shrugged. “I don’t even know if I can take time off.”

“M?, please?” He didn’t expect her to agree right away. She didn’t like traveling, so he wanted to warm her up to the idea first. “This is the most important job I’ve ever had.”

“I’ll think about it.”

His shoulders slumped in relief. That was a start. Two months was plenty of time to convince her.

“If it’s that important, you should get back to work then.” The tone in his mother’s voice meant the discussion was over.

“I will.”

“And don’t work too hard,” she reminded him. His mother’s concern meant she cared and worried about him.

“I won’t. I love you,” he said quietly in English. Declarations of love were too awkward in his semi-fluent Vietnamese. Love wasusually expressed through home-cooked meals or neatly folded laundry.

“Okay, make sure you eat. You look too skinny.”

“I will.” Derek smiled. He never expected her to say “I love you” in return, but that didn’t stop him from saying it every time they spoke. “Bye, M?.”

She nodded and fumbled with the phone until it hung up.

Derek’s work had kept him away from Auburn, New York, for too long. But he’d rather move his mother closer to him than return to the semi-rural town that barely tolerated their existence. Once the musical made it to Broadway—to rave reviews—he could finally take care of her instead of the other way around.

Chapter 8

“That breeze from the water. I need more of it.” Zoe fanned her neck with her hand as she turned toward the Potomac River to catch the currents of air coming from it.

Today was slightly cooler than yesterday, but not by much. She’d spent the afternoon in her apartment trying on different outfits in front of her cat, Mr. Bobbins. What does someone wear to catch up with an old friend who was also offering her a job of a lifetime? She’d settled on a long, light dress with pockets.

“Let’s eat by the water,” Derek said, and pointed to an empty bench on the waterfront.

Zoe mostly came here for concerts and when she stopped by her friend’s photography studio. Without the busy weekend crowds, the Wharf held a magical energy. Outdoor booths were shuttered for the day but their strings of lights gave them a soft glow. Most of the restaurants were closed or closing when they arrived, so they’d ordered takeout.

“Tell me about your boutique,” he said as they settled down for an impromptu al fresco dinner.

“Something Cheeky was voted the DMV’s best lingerie boutique. Two years running,” Zoe said with pride.

Derek’s forehead wrinkled in confusion.

“DMV is what we locals call the DC metro area. DC, Maryland,and Virgina,” she explained. “You’re going to hear it a ton while you’re here.”

“That makes way more sense. How does it feel to create something that’s all yours?” he asked.

Had she heard a tinge of envy in his voice?

---