Page 80 of Mother Parker
I grabbed a knife and put all my frustration into peeling that shit off. At least I took some comfort in knowing I wasn’t the only one.
“That’s not funny, Hwan.”
“Yeah, I know. But…come on. What do you expect me to do, Carson? Am I supposed to shut down, hide in my apartment, and cry for the rest of my life? You’re a business owner. You know we can’t afford to do that.”
“No. But I think you need to upgrade your security.”
“I agree with that,” Parker said, towering behind me.
Carson glanced at him and nodded with wide eyes before looking away just as quickly. Was he scared of him? How weird. I didn’t know Carson as someone who was scared of anything.
“Great. More money to spend,” I said.
“Better to spend a few dollars on a closed circuit system than thousands on property damage,” Parker said.
“He’s right, Hwan. Your insurance won’t pay out if you don’t have security in place. Besides, you can just grab some cameras off the internet and install them yourself. I did it a few months ago, remember?”
I shrugged. I did know. I just wanted to stop talking about it for a few seconds. Wanted the time to think and process everything.
Wasn’t this a little too much for some graffiti on a window?
But then again, my door had also been broken, so maybe not.
Maybe Wyatt was right, and crime on this island really had taken a dive.
“Mr. Kim,” Elliot asked from the other side of the door, working on the window next to Ash.
“For the hundredth time, Elliot, it’s just Hwan,” I told him. “You’re making me feel old.”
He laughed.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Just stop calling me mister. What is it? Are you okay?”
He put the spray bottle down and hugged himself as if he was afraid to speak. Who could blame him? He was being watched by three ex-Navy SEALs and the rest of us. I’d also be scared.
“Should-should I make some drinks for everyone? We’ll be here for hours from the looks of it,” he said.
I couldn’t help but laugh. Not because it was funny, but damn it, because he was right, and he was sweet to think of it.
“That’s a great idea, Elliot. Come on, I’ll help you,” I said, and he gave me a big smile.
He walked into the shop, and I looked at everyone. I didn’t even need to ask them to know their favorites. Except for Parker. That fucker still hadn’t admitted his preferred bubble tea flavor.
But now that I’d seen him in his birthday suit, I had a feeling I was getting closer.
Maybe I’d revoke his topping privileges until he relented.
Hm…that’s a thought.
A terrible thought. I’d just started fucking the guy. I couldn’t go on a diet already.
“Do you guys mind?” I asked.
“Um…I need my bubble tea, like, yesterday, dude. Come on. Chop chop,” Ash said.
“I’ll go check across the street to see if their CCTV caught anything,” Parker said, and I offered him a smile that hopefully didn’t give anything away, and he crossed the street to enter Mason’s Real Estate.
