Page 91 of Mother Parker
HWAN
“Josimhae!” Halmeoni screeched beside me in the passenger seat and made a show of balancing the million plastic containers on her lap.
“I am careful, Halmeoni,” I replied.
“Not enough,” she said, pursing her lips and checking for any possible leakage.
I would tell her she didn’t need to go through all the trouble. I would tell her it wasn’t my fault there were potholes on the roads of ouramazingisland. And were it any other person, I would. But she wasn’t. She was my halmeoni, and I respected her too much to do so. Besides, it was in her Korean grandma blood to cook for people, so that part would have been hopeless anyway.
“I’m so hungry,” I told her instead.
“Better hurry then.”
I swallowed down my gasp and did as instructed. Drove fast through the pothole-filled streets with care and attention.
It was no surprise when she complained again just before we got to the Outpost. I parked and ran to the other side to help her with the boxes, and we climbed the steps of the deck of the beach bar. It was still early, but the sky was so dark it may as well be nighttime already. Winter was fast approaching.
Hopefully, the Annual Holiday Cruise and Christmas Festival would lure more tourists to the island and my café. I was sure my winter drinks would wow their pants off. I just needed the posters I’d ordered. And for everything to be fine and incident-free from now on. Or else my insurance premiums would go through the frigging roof.
I moved for the front door when it sprung open and Autumn appeared behind it with a smile, wearing a gorgeous bronze sweater, a pair of white ripped jeans, and high heels that matched her top. Her dark hair hung freely over her shoulders, making her look the striking lady she was.
“You came!” she exclaimed and grinned from ear to ear before she turned to Halmeoni and introduced herself. “Nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Kim.”
“It’s Mrs. Nam,” I told Autumn.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized. “You’re a legend around these parts.”
“Can’t say I surprised,” Halmeoni answered, surprising even me with her tongue-in-cheek. “You can call me Halmeoni.”
Autumn gave her a kiss and then put her hands around the bags of boxes.
“Let me help you with these, Halmeoni,” she said.
“No need. I not an old woman. Where? There?” Halmeoni bypassed a giggling Autumn and put the boxes on a long table they’d pulled into the middle of the bar.
“She’s a firecracker. I love her already,” Autumn said and hugged me. “How are you, sweetie? How’s the shop? How’s your man?”
I pulled back and glared at her, unsure of what to say.
“Oh, relax. He told me that first night you kissed. It doesn’t take a genius to guess what you kids have been up to,” she said in a hushed voice.
He’d told her? I didn’t know that. I knew he must have talked to her after I called her, worried he would do something stupid, but I didn’t realize he would have told her that night. Maybe that was why he’d come back all guns blazing, ready to lose his gay virginity to me.
“Don’t worry, mum’s the word,” she said when I didn’t respond. “Did I break you? I think I broke Hwan,” she shouted for the people behind us.
That shook me back to reality.
I wondered what else he’d told her, but there was no time for me to worry about that because I was starving and needed sustenance.
I followed Halmeoni’s route and dumped the bag of food beside the others and looked up. I almost choked.
There was a little blond thing wrapped around my man—Parker. Wrapped around Parker. And the fucker was enjoying it if his closed eyes and the way he held on to the guy’s back were any indication.
I watched them until they separated, and Parker finally noticed me.
“Hwan!” he exclaimed, stepping up to me, the little hussy following behind him. “This is my boss,” he told him, and the twink smiled like he wasn’t stealing my man.
He had spiky blond hair—mine was better—and soft features like mine. So what the fuck did he see in him that he couldn’t see in me?
