Page 11 of Gentle Persuasion

“We’re ordering in,” Debbie said. “We’re having Chinese.”

“Cole’s mad at us,” Buddy told Debbie.

“Not anymore,” she said gently, catching the look of guilty regret lurking behind Buddy’s glasses. “It’s okay.”

“I like sweet and sour chicken,” he said, as usual, jumping from one subject to another.

“Egg rolls are my favorite,” Debbie answered.

Cole sighed, envious of the instant communication his brother and Debbie seemed to have. “I’ll call in the order,” he said, and headed for the phone.

***

“I don’t know whose idea this was, but it was sheer genius.” Morgan speared another shrimp from the box.

“It was Cole’s.” Debbie dug through the buffet of boxes on the table. “I think these are my favorites.” She poked at the moo goo gai pan, the Hunan beef, and the shrimp fried rice with her chopsticks. “But I sure did like this, too.” She was eyeing the sweet and sour pork and the chicken and snow peas.

“It’ll keep,” Cole teased. “Chinese leftovers microwave pretty good.”

The smile on her face was worth a week of stakeouts and sleepless nights.

“Great!”

“Your fortune is in your fingers.”

All eyes turned to Buddy, who’d broken into his third fortune cookie and was chewing and reading at the same time. And, who, as usual, had thrown the conversation completely out of sync.

He shrugged, and held up the tiny slip of paper that he’d pulled from the cookie. “My fortune,” he explained.

“Wow!” Debbie said, her eyes glowing. “It’s true! Your fortune is in your fingers, Buddy. Computers…right?”

“Let me try one!” She dug through the box holding the crunchy brown half-moons.

She closed her eyes and picked one as if magic were hovering at her fingertips. “I choose this one. It feels right.”

“Read it,” Morgan urged, getting into the joy of seeing something old and familiar through the eyes of someone new.

Debbie broke open the cookie, pulled out the little strip of paper, and began to read. The smile on her face slipped. Her mouth twisted, and then she looked up at the men around the table, who were obviously waiting for her to share her secret. It was impossible. It was too fresh…and too close to home.

“Oh, it’s just like Buddy’s,” she lied, and stuffed it in her pocket.

“Have another,” Morgan urged.

“This one’s just fine,” she said softly, and jumped up from the table. “Anyone need a refill on drinks?”

Buddy followed her to the refrigerator and together the two of them put fresh ice and tea in everyone’s glasses.

But Cole was not deceived. He’d seen the look of shock come and go on her face. He knew damn good and well that something on that little slip of paper had rocked her world.

“Let’s go out by the pool,” Morgan said. “It’s a nice night. Bring our drinks. I’ll get the tape player. Maybe some jazz or some easy listening would be appropriate.”

“I’m going to my room,” Buddy said. “My fortune is in my fingers.”

Morgan hobbled off to the den and left Cole and Debbie alone in the kitchen.

He walked toward her.

“I’ll just put this stuff in the refrigerator before we go outside,” she said quickly, and began closing the tops of the takeout boxes.

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