Page 85 of Give Me a Reason

“What?” Pete protested. “Weinvited you out to celebrate.”

“In Korea, the person with the reason to celebrate treats everyone.” Anne shrugged as though she’d won the argument.

“Well, you’re back in the US now, so you’re going to letustreatyou,” Frederick said firmly. “Let us celebrateyou, Anne. It’ll be our privilege.”

Anne’s eyes widened, then softened. “Thank you. I would like that.”

“Good.” Katie rubbed her hands together. “Now that’s decided, we can finally order. I’mstarving.”

“Will I do my Korean heritage dirty if I choose mild for my spice level?” Frederick raised an eyebrow at Anne, hoping to make her smile.

“Hmm, I don’t know.” She offered him a mischievous smile, and he felt like he’d plucked a star from the sky. “But it might be a wise choice since a Korean toddler can tolerate spice better than you.”

Frederick burst out laughing—because it was true—but he rearranged his expression to look appropriately insulted. “Harsh.”

“But he’s a firefighter, Anne.” Katie wiggled her eyebrows. “He can take other kinds of heat.”

“She’s married to a firefighter.” Pete joined in the eyebrow wiggling. “She knows what she’s talking about.”

Katie snorted and high-fived her husband. Frederick pretended to gag. And Anne laughed, a shy blush staining her cheeks. God, she was adorable.

“You guys are pretty nauseating,” he said to stop himself from grabbing Anne and demonstrating how well he could tolerate other kinds of heat.

“Hey, stop that.” She crinkled her nose, but her eyes still smiled at him, and his stomach swooped. “They’re the best.”

“If you say so,” Frederick managed to croak.

He hardly noticed how delicious his mild-but-flavorful lunch tasted, busy as he was sneaking glances at Anne. On the upside, he was too distracted to panic about what to say to her. On the downside, he still didn’t know what to say to her. He had a feeling when he opened his mouth, his words would spill out in an incoherent mess. If worse came to worst, he would fall on his knees and grovel.

After lunch, they decided to go for a walk in Culver City’s vibrant downtown. The lunch crowd congested the sidewalk as they cleared out of the many restaurants lining the streets, and they proceeded to fill up the numerous coffee shops, heading for their after-lunch caffeine fix.

Not for the first time, Frederick wondered what kinds of jobs these people had to take such leisurely lunches in the middle of the week. As a firefighter, he had a unique schedule where he had entire days off. What about these folks? He shrugged.That’s LA for you.

Arm in arm, Katie and Pete strolled a few steps ahead, ensconced in a cocoon of love. Or they might be giving Frederick privacy to talk with Anne. He couldn’t tell which, but he would take either gladly.

“How are you?” Anne beat him to the question while he tooka bracing breath. He thought a shadow crossed over her lovely features, but she turned to him with a smile that had his eyes dropping to her lips. “Are you… happy?”

Was hehappy? In that moment, he was exquisitely happy in a way he could only feel when he was with Anne.Shemade him happy like no one else could. He could admit that now, so he answered with soft sincerity, “I am.”

“I’m glad.” But that shadow rippled across her face again. “It’s such a relief that Bethany is recovering nicely. The doctor said she would, but I think we were all still a little worried.”

His brows furrowed. Was Anne still worried? Was that what the tinge of sadness was about? Joe assured him that Bethany was back to herself. She had only extended her leave of absence to appease her parents. Frederick deliberately turned his thoughts away from Mrs. Hong and focused on reassuring Anne.

“Bethany will be fine.” He couldn’t help reaching out to take her hand in his. Her fingers felt as cold as ice. His eyes snapped up to scan her pale face. “She’s in good hands.”

“Y-yes.” Anne lowered her gaze, then nodded quickly. “I know she is.”

“Anne.” Why did he get the feeling that they were having two different conversations? Maybe what happened between them in Bosque Verde had affected her more than she let on. He hoped she was angry with him for letting her leave his room like that, not upset about them making love.Time to tell her everything, Nam.His heart fluttered with fear and hope. “About what happened in—”

“Anne? Is that you?” an obviously delighted voice called from behind them. Both she and Frederick turned around at the same time. “Itisyou.”

“Andrew?” Anne’s eyes widened. “What are—”

Andrewcut off her question by pulling her into his arms for a tight hug. Frederick felt a growl build in his chest. Who thefuck was this guy? He looked familiar, but Frederick couldn’t place him.

“We need to stop running into each other like this.” The man grinned down at her, one hand lingering on her arm. Frederick wanted to wrench his hand off. “But I can’t say I mind. It seems providence is on my side.”

The smarmy smile and the “charming” inflection in the stranger’s voice finally clicked in Frederick’s head.The breadstick guy.How did Anne and the man know each other’s names? Had they run into each other again after the winery? And how the fuck were they on hugging terms?

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