Page 94 of Just Another Meet Cute
Before I could finish though, the front door swung open and Kathy came bouncing out. “Nina! I thought I heard your voice. Linh told me that you’re moving here! Is that true?” I barely had time to nod before she barreled forward with more questions. “That’s so awesome! And you’re going to renovate a house? When are you starting? Can I help you?”
As I decided which question to answer first, Ryan crossed his arms. “How areyousupposed to help with renovating a house?”
She put both hands on her hips and glared at her brother. “I know how to smash things. It doesn’t look that hard. Plus, it looks like so much fun on TV.”
“Watching something on TV doesn’t mean you can do it.”
Spotting the looks on their faces, I knew that an argument was about to break out. Funny how I’d only known the Nguyens for a few short weeks, but I could recognize their looks and personalities. They were such a vital part of my life now. My heart ached when I thought about how much I would miss each of them. Especially Kathy, with her overflowing energy. Sure, we could probably still keep in touch, but it wouldn’t be the same. Not to mention it would be super awkward, depending on how hurt Ryan would be. Plus, I knew I would be dying to ask her about Ian all the time.
Yeah, it would probably be better to stay away for good, no matter how sad it made me.
“I don’t know if and when we’ll start renovating, but I promise to call you when that happens,” I lied.
Kathy let out a triumphant cheer and gave me two thumbs up as she backed through the front doorway. “I knew I always liked you. Come over and play Pictionary again. I promise I won’t get mad this time. At least notthatmad.”
“Is that what you wanted to tell me?” Ryan asked, interrupting my thoughts. “That your family is moving to Austin?”
“Actually, no. I mean, we are moving here, but that isn’t what I wanted to tell you. I—”
The front door popped open again, and this time it was a pretty lady who looked like she was in her mid to late thirties. Her short black hair was cut in a cute bob that framed her round face. I knew she was Ryan’s aunt from ph? a few weeks ago, but I had no idea which one. She held a small covered plate in one hand, and I could smell oil and meat.
“Hey, Ryan, I heard you were out here with Nina.” She motioned me closer to her. “Can you help me with something?”
Even though I knew she was talking to me, I couldn’t help pointing at myself as I glanced over at Ryan. “Me?”
“Yes, you. Come here a second.”
Shuffling forward a few feet, I stopped as she whipped the napkin off and shoved a plate of eggrolls at me. “Try one.”
This was super weird. I shot Ryan another look, but he shrugged. Sincethere was nothing else to do, I picked up an eggroll. It was still piping hot, so I carefully bit into it and sucked in a deep breath as I held the piece between my teeth before chewing it.
His aunt kept watching me expectantly so I quickly took another few bites until the eggroll was gone, burning my tongue a bit in the process. “It’s really good. Thanks.”
“That’s it?”
Ryan took one and popped the whole thing into his mouth despite the fact that it was steaming hot. “It’s okay, Aunt Lily. Doesn’t taste like Bá’s eggrolls though.”
Her face fell. “It’s not. I have to make eggrolls for the twins’ book club party, but Bá’s not home and I can’t get the filling right no matter how hard I try. I tried to call her, but she doesn’t know the exact recipe. She tosses stuff in and smells it to make sure it’s right. I was hoping that Nina could help me figure out how to fix it with her golden tongue.”
How did she know about my golden tongue? Linh. It could only have been from her. Yet when and how did she talk to Aunt Lily? And who else did she talk to in this family?
Maybe distancing myself from them wouldn’t be as easy as I’d hoped.
Grabbing another eggroll, my fingers tested out the outer shell and I took tiny bites, making sure to chew it thoroughly.
“Okay, I think that it’s a little bit dry. Maybe you can add more veggies like carrots or napa cabbage. But then you don’t want it to be a veggie eggroll.” I bit into it again and again until it was gone. There was only an oily film left on myfingers. Ryan handed me a napkin. “Maybe you can add some shrimp. My cousin did that with her wontons before to keep the filling moist. And it could use a bit more salt.”
With a thoughtful expression on her face, Aunt Lily chewed on her thumbnail. “That’s not the way Bámakes it. ’Course if she were here then I wouldn’t be in this mess. It does sound good. How did your cousin’s wontons turn out?”
“Oh, they were horrible.” I laughed. “Turns out she doesn’t know how to make wonton wrappers, so they were really tough yet somehow still fell apart. But the filling was delicious.”
With a laugh, she nodded. “I’ll make a small batch to see how it turns out. Thanks, Nina!”
“No problem.”
“Looks like I’m not the only one who people depend on around here. I think I’m starting to feel a bit left out,” said Ryan shaking his head. He half turned toward the steps. “Maybe we should go before someone else needs your help with something.”
I knew he was teasing, but I nodded. Some privacy would be nice. “Good idea—”
