Page 161 of The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The Second Collection
“I’m not much of a gardener,” I admit. “But I know that flowers need space and sunlight, as well as good soil. I wouldn’t want to transplant Cynnie, just make sure she has the space and sunlight she needs.”
Her father smiles slowly. “We understand each other. You should come for dinner soon so you can get to know the whole family.” His eyes move from me to Cynnie. “You’ll arrange that with Baachan.”
Cynnie nods. “Yes, Papa.”
He touches her cheek with his scarred, gnarled hand. “You look especially beautiful tonight, Chinnichan. Dance with your friend and have a good night.”
Cynnie goes up on her tiptoes to brush a kiss across his cheek before she squeezes my hand and pulls me to the dance floor.
There are a few other couples dancing. No one’s doing anything fancy like waltzing, so I feel confident just pulling Cynnie into my arms and swaying to the slow, classical piece the quartet is playing.
“He likes you,” Cynnie says, smiling up at me.
“He loves you.”
She nods. “Love’s never been the problem.”
“When did he retire?”
“Officially? Five years ago. But he was still working every day until Christmas.” She takes her hand off my shoulder to tap her chest over her heart. “He had a scare. The doctors said he had to reduce stress. So he stepped back some. He even took a vacation with Harmony in May. Two whole weeks. He’s never done that before.”
That means asshole brother Jun has only been running the show for nine months. His tight grip is a little more understandable.
“Did your grandmother ever work in the family business?”
Cynnie nods. “She used to make models with my grandfather. When Mama died, she retired to take care of Hiro.”
She nods at one of the other couples dancing. The people I’ve been introduced to tonight are beginning to blur, but I’ve tried to commit her immediate family to memory. Older brother Jun has his father’s strong jaw and Cynnie’s deep eyes, but there’s no warmth in them. Younger brother Hiro’s the most stylishly dressed man I’ve seen tonight, his brocade suit in silver and powder blue, his oval face easily splitting into Cynnie’s familiar grin. Although he evidently aspired to be an actor when he was at school, now that he’s graduated, he’s been sucked into the family business like his siblings.
“You’ve never mentioned your mom before,” I say gently.
Her smile turns sad. “She had cancer. She had it for a long time. I remember when I was ten, she wore a bright red wig for months. I thought she looked so pretty. I didn’t understand then it was because of the chemo. She died when I was away at college. She knew it was coming. She called me the day before and said goodbye. She told me it was okay to be sad but that she wanted me to stay at school, study hard, and be happy. She saidPapa would remarry and I should be kind to his new wife. I’ve tried to do everything she asked.”
“Do you get along with Harmony?”
Cynnie nods. “She’s nice. She loves Papa. She’s very quiet around Baachan and Jun’s wife, Erika. I don’t think she feels like part of the family sometimes, but I’ve tried to include her in things. She had her hair and nails and makeup done with us today.”
“That’s good. Big age difference between your dad and your stepmom,” I observe.
Cynnie giggles. “It was a big deal for a while.”
“I bet. Then everyone got over it?”
“Not Baachan. Not Jun. But I think Harmony’s good for Papa. She makes him try new things.”
“She even got him to go on vacation.”
“She did.” Cynnie leans in to whisper. “I think it was more the doctor. But she got him to leave his phone at home. That was huge.”
I chuckle.
“Does she know, about your littleness?”
Cynnie shakes her head. “She knows about the fairy kei. She doesn’t understand it, but that’s okay. She goes shopping with me sometimes. She tries. I picked out her dress for tonight.”
“It’s perfect. Puts all the attention on her necklace. Is that a family heirloom or something?”
“Yes. It’s over two hundred years old. Baachan was furious when Papa gave it to Harmony, but I think it suits her, don’t you?”
