Page 234 of We Shouldn't Be Together
Hopefully, the hours I’ve spent watching police interviews on YouTube will pay off. No doubt at the restaurant, my seat at the table will feel like I’m shackled in an interrogation room.
40
“Hello,hello,JonesFamily,”the owner of The Jasmine Garden Chinese Restaurant greets us. She wears a silky red dress, which buttons from neck to hem. “Welcome, welcome!”
“That’s Amber’s mom,” Tabitha whispers to me. “She’s very extra.”
Dr. and Mrs. Jones embrace the owner, Mrs. Kim-McNeil, with kisses on the cheek. Then there’s a lot of congratulating and speculating about the football game we just watched. The volume of the conversation draws Amber over to us. Or, should I say, to Freddy like he’s dipped in honey and Amber has a stinger.
“Sorry, I had to miss the last twenty-minutes of your game,” Amber says with a pout. She still has a two-toned blue heart on her cheek and was one of the cheerleaders Tabby was death-staring earlier at the game. “Mom needed me a-sap. Forgive me?”
Freddy smiles at her. “Always.”
Amber squeals, pressing herself against him and rubbing a circle on his lower back. “You’re the best.”
And this guy keeps telling everyone he and Amber aren’t together? Gimme a break.
“Are you taking our table, Amber?” Mrs. Jones asks.
“Unfortunately, I was given a different section,” Amber replies, side-eyeing her mom. “Aunty Jia will take care of you.”
I can’t help noticing some relief take over Freddy’s face. Okay, so maybe he’s not so into her.
We’re taken to a table at the back of the restaurant. Dr. Jones takes the head of the table, and his wife sits to his left. Tabby takes the seat next to her mom, and I gladly sit beside her.Phew. As far away from Dr. Jones as possible. Tabby signals to me to take off my beanie. I sling it on the back of my chair as ten-year-old Corbin sits opposite me.
Freddy is across from Tabitha and acknowledges the empty seat next to him. “Drew said he was coming.”
Dr. Jones smirks at the empty seat. “A likely story.”
“He did,” Freddy insists. There’s a sad puppy energy about this guy. He eyes his dad as if he’s begging to be believed.
Dr. Jones orders for the table. The only thing I need to contribute is my drink order, and I keep it simple with a coke. The conversation is breezy, mostly centering on Freddy’s game. I pass the time by drawing circles on the back of Tabitha’s hand under the table.
“Tabitha, about earlier,” Mrs. Jones begins.
“Ouch,” I mutter when Tabitha’s hand becomes a vice grip around mine.
“I never meant to imply you were substandard or inferior,” Mrs. Jones says with a crack in her voice. “I know I can get a bit much, but…”
Tabby crunches my hand. “Abitmuch?”
“Tabby?” I whisper, hoping she relents on the pressure.
She doesn’t.
“Okay, I’m a lot,” her mom blurts. “I feel like there’s been a strain on our relationship for a long time, and I never meant to embarrass you in front of your boyfriend.”
“Do you…” Tabby pauses, swallowing the tremor in her tone. “Do you care because Kai heard you talk like that?”
“No.”Mrs. Jones sucks in a breath. “I care that I hurt you.”
Tabby releases the pressure on my hand, and I blow out a sigh of relief.
“Do you?” Tabby presses.
“Geez, what happened?” Freddy asks in almost a whisper.
“It’s nothing,” Dr. Jones says, sweeping it under the rug.
