The Perfect Escape (The Perfect Escape #1) - Suzanne Park Page 0,47

over time, the Kim family rule prevented me from asking or arguing with them about it. Not that my parents would open up about personal matters anyway. It wasn’t something they ever did, even when they directly affected me. Like, say, being too poor to afford an ice-cream cake and party, and not just saying that directly.

Lucy looked up at Mom with watery eyes. “But I like that cake too, Appa. Umma.” Tears popped out and streamed down her cheeks.

I glanced at Mom and Dad, but both sat with pursed lips.

“That’s okay, Luce, Mom makes amazing brownies,” I said, trying to defuse the Lucy time bomb. Mom’s brownies were straight from a box, but Mom added chocolate chunks into the batter, making it gooey and extra-chocolaty. “And maybe this time we can add a scoop of ice cream on top.”

The two things Lucy loved most: chocolate and ice cream. Her crying stopped instantly.

I looked at Dad, hoping to catch his eye and give him a reassuring “Lucy crisis averted” smile, but he was too busy staring at the stack of mail on the counter. After putting his beer down, he opened one of the letters. Color drained from his face while he read. When he finished, he ripped the note in half, threw it in the trash can, then stormed out of the room, leaving his half-drunk Hite beer sweating on the fake marble-top.

When Mom ran after him, I fished the letter out of the bin and skimmed it fast.

Seattle Mutual Savings and Loan

1200 Broadway

Seattle, WA 98104

Dear Mr. Kim:

We are writing to inform you that your request of loan modification for your home mortgage payments has been reviewed. Regretfully, we are denying your petition. While we understand that you have recently been terminated from your IT consulting position with Zeneration, Inc., we do feel that there is a possibility of you being hired elsewhere with your strong credentials.

Per your request, we have deferred your payment for the next month, as a courtesy, but late fees on the previous months of nonpayment will not be waived. We hope this will provide your family with some financial relief.

Sincerely,

Bernie Akins

Chief Loan Officer

Dad had lost his job? And no one told me? The guys in the IT department loved him, so none of this made sense. He could probably get a job at another company, right?

Now there was way more at stake for winning the zombie competition. We could lose the house.

Lucy broke my concentration. “Nate! What did the trash note say?”

Think quick. “It says…be nice to your brother on his birthday. It’s from Santa.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Can Santa give you an ice-cream birthday cake if Umma and Appa don’t?”

I smiled. Oh, Lucy. If there was any leftover prize money, I’d definitely buy myself an ice-cream cake. And fine, maybe I’d get Lucy one too. And maybe take us all to Chunky Cheese to celebrate. A joint gift from Santa and me. What an amazing birthday that would be.

Chapter Fourteen

Kate

The Uber dropped me off a few minutes late, thanks to a backup on the freeway caused by a six-pack of Coors Light that had fallen from (or been thrown out of) someone’s vehicle and landed into the express lane of I-405. I’d seen blown tires, broken hubcaps, and glass littering the road, but there was nothing more infuriating than a domestically mass-produced beer road hazard.

Nate was already there, and not only that, he came straight toward me with a tray full of food and drinks, the same order we had from that first day we met, but with an extra burger. I’d initially been annoyed that he’d broken days of silence with a meaningless, “Hey,” but this more than made up for it.

He motioned with his head to follow him. We walked to the “stand and dine” area, or rather, I walked, and he limp-hopped, holding our tray. A section of a counter opened up, and we swooped in to take it.

“Confession time. I don’t like special burgers,” he said, unwrapping the second burger. “I hate mayo. And aioli. And pretty much anything creamy