When the Wind Chimes - Mary Ting Page 0,13
story short, when I got in a cab at the airport, a hot guy was already inside. I tried to get out, but he insisted I stay. He even paid for my ride.”
I skipped how he’d made the air hotter and how I’d wanted him to share a ride with me so I could savor the feeling a little longer.
My sister gave me a sidelong glance and narrowed her eyes at me. “Why did you get in when there was someone else already inside?”
I jerked a shoulder. “Like I said, it’s a long story.”
“To answer your question, no. No one has ever done that, handsome or not.”
“It’s no big deal.”
My sister opened her mouth to speak, but then footsteps pattered into the room.
“Auntie Kate. You’re home.” Tyler dashed over and nestled his head on my shoulder. He smelled of vanilla and honey, the kids’ soap Abby had used since he was a baby.
“Hey Ty.” I kissed his cheek and laid my palm against his forehead. No fever. Perfect. “You feeling better?”
“Yes, but Mom is sick.” He peered up through his long eyelashes at my sister, a rueful pout on his face, and then he pulled out a chair and plopped next to me. “That makes me feel bad.”
Sometimes Tyler surprised me. Maybe I didn’t know much about kids, but he seemed older than four years old.
“I coughed with my mouth closed and I washed my hands like Mrs. Miller told us to,” he added. “I didn’t mean to get Mom sick.”
“Your mom will be fine. We’ll take good care of her. Sound like a plan?” I ruffled his hair to lighten the mood. “Besides, it’s your mom’s fault for loving you too much.”
He arched his eyebrows at me and gave in to my silliness. “Can loving someone too much make you sick?”
It does when he doesn’t love you enough back. It hurts like hell.
I squashed those thoughts and simply said, “Not that kind of love. Come on, I’m starving. Want to help me make some chicken soup?”
“Can I stir it in the big pot?” He tugged me out of the chair.
Chapter Six — Game Time
While Tyler and I made chicken soup and turkey and avocado sandwiches, Abby went to her room to lie down.
“What’s an interview?” Tyler tried to talk and slurp at the same time, and dribbled broth down his chin.
I wiped my mouth with a napkin and handed him one across the table. “An interview is like a meeting. You meet the person who is doing the hiring and you talk. For example, she asked me questions about where I worked before, and I answered. I asked them questions too. Now I wait to see if they want to hire me.”
Tyler stuck out his tongue in concentration, carefully peeling the crust off the bread. “What if they hire you? Are you going to leave us?”
“No, silly. That’s a whole different story. Drink your soup before it gets cold.” I jerked my chin to his bowl.
He relaxed his shoulders. “Oh, good. I like it when you stay with us. Mom smiles more. And you play video games with me.”
Something warm tugged my heart. “I like staying with you too.” I tapped his nose. “And I like playing video games with you.”
Tyler offered a huge grin. “Is Mom going to eat?”
I glanced at the closed bedroom door and took a bite of my sandwich. An avocado slice squeezed out the other side and fell on my plate. I picked it up and shoved it in my mouth.
“She’s resting right now. I’ll check up on her later. She’ll eat when she’s hungry. Don’t worry about her. You got better, right?”
“Yup.” He kicked his dangling feet and got back to eating.
I stared at Tyler, surprised how much he had grown up. He was close to five. A year ago, he’d answer my questions and the conversation was mostly one-sided.
Abby was right. He was growing up quickly. It felt like a blink of an eye. I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could before heading back to my life in LA. I still hoped something would come out of the two interviews, but the first one hadn’t panned out and I should be realistic.
In truth, I probably wouldn’t take the second job if they offered. The salary wasn’t close to what I was getting paid and they hadn’t factored in the cost of living adjustment. But I didn’t have the heart to tell Abby.
“After dinner, after we clean up,