Chapter 10 #2
Original Jorge’s is already buzzing when I arrive.
The air is a thick, familiar blend of fried onions and buffalo sauce, and every TV above the bar is tuned to a different sports channel, their flashing lights competing with the trivia host’s voice booming over the speakers.
I spot the guys at our usual long table shoved against the back wall, already cluttered with beer pitchers and overflowing baskets of fries.
Tonight, our group has grown. Ted is here with his wife Jamie. And sitting across from Andy and Derrick are Amaya and Ela from Mamma Lina’s.
“Hi, guys.” I wave as I approach.
The conversation dips, then picks back up as their heads turn toward me.
“Minami! You made it!” Ted grins, raising his glass. “Perfect timing. We need your help on the sushi category.”
“She literally just got here,” Ted’s wife says, swatting his arm. “At least let her sit down before you start interrogating her.” She turns to me with a warm smile. “Hi, Minami. I’m Jamie. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“It’s actually Kaori. Minami’s my last name,” I say, sliding into the open seat beside Leon, happy to have some female companionship tonight. “It’s really nice to meet you too.”
Across the table, Andy slides a basket of wings toward me. “Welcome, Kaori. Fuel up. We’re about to crush round one.”
“We told you not to say that,” Derrick mutters, tossing a stray fry at him. “Last time you said that, we came in ninth.”
“Out of ten,” Leon deadpans, earning a round of laughter.
Before I can respond, Amaya grins. “Relax. You’ll do better tonight. We’re here.” She gestures around the table. “That’s most of the women at Excelsior Parks all in one place. There’s no way you’ll fail.”
I smile, though the realization sits uneasily with me. I knew engineering was male-dominated, but I hadn’t realized just how stark the landscape looked until someone said it out loud. “Wait, seriously?” I blink. “That’s it?”
Ela sighs. “Afraid so. Aside from you and Anya, there are the two other female engineers in the children’s division. Add Jamie, three executive assistants, Amaya in finance, and me in HR, and that’s what? Ten total? Out of almost sixty people in the Orlando office.”
Andy frowns. “I could’ve sworn it wasn’t mostly dudes.”
“That’s because you only notice us when we’re fixing your mistakes,” Amaya says pleasantly.
Leon raises his glass. “Touché.”
The trivia host’s voice crackles through the speaker. “All right, folks, you have about two minutes left to record all your answers for round one.”
Ted rubs his hands together. “Kaori, I hate to pressure you, but we need you to scribble down the answers to the sushi stuff.”
“On it.” I pull the answer sheet toward me and scan the categories: “Sushi, “Space Travel,” and “’90s Sitcoms.”
Andy leans over my shoulder. “Okay, question one—what does ‘sashimi’ literally mean?”
Too easy. “Raw sliced fish,” I say automatically, jotting it down. “Next.”
I answer the rest without thinking and slide the sheet to Ted just as the timer buzzes. He jogs toward the front with an exaggerated salute.
As the noise swells around us again, I lean back in my chair, warmth spreading through my chest. This—this—is what Theo needs. The ’90s alt-rock blaring over the speakers, the two-dollar tacos on paper plates, the sticky bar tables, and laughter.
I can already picture him at our table, hesitantly biting into a carnitas taco and realizing, with that small, surprised lift of his brow, how delicious food from a hole-in-the-wall place can be.
On a whim, I pull out my phone, snapping a quick photo of the sushi questions.
Kaori: This is what you have to look forward to.
I click Send and set the phone face-down.
Theo and I have been texting on and off throughout the week. At first, it was strictly work updates and the occasional dry comment from him about how dull London is compared to Orlando. And now, here we are a week later, exchanging texts about our days.
Take yesterday, for instance. I discovered he has a soft spot for classic sci-fi books.
I can’t remember exactly how the conversations started, but we started talking about Dune, his favorite novel.
That turned into an extended debate about Jurassic Park and books versus their film adaptations.
I prefer the movie, but Theo, no surprise, is a purist.
My phone buzzes.
Theo
*Thumbs-up emoji*
Kaori
You’re up late. Isn’t it after midnight your time?
Theo
I’m heading to bed soon. I had a few emails I needed to answer.
I roll my eyes.
Kaori
You’re off the clock. Turn off the work side of your brain.
Theo
Not possible. Only dolphins and a few other cetaceans can do that.
Kaori
You should still try.
A pause. Then . . .
Theo
I appreciate the concern. Good night, Kaori.
Kaori
Good night.
“Who’s got you smiling like that?” Ela asks, eyes sharp with curiosity.
“No one,” I say too quickly. “Just . . . checking in with a friend on how things are going.”
Andy smirks. “Is this a college friend? When’s he coming to visit?”
“It’s nothing like that,” I hedge.
And even if it were, I wouldn’t tell you guys. The girls, maybe.
“Maybe it’s somebody from the office,” Derrick teases.
I inhale sharply. My cheeks burn hot. Did they see my phone screen? Have I given something away?
“Guys, lay off her,” Leon says, his voice taking on that protective “dad” tone he uses when the teasing gets too pointed.
Derrick holds up his hands. “We’re just messing with you, Minami, you know that, right?”
“Yeah, we’re sorry if it’s too much,” Andy says.
Phew. They don’t know anything. I make a mental note to be extra careful from now on. Taking a take a deep breath, I plaster a casual smile on my face. “It’s fine, you just, um, caught me off guard.”
The guys relax, the tension breaking as quickly as it formed. Derrick chuckles. “Well, if it is someone from work, at least we know it’s definitely not Riverton. He’s the last person I’d date if I were a girl and it weren’t against the rules.”
“Why?” Ela asks. “He’s always been polite to me.”
“That’s because you don’t work under him,” Derrick says.
“No, I agree with Ela here, he’s always struck me as a gentleman.” Ted’s wife nods thoughtfully. “He sent flowers when I had our last baby. He didn’t even sign the card, but I knew it was him.”
“And a ‘get well’ basket when I had an emergency appendectomy last year,” Amaya adds. “The card was also unsigned. That man just doesn’t like the attention.”
“There was an unsigned ‘welcome’ card and gift basket for me on my first day . . .” I say, my voice trailing off as the realization begins to sink in. “I just assumed they were from corporate.”
“No, they were all from Riverton,” Ela says with a small, knowing smile. “The company florist let it slip that he handpicks all the cards and gifts and has them billed to his personal account. Corporate would never approve it.”
Just when I thought I didn’t have another thing to add to the reasons I like Theo, he goes and surprises me again.
“See, now lay off him,” Leon says.
“Yes, Dad,” Derrick says.
The table laughs, but I don’t miss the quiet respect underneath it.
The trivia host cuts back in. “Round Two—‘Famous Rides and Roller Coasters’!”
Leon grins and slides the answer sheet toward me. “Your category, princess.”
“P-princess?” I sputter, my heart hammering against my ribs.
He gestures toward my hairstyle. “The side buns. The white dress. You’re giving full Princess Leia tonight.”
“Oh.” I laugh, touching the meatball buns. That’s right. It was Star Wars day at work. I’d forgotten.
The host’s voice cuts back in over the mic: “Question one! Opened in 1959, this Disneyland attraction was the world’s first tubular steel roller coaster—”
My pulse quickens as laughter ripples through the table, and everyone starts shouting guesses, debating between Matterhorn Bobsleds and Space Mountain.
Glancing to the empty space at the edge of the table, I wonder if Theo would be just as competitive as I am. And if he’d be giving us a running commentary on how bad some of these questions are. What would he even order to eat?
“Kaori? What do you think?” Leon asks.
I shake my thoughts and return my attention to the table, everyone looking at me expectantly. “Sorry, I think it’s the Matterhorn.”
Come on Kaori, get it together, I think to myself. I need to be focusing on trivia right now. Not Theo. We have a trivia crown to defend.