Chapter 20 No Job, No Pay
No Job, No Pay
Julia
Julia had been anxious on the previous dates. There was a lot of pressure on her, and she didn’t want to let anyone down.
Tonight, however, she felt actual nerves. Her stomach was all in knots, which made this fancy dinner even harder to face.
It could be that this was the third setup and there was something so final about it all. Her last chance to prove that she
could do this. That all the time and effort taken away from work and dedicated to coaching and practicing had paid off. That
the effort had been worth it.
Or it could be that this one had the additional stakes of being the dream doctor her parents put so much hope in. Success
on the date and her mother would be booking wedding venues. Maybe she could keep her promise to her grandmother after all
and all would be well.
But Julia knew the real reason why her fingers tingled, why her mouth was so dry, why she couldn’t stop tapping her foot.
It was because Tae was coming. Even as they practiced Korean terms and phrases together over email and texts through the course
of the last week, they didn’t once mention their almost kiss. And they didn’t talk about Kari.
Was Kari’s surprise visit all it took for him to go back to her? Maybe showing up in California was her way of saying she’d show up for him in his life too, support his family as well.
Or maybe it was their final goodbye.
Julia didn’t know. And she was going into this date blind.
It also didn’t help that Tae was going to see with his own two eyes how bad Julia was at this. He was going to witness her
awkward conversations, not just hear about them from her. She couldn’t joke about it or complain about it or make it seem
like it was the other person’s fault. He was going to see how uninteresting she could be. And, if all went really badly as
it tended to do, he might see her drop her guard and speak her mind without filter and be scared off like every other man
had been.
It was her third and last try, and it felt like Coach Tae was here to give her a final grade. Julia had held out hope that
she might meet a man she liked, she enjoyed spending time with, someone she could connect with. A man like . . .
Tae.
Julia patted her cheeks with her palms, trying to get circulation and some color back.
Wake up, Julia. You’re not going on a date with Tae.
You’re on a date with Dr. Joshua Park. Focus.
Tae was just there as an interpreter. She couldn’t carry the burden of trying to impress two men on this one date. It would
most certainly be a disaster. She’d deal with Tae later.
They had all planned to meet at Spring Restaurant in Brentwood. It was fancier than Julia tended to patronize. And she hated
that Tae had to drive all the way up to LA to help her out . . . again.
She arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early and stopped in her tracks as she saw him waiting at the front door.
Tae was in black, slim-cut slacks and black loafers.
He wore a dark gray V-neck sweater that fit him to perfection, every curve of his arm muscles and his chest on display.
His hair was styled back out of his face.
And oh God, he had on the sexiest black-frame glasses. Tae in glasses was a whole other level.
She swallowed down the boulder-size lump of desire in her throat.
A loud car horn broke through the haze. Julia was standing in the middle of the parking lot, right in front of the valet station,
car lights beaming at her face.
“Sorry,” she stuttered.
A hand was suddenly in hers, holding tight, another hand at her back. She looked up to see Tae’s perfect profile, leading
her out of the way. When they got to the curb, he looked down, searching.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, uh, just got distracted for a second.” Why was she whispering?
“You look gorgeous,” he said. Why was he whispering?
It was too tender, too intimate.
Julia dropped her head and tucked her hair behind her ear as her long bangs dropped back into her face. She’d changed her
clothes at the office and donned a short black sleeveless dress with a low-cut neckline and six-inch Louboutin ankle boots.
She felt powerful in this outfit. She felt like she could face a date with a renowned surgeon who saved lives every day but
couldn’t speak English and would require an interpreter who happened to be a man Julia may or may not have feelings for and
currently the star of all her wild fantasies.
Shit, it was going to be that kind of date, and this outfit was not going to cut it after all. She should have gone with battle
armor.
“Thanks for agreeing to come tonight, Tae.”
“Like I’d miss this,” he said, his playful smile in place. She really hoped he wasn’t going to stir up any trouble and embarrass
her.
“Gonna see firsthand how bad I am at this,” she said.
His smile immediately disappeared, face replaced with an expression of concern.
“Don’t sabotage it before it even starts,” he said.
Oh, so he wanted this date to be a success. Maybe his conversation with Kari convinced him he still cared about her. Noted.
She couldn’t look up at him. He’d see the disappointment. He’d read her hidden emotions.
“Hey, no matter what happens tonight, let’s promise that you and me, we’ll have fun, okay? That’s something we can control,”
he said.
His voice was kind, and Julia reminded herself that she at least had Tae’s friendship. She nodded in agreement. One thing
she could acknowledge was that Tae’s presence in her life was a gift, whatever form it took.
“Deal,” she said.
“Julia Song?”
Tae immediately let go of Julia and stepped back as if he’d been caught stealing someone’s property. Julia hadn’t realized
he’d still been holding her, as if his hand was just meant to always be there. But she did notice when it was gone.
Julia turned to find an incredibly handsome man with a curious expression staring at her. “You are Julia Song?”
He was tall and stood as if elongated from the tip of his head. It was the type of posture she’d expect from a dancer. His
neck was long, and his jawline could cut glass. Full brows and lips that met together in what looked almost like a pout. He
reminded Julia of a K-drama actor.
Julia was so struck by the resemblance, she hadn’t even bothered to answer him. He was stunning.
“Julia. Good time to maybe say something,” Tae said. He sounded annoyed. It was starting. Julia couldn’t even handle a basic
greeting. She was going to blow it on this date, and Tae would never acknowledge her again.
“Huh? Oh, yes, sorry. Yes, I’m Julia. Are you Dr. Park?”
The tall stranger smiled, and his entire face changed from regal to dashing. Julia was mesmerized. This guy had walked straight
off a movie set. He had to have.
“Yes, I am Dr. Park. But you can call me Joshua.”
His English wasn’t terrible. But it didn’t seem like he was going to say much more than this unless he switched to Korean.
And . . .
Tae. That’s why Tae was here. To interpret. She turned to introduce Tae to Joshua, but he’d already reached out a hand and
the two of them spoke together in Korean. It was light and both were smiling. Apparently, Tae was going to make the most out
of this night and not let it be awkward. Tae didn’t do awkward.
Julia was the master of awkward.
Joshua opened the door for Julia, and Tae and followed them inside. The host walked them to their small table for three by
the window and pulled out a chair for Julia as she sat down and pulled the napkin into her lap. When she looked up, she was
surprised to find Tae sitting next to her and Joshua sitting in the only remaining seat . . . across from Tae. This was an
awkward setup. The two men were already engaged in what sounded like a friendly chat. Julia tried to focus and listen along,
waiting for words she might recognize.
In fact, Tae and the good doctor continued to chat—long, animated sentences punctuated with laughs and nods—as Julia waited
for Tae to interpret and bring her into the loop.
“Dr. Park is consulting on a few patient surgeries at UCLA,” Tae finally said to her.
“And?” Julia asked.
Tae looked at her confused.
“That’s it? What else? You guys said like twenty things there. There’s nothing more to convey?”
“You seem incredibly interested,” he said, raising an eyebrow. It felt like an accusation. “He saves lives for a living. Do you want me to share the details? I was trying to spare you.”
Tae’s smile wasn’t his normal good-natured one. Nor was it his wicked, playful one. It was tight and didn’t come with the
usual matching sparkle in his eyes. Why was he so annoyed with her?
“I guess not. I was just thinking there’d be more to interpret so I can get to know him better. You both looked like you were
talking about fun stuff too,” Julia said. She wanted to know the fun stuff. Her mouth turned down as she frowned at being
left out.
“We’re also talking about soccer, and I know you hate sports talk. But if you want me to translate . . .”
“Ugh, no, I’m fine. Carry on.” That was not the fun stuff. Julia appreciated that Tae spared her. She smiled at Joshua and
then turned to Tae. Her smile slowly dropped as his eyes narrowed at her. What was his problem?
Tae just shook his head and turned back to hear what Joshua was saying. In fact, Tae listened for a good five more minutes
without interpreting anything to Julia. How much was there to say about soccer?
Julia was bored. She looked around the restaurant at the various couples with their expensive clothes and overpriced handbags.
Julia felt a warmth at her thigh and glanced down to see Tae’s hand on her leg. Was he . . . feeling her up? On her date?
He couldn’t wait until after the date when she was more prepared for this kind of hubba-hubba?
“Your napkin was slipping off your lap. I just readjusted it for you.” His mouth turned up slightly in one corner.