Chapter 15. A Birthday Revelation
CHAPTER 15
A Birthday Revelation
Ever since I was young, my parents were never big on birthdays. I didn’t know if it was because they were always so busy working and building their empire, or because their deep-seated Asian frugality prevented them from cutting loose and celebrating.
Before I was diagnosed, birthdays were always “just another day,” as my mother liked to call it. They meant quick, subdued dinners at home, always featuring noodles of some kind, because it was supposed to signify a long, healthy life.
But after the diagnosis, it felt like birthdays—especially mine—ceased to exist. And slowly but surely, other children’s birthdays, too, because parties meant cakes, cookies, junk foods, and tons of sweet, sugary treats, which sometimes translated to persistent glucose level highs and sleepless nights trying to bring it down to an acceptable range. Every year, without fail, I’d get a nod and a curt “happy birthday” from my father, followed by a bulging angpao from my mother. No cakes, no birthday songs, no hugs or kisses.
Which was probably why I woke up this morning not even recalling that I turned twenty-nine today, only realizing it when I opened Naomi’s text, full of celebration emojis, and Eric’s not long after. Nothing from my parents—not that I was expecting one. It was a good thing nobody here knew about my birthday. Less fuss, and I could enjoy it quietly on my own tonight.
In lieu of my usual morning run, I decided to celebrate by testing a recipe I’d seen for chunky Oreo and white chocolate chip cookies, but with my own twists on it. The house was still dark when I went downstairs. Early morning when everything was calm and still were always my favorite time to bake. It gave me a chance to think and reflect, and the process of measuring things and methodically following instructions to create something always soothed me, setting me up in the right mood for the day.
Switching on the lights above the kitchen island, I turned on the stove and started melting some butter. I poured it into a mixing bowl, then added some monkfruit sweetener, an egg, a splash of vanilla extract, then whisked it until it became light and fluffy. And here was the twist I was planning: instead of Oreo and white chocolate, I was using matcha and dark chocolate as substitutes. The carbohydrate content in matcha was super low, so I wanted to experiment with different recipes using matcha powder, hoping to offer several items in that flavor at the bakery.
After adding some plain flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt, and some matcha powder, I mixed them all to form a dough, then added some dark chocolate chips and several crushed matcha cookies into the mixture. Scooping up large chunks of the dough, I rolled them into plump balls, then arranged them on a cookie tray. I set the oven timer then went back upstairs for a quick shower.
When I bounded down the stairs fifteen minutes later, the sweet scents of the cookies filled the kitchen. Alec was already up, holding a steaming mug of coffee, and he was— damn it —wearing those tortoiseshell glasses again. Without warning, Kim and Jenna’s theory came to mind. Could they be right? That he’s only pretending to be interested in someone else?
I mumbled a “good morning” as I walked past him and took the cookies out to cool.
“You’ve had a busy morning.” Alec took a sip of his coffee. “That smells fantastic.”
“I’m testing a new recipe.” I went to find a mug, then busied myself with the tea bag while trying not to stare at him and those distracting glasses and concentrated on brewing my tea. “How would you like to be my unofficial, unpaid taste tester?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“Matcha and dark chocolate chip cookies. Tell me what you think.”
Alec set his mug on the kitchen counter and took one, before tearing it into halves. The cookies turned out better than I’d expected. Perfect dark green color, with gooey dark chocolate oozing out of the center. I sipped my tea and watched nervously as he bit into one half.
“Wow.” His eyes widened. “Ellie. These are delicious.”
“Yeah?” Relieved, my face broke into a grin. “Not too much matcha? Or maybe more dark chocolate?”
“No. It’s perfect. I think you’ve ruined me for other cookies. Are you going to sell these in the bakery?”
“That’s the plan, yeah.”
“It’ll be a huge hit.” He swallowed the last piece in his hand, then reached for another one. “Hey, you got any plans for today?”
“I’m meeting Mike this morning, then I’ll be at the shop.”
“Mike?” Alec’s eyebrows hiked upward. “As in, Mike Chang, my mechanic?”
“Pretty sure he’s the only Mike we mutually know.” I drained my tea, then started plucking the rest of the cookies off the tray to store them in an airtight container.
His eyebrows plunged, forming a frown. “I should’ve warned you about him. Great with cars, but not with women.”
A tiny jab of thrill shot through me. Could he possibly be… jealous ?
“Plus, I thought we agreed. Neither one of us could date other people for now.”
“I’m aware. But it’s not a real date. We’re just meeting for coffee.”
He scoffed. “Your definition of a date is clearly different from mine.”
“It’s only an hour of getting to know a new friend. Or networking, whatever you want to call it.” I placed the dirty cookie tray in the dishwasher. “That’s not violating our agreement. And anyway, aren’t you the one who told me you’re interested in someone else?”
“Yeah, but I also told you I’m putting a pause on it. I’m not setting up coffee or dinner dates with her, am I?”
The thrill disappeared, and my heart dropped at his answer. Because it confirmed that Kim and Jenna were wrong, and that he really did have someone he was interested in.
Someone who wasn’t me.
“This could potentially jeopardize my deal with Jacqui. If anyone sees you with him and Jacqui hears about it, she might get suspicious and call off the acquisition.”
And that was my reminder that he couldn’t possibly be jealous, because this entire thing was nothing more than a business transaction to him.
“You’re being a bit reckless, and I don’t think you’ve thought this through.”
“It’s just coffee, Alec,” I repeated, suddenly feeling exhausted. “I’ll be super careful. I promise I won’t do anything to risk your deal with Jacqui.”
Without saying another word, I grabbed my bag and keys, then walked out the door.
Mike was already at the café, waving from a table at the back when I arrived. Casting furtive glances around, I made my way to him. Alec did raise a valid point, so I was just making sure that Jacqui, Phil, or anyone else from Jacqui’s party wasn’t anywhere nearby.
We ordered drinks and started chatting, and after a few minutes I relaxed, glad I’d said yes to this non-date. Mike was flirty and funny, listening to my every word and chuckling at all my terrible jokes. The complete, total opposite of Alec. Maybe once the fake dating arrangement with Alec was over, I should consider an actual date with Mike. He seemed to be kind, hardworking, and honest. Plus, he genuinely wanted to get to know me because of who I was, not because of who my brother was. And more importantly, he was someone who had never hurt me in the past.
In short, someone who was not Alec Mackenzie.
Stop thinking about him.
“How long have you been working as a mechanic?”
“Since I was sixteen. Never liked school. Decided early on that I wanted to do something with my hands. I started working at my uncle’s garage, then saved enough money to start my own business two years ago.”
“So it’s your own garage.” I was impressed. “How’s it going so far?”
“Been quiet since the end of the year. But things are picking up now.”
“I feel like I should apologize. My car repair fees probably didn’t help much with your cash flow.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Mike waved a dismissive hand. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It’s a huge deal. Thanks for not charging me an arm and a leg. A lot of other people would probably have taken advantage of it and invoiced me for the full quote. You’re honest, and I appreciate that.”
Discomfort flickered over his face. “Yeah, but seriously, you don’t have to thank me.”
“Of course I do.”
“Really, you don’t.” He gave me an awkward grin. “You’re right, I would have charged you the full quote if it weren’t…” He trailed off, as if realizing that he’d said something he shouldn’t have.
I raised my eyebrows. “If it weren’t…?”
He was shaking his head, seemingly regretting having said anything in the first place. “Never mind. You sure you don’t want to try their red velvet muffins? It’s del—”
“Mike.” Something fishy was going on. “You need to finish what you were talking about. Or I might be inclined to do something to embarrass you in public, and it’ll be so humiliating, you’ll be the talk of Port Benedict for the next ten years. Trust me, you don’t want that.”
I was bluffing, but my tone and the steely glint in my eyes must have tricked him into believing me, because his eyes widened in fear.
“Fine. Alec subsidized your repair fees,” he blurted out.
I frowned. “Subsidized?” My brain was slow to register his words. “What do you mean?”
He looked at me like I’d just spoken in tongues. “You know, when someone else pa—”
“I know what the word meant.” I was getting impatient. “Are you telling me he paid a portion of the repairs? For my car?”
“Uh, yeah, he did.” Mike’s worried eyes darted back and forth to the door, as if Alec might appear any minute and slug him on the head for spilling the secret. “The original invoice was for five thousand. He paid two, so we only charged you three. Look, I wasn’t supposed to tell you, so you didn’t hear this from me, okay?”
Alec did WHAT?
“You need to say something.” Mike peered at me, looking wary. “Are you okay?”
I was most definitely not okay. Eyes popping, jaw agape, I held my cup suspended in midair, as if I’d just witnessed Mike magically levitating and evaporating into nothingness. Meanwhile, my brain was cheerfully reminding me to add this to the list of Alec’s Supremely Thoughtful Gestures.
Which, at the rate he was going, would probably fill up an entire notebook in no time.
“You’re kidding, right? Why would he pay for almost half of my car repair fees?”
“You’ll have to ask him. He called the garage the day before I delivered your car and asked how much it would be.” Mike’s eyes turned curious. “That’s very generous of him. I’ve known Alec for a while, and he’s never done anything like that before. You two must be close.”
“He’s my brother’s best friend.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “He’s just looking out for me because my brother asked him to.”
Are you sure, Ellie?
A confusing concoction of emotions churned around in my head. Was that really why Alec did it? To keep a promise he’d made Eric to keep an eye on me?
Because no matter how good of a friend he was with Eric, everything that he’d done so far was above and beyond “keeping an eye on me.”
Hope bloomed in my chest. Maybe because he was… starting to care for me?
But a small part of my brain nagged at me, reminding me that this was all too similar to what my mother had done: paying someone behind my back. Sure, their motivations for doing so might be completely different, but it still hit just a little bit too close to home.
Shame, guilt, and a tiny bit of disappointment clouded my brain. My family had been overprotecting me since I was young, and whatever Alec’s reasons for doing this were, I didn’t want—or need—him to treat me the same way. I wanted him to see me as someone who was perfectly capable of looking after herself. Someone independent, and capable of making her own decisions.
As someone else other than his best friend’s younger sister.
I took a deep breath. You’re being ungrateful, Ellie. He knew that I was on a tight budget and had obviously just been trying to help. My throat started to clog up. I should be thanking him and paying him back. Every single cent.
Because otherwise, I’ll know that I have truly failed to come into my own.