Chapter 29
Ji Ellis opened the door after two knocks with a critical eye. She looked Court up and down before allowing her to come inside. Usually, she picked one thing to complain about on her daughters. Whether it be an ill-fitting shirt or new shoes, she had a comment. Today was no different.
“You look pale, even paler than normal, Court, come in and I’ll make you something to put some color back in those cheeks.”
Court was actually early today, because eleven sharp was the time you needed to be there if you expected to be included in the brunch that would be served in an hour. Brunch was actually lunch, and nobody dared correct the older woman. She didn’t take kindly to correction by her children.
Ji hadn’t been born when her family had come over from Korea, but she had been raised as traditionally as her parents could in their new country.
Ellis had told her once that she had hung onto more traditions than her sisters had because she had married a white man.
Her two sisters had found Korean men to marry, but they had lost many of the traditions Ji had been raised with.
She herself had wanted her kids to know her heritage and not just be American like everyone else.
Probably because Ji had fallen hard for the Scottish boy she had met at a dance. Neither of their parents had thought the match would last, but here they were over thirty years later with four kids, a mortgage and very much still in love. Nobody who saw them together could doubt that.
“I think I look the same.” Court touched her cheek as if she could see how sick she might look.
“Pale.” Ji was yelling at her as she rushed to the kitchen to get whatever she thought Court needed.
“Now you have Eomma worried about your health, Court, good luck ever leaving here until she thinks you are healthy again.” Rebel said from the couch, her nose in an old magazine.
Today she was in black leggings and a silky red tunic.
For years, she had worked at burning or ruining something every time she was asked to help her mom in the kitchen.
Her plan had worked as she was not asked anymore, and she was happy to sit with the guests and wait for the meal.
Court, on the other hand, was rarely asked. But only because Ji only asked the daughter she wanted to talk to for help. It had only happened a few times, but Court was happy to be ’sick’ today, so she wouldn’t be singled out for a talk.
“I’m healthy.” Grumbling, she shut the door behind her.
Ellis came out of the kitchen in capris exactly like the ones Dylan and Aaron had spilled beer all over.
It seemed that Ellis had actually bought a pair since Friday.
Though Court had tossed those pants in the trash at Calvin’s place, she’d brought home the shirt.
Now she knew she’d be tossing that also, since Ellis had the same shirt on in blue. The color she had really wanted.
“How was Calvin’s, Court?” Sitting down in her mom’s special chair, Ellis asked as if she wasn’t wearing an outfit twin to the one she forced Court to purchase.
The chair was only allowed to be used if there were guests in the house, because Ji wouldn’t yell at her daughters in front of guests.
Court had spent years wondering why there was a chair that wasn’t supposed to be used in the house.
It also matched nothing in the house. Everything else in there was comfortable and lived in.
The chair had wooden arms, and the back and seat were overstuffed, causing the person sitting on it to lean.
Walking into the living room, she admitted, “Amazingly bad. Resolved absolutely nothing.”
Ellis turned all her attention to Court. “Nothing?”
“Some things, but nothing great and earth shattering. Needless to say, we’ll never see each other again.
Which is just perfect with me.” Court sat down on the oversized couch that James had insisted on and then ordered without his wife’s approval and still was a bone of contention between the couple over a decade later.
Probably the only one. Court loved the couch, it was like the thing was hugging you every time you sat down.
“So, no closure?” Setting down her magazine, Rebel smirked, which should concern her, but she wouldn’t let it today.
“Nope. And I know I shouldn’t have even been looking for closure with him. There is no closure.”
“What happened with Stephanie?” Rebel sat up with interest, as if it just crossed her mind that Court had spent a day and a half with the woman.
“We didn’t spend a lot of time together.” Court lied, no need to actually get into it. The less the sisters knew, the better.
“But some, right? I bet you wouldn’t let the opportunity of being thrown together and not mess with her a little. Make a move or two?”
“No, because we were in a house the size of a shoebox filled to the rafters. Even if I had wanted to, there wasn’t room.” Not to mention that they had shared a bedroom or living room all night. Because Rebel wouldn’t see it as innocent as it had been.
Ellis gave her sister a pointed look before turning to Court. “I was hoping things would go well with Calvin. You need a dad figure in your life.”
“Dad figure? Who needs a dad figure? Court’s dad is my James. If she had a family, they would be there for her. Since they aren’t, I get her.” Ji said to her daughters before turning to Court. “Drink the tea and you will be better. Old family recipe.”
Taking the tiny cup, Court knew she never wanted to drink the dark liquid within.
There might not be much in the cup, but what it was bad, very bad.
Being sick as an Ellis was a fate worse than death, which was why neither Ellis nor Rebel had been sick since Court met them. Or at least Ji never knew about it.
“Drink, Court, I’ll put some in a thermos to take with you, drink at sunset and sunrise after this. You will be right as rain in no time.” Gently, Ji quickly touched Court’s forehead before turning to run back to the kitchen and the meal preparations.
“Drink it, Court.” Rebel urged her from behind her tall glass of cold water, wonderfully tasteless water.
Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she downed it like a shot, trying not to taste any of it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t what happened, and she felt the thick, hot, slimy liquid run down her throat slower than the alcohol she usually drank like this. And as with that, she tasted far too much of it.
Slamming the cup on the coffee table, she lunged at Rebel and grabbed the water from her and swallowed all of it in three long gulps.
Still, the taste persisted. She was sure it would last forever.
It was the worst thing she had tasted since the last time she had looked pale in this house.
Why hadn’t she just turned and run away from that proclamation? When would she learn?
Ellis was hiding her smirk, and Rebel was outright laughing at her. Because she was gagging. If she had been at Calvin’s house, she’d be sure this was a prank, except Ji would never do that to her. But she’d foist an old-fashioned home remedy at her happily.
“Ma, she's looking peaked still.” Rebel called over her shoulder towards the kitchen, making Court lunge for her. There was no way she could do that again.
“Another?” Ji called out with more delight than anything.
“That one did the trick. I’m feeling a lot better, Ji. Everything’s clearing up. One is enough.” She pushed a laughing Rebel into the cushions of the couch, so she said nothing else as Ellis sat and watched. She wasn’t getting involved.
“I’ll bring another. Just to be on the safe side.
We need you healthy, Court.” Ji yelled back at them as the doorbell rang.
All eyes turned to the door, because Court was sure that everyone in the family was here.
Which meant Ji had invited someone, but why, and more importantly, was it a blind date for someone?
That was a trick she played on her daughters.
Rolling away from Rebel, who immediately worked at fixing her hair, Court sat back down on her end of the couch.
Ellis rolled her eyes at them and got up to go answer the door.
Watching her, she wondered if it was Ellis’s new guy, though it was too soon for Ellis to even think a man should meet her family.
But she didn’t seem surprised that there was someone at the door.
Ellis was proud of her family, but she had strict procedures in her dating life.
Men were vetted and vetted hard by her before anyone met Ji and James and, as far as Court knew, nobody ever had.
Maybe that had changed, but why wouldn’t Ellis have told her?
It had only been two days that she had been gone. Had she missed that much?
As the door opened, Ji walked into the room with another tiny cup. Court nearly growled at her friend for telling her she needed another. Ji didn't notice her scowl at her daughter as she walked to the door, small cup still in her grasp.
Ellis was quicker and beat her to the door and had already opened it when Ji got there. From the couch, Court got a front-row seat to her one-night stand and Calvin’s daughter walking right into her adopted family’s home. With a forced smile and a bottle of wine.