11 Adam
11 Adam
Nha Trang, Vi ? t Nam
They are all waiting on Evie Lang. Adam sneaks a glance at Ruby. She’s getting visibly irritated, drumming her nails against
the leather tops of the seats, staring pointedly at her watch, though it’s only been five minutes since they were supposed
to depart for the boat cruise around Nha Trang Bay. Ruby’s inflexibility bothers Adam, though just a few days ago, he would
have had the same reaction. Now he wants to say, We’re on a vacation. This is supposed to be fun.
When was the last time he thought about fun ? It surely has nothing to do with a long-haired, boot-wearing woman with a devastatingly adorable freckle below her left
eye. Nope.
No one else has noticed Evie’s absence; they’re too preoccupied in their excitement over being so close to the most beautiful
beaches in Vi ? t Nam. Pin is offering everyone on the bus squirts of his industrial-sized bottle of hand sanitizer while Riley is explaining
how he can juggle six balls without dropping a single one. Fen makes an inappropriate ball joke that causes the aunties on
the bus to scowl.
Meanwhile, Adam tries not to think about his almost-kiss with Evie a couple days ago in ? à L ? t. He definitely does not want to linger on how he stays awake remembering the tattoo behind her ear, the unbearable sexiness
of her running to the hotel with him in a wet dress, tendrils of hair clinging to her face.
Finally, at ten past the hour, noticing that Ruby is approaching near-combustion at the very minor deviance from her tour schedule, Adam announces, “I’ll go see what’s keeping Evie.”
Ruby says, “She’s not answering my texts or Zalo messages.”
Adam says dryly, “Somehow I don’t think Evie Lang has downloaded Zalo. She hardly remembers she has a phone.”
Ruby continues grumbling. “Why are Americans always late to everything?”
There’s a chorus of good-natured protest from the Americans on the tour, including Riley, who insists, “I was the first one
on this bus.”
“You don’t get bonus points for being a kiss-ass,” Fen hisses.
“I’ll be right back,” Adam mumbles.
As he slides past Ruby, she gives him a level gaze. He avoids her eyes. Ever since ? à L ? t, she’s been pacing like a caged animal, jumping on him for everything under the sun. He tried to ask what was wrong, but
she shut down immediately. He can’t help thinking that whatever is bothering her is deeper than the stress of running the
perfect matchmaking tour.
But what could she have to be anxious about? She and Th?ng have just bought a vacation home in Australia, one with a breathtaking
view of the Tasman Sea. Everything is going exactly the way it should at LYT. Their social media page is bursting with heart
eyes and wistful comments, along with some pledges to sign up for the next tour. Yet Ruby can’t seem to settle; it’s like
spikes are poking her under the skin, stirring her toward perpetual irritation.
When he asked her if Th?ng was proud of her success, a certain malice entered her laugh. A bitterness. She walked away without
answering the question, which is unlike Ruby. She always likes to have the last word.
He shakes his head, clearing the thoughts. Of everyone, he will never have to worry about Ruby. She can handle herself in
any circumstance. She was bred for domination.
He knocks loudly, rudely, on the door to Evie’s beach hut.
In Nha Trang, they have fabulous accommodations on one of the private beaches, each in a small hut decorated with sumptuous furniture. Their decks overlook the water, where a salty wind blows up in the morning. Breakfast is delivered promptly, along with steaming carafes of strong coffee. He’d woken up and poured himself a cup, watching the slow pull of the waves and wondering why he ever thought he’d be able to settle in boisterous H ? Chí Minh City. That’s the thing about an unforgettable vacation like this; it can make you pretty discontented with your
real life.
“I’m coming !”
Evie flings the door open, jumping on one leg as she pulls on a sandal. She’s wearing cutoff jeans that show off her tanned
legs and a T-shirt that hangs loosely off one shoulder. Her hair is wrapped in a loose bun, small strands brushing against
her jawline. Why does the sight of her always leave him a little breathless?
“Ruby’s having a fit,” he tells her, more to cover up his discomfort than to chide her.
She tugs the door closed behind her. “I know, I know! I’m sorry. My cousin Lillian called and then there was a problem with
my shower and—well, let’s book it before your sister buys me a flight back to Ohio.”
“Not tired of Vi ? t Nam yet?”
“Never,” she tells him, right before she takes off at a run. “The fun is just getting started.”
As they make their way toward the bus, Adam can’t help thinking that Evie is pure temptation. Chaos. She could create a storm
in even the most carefully planned situation, often through no true fault of her own. She just invites the messy, the spontaneous,
as if a part of her is always magnetized toward the hidden adventure. Her lack of conformity fascinates him—even as he knows
it has historically repelled him. After all, what drew him to Lana was her utter predictability. There was no surprise in
their relationship—until, of course, there was.
But Evie is a thunderbolt to her core. She electrifies the system. Someone like him could only be a wet blanket, muffling
all her instincts.
Before she skips onto the bus, she turns around and tells him, “I like your shorts.”
He glances down at his board shorts, light turquoise with white piping, then flushes for the good part of the bus ride to the bay. He tries to make normal conversation with Talia, who’s enthusiastic about snorkeling and suntanning, but his eye is drawn toward Evie more often than he’d care to admit.
When they arrive at the beach, Adam is eager to step onto the pale sand, so soft that you can walk barefoot for miles without
tripping on a shell. He helps Talia down from the bus and is rewarded with a warm smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he
sees Riley doing the same for Evie and tries not to grit his teeth.
The bay opens in front of them, a gleaming blue expanse with rippling mountains in the distance. The trees cast pockets of
shade around the beach, while colorful stalls dot the sand. Vendors sell everything from fresh coconut juice to string bikinis
that would make a nun flush. Though it’s early, there are already groups of sunbathers lying belly-down on the sand. Some
stretch their feet into the shallows of the bay. It’s paradise, or the closest thing to it.
Ruby claps her hands once, her usual habit, and says, “Welcome to Nha Trang. We’ll be staying here for three days, so make
the most of it. Today, you’ll have your choice of sunbathing in luxury in our private, fully serviced cabanas or going on
a boat ride to the surrounding islands, where you can snorkel and swim to your heart’s content. We’ll leave for the resort
at nightfall, though of course, feel free to take a taxi to your beach hut if you prefer to depart earlier. Please don’t separate from the group without telling us where you are going.”
He ignores his sister’s pointed admonition and sneaks a look at Evie. She’s radiant in wide-eyed delight, the first to throw
off her shoes and scramble toward the water. Ruby has arranged giant tents with comfortable chairs for them, along with waterside
cocktails and food service. A few of the couples are already settling in with drinks or sliding into a comatose state with
the crash of the waves as their soundtrack.
Adam, Evie, Ruby, and a few others decide to go on the boat ride, while the rest stay onshore. Fen, wearing a siren-red Baywatch -style suit, looks a little green as she lurches onto the boat. He fishes some antinausea medication out of his pocket and hands it to her.
“This’ll be great,” Adam says with what he hopes is a comforting smile. “Once you get your bearings.”
She fists the pills and swallows them without water. “So you say. I’m not a fan of boats. All that tumbling. But the zodiac
consultant said that those born in the Year of the Ox are prone to staying too set in our ways. So this is my attempt at a
shake-up.”
“Good for you.”
“I was skeptical. But let’s just say—some things resonated. Part of the workshop was about the qualities of your sign that
impede you from growing in your relationships.”
Adam had missed the workshop, busy as he was fielding calls from his father and remotely managing the day-to-day marketing
tasks with his team in H ? Chí Minh City.
He muses, “I wonder what the consultant would say about those born in the Year of the Dragon.”
Fen slides him a look. “Arrogance. Dragons are arrogant.”
“Sounds like that consultant is a quack.”
Fen indicates Evie with her head, cackling. “Evie said the same thing. Her sign is a tiger, and the consultant called her
reckless. She didn’t enjoy that. In fact, she might have spent a good twenty minutes arguing about it. Girl doesn’t like to
be contradicted.”
Adam snorts. “I take it back. Maybe that consultant is legitimate after all.”
“I’m pretty close to someone who was born in the Year of the Tiger, and let’s just say—Evie reminds me of her.” Fen smiles
to herself. “Sometimes dramatic. Confident to a fault.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” he grumbles.
“But here’s a thing about tigers. They give off this cocky, devil-may-care attitude. But no one cares more than them.” Fen’s voice gets soft as she tugs the ends of her hair pensively. “They’re sensitive, always questioning them selves. They can be the loneliest sign of the zodiac. Yet faultlessly loyal in relationships. Tigers fall fast, and they fall hard. Tigers are special .”
“It sounds like you are pretty close with this tiger in your life,” he teased. “Maybe you should be with her, instead of on this boat.”
“If only.”
A small flush grows on her cheeks as her mouth twists into a private smile. One meant for just her and her memories. He contemplates
the enigma that is Fen—a woman with a story hidden under those layers of glamour and toughness. If she already has love, though—and
she seems to, judging from her moony expression—why is she on this tour? It must be a colossal waste of time. Before he can
say anything more, her face shutters and the carefree, teasing actress is back.
She pins him with a smirk. “Here’s another fun fact about tigers. Guess which zodiac sign they’re most compatible with?”
Adam shrugs, though he thinks he might already know, if the gleam in her eye is any indication.
“Dragons, of course,” she confirms.
Before he can protest, she’s stumbling off again, grasping her stomach as the waves slosh around them. He’s left with the
distinct and regrettable urge to look up everything he can on zodiac compatibility, though just two minutes ago, he couldn’t
have cared less about any of it.
Once the boat moves at a steady clip, the guests shuck their outer layers. Evie tosses her shirt off and Adam tries (unsuccessfully)
not to stare at her bathing suit, a black halter-style bikini top with the tiniest pair of bottoms he’s ever seen. She starts
slathering her skin with sunscreen. Riley, seeing his chance, shoots up to offer to help with her back, but Adam intercepts
him, smoothly taking the bottle from Evie as she turns to look at him in surprise. Riley plunks back down on the bench with
a furrow of petulance.
Her skin is sun-warmed under his hands. He tries not to linger, though the feel of her is sinfully delicious. He slides the
lotion over her shoulders, down onto the small of her back.
“Is this okay?” he whispers in her ear.
She smells like coconut, salt, and something floral. Heady. He wants to bathe in that scent.
“It’s perfect. Thank you,” she says over her shoulder, a little breathlessly.
When he steps away, he has to catch his own breath for a second.
Tigers. Dragons and tigers. His mind fills with images of her in that tiny bikini, sprawled on the forest floor, her hair shaken into the grass, a mess
of beautiful abandon. Her wide eyes staring up into his. Her hand reaching for his neck, pulling him lower, closer. The sunscreen
bottle drops out of his hands.
No. Nope. He blames Fen for all this animal talk.
Brusquely, to cover his distraction, he says, “Good thing I showed up. You look like you’d burn like a crab in five seconds
flat.”
She frowns, then shoots back, “And you look like you haven’t seen the sun since Nosferatu last emerged.”
His mouth twitches. “I’m told vampires are trendy.”
“Maybe if you’re a teenage girl with Robert Pattinson posters on your wall.”
“That’s not you?”
“I much prefer therianthrope werewolves,” she says, as haughtily as one can when admitting a comprehensive knowledge of Stephenie
Meyer’s greatest hits.
“That’s a big word.”
“Find that in your Pushkin.”
And then, like a cool breeze, their laughter releases the tension from the conversation. Laughing together. He likes it—the trill of hers overlaid onto his own, like the sweetest melody. He thought it was fun to needle
Evie Lang. Turns out, it’s far more gratifying to make her smile in that sudden, unguarded way.
File that under unexpected discoveries on this trip.
His laughter slowly dies once he feels his sister’s eyes on them. Contemplating. Judging. He turns from Evie and tries to make conversation with the rest of the group. Donning the CMO hat instead of the one he really wants to wear. The intrigued-by-an-infuriating-poet hat.
They continue to sail around the bay on peaceful waves, stopping for the guides to point out famous landmarks like Monkey
Island, inhabited by thousands of carousing primates, and the coral reefs flocked by schools of tiger fish. After an hour,
they finally dock near Hòn Mi ? u Island, a remote and rocky beach dotted with fishermen casting their lines.
While everyone gears up for snorkeling, Adam dives into the water. Thanks to all those lessons his parents made him take at
the local gymnasium, he’s a strong swimmer, even for someone who hasn’t been near the water in a decade.
His arms slice through the water, pushing and pulling the warm waves around him. Above, the sky is a brilliant blue, the color
of a robin’s eggshell, and the sun remains unblemished by clouds. He hasn’t felt this relaxed in years. It’s as if someone
tugged on a string in his body, loosening him up day by day. It feels good, if terrifying. In the back of his mind, he asks,
What if I loosen up so much that everything comes undone?
If just the echoing strains of Evie’s laughter make him rethink his life—his purpose on the tour—what would it do to him if
he gave in to his attraction? Told her what he really thought of her?
This question makes him swim harder and faster, until his brain clears of everything except the exhaustion of driving his
body to its limits.
Riley calls, “Hey, Michael Phelps. Leave some water for the rest of us.”
“He’s not a whale , dummy,” Fen returns. “It’s not like he’s drinking it.”
Adam ignores the laughter and keeps going until he can’t anymore.
After his swim, he hauls himself onto the beach and onto one of the shaded lounge chairs. Out in the water, he can see the
snorkelers occasionally surfacing for air. Evie emerges from the water like a dolphin, shaking the water off her body. Next
to her, Riley surfaces a second later, and she gives him a big splash that makes him sputter in annoyance. Evie catches Adam’s
eye and waves to him on the shore. He gives a small wave back, unable to suppress his smile.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she? In an unpolished kind of way.”
Ruby sits in the chair next to him, and Adam tries to shake his annoyance. He doesn’t want to talk to anyone about Evie, least
of all his sister, who’s staring at him with a piercing kind of concentration that lets him know she’s got something on her
mind. Her gaze slides to Evie, who is jumping onto a wave in her halter bikini. Adam can’t help seeing Evie through his sister’s
eyes. Chaotic, unpredictable. Unlike any of the other careful tour guests.
He has an urge to defend Evie. Where Ruby would call her unpolished, he would opt for wild, untamed, irresistible. But he
can’t say that to his sister. She’s a shark looking for blood.
“Evie Lang? She’s okay,” Adam says, trying for nonchalance.
“You were swimming fast out there. Like you had something to prove.”
“Just exercising.”
“Here, BB. Eat this.”
Ruby hands him a plate of bánh c ? n with seafood and quail eggs. Each rice pancake is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, melding perfectly with the
seafood and the dash of n ?? c ch ? m. The dish smells so good, and he was swimming for so long, that he can’t resist shoveling mouthful after mouthful.
“Where’d you get this?”
“Stand up the beach.”
“Thanks, Ch ? .” He rarely calls her by her Vietnamese honorific, but today, it comes out. Probably, there’s always going to be a part of
him chasing her footsteps, wondering how he can possibly emerge from her shadow.
Ruby’s face softens as she watches him eat. “Remember how often we’d steal bánh c ? n from the banquet tables as kids? Or ch ? giò? Anything that could fit in the palm of your hand was fair game.”
He laughs, cheeks still full. “M ? got so mad at me once that she made me eat a whole plate of ch ? giò in one sitting. She said that if I was going to behave like a common thief, she’d punish me like one.”
“Pretty sure criminals aren’t made to gorge themselves on homemade ch ? giò. That sounds more like a Japanese game show. Or an American one.”
“I was so sick from it that I couldn’t eat ch ? giò for months! Even now, they make me queasy.”
“Yeah,” Ruby says, picking at a spot on the knee of her linen trousers. “We didn’t have the most empathetic of parenting models,
I suppose. Maybe that’s why I’m hesitant to have kids myself.”
Adam pauses for her to continue. It’s rare that Ruby confides in him, especially about her marriage and family prospects,
which have always been so opaque to him. He doesn’t want to spoil this space between them, tremulous with things they never
say aloud. Regrets about their childhood. Uncertainties about their future. Adam and Ruby had been raised to show no weakness—especially
Adam. He was meant to be stoic and purposeful, like his father, a man leading the family without hesitation, without fear.
But now, seeing Ruby questioning her ability to raise children, Adam wonders if they both have some unlearning to do.
“I think you’d be a great mom,” he says gently. And it’s true. She’s tough, but fiercely protective. Behind all that rationality
and ambition lies the young girl he remembers looking up to. The one who brings him lunch from a stand. Who looks out for
others, even if they don’t ask for help. The one who demands he lead a whole department at her company, trusting him day in
and day out to bring her vision to life. Somewhere in that filing cabinet of a heart, there’s a woman who believes in underdogs.
“You could loosen up a bit more, though.”
“Coming from you, that’s pretty rich.”
“Fair.” They laugh briefly, before he sobers. “Seriously, Ruby. Are you happy? I know you’re under a lot of pressure, but...
I don’t know. You seem even more miserable than usual. You’re on a love tour and treating it like an executioner’s march.”
Anger flashes in her eyes, but then, just as quickly, it dies. She sighs. “What’s happy? Just a temporary emotion. I’d rather
have stability than happiness.”
“Is Th?ng stable?” The question flies out before he can stop it.
He thinks she’ll shut him down with one of her patented older-sister glares, but instead her shoulders lower and she seems
to deflate.
“Th?ng is Th?ng.”
“What does that mean?”
He has the sense that he’s treading on thin ice. He means the question sincerely, as an invitation to talk, but she hears
his question as a challenge. Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising. They’ve spent the majority of their lives picking at each
other’s weaknesses. Pushing each other further, yes. But historically, they haven’t exactly been pillars of support.
“He has his life. His hobbies. Now that we don’t have to worry as much about money, he wants to travel all over. Get more
tattoos, probably. In his dream scenario, we’d be in Australia, hanging ten all day by the beach. Or maybe he’d just be there
on his own. In either case, babies don’t figure into his plans.”
“People have babies in Australia.”
“They do. But you also have to spend time together to make babies.”
“Gross, Ruby.”
“Ah, right. I forgot that the nanny’s facts of life talk skipped you entirely.”
“Have you talked to Th?ng about any of this?”
She swallows. “No. Why should I? We’re both doing fine. We work together; we understand each other. Ba and M ? love him. Our families are close. Children aren’t a dealbreaker to me. The path has been set.”
Was that what marriage was to her? What a depressing thought. But, if Adam was really honest, he’d have to admit that many
of the preoccupations keeping her tied to Th?ng were the same ones that had kept him tied to Lana. Common sense winning out
over unpredictable passions. A family trait, apparently.
“We’re not frozen into our paths, Ruby,” he says. “You can change your life in whatever way you want.”
As if waking from a dream, she shakes her head, hard. She forces out a laugh. “And what? Abandon this Love Yêu empire? Look around you, BB. We’re living the life so many people dream of. What a fool I would be to give this up for a chance to wipe a baby’s bottom.”
“If you say so. I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive, for what it’s worth.”
She turns her gaze to him. “The truth is, BB, we might not be frozen, but we’ve both been building our futures for as long
as we’ve been alive. Even when we were toddlers. Everything leads to the life we’re meant to have.”
“According to who, though?”
She continues as if he hadn’t spoken. “I know Lana was a setback, but that doesn’t mean you’re destined to be alone. Far from
it.”
“I don’t want to talk about—” Lana is a humiliating topic and, as far as Adam is concerned, an irrelevant one.
“I’ll tell you something: I may have had ulterior motives in inviting you on the tour. I looked at the list of candidates,
and when I saw Talia’s dossier, I just knew . In fact, one might say I handpicked her for you . It is, after all, my job. And trust me—I had the matchmaking consultants weigh in, and we all agree: she is an impeccable
match.”
“Talia,” he says, a little woodenly. He shouldn’t be surprised by Ruby’s machinations.
“She’s gorgeous and accomplished, not to mention kind and selfless. Just look at all the causes she’s uplifted. All the people
who admire her—and not for what she brings to them, but for who she really is. Half the men on this tour are completely in
love with her.”
“Your point?”
“Really, she’s the ideal partner for anyone, but especially you, who work so hard and need a wife that can support your career.
Someone polished. And haven’t you been drawn to her?”
Perhaps, a few years ago, he would have pursued Talia with the same single-mindedness that he devoted to his relationship with Lana. She’s someone who might slide perfectly into his life. A missing puzzle piece. She’s educated and sophisticated, warm and discreet. There’s no contradiction with her, no surprise. His days would be easier with someone like Talia.
He doesn’t not like her, of course. But does she stir anything more in him than a gentle sort of admiration? Furthermore, does he need to
be led into a relationship by his older sister? It’s not as if he can’t manage his own affairs, family interference to the
contrary.
And just like that, the earlier intimacy with Ruby disappears. What’s left is the usual stance of defensiveness and irritation.
He shoots back, “So you’re saying that you want me to start dating Talia?”
“That is the point of this whole thing, BB,” she says calmly. “I’m just saying that you need to think with more than just your lust—”
“Ruby.”
“Look, I know Evie’s appealing. We’ve all noticed how often you look at her. How often you two run off together.”
“It was just the once, and it wasn’t on purpose.”
“But say you want to take a chance on this relationship that would never work. Then what? You move to America? She moves here?
She hardly speaks the language. She doesn’t know anyone, has no career prospects or friends. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Why did you allow Americans on the tour, then?”
“A numbers game.” She shrugs. “We needed their fees and the character they each provided. And I could see some of them moving
to Vi ? t Nam or perhaps engaging themselves with partners who might consider moving to America. Not Evie, though. The moment I saw
her, I knew that she wasn’t meant to live in Vi ? t Nam. She’s too... set in her ways.”
“She’s not some cranky octogenarian, Ruby.”
“Frankly, I thought she and Riley would hit it off. I matched them together.”
He grunts. “This would be easier if you’d just give everyone a heads-up about your master plans from the start.”
“They aren’t doing too badly, you see.”
She gestures at Riley standing across from Evie, both waist-deep in the water. Riley’s smiling as he helps Evie take her snorkeling gear off. She’s tilting her head to beam at him, water dripping from her hair back into the sea. To any bystander, they look like a happy couple on their honeymoon. Adam dismisses a hot rush of jealousy.
“Just say what it is you want to say, Ruby.”
“I’m saying that you need to think ahead. We’re going to M ? and Ba’s estate in H ? i An soon. They’ve agreed to host our whole tour group. Just think about the woman you want on your arm when you see them
again. The haphazard American? Or calm, accomplished, perfect Talia?”
“Evie isn’t haphazard, Ruby,” Adam says angrily. “Just because you don’t understand her behavior doesn’t mean there’s anything
wrong with it. I happen to admire her freedom. It’s refreshing.”
“Sure, admire it all you want. But think about my question.”
“I don’t make my romantic decisions based on our parents’ desires.”
Ruby shrugs. “Don’t you? I did. Ultimately, each relationship we form is not just an extension of ourselves, but an offering
that we bring to our families. A way to expand the legacy that our parents and grandparents have worked so hard to build.
I married someone who fits into that legacy. Will you?”
At that, she takes his empty plate from him and saunters toward the snorkelers, ready to play the consummate tour host, as
if their conversation hadn’t happened at all.
He can’t help replaying Ruby’s words, though he tries not to. They have both been raised in extreme privilege for so long,
but there is no question that there is also a cost on the other side of things. Upholding the Quy ? n family traditions of success and discretion. To exist in the lofty world they inhabit, there are unspoken rules that they
each must face—or risk ostracism from it all.
Adam has always known after Lana that he would not risk himself again. Why is he considering it for a woman he’s just met?
Yes, he said that he admired Evie’s freedom. But what cost comes with that freedom? Would she abandon him, the way Lana did, once something more impressive came along? Or perhaps her sheer unpredictability would become grating over time. More likely, she’d become frustrated by his lifestyle of routine and order. How could someone like her possibly settle for someone like him?
When he looks up from the sand, where he’s been focusing his attention, he sees Evie walking toward him. The sun is against
her back, so she’s just a shapely silhouette. Her steps are light. Even the way she walks radiates abandon.
He can’t deny being attracted to her. But is attraction enough, within this world he’s so deeply mired in?
Before she reaches him, Adam stands and walks away, cutting off whatever she wants to say.
He doesn’t see it, but over his shoulder, he feels Evie’s confusion. The way her steps lag, then stop in the sand behind him.
It takes everything in him not to turn around, to meet her wide smile with one of his own. But he doesn’t. He keeps walking.