11 #2
could pull it off. Jia wore her long thick black hair in heatless curls. Though, it would be up in a top knot before she finished
her first drink, guaranteed.
They labeled the outfit geek chic, high-fived each other for a job well done, and sent Jia off in an Uber that her grandmother insisted on getting for her
instead of letting a complete stranger come and pick her up from their home. Mimi also slipped her two twenty-dollar bills
in case Matthew ended up being a cad and not paying for their date. She really thought of everything.
Jia wanted to do something to thank Mimi for being so generous to her both in opportunity and financially.
She tried not to be a burden, not to cost Mimi much, while she stayed here.
But Mimi insisted on spoiling her whenever she could.
Jia decided that tomorrow, she’d offer to color her grandmother’s grays.
It was overdue and something Jia could help Mimi cross off her to-do list.
Matthew was in a white linen button-down with jeans and leather flip-flops. His hair was mussed, and the whole vibe was vacation sexy, even though Jia knew he was here on business.
“Still haven’t picked up your luggage, I see,” Matthew said, as he leaned in and gave Jia a kiss on the cheek in greeting.
There was something about the comment and the observation that rubbed Jia the wrong way. It felt . . . judgmental in a way
that she hadn’t felt since she’d left New York and been in the desert. She shrugged it off. “I like shopping my grandmother’s
closet. She’s got great style.” Jia smiled and tried to make it a real one.
Truth was Jia wasn’t sure why she hadn’t gone to get her stuff. The airport was close, her stuff right there. Jia had often
thought of fashion as her armor, protecting her soft center with a loud and bold exterior. But she now wondered if, in fact,
it hadn’t been more a disguise. Or a way to tell people that she knew they made fun of her for being loud and overly enthusiastic
and odd. Maybe she dressed up that side of her to seem like she didn’t care.
Dressing in Mimi’s clothes may have started out feeling a bit like a challenge. But she’d come to really love not caring as
much about what she wore where or how she wore it. No one else had noticed up until this point. And frankly, Mimi did have
fantastic taste in fashion.
Matthew pulled out the chair for Jia, and she took her seat.
“The happy hour here is great,” Matthew said, changing the subject. He’d mentioned the same thing to her when they’d first
crossed paths at the airport. Jia wondered if it was a practiced line he used often.
He raised his hand to get the server’s attention, and they ordered one of each of the things off the shared-bites menu. Jia got herself a glass of sauvignon blanc, and Matthew ordered a beer.
“So you’re a real estate agent?” Jia asked.
“I am. I specialize in homes in this area,” Matthew replied.
“Palm Springs?”
“Specifically North Palm Springs. I target older communities, investment opportunities,” he clarified.
Jia thought about some of the homes recently sold at The Sunset and the people displaced from them. There was a discomfort
brewing in the back of her mind about Matthew’s target customer. Target being the word she just couldn’t seem to get past. She shifted her weight in her seat, trying to get comfortable.
“I like helping older people, seniors who don’t have anyone there to advise them.” Matthew smiled at her warmly, and though
the words were the right ones and the delivery seemingly earnest, Jia couldn’t escape a gut feeling that something was off.
“That’s really nice of you,” she said.
“My grandmother passed a couple years ago, and we were really close. I think about how important it was to her to get all
her assets in order so that everyone would be taken care of. I hated that she had this on her mind, and I just want to make
those kinds of decisions easier for people in their last years,” he explained.
Okay, so maybe he wasn’t an asshole after all. Maybe his intentions were good.
“I’m so sorry for your loss. But I’m sure your grandmother was grateful that you were there for her. My grandmother is the
most important person in the world to me, so I understand how you feel,” she said.
“That’s great that you’re close,” he said. “You seem close to a lot of the folks there.”
“My parents, well, they have very different ideas of what life should look like for me . . . and my grandmother. We’re kinda
living together in solidarity and rebellion. Everyone else, they’re my cheerleaders,” she said.
Matthew laughed in response. “You two make quite the team.”
“We do. In fact, I feel a bit like the team mascot for a lot of the residents. Betty, Gladys, Mildred, Gordon, Starla . . .”
Jia thought about so many of the neighbors who she had grown to love, especially the ones without families actively involved
in their lives.
“I’m actually helping Starla sell her home,” Matthew said.
“What? Starla’s moving too? This is all so . . . sudden,” Jia said, shocked. “They used to go years between people leaving
The Sunset.” Jia hated the reasons why that was so. People usually didn’t leave until they’d passed on or could no longer
live alone. But it seemed more people were leaving prematurely these days.
“Property values are skyrocketing in the desert. A lot of people from LA and San Diego are looking for weekend and vacation
homes they can renovate. The houses at The Sunset have the best value because they’re older and primed for a flip. My clientele
are in the fifty-five- to sixty-year-old demographic. It used to be you didn’t move into senior communities until well into
your sunset years.” He winked at his play on words. “But now people much younger are finding they can afford homes in neighborhoods
like Sunset Hills. By rotating the demographic, I’m really helping the older residents set themselves up financially to leave
their families quite a healthy inheritance.” He squeezed her hand, and she felt trapped. Jia pulled hers away, masking the
move by grabbing her wineglass and downing half of it.
She didn’t like any of this even one bit. Jia knew she was extra protective of the residents at The Sunset. But just because she didn’t agree with some of their choices didn’t mean she would question any of their abilities to make them. As long as the choice was still theirs to make.
She put on her best smile and finished her wine, raising her hand to signal to their server she’d like another.
By the end of the evening, Jia was nicely buzzed with a belly full of yummy bites. She and Matthew had switched topics of
conversation, and she found him to be quite hilarious and spirited when they started talking about Survivor and The Real Housewives, he believing Beverly Hills the best city while Jia knew without a doubt that Salt Lake City was superior.
Was she warm in other places besides her belly? Not really. Matthew was nice and charming, but she didn’t feel an attraction
there. Two weeks ago, she might have considered hooking up with him if he’d offered. But for some reason now, she was just
looking forward to getting into her pajamas and being in bed by ten.
“Will you excuse me? Gonna go to the ladies’ room,” Jia said. She got up and walked around the corner down the hallway toward
the restrooms. The lighting was dimmer back there, and Jia found herself almost going in the wrong door. That would have been
embarrassing. As she turned to change direction, a hand grabbed her arm.
She was startled but not frightened. If this had been New York, she would likely have been on higher alert. Instead, she turned
toward the man to see why he’d stopped her.
“Can I help you—”
But when Jia looked up, it was Henry there holding her.
And by the look on his face, he was not happy.