Back to the Good Fortune Diner
Read Back to the Good Fortune Diner Online
Authors: Vicki Essex
Home, sweet home?
Everville, New York—it’s the town where Tiffany Cheung grew up, and the last place she wants to be. But after losing her job in Manhattan, that’s exactly where she finds herself. Worse, she’s working at her family’s Chinese diner and feeling like the outsider she once was. The only bright side is that Chris Jamieson, the boy she used to tutor, is still around. Her high school crush is hotter than ever, and he needs her help…again.
Tutoring Chris’s son is the perfect temporary job. Except, Chris finally seems interested in her—and is hinting about a less temporary arrangement. Talk about bad timing! Because Tiffany’s not staying and nothing will stop her from getting back to her real life. But maybe what’s
real
is about to change….
“I never told you how much I appreciated all your help back in high school. I never said thank you.”
Chris placed his big, strong hands on her shoulders and squeezed. “I’m sorry. This is fifteen years too late. Thank you, Tiffany, for everything you did for me.”
Her heart sped up, her pulse tripping through her veins. It had never occurred to her that she’d needed to hear a thank-you from him. He’d paid her, after all. But his appreciation was worth ten times what she’d earned.
He was gazing at her as though she might try to deny his words. He searched her face with a probing look, eyes falling to her lips.
Whatever had gripped him for that heady, fervent moment dissipated. His hands fell away, leaving her wishing could step closer and wrap his arms around her.
Dear Reader,
It has long been my dream to write a book featuring a contemporary Chinese-American heroine. Tiffany and I share the same cultural background, raised as first-generation North-American-born Chinese, except I was raised in multicultural metropolitan Toronto, while she grew up in the fictional town of Everville, New York. While many rural and suburban communities are becoming increasingly diverse, I wanted to explore how being isolated and torn between cultures affected the way my characters grew up.
All her life, Tiffany has felt like she doesn’t belong anywhere. Her parents criticized her constantly and her schoolmates teased her because she was different. She retreated into herself as a result, becoming a shy, standoffish girl whose driving ambition was to leave Everville. It’s only when she opens herself up that she begins to find her place. Wouldn’t it be nice if it were with her old high school crush, Chris Jamieson?
I hope you enjoy this story of reconnection. May you find good fortune and happiness wherever you look for it!
Vicki Essex
PS—I like to hear from readers! Please contact me at
[email protected]
.
Back to the Good Fortune Diner
Vicki Essex
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vicki Essex was born and bred in Toronto, Canada, and has lived most of her life within spitting distance of downtown Chinatown. She still doesn’t get the appeal of chicken balls, but she loves sweet and sour sauce, especially on deep-fried pork intestines. Her left-handed husband has better chopstick form than she does. She loves dim sum, her mom’s soups and roast beef dinners with Yorkshire pudding. Her Cantonese is atrocious—she considers herself
jook-sing.
Visit her at
www.vickiessex.com
, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/vickiessexauthor
or follow her on
Twitter @VickiEssex
.
Books by Vicki Essex
HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE
1718—HER SON’S HERO
This book is dedicated with love to my mom and dad.
Thank you for everything in my life that is good and true.
To my sister Jenny, who I don’t appreciate enough—I’m proud of you.
Thanks for taking care of Smartikus and for surprising me regularly with your awesomeness.
Thanks to Stephanie Doig for all her insights into small-town life and for all the hours of brainstorming, critiquing and delicious food.
Thanks to my editor, Megan Long, who believed in me and cheered me on.
A Kermit arm-flail to everyone at Harlequin Enterprises who has supported me in this second venture.
(Yaaay! *flail*)
And as always, to John. Luboo!
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
T
IFFANY KNEW THE EXACT MOMENT
when her family arrived in the E.R.
“Say joh may-ah?”
Poh-poh’
s voice creaked.
“No, Grandma, she’s not dead.” She heard Daniel reassure in that too-smooth voice of his. Tiffany grabbed the edges of the pillow and stuffed them against her ears. With her family hovering on the other side of the curtain, the pleasant buzz of the painkillers evaporated, and her stomach churned.
Shadows streaked into her cubicle from beneath the partition. “Tiffany?”
For a moment, she considered pretending to be comatose, or ducking away and hiding somewhere until they left. But there was no avoiding the inevitable. Sighing, she propped herself up in the hospital bed, smoothing the blanket over her knees. “I’m here,” she called in a rusty voice.
The rings on the curtain railing clattered as the partition was yanked aside. Mom, Dad, Daniel and
Poh-poh
took her in with dark, wide eyes.
“Ai-ya!”
Her grandmother began speaking rapidly in Cantonese, waving her hands.
“Bah, she’s fine. I told you she was fine,” her father said impatiently, giving her a cursory once-over. His stained white kitchen apron still clung to his narrow hips, the front dangling to his knees, and he smelled strongly of fryer oil. “You’re fine, right?” he asked.
She didn’t reply, knowing any answer apart from “yes” would cause only more trouble.
“What were you doing driving so fast in the rain?” Her mother placed her dry, papery palm against Tiffany’s forehead as if she had a fever. Her fingers brushed the bruises along her cheek and jaw and Tiffany flinched. “It’s that car, I bet. I told you not to buy used.”
“There’s nothing wrong with used cars,” her dad said. “She’s just a bad driver. She should have learned from me instead of paying for those classes. ‘Defensive driving’—bah.” He snorted in disgust. “Daniel learned from me, and now he
teaches
driving.”
Poh-poh
cycled through relief, exasperation and hysterics as she berated her only granddaughter in her native tongue. She was reckless; drivers today were careless; the weather had cursed her; her face was all bruised and now she wouldn’t be able to find a husband and why hadn’t she stayed in Everville with the family instead of moving to New York City?
“I’m sorry,
Poh-poh.
” She felt bad for making her grandmother worry.
“Sit down, Grandma. Don’t work yourself up.” Daniel pulled the cubicle’s lone chair next to the bed, but their grandmother argued that her dad should sit after his long day in the kitchen. Tony insisted his wife sit. Rose insisted Daniel sit. Tiffany closed her eyes as they argued, voices rising until a nurse asked them to quiet down. Grudgingly,
Poh-poh
sat.
The E.R.’s attending physician interrupted to talk to the family about Tiffany’s condition. Dr. Frewer was a nice-looking middle-aged man with salt in his dark hair and a fat gold wedding ring on his finger. Tiffany bet he was wondering the same thing she did whenever her family got together: How did four people manage to make such a racket? He greeted each family member and ran through the list of Tiffany’s injuries: a few bruises, a sprained wrist, but nothing serious.
“Sounds like nothing she can’t sleep off,” her dad said once the doctor finished speaking. “You don’t need to stay here, right?”
“For God’s sake, she was in an accident,” her mom said in exasperation, adding in Cantonese, “Have some compassion. The doctor will think you’re cruel.”
“No point coddling her if she’s fine.” Tony folded his arms across his chest. “They didn’t have to drag us all out here for a few bruises.”
“Let’s listen to what the doctor says,” her brother interrupted. That was Daniel. Always coming to the rescue.
“Of course, of course.” Tony switched back to English and said to the doctor, “My kids are strong. They heal fast. Tiffany doesn’t heal as fast as her brother, though.” He turned to Daniel. “Remember that time she broke her arm? She had that cast on for six weeks. You only had it on for five.”
Daniel rolled his eyes. “You guys stay here with Tiff. I’m going to talk to the officer out front and see about Tiff’s car.”
Rose looked at her. “Why didn’t you tell us you were driving up?” she asked.
“It was a last-minute decision.”
Concern became suspicion, and small lines appeared around her mother’s dark eyes. “Last minute? With no phone call? What happened?”
Tiffany didn’t want to get into it while she was wearing nothing but a hospital gown. She sat up and forced a smile. “Can I be discharged?” she asked the doctor to stave off her mother’s interrogation.
“There’s nothing to keep you here,” Dr. Frewer said, shrugging, “though I would recommend you see your family doctor if anything gets worse. He or she can prescribe you physical therapy, in case you have any difficulties with your wrist. In the meantime, I’ll write a prescription for some painkillers.”
“We have Tylenol at home,” Tony said. “She doesn’t need a prescription.”
“Of course we’ll take the prescription,” Rose insisted, shooting a look at her husband.
Tony growled in Cantonese, “It’s a waste of money.”
“No one asked
you
to pay for anything.”
Their glares locked over her bed. Tiffany closed her eyes and sank into her pillow.
Please, not here, not now, and not over me.