Short Soup (13 page)

Gary stopped whistling. “Sorry.”

The silence grew heavier. Dion sighed. “No, I’m sorry. I just … got a lot on my mind at the moment.”

Gary made a sympathetic noise. “Women, huh?”

“So you noticed.”

“Couldn’t help noticing. When Toni walked in the door your face lit up like a candle. I’m surprised you didn’t sprout a puppy tail to wag at her.”

Dion grimaced. If anything he felt as if his puppy tail had been chopped off. “Got my hopes up for nothing. She only came by to tell me there’s no future for us. She’s going back to Sydney tomorrow.” He gripped the skin of the squid, ripped it off, his fingers clenching. “Probably won’t see her for months.” A black weight settled in the pit of his gut.

Gary had turned round and was watching him closely. “Shit, I’ve never seen you like this before. You must really care about her.”

“Of course I bloody care about her.” Tossing the squid skin away, he glared at his friend. “She’s the only one I’ve ever cared about.”

“Oh.” Gary appeared nonplussed. Dion didn’t blame him – his attitude towards women had always been casual, and he’d never spoken about Toni, until now. For years he’d bottled up his true feelings, but now there didn’t seem much point.

“I realised how I felt about her years ago,” he said, laying down his knife to face Gary. “But she was already involved with Nick, and then she married the bastard, and I thought well, that’s it, suck it up and move on. But now she’s free again, and I thought – really thought – I had a chance with her. But it seems not. She’s determined we’re just going to remain friends.” He pressed the heels of his hands to his temples as a dull headache began to pound.

“Wow, and you’re just going to take that lying down?”

Dion dropped his hands. “Huh?”

“Mate, the trouble with you is that you’ve had it too easy as far as women are concerned. You’ve never had to fight for one.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she’d appreciate it if I heaved her over my shoulder and carried her into my bedroom like a caveman. That’d go down like a ton of bricks.”

“You know her better than anyone. You must know some way to get your message across. Just don’t give up. Keep on fighting for her, if you think she’s worth it.”

Gary was right. Just because Toni had pulled away from him didn’t mean the end. He’d loved her for too long to give up now.

Dion’s parents were already present when Toni and her parents arrived at the Happy Palace’s private dining room.

“Happy birthday.” Aunt Queenie swooped in and hugged Toni before pressing a gift into her hands. “This is for you, from your Uncle Kai and me.”

Uncle Kai patted her shoulder and smiled as she thanked them both. She hadn’t expected a birthday present from them, and when she unwrapped a silver bracelet she was even more surprised. The simple yet elegant piece of jewellery wasn’t something she could envisage Aunt Queenie – who loved her gold, jade, and pearls, preferably all in the same piece of jewellery – choosing.

“Oh, it’s gorgeous,” Toni said as she slipped on the bracelet and showed it to her parents.

Aunt Queenie beamed at her. “You like it? Dion help me pick it out last week. He knows what you like better than anyone.”

“He does.” Toni’s cheeks warmed. Hell, she hadn’t realised it would be this awkward, chatting to Dion’s mum and dad as if nothing unusual had happened. She’d slept with their son last night. Did they know that? She was willing to bet they didn’t, or she was sure they’d be looking at her differently. And she was convinced her parents wouldn’t have told them anything. It wasn’t the kind of news they’d like to share with their oldest and closest friends.

Pearl lifted Toni’s hand to examine the bracelet more closely. “Very nice.” She nodded with approval.

Uncle Kai was muttering with Toni’s dad. “Maybe I should check the kitchen,” he said.

Shen restrained his friend. “No, Dion can manage on his own.”

Uncle Kai continued to frown. “I just want to help him.”

“Wait until he asks first.”

“But he–”

Aunt Queenie rounded on her husband. “Not again. Why can’t you leave Dion alone?”

Uncle Kai huffed and tugged at the cuffs of his shirt. “He needs–”

“He needs you to trust him.” His wife pressed her lips together, looking uncharacteristically determined.

Before anyone could speak, footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Dion appeared, spruce in his chef’s jacket and black trousers, his demeanour smooth and collected.

“Evening everyone.” His gaze wandered around the room, passing over Toni without a flicker. “Why aren’t you seated yet? Dinner is about to be served.”

There was a general movement towards the table. When everyone was seated, Dion remained standing between his parents’ chairs.

“Dion.” His mother plucked at his sleeve. “Toni really like the bracelet you choose for her.”

His eyes met hers across the table. For a moment it seemed he was really looking at her this time, but he answered blandly, “I’m glad. I hope you like the dishes I’ve chosen for tonight as well. They’ll start arriving in a few minutes.” Without waiting for a reply, he disappeared down the stairs.

Toni released her breath. She didn’t know whether to be disappointed or glad that Dion appeared to have put everything they’d said earlier behind him. Evidently he’d gotten over his disappointment that they wouldn’t be sleeping together again pretty quickly and was satisfied they could still remain friends. If only she could get over it with the same equanimity.

Soon the waiter brought up the appetizers, small tasting dishes of delicate morsels. There was crispy tofu, pickled vegetables, and short soup with Dion’s special won tons in a clear broth. Toni breathed in the familiar aromas and felt some of the tension that had knotted her insides all day slip a little. These were some of her favourite dishes from her childhood, she realised, yet Dion had added his own twist to each of them, so they were at once familiar and yet different.

His culinary creativity continued with the main dishes. Barbequed pork, roast duck, steamed fish. All were dishes she’d eaten countless times before, dishes she’d longed for in the depths of her homesickness while sticking it out in London, dishes she’d miss when she left Piper Bay. Did Dion know what he was doing to her? Did he know that from now on all her favourite food would remind her not only of home, but of him?

The others were too busy clucking together to notice how little she was eating. “See, he can manage,” her father said to Uncle Kai. “This fish is excellent. Perfectly cooked.”

“It’s not bad,” Uncle Kai grudgingly conceded. “He would have got fresher one if he woke on time this morning.”

“What’s this?” His wife slid him a suspicious look. “You check up on Dion this morning?”

Uncle Kai heaved a sigh. “Yes,” he admitted. “I want to make sure he get up,” he added defensively. “He was still sleeping at nine-thirty!”

“Hmm. You only tell me now.” Aunt Queenie swivelled to Toni’s mother. “He always go behind my back.” Toni’s mother glanced about and fiddled with her chopsticks, making non-committal noises. Aunt Queenie leaned towards her. “You know about this already? Wah, you should have told me!”

At that moment Dion walked into the room. His mother beckoned him over urgently. “Dion, Dion. I hear you couldn’t wake up this morning. Are you sick? You shouldn’t work if you’re sick.”

“I’m fine, Mum.” He straightened, his shoulders stiff as he eyed everyone at the table. “And before anyone says anything, it was all my fault I didn’t wake up. Toni had nothing to do with it.”

His parents gaped at him, then turned towards Toni as one, their mouths still open. Her heart sank to her toes.
Oh, Dion, you didn’t have to say that, did you?
At the same time the realisation dawned on him too, making his eyes darken in dismay.

“What did you and Toni get up to last night?” Uncle Kai asked, still bewildered.

Cheeks flushed with embarrassment, Aunt Queenie nudged him in the ribs. “Ah Kai, you don’t have to ask. Can’t you guess?”

Uncle Kai blinked at her. “Oh …” Comprehension finally broke over him.

As they stared at Toni, a bead of sweat rolled down her spine. Her face felt as if it had caught fire.

“It just happen one time,” Pearl jumped in. “Don’t worry so much.”

Aunt Queenie’s eyes boggled. “You know already? And you don’t tell me?” Her voice squeaked.

Flustered, Pearl flapped her hands. “It’s Shen’s fault. He saw her and Dion this morning, and he didn’t tell me.”

Uttering a drawn-out groan, Uncle Kai clenched his fists on the table and lowered his head to his chest as if he was in great pain. Aunt Queenie started to exclaim, but before she could gather steam, Dion moved forward and rapped his knuckles on the table.

“Look, this is getting out of control,” he said. “I’m sorry about that, Toni.” He gave her a brief, wry smile. “I thought they all knew already. I didn’t know I was letting the cat out of the bag.” He turned back to the others. “But the fact remains that whatever Toni and I did last night is private and has nothing to do with what happened this morning.”

“But Dion, it does,” Toni felt compelled to speak out. “If we hadn’t, um, stayed up so late–” the fire in her cheeks intensified “–you would have woken up in time to go to the fish market. It is my fault.”

“How can it be when I wanted you to stay with me last night? I don’t regret that for a moment.” His eyes held hers. “Yes, it was slack of me to oversleep, but all that demonstrated was my dad’s lack of faith in me.” He glanced down at his father who was still hunched over the table. “Well, Dad? Are you going to check up on me every morning for the rest of my life? Because I may as well tell you now that most days I’ll be up when I’m meant to, and some days I won’t, and you just have to live with that, I’m afraid, because I’m not perfect.”

“Oh, yes, you almost perfect,” his mother chipped in, elbowing her husband. “Ah Kai, tell your son you trust him, go on.”

Slowly Uncle Kai lifted his head and gazed at Dion. “I thought you were … in trouble again. Why didn’t you tell me about Toni?”

“Come on, Dad!” A pink hue tinged Dion’s tanned face. “As if I would.”

“Okay.” Uncle Kai gestured calmly. “But if you told me I would be much happier. Toni’s good for you. She’s very sensible girl. She keep you out of trouble.”

His nod of approval towards Toni caused her throat to seize up. The last thing she’d ever expected was for Dion’s father to approve of her and Dion. But how was she going to tell him that his assumptions were completely false?

Dion cleared his throat. “Actually, Dad, Toni won’t be here to keep me out of trouble. She’s going to live in Sydney.” He gazed at her again. “Isn’t that right, Toni?” He didn’t seem angry, resentful, or even annoyed. If anything he appeared resolved.

“It’s for the best.” Her voice was a tight whisper. “Last night was … was an accident. It shouldn’t have happened.”

He shook his head. “No, you don’t get it. I–” He broke off and glanced around, clearly frustrated by the presence of their parents. He pressed his hand on his father’s shoulder. “Dad, I know I just insisted I could handle the restaurant on my own, but I’m also not too proud to ask for help. I’m asking you now. Can you run things in the kitchen while I talk to Toni in private?”

Uncle Kai blinked up at Dion. “Now?”

“Yes, I need to clear up a few things with Toni.”

“But you have customers downstairs!”

“That’s why I’m asking you for help. Gary can tell you what needs to be done.”

Uncle Kai snorted. “Don’t need Gary tell me how to cook. I was cooking before he was born.”

“So you’ll do it? We won’t be more than half an hour.”

Uncle Kai heaved himself to his feet and started rolling up his shirt sleeves. “I can cook all night.” He gestured at the others. “Come on, what you waiting for? We show Gary how to cook properly.”

Toni watched in stunned silence as their parents filed out of the room.

When they were alone, Dion turned back to Toni. “My car’s out the back.”

“We’re leaving?”

“Just for a short drive. I don’t want to be interrupted or distracted.” He moved towards the stairs, beckoning at her to follow him, then stopped when she remained motionless. “Toni, please.”

His soft pleading broke down the last of her resistance. As if in a dream, she followed him down the stairs and out the back where his SUV was parked. They drove off, and soon the lights and bustle of the shopping strip were left behind. Dion drove with intense concentration, hands clamped to the steering wheel, even though they were barely moving above a snail’s pace. A few minutes later he pulled off on the side of the road. She was so wound up it took her a while to realise they were at Fly Point, their old haunting ground.

Gravel crunched beneath her high heels as she climbed out of the car. Mauve tinted clouds streaked the darkening sky, and a light evening breeze tugged at her dress, licking the dampness from the back of her neck. Dion beckoned towards the stairs leading down to the beach. They hadn’t spoken since they’d left the Happy Palace, and she was reluctant to break the silence. She slipped off her shoes and padded after him down the stairs, the wooden boards beneath her soles still warm from the afternoon sun.

On the beach the incoming tide slapped and swirled against the rocks, restless and hungry. Dion turned towards her. In the dimming light he appeared hesitant, less confident than he’d been back at the restaurant.

“I didn’t expect our night together to be the focus of discussion at dinner,” he said.

She swallowed, trying to keep her tone light as she replied, “Our parents have no sense of boundaries.”

He moved a step closer but still kept his distance. “Back at the restaurant, you said last night was an accident. Do you really believe that?”

The earnestness in his voice made her pause as she tried to reconstruct all the events that had led to last night. It seemed ever since she’d arrived in Piper Bay three days ago every event had conspired towards and ultimately culminated in her falling into Dion’s arms.

“I don’t know.” She shook her head in confusion. “I’d never thought of you as a potential lover, and then, these past few days, when I did start to notice you, I didn’t know what to make of it. It seemed as if a giant wave came out of nowhere and swept me up, like a flash flood. I guess that’s why it felt like an accident, because I wasn’t expecting it.”