Page 85 of That Prince is Mine
Impromptu midnight bibimbap was the best midnight snack and comfort food. And she had worked up quite an appetite… She flushed and cut her thoughts short. She could not think about what she and Michel did against the wall—outside—with her dad standing in the same room with her.
Carefully smoothing out her expression, she focused on making the perfect sunny-side-up eggs with crisp golden edges. She turned the stove off a few seconds early to let them sit in the pan while she took out a giant mixing bowl and dumped the cold rice left over from dinner into the bowl. Knowing the drill, her dad dumped all the banchan from the fridge over the rice. She eyeballed the chili paste needed and scraped it off her spoon with her finger and drizzled a generous amount of toasted sesame seed oil into the bowl.
“Will you do the honors?” she asked her dad once she added the eggs on top of the concoction.
“It would be my pleasure.” Her dad swallowed audibly and mixed everything together with his spoon until the nutty, spicy smell of bibimbap permeated the air.
They placed the mixing bowl on the floor and sat cross-legged on opposite sides with their spoons poised over it.
“Ladies first,” her dad said graciously.
“Ha!” She snorted. “You raised this Korean kid right, Appa. Elders first.”
“That’s my girl.” With a proud smile, he scooped up a towering spoonful and maneuvered the whole thing into his mouth until he had chipmunk cheeks.
She followed his lead and stuffed her face with a fist-size mound. That was the only way to eat this kind of everything-but-the-kitchen-sink bibimbap. The sticky short-grain rice was red and shiny with gochujang and sesame oil, and the seasoned bean sprouts and spinach were salty and crunchy with just enough moisture to prevent the bibimbap from being too dry. Even though her stomach felt stretched to the max, she couldn’t stop eating. When her dad offered her the last bite at the bottom of the mixing bowl, she took it.
“I’m just going to lie down here and go to sleep,” she slurred, patting her full, happy tummy.
Her dad stood with the empty bowl and spoons and washed them at the sink, humming tunelessly. She didn’t even have the energy to object to him doing the dishes. She had to remember that he wanted to take care of her, too. It was okay to let him sometimes.
“I was going to wait till tomorrow to tell you,” her dad began.
“Tell me what?” She leaned her head against the cupboard, the ups and downs of the long day catching up with her. Her words echoed back to her. Compatibility isn’t going to bridge the ocean. The dormant ache in her chest resurfaced.
“You remember Mr. Goo?”
“Of course I remember him.” He was an old friend of her dad’s who owned several successful Korean restaurants. “He asks me to come work at one of his restaurants every time he sees me.”
“I told him a million times that you prefer teaching, but the man is stubborn.” Her dad shook his head. “Anyway, he mentioned a commercial kitchen space he came across in Culver City.”
Emma scrambled to her feet. “What commercial kitchen space?”
“Now, don’t get too excited.” He wiped his hands on a towel, watching her with a fond smile as she screeched and jumped up and down. “But he said that it might be coming up for lease. At a reasonable rate.”
“How?” she gasped.
“Well, he had an opportunity to purchase it with a mind to start a banchan delivery service, but I mentioned you and…” Her dad shrugged like he didn’t just hand her the whole world on a platter. “Mr. Goo said you could come take a look anytime.”
“Tomorrow.” She glanced at the clock. It was past one. “I mean today. But I can wait till the sun is up.”
“I’m sure Mr. Goo would appreciate that.” He smiled at her like she was so adorable he could barely stand it.
She smiled back at him, studying his beloved face. With a jolt of fear and sadness, she realized her dad was getting old. The laugh lines around his eyes and mouth had branched out and deepened, and his hair seemed grayer than she remembered. She walked up to him and wrapped him in a tight hug. Her dad chuckled and returned her hug, swaying back and forth as though soothing a baby. She would always be his little girl.
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, too, baby girl,” he said, squeezing her tight one last time before releasing her. “You have a big day tomorrow. You should go to bed… Come to think of it, what were you doing up so late?”
“Time for bed. Big day tomorrow.” She hurried out of the kitchen, hoping he’d think she didn’t hear his question. “Good night, Appa.”
Emma clipped her hair away from her neck and took a quick shower. Smothering a yawn, she pulled on a fresh pair of panties and trudged over to her bed. But as soon as she lay down, she burst into giddy laughter. She turned her head to smother her laugh in her pillow, squealing while she was at it. Semi-public sex. Check. And that had never even been on her list of things to do.
She wondered if this was a first for Michel as well. She had a feeling it was, considering how buttoned-up and proper he tended to be. Double check. But seeing him lose control like that was… so hot. She flopped onto her back and threw the covers off her suddenly heated body. God, she wanted him again. And she missed him even though she’d been with him an hour ago.
Not allowing herself to overthink things, she grabbed her cell phone from her nightstand.
Emma:
