Page 26 of See You at the Sunset

She lifted her hand and wiped at her eyes before she looked slightly back over her shoulder. “Yup, that’s me. Wild, huh? Guess we probably should have started with the exchange of names with that first drink. Could have spared ourselves all of this.” Jia waved her hand in the air as if trying to figure out how muchthisentailed. She wiped away another tear from her cheek. “I’m not upset, I promise. I think I’m just in shock, maybe, and that’s why I’m crying? I’m still not even sure I can wrap my head around what’s going on.”

“Me neither,” he said. God, Henry hated tears. He usually found them manipulative, people using emotions to impact an outcome. He himself never cried. He refused.

But there was something so broken about the woman in front of him, like a scared and injured animal, that haunted him.

Henry’s body had the odd compulsion to step forward, reach out to her, offer her comfort. But that wasn’t something Henry did for anyone... ever. He needed to understand what was so upsetting to her. Was it coming face-to-face with the person who’d fired her? Or was it that she was caught hiding here where she shouldn’t be?

So he stayed where he was, far enough away to not touch her. The safe zone. Because all Henry really knew of Jia Chung was that she pissed someone off and couldn’t keep her job. That she wore crazy clothes because she couldn’t get her luggage. That she was loud and wacky and couldn’t be serious. That she was ticklish at the base of her neck, moaned at the touch of her hip, asked for what she wanted and generously gave in return.

She turned around and faced him, eyes red-rimmed, cheeks flushed, wearing absurd floral polyester pants and a white polo shirt. She was ridiculous. She was stunning. He was angry that he even took notice.

“Well, it’s official. The Universe hates me,” she said, forcing a smile.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I mean, this would only happen to me. I am such a disaster.” She laughed, throwing up her hands and shook her head.

“It’s a freak coincidence. I guess as far as randomness goes, it could have happened to anyone,” he said.

Or maybe it wasn’t. She couldn’t possibly have targeted him in some way and schemed to be here the same time Henry was, right? Had he read too many thrillers? Or was he just being cynical and refused to believe that someone was just a nice person doing kind things for people who needed it most? He couldn’t be sure.

“I don’t know. I kind of feel like the choices we make lead us to where we are. I chose to celebrate what would be my pending termination the night before. I chose to sleep with a man I knew nothing about. Though, I have to say I did clock you as a lawyer that night.” She forced a smile. “I fucked up somehow at work, leading to me getting fired.” She shook her head as if she still couldn’t believe that had happened. “I fled to my grandma’s to hide from my parents and from life and from consequences—” she lifted her eyes to meet his “—and ran into the one person who could bring me back to reality.”

“I... I don’t know what to say to that.”

She held his gaze, assessing him, searching for something. He didn’t know what it was about this woman. But her judgment, or whatever it was she was trying to conclude about Henry, bothered him, like he could hear her taunting him in his mind.How could you fire me so easily, overlooking your own questions and doubts? Did you ever wonder what happened to the person whose life you turned upside down by signing those papers? Do you really think I’m capable of running some sort of grift here?

“So you’re Henry J. Shin, Esquire,” she said.

It was a simple statement, but each word felt like an accusation.

It was the way she said his name that unraveled him. As if he’d heard the gavel pound in his head, judgment served. In the simplicity of how people saw things here, Henry was a bad person, doing bad things. And for once in his life, he experienced shame.

The first wave of pain radiated in his chest. He quickly turned to walk away. He needed to go back to Dennis’s house, back to New York in fact, as soon as he could. He didn’t need this bullshit. The sharp, piercing pain grew stronger. His vision blurred along the edges. He needed to get out of here before the panic attack fully hit.

As he found his way to the side gate to escape, he thought he heard her say, “Henry, are you okay?” And then, even dimmer, “I’m sorry.”

He made it to Dennis’s house and to the bathroom before throwing up in the toilet. He sat with his back against the wall, head between his knees, trying to breathe through it. When the pain subsided, he managed to stand and find his medication, swallowing two pills down dry. He crawled into his bed and slept.

The bright light felt like it came straight through the window and pierced Henry’s skull. He’d forgotten to close the blinds when he passed out last night and the morning sun announced the start of a new day. His body ached all over, and a fog felt like it took residence around his brain. He’d slept through the night. His anxiety meds did that to him. He hated it.

He looked for his phone. It was plugged into the charger on his nightstand next to a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol. His bedroom door was ajar. Dennis must have checked in on him last night.

He took a deep breath and decided to rip off the Band-Aid. He threw the covers off, swung his legs over the bed, planted his feet, and stood. He wobbled a bit, but there was no dizziness, no stomach issues, and best of all, his chest felt fine. It was almost as if he’d been drunk last night. That’s what feeling things would do to you. To Henry, at least. Never again.

He tucked any sign of emotions back into his hardened heart and locked it up.

He went to the bathroom and washed up before going out to face Dennis and what were sure to be a barrage of questions about last night. Shit, Henry had probably ruined Dennis’s welcome party. Nope, no guilt or shame. Lock it up. A memory of Jia Chung’s face flashed through his mind. But he quickly tamped it down and put it behind the iron door. Fuck all of this.

Henry needed to get Dennis settled and go home. As soon as he could.

He heard the voices as he turned the corner. Sitting at the kitchen table were Dennis and Mimi.

“Good morning, Hank,” Dennis said with a smile. No lifted brows, no curiosity in his voice.

“Hi, Henry. Want some coffee?” Mimi stood up and walked past Henry, gently squeezing his arm, as she reached up and grabbed a mug. She pulled out a Keurig pod and started the brew. “How do you take it?” she asked.

“Um, black, please.”