Unbreak My Heart(52)

He finished the order and hung up, then barked out the instructions to his guys as the bell above the front door rang.

A deliveryman pushed inside, holding a box. “I have a delivery for Omar at Three Martians.”

“That’s me. Have you got my tomato sauce order in there?”

The deliveryman shrugged. “Doesn’t feel that heavy.”

Omar took the box, grabbed a knife, and cut a line through the packing tape. When he opened the flap and peered inside, a wide smile spread across his face.

He went to the sink, washed his hands, and returned to the treasure—hundreds upon hundreds of baseball cards. He knew what he was going to be doing that weekend. Sorting through these beauties and enjoying the hell out of them.



*

Trina took the last sip of her coffee and reviewed the day ahead of her at the hospital before she left her apartment and headed to her beat-up old Honda.

But the Honda wasn’t the only car in her driveway. Next to it was a gleaming red beauty—a sports car she recognized. A huge white bow was tied over the hood, like in TV shows, in the movies.

She’d received Andrew’s letter earlier in the week, and it had meant so much to her. This was his handiwork too. When she found a note under the bow, she shrieked.

“Holy crap! I finally have a car that works.” She lifted her face to the sky. “I miss you, Ian. And you need to know your brother is awesome.”



*

That night, stars twinkled somewhere above the haze of the Los Angeles skyline as Jeremy tickled the ivories.

He’d always been partial to Frank Sinatra, and it turned out Callie liked Ol’ Blue Eyes too. He banged out “Fly Me to The Moon” on his newly acquired piano, the one delivered earlier that day. Callie sat next to him, draped an arm around him, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You’re hot when you play the piano.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. He hadn’t needed the piano to win the woman. But he liked playing for her, and more so, he liked the thought behind this piano, and what his friend had done for him.

Andrew didn’t need to give him this, but Jeremy sure was glad to have it, and he planned to make full use of it.





34





Andrew



They don’t call my cousin the fixer for nothing.

Taking care of the car insurance is nothing compared to the rabbit she pulls out of a hat in one week.

In mid-July, my dog arrives by private jet, well-rested and ready to fetch tennis balls. At the airport, I say thank you to Kate’s rug-dealing client for letting my dog hitch a ride over the Pacific in such style.

While arranging a shipment of antique rugs to Seoul, she finagled a detour here for my girl. A little extra money made it all possible, and it was money I happily spent.

Kate, ever the wizard, even made some calls so Sandy wouldn’t have to be quarantined. That was money well spent too.

I’m confident Ian would approve of how I spent the funds. But it’s not his money I spent. I have my own, and I don’t miss a dollar of what made this reunion possible.

“C’mere, girl.”

At the bottom of the steps, Sandy tugs hard on the leash. The flight attendant keeps a grip on her, practically sprinting with Sandy the final ten feet to me. My dog slobbers me with dog kisses and happy whines, knocking me on my ass on the tarmac.

I bury my face in her fur. “I missed you too, girl.”

She wags her tail at one hundred miles per hour and licks me more. Pretty sure she’ll lick my face the whole night if I let her.

That evening, Holland and I take her for her first walk in Tokyo, through Yoyogi Park, and all the sights and sounds make her a little bit nutty. She’ll get used to them.

“When do you start class?” Holland asks.

“Friday morning.”

“Don’t think you’re going to get out of grocery shopping by claiming you have to study all the time,” she says, playfully.

“I will gladly go grocery shopping with you,” I say, tightening my hold on the leash.

“Grocery shopping,” she remarks, as if it’s the strangest thing.

But it is—it’s the strangest thing that’s now such a normal thing. We can do the normal things together.

We can wake up together, and cook together, and pay bills together.

Most of all, we can be together.

During the day, she’s at the medical center. Soon, I’ll be taking language classes so I can improve my Japanese for daily living. I’m still studying for the Bar too.

I have every intention of practicing law. I simply plan to do it here. My brother’s firm—my firm—practices corporate law, and Don Jansen will continue to ably manage the main offices back in California. But we’ve decided to open up a branch in Japan. I won’t practice Japanese law. I have no knowledge of the Japanese legal system, nor any expectations that I could get up to speed. But I can work for American companies within Japan and American companies in the States who need an expert while abroad.

It’s a niche, but it’s a niche that’ll work fine for me to meet my bills.

I have my woman, and I have my girl.

I want to bookmark this moment, capture it for the rest of my days. I know there are no guarantees, not in life and not in love. But I’ll take what I can get, I’ll take what I can give. Another chance.