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He immediately whipped off his shirt and slid the new one on, the movements so graceful they almost seemed like one motion. He tucked his chin to his chest and studied the front of his shirt, his messy hair falling over his brow. “Huh. You’ve been talking to Aunt Ari, then.”
His was in the same style as mine—a neon tarot card but with a skeleton wearing an apron, one shoulder raised in a shrug, and “THE TACITURN” written across the bottom.
Liem shrugged, mimicking the skeleton. “I was thinking we could go to downtown Bay Springs and get a feel for our new home. They’re having a trunk-or-treat and food trucks, so we could walk around the shops and then get dinner?”
“That sounds awesome,” I replied enthusiastically. I’d never participated in anything so normal. “But where’s your shirt?”
“I, uh….” Liem rubbed his head in an uncharacteristic gesture of hesitation. “It was a moment of hubris.”
“Liem.” The stern tone of Vinh’s voice made me shiver.
Liem unzipped his sleeveless hoodie, and… okay.
It was a cherub, or maybe a cupid, with Liem’s signature half-buzzed, half-long hairstyle, holding a bow and arrow with a heart at the tip with “LOTTS OF LOVE” written underneath.
Liem clapped his hands together. “All right! Let’s hit the road. No time for questions right now—we mustn’t miss the empanada truck.”
Vinh and I shared a look, and he raised his shoulder, but froze mid shrug and looked down at his shirt. “Dammit.”
Downtown Bay Springs was as adorable as I’d hoped, the little town having about everything you could want. My very own Stars Hollow, I’d told Vinh, who would understand the reference once we watched my favorite Thanksgiving-themed episodes of Gilmore Girls.
It was crazy that I’d lived only a handful of miles from here for more than a decade but had never done more than pass through.
We walked through the gazebos while eating ice cream, the perfect way to tie off our evening. A praline one for me, mint chocolate for Liem, and sherbet for Vinh, which I side-eyed him about every couple of minutes. I guessed no one was truly perfect.
Our shirts got a lot of attention, and Liem, apparently a budding entrepreneur, produced a stack of tiny square business cards when someone stopped and asked about the design.
“Hey, I want one of those!” I exclaimed as Liem went to put the cards back into his pocket.
He handed one over, and I studied it as I took a bite of the waffle cone. “What’s on your site?”
“All kinds of stuff. Art prints, shirts, tattoo designs.”
“He has a pretty big following online, and it’s only getting bigger,” Vinh said proudly.
I smiled at Liem. “I can’t wait to look later.”
We finished our desserts and walked around the small downtown square one more time, talking about all the places we hoped to visit or become regulars at—the tiny coffee shop included, which elicited a cocktail of feelings from me. Vinh squeezed my hand, already so in tune with my moods. Of all the things that could trigger me about Fortuna, I hadn’t expected the coffee shop to be the strongest.
But if I really thought about it—which I hadn’t done much—then it made sense. Caffeina was wrapped up in nearly as many memories as the casino itself, and unlike the rest of the place, they were mostly good ones.
I leaned into Vinh’s side. “Not today, and not tomorrow, but someday soon, I think I might like your therapist’s information.”
He kissed my head. “Just say the word.”
“Hey, there’s Mom and Dad!” Liem waved his parents down as they pulled into a slanted space off the main square.
Mrs. Lott rolled down the window, and I let out a laugh at the cat ears she was wearing. I hadn’t seen them since the quitting-Fortuna and changing-life-directions debacle, so their familiar, friendly faces were more than welcome.
Vinh leaned down to talk to his parents. “A bit late for you guys, isn’t it?”
Mrs. Lott’s previously friendly face turned glacial. “You may be turning thirty tomorrow, son, but manners and respect never go out of fashion.”
Monny let out a booming laugh from the passenger seat. “That’s my kitty cat!”
Mrs. Lott whipped her head around, expression horrified, but he seemed unbothered and leaned across the console.
“Hey, girlfriend!”
