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They went in and out several times, carrying more bowls and pans.
“Your mother cooked for an army,” Royce joked.
“It’s part of Thai hospitality. Have you forgotten?”
“My days in Bangkok weren’t all happy ones. Susan, I have things to tell you,” he added in a whisper.
“Later.” For the first time since she’d met Royce, she wouldn’t trust herself alone with him.
Mae served them. “Don’t hesitate to take seconds.”
“Bless your hands, Mae Chen. The fried rice and chicken curry are heaven. I’ve never eaten such good food, except in my parents’ house. Susan, I hope you learned to cook a few recipes from your Mae.”
“Not exac—”
“Of course,” her mother hastened to reassure him.
“How was the pool, Kasem?” Royce asked.
Had she imagined the exasperation on Kasem’s face for a second?
“Great. The water was warmer than I expected.”
“Of course, it’s a heated pool.” Susan shrugged. “I’ll bet you must’ve been the only one swimming. People are busy working during the week.”
“Right. There were only a few. Same thing at the gym. Royce took me there for an hour in the morning.”
“Wow, you hit both the gym and the pool.”
“I plan to do it every day. Part of my American resolution to stay in shape.”
Knowing Kasem, he could be hiding something behind his sudden burst of energy. As long as he stayed happily occupied and away from her, she wouldn’t care.
“How about you? Other than going to the car dealer, how did you spend your day?” Kasem asked.
“I went to UC, met with the dean, Dr. Tristan. A very nice, older man. He’s the same one who held the position when I was here before. We had a meeting, and he introduced me to my new colleagues. School starts Monday. We’ll use the next few days to organize our classes and get ready.”
“Was everything to your liking?” Kasem studied her through narrow eyes.
“Yes, pretty much.”
“I’m happy for you and for myself. I hope we’ll be able to set a wedding date for the end of the month and start living instead of just waiting.” He arched his eyebrows, knowingly.
Her heart sank, but she nodded, hoping against hope that Royce might save her, as he’d promised.
“Let me show you the car,” she added to stop the annoying conversation and prompt him to go home soon.
“Great, thank you, Susie.”
Susan left the table, carrying the leftover plates to the kitchen. Clearing the table, the two men followed her. From the key-hook on the kitchen wall, she got the sedan keys and walked to the garage door. As she stepped out, she turned and found Royce, standing by the sink, frowning at her and Kasem.
With a sigh, she ignored him and handed the keys to her fiancé.
“Here it is.” She tipped her chin to the car on the right. “How do you like it?”
“I’ll try it.” He slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine, then drove out to the driveway, stopped and climbed out. “Great. We can trust your brothers to choose a good car.”
She followed him to the driveway, expecting him to say bye and leave.
