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“Rylan.” He shakes my hand. “Nice to see you two… again.”
I’m sure there’s more he wants to say but doesn’t.
“We wanted to get some takeout. We’re working on a big project for Aubrey and Declan’s wedding since I’m the maid of honor and Rylan is the best man.” She smiles so wide someone might think she’s lying.
Although the story is true, she’s laying it on kind of thick. The way Li’s eyes shift between the two of us says he thinks so too.
Dave comes out wiping his hands, then gives Calista a hug and me a handshake. “I heard on the scanner that you two were at a storage locker earlier.”
My stomach drops. “You did?”
“Yeah, I listen to it at night sometimes. Sunrise Bay is going downhill.” Dave laughs and I shake my head at his humor.
“Pretty soon we’ll lose our number one small-town Alaska credentials. Then maybe Lake Starlight will finally have a chance.” I wink at David.
He nods in acceptance of our banter. “At least Wok For U will always be the best Chinese restaurant in the three counties.”
“You got us there. I only eat here.” Which hasn’t been for a while, so I cannot wait until we get some orange chicken.
David goes back in the kitchen and comes out ten minutes later with our take-out bag. “Enjoy, you two. Good luck on that big project you’re working on.” David winks at me.
I might as well put the damn article up on the Buzz Wheel app myself.
We say goodbye and climb back in my car.
“They’re going to report us to Buzz Wheel,” I say, turning the keys in the ignition.
“No, they won’t.”
I look around. Although I don’t see anyone lurking, someone else probably saw us. But there’s nothing I can do about it, and I would never give up my day with Calista.
“I’m starving.” Calista tears open the bag, tossing aside the sweet and sour and soy sauce packets.
The fortune cookies get tossed too and I pick them up. I make sure none of them are broken. “Let’s take care of the fortunes.”
“I forgot you’re such a believer,” she says, opening the carton of orange chicken and sticking her face in to inhale the scent. “So good.”
Well, I guess my suspicion that she isn’t eating was wrong, but that means she has lost a lot of muscle. Back in the day, she was never hard for me to carry, but she definitely weighed more. And it’s not that I care whether she has the muscle or not. It’s just a reminder of how much she’s changed, no longer doing the things she used to love.
“I don’t even know if there’s silverware or plates here.” She goes to the kitchen and opens some drawers. “There is, but…” She lifts a very tarnished silver plate.
“David gave us plastic cutlery,” I say. She comes back to the couch, and we eat in silence since there’s not even a television here. “What are you gonna do with this place?”
Her gaze shifts around the room, and she shrugs. “I have no idea. I mean, I don’t want to replace anything because I don’t want to lose Great-Grandma Dori. But I’m not going to eat off of silver either.”
“Are you gonna tell people about it?” I eat a piece of orange chicken. “Would your cousins be jealous?”
None of this is my business. Calista isn’t my business. But if I know her, she feels guilty that she was left this cabin.
“I don’t know. Great-Grandma kept it a secret, but I’ll feel selfish if I do that. I’m sure all my cousins want a part of her too.” She sits down on the couch, crossing her legs and opening up chopsticks. She grabs a piece of orange chicken and falls back to the couch. “So good.”
I take another piece and hold it up on my fork. “Amazing that even Chicago doesn’t have a Chinese restaurant that compares to Wok For U.”
She points her chopsticks at me. “You’re finally admitting it?”
There’s humor in her tone rather than the anger there usually is whenever we compare our small hometowns to Chicago. In fact, last time we talked about this, she dumped an entire carton of orange chicken in the trash saying it was disgusting.
“I did, didn’t I?”
