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“Yeah, so? It’s early here.”
He makes a humming sound. ‘We’re going out for dinner after we pick you up. Japanese. Cress has a yen for ramen and sushi.”
One of Max’s bad jokes. I laugh. Unlike Cress, I appreciate his sense of humor. I know Micki does too. A pang runs through me. “I really want to see Micki as soon as possible. Maybe you could just drop me off at the condo. It’s more important than dinner.” I put the bacon on top of the toast. Bacon and jam go well together, at least in my book.
If I can see her, I can get her to listen.
“She’s staying with us.”
“Why?” I scrape up the last of the egg with potatoes.
“We didn’t want her to be alone.” Max’s voice is as arid as the Gobi Desert.
I choke as egg and potato go down the wrong way.
Yannick pounds me on the back.
“What’s going on?” Max asks.
“EERRHH, cough, cough, EERRHH, hack, uhhhhgggg.”
“JL, are you all right?”
“Hem, Ahem, Ahem, Hem.” I swallow and the choking subsides. “Fine. Something went down the wrong way.”
“Yannick give you the Heimlich?”
“Just pounded me on the back. He might have broken my ribs with the Heimlich. This way he just dislocated my spine.”
“Can’t afford to have you out of commission.” He switches gears. “Tonight, we’re going to Tanoshii in Andersonville.”
Maybe Max is giving me a hint. “Isn’t that one of Micki’s favorite places?”
“You’re right. I’d forgotten. Cress suggested it. Near where she used to live.” He sounds totally unbelievable.
This screams setup, but I don’t care. “Max, I thought you were a better liar.”
He just laughs. “Let me know when you take off and I’ll meet you at the gate.”
“Using your influence for your own ends.”
“I’m off. Cheers.” And he’s gone.
“Sounds like manipulation is on the up in Chicago.” Yannick’s on his back with Brioche resting on his belly. They’ve been wrestling. He pushes off the floor with one hand, showing off he’s kept the agility he had as a gymnast. “Rain’s stopped. Any more messages from Air Canada?”
I thumb the screen. “Nope. May as well get going. Sitting there is better than sitting here.”
Neither of us mentions Maman. I finger my phone while I wait to board, but I don’t call, and neither does she.
ChapterTwenty-Two
It doesn’t really matter whether we reflect the light through our authentic gifts or whether our authentic calling is to spread it. What matters is that tonight the world is dark, cold, and bleak. Your flame burns so brightly. Share your Love and warmth with others. Watch the Light return.—Sarah Ban Breathnach
Micki
My ideaof bliss is never to cook. But tonight, the corollary is to stay in with pizza, wine, and snuggly cats. That dream will never be fulfilled since Cress wants to go to Tanoshii for sushi and maybe some noodles. Max is, as always, ready to concede to her desire. But he has some work to do, so Dawson, a fairly new member of the team, will drive Cress, Jarvis, and me to the restaurant, where we will meet Max.
“I can just stay here and order out. You have a romantic meal with Max popping succulent morsels of raw fish into your mouth.”
