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I stood up and went over to the boxes, searching for the ones that were marked Kitchen.
I opened several boxes before I found what I was looking for. “Ah-ha!”
I opened her cabinets, looking for the coffee beans, but I didn’t find any. Then I spotted something.
“Ooh, this might work.”
“What’ll work?” Julia’s voice was still hollow.
“I’m going to make you something that’ll bring some life back.” I was teasing, but with another glance at my friend and seeing how pale she was, my comment wasn’t far off the mark.
I used the steamer to heat up some hot water. Then I added a tea bag, and while it was steeping, I frothed the milk. Adding some honey and vanilla to the milk while it was still hot, I poured the milk mixture over the tea.
I placed the mug in front of Julia and waited for her reaction.
She took a cautious sip. “Yum, this drink is delicious. What did you say it was called?” she asked, taking another sip. “It has a slight lavender taste, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”
“It’s a London Fog latte. Do you like it?”
“Yes.” She took another sip. “I know it’s not coffee because you used a tea bag and poured the steamed milk over it.”
I laughed. “Nothing gets by you! Instead of using espresso beans, it’s made with earl gray tea.”
“Ah-ha! So, that’s the familiar taste I couldn’t place earlier,” Julia said. She tilted her head. “It’s good. I have to give you that. But, I’m not converting to tea.” For emphasis, she crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her tongue out at me.
I breathed a sigh of relief because I managed to shake Julia out of her funk. I laughed and pretended to throw a napkin at her. We play-acted until we were both cracking up.
Unfortunately, our good mood didn’t last. “I wish I knew what she was going through. Maybe I could’ve helped her,” Julia said, her eyes filling up with tears.
“Don’t blame yourself. Annisa was an adult. She’s the one who made the decision to store Trevor’s gear and to get involved in the black-market activities.”
“Yeah, but I can’t believe that I didn’t know she was doing this.”
“You were busy with work, and you were planning your wedding. It’s not your job to babysit a grown woman. Who really knows why Annisa decided to import counterfeit luxury items and sell them online? Maybe, she wanted the extra money, or perhaps she was seeking something elicit that she thought would be exciting.”
Julia didn’t look convinced and asked, “What did Will tell Aiden when he called after the police took Sully.”
I looked at Julia sadly. “Will said Annisa’s cousin, Sung, was part of the counterfeit ring in San Francisco. They were using Tokyo House as a front to launder the money. The same time that the Monterey police were going after Sully, the FBI raided the sushi restaurant.”
Julia stood motionless with her mouth open. “Did the FBI arrest Sung?” Julia finally asked.
“Yes, but I don’t know what’s going to happen to him.” I shrugged with my palms open.
“I’m stunned. I had no idea all this was happening.” Julia shook her head in frustration.
“You’re taking this way too hard. I think what you need is a girls’ getaway weekend,” I said, and then I remembered my upcoming trip. “I know! Come with me to Miami when I visit Peyton next month.”
She raised one eyebrow. “Didn’t she win two passages for a scuba diving cruise?”
“Yes, but we can spend a few days together before I go on the dive trip.”
“Maybe that’s a good idea. Tristan is scheduled to be on call during the weekends next month, so he’ll be busy.”
“Is that a yes?” I asked hopefully, interlacing my fingers together underneath my chin.
Julia looked at me and gave me a small smile.
“Yay! I’m so glad.” I squealed in excitement, but I stopped celebrating when I saw Julia had dropped her smile.
