Burning Up

just being respectful of your sister.”
    “No effing way.” A skeptical snort. “Men aren’t that noble when it comes to women they want.” Jet turned to his wife, his voice dropping. “When I saw Amber, all I wanted to do was—”
    “You finish that sentence,” Alex threatened, “and you’ll be breathing fire I’ll put so much chili in your food.”
    Amber grinned and blew Jet a kiss. “You know, it sounds to me like Tom’s planning to marry Ria and get himself a nice, respectable wife, while having a bit on the side.”
    Simon’s mouth fell open at this scandalous contribution from his flawlessly elegant daughter-in-law.
    Miaoling ate another shrimp. “She’s right. Like father, like son.”
    Silence. Deeper. More shocked.

FIVE
    S imon cleared his throat. “Mother,” he said, his tone that of a man who knows he’s done for, “is that true?”
    “You think I’m lying?”
    “I think you’d do anything for your favorite granddaughter.”
    Leaning back, Miaoling actually cackled. “This time, I don’t have to. Wait.” She got up and headed toward her room.
    Ria shrugged when all eyes turned to her. “Don’t look at me.”
    “Eat some tofu,” Alex said when they just sat there. “It’ll go bad if we don’t finish it tonight.”
    Everyone ate. But the instant Miaoling walked back into the room, all implements were abandoned, food forgotten. Wearing the same smile she always displayed when she came out of Mr. Wong’s, Miaoling sat down and opened an envelope. Ria’s eyes went wide when she saw the photograph in her grandmother’s hand—Tom’s father with his tongue down the throat of the woman everyone knew as his secretary. “Oh, my, God.”
    “Don’t show me,” Alex said, slapping her hands over her eyes. “I can’t bear it. Essie’s one of my best friends!”
    Miaoling waved off the objection. “She knows. Doesn’t care—it keeps Tom Sr. from interrupting her hobbies. She’s making lanterns this year.”
    “ Popo ,” Ria said, choking, “how did you—”
    “What do you think Mr. Wong and I talk about?” She turned her gaze to Ria’s parents. “Want to know about the apartment Tom bought his mistress?”
    Alex looked like she was about to keel over. “Mistress?” It was a thin sound.
    A sense of fair play induced Ria to attempt to defend Tom. After all, she was now involved with Emmett. “Grandmother, no one has mistresses anymore. Tom was probably just waiting for the right time to tell me he’d fallen for someone else.” Yes, he should’ve been man enough to stop the charade of their non-engagement soon as he met his girlfriend, but Ria wasn’t going to beat him up about that. Chances were, he’d needed time to work up the strength to stand firm against familial pressure.
    “I talked to her.”
    Jet whooped at Miaoling’s words, while Amber shushed him and said, “How, Nana?”
    “I’m a weak old lady, always need so much help.” Miaoling’s eyes gleamed. “Nice girl, too nice for Tom. She’s so sad for him because he has to marry some plain, fat girl—”
    “That snake!” Alex’s hand clenched on a sharp knife as Ria’s sympathy for Tom died a quick and permanent death.
    “—but nothing’s going to change between them after the wedding. Tom’s set it all up so he can visit her on his way home every night. He’s even promised to take her to Paris after he explains how things are to his wife.”
    Simon looked at Ria, a tic in his jaw. “If you even think about marrying Tom, I’ll hogtie you and send you to live with my parents in Idaho.”
    “Yes, Dad.” Grinning, Ria walked around to hug her parents. But she waited until she was alone with her grandmother to ask, “Was that in case I didn’t get up the guts to pull myself out?”
    “No, it was just backup.” Miaoling’s wrinkled hand was a touch of love against her cheek. “I always knew you’d find your voice. Don’t ever let anyone take it away from you.”

    P leased and frustrated in equal measures by his earlier encounter with Ria, Emmett forced himself to focus as he ran his early-evening class through some hand-to-hand combat moves. There were only four in this group—he preferred to spend more one-on-one time with the older, higher-level students.
    “Jazz,” he said, when the sole girl in the group smiled slowly at one of the boys before blowing him a flirtatious kiss—the poor kid lost his rhythm completely.
    Emmett’s cat found her little tricks amusing,