His Convenient New York Bride. Andrea Bolter

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      “Order some food in,” Aaron told his sister when she reemerged from his bedroom. Having taken off the pink dress she’d designed and sewn herself, Mimi had slipped on comfy black leggings, thick white socks and a red pullover.

      “That could be considered sexist, you know,” Mimi teased him, “making the woman take care of the meal.”

      “When said woman is living in her brother’s apartment for free it could be called singing for your supper.”

      “All right, you’ve got me there.”

      She glanced over to Jin on the couch, who had changed positions while she was in the bedroom. No longer with his feet up on the coffee table, he sat in his black slacks with one long leg crossed ankle to knee in a posture Mimi found so decidedly masculine it gave her a flutter.

      What was more, it occurred to her that Jin was sitting where she slept, as Aaron’s sofa opened to become the convertible bed she’d been unfolding every night. Jin had been over and sat on the sofa before, but for some reason the thought that it was her bed hadn’t dawned on her. She took a mental snapshot and filed it away in her brain. And then moved on, or tried to, from that picture.

      “Jin, are you staying for dinner?”

      “I want ramen. I need a huge steaming bowl of noodles.”

      “Sounds good to me,” Aaron voted in. “From that place.”

      “Yeah,” Jin agreed, “get the kind we liked that one time.”

      “Okay.” Mimi knew exactly what they meant and placed the order online.

      Afterward, Jin explained to her about the stipulation in his father’s will.

      “Does your mom know?” Mimi asked. “I talked to her on the phone yesterday and she didn’t say anything.” The Zhangs and the Stewarts had a long history together and she knew Jin loved it that Mimi was close to his mom.

      “No,” Jin stated firmly. “As his ex-wife she wasn’t included in the meeting with the attorney. I don’t want her to ever find out about it.”

      “What is it that happens if you don’t get married? Do either of you want more coffee?”

      Aaron shook his head no but Jin thrust out his large, square hand and Mimi moved toward him to grab the mug he held. While doing so, her fingertips brushed against his and she registered the signature heat that always emanated from his hands.

      It was as if fiery little sparks that only she could see ignited every time his hands made contact with her skin. Which, during exchanges like this, or during a hug goodbye, or a hand up an unsteady surface, had happened about a million times in the thirteen years she’d known Jin.

      Jin’s sparks were Mimi’s deepest secret.

      As she went about making more coffee, Jin explained about the will.

      Mimi looked from the coffeepot to the blank wall above it.

      “It’s so unjust that your father is still in control,” Aaron piped in. “Even though you’ve been effectively helming the business for years.”

      Mimi kept her eyes focused on the wall. Aaron was right. Jin had completely taken over everything regarding the clothing label as Wei’s drinking and carousing got worse. It infuriated Mimi to hear that Wei had invented this disruptive will instead of simply bequeathing the company to Jin as was his due.

      And Jin marrying again? The mere thought of that was upsetting.

      “You didn’t know anything about the finances?” Aaron asked.

      “I didn’t have the information on how bad it was. We all know the last two collections didn’t fly. My father wasn’t on top of trends or fabrics or colors or much of anything, and still wouldn’t relinquish any final decisions to me. Even when he was only attending meetings via telecom he’d always shoot down my ideas.”

      “You were captaining a sinking ship,” Mimi said.

      “What did I go to business school for if he wouldn’t let me implement changes?”

      “You СКАЧАТЬ