Queen Move

“Yeah,” she says. “We have limited summer programming.”

“Thank you again for managing so much, letting me focus on finishing the book,” Ezra says.

“You know I got you, Jack.” She tosses a napkin that bounces off his face. When we were in school, I was the thing they had in common, but now they obviously have their own relationship and she truly is part of his family.

She slurps a big spoonful of pho. “Mama Tran’s recipe?”

“Mama Tran?” I ask.

“Aiko’s mother,” Mona answers. “She makes the best pho I’ve ever tasted. By now, Ezra’s is a close second.”

The rich flavors all of a sudden rot in my mouth. The woman he was speaking Vietnamese with. She’s practically his mother-in-law. When I glance up, Ezra is watching. He knows me too well. I try to force a smile, but at every turn I’m reminded how deep his ties with Aiko go and how disruptive pursuing a relationship with me so soon may be.

I stand and pick up my bowl, only half the soup eaten, and walk into the kitchen. Dumping the rest down the garbage disposal, I lean against the counter and look around. Photos of the three of them are pinned to the refrigerator. Reminders are written on the chalkboard for Noah, half in English, half in Vietnamese. A decorative mug on a shelf reads “Best Mom Ever.”

I look up and Ezra’s standing there.

“You okay?” he asks, his voice low, private.

I’m captivated by the concern, by the emotion on his handsome face. Forget Mona. Who cares about Mama Tran’s pho recipe, and fuck that mug. Ezra’s mine. I’m his, and no one’s going to make me feel bad about it. I tip up onto my toes, weave my fingers into his hair and bring his head down for a kiss.

“Oh, good grief,” Mona says from behind us. “Am I gonna have to deal with this every time I enter a room from now on?”

“Yes,” Ezra says against my lips. “If I have my way.”

“It’s my way, too,” I whisper to him.

“All this smooching,” Mona says, rinsing out her bowl and loading it into the dishwasher. “You’ve come a long way since Jeremy. Wasn’t that the guy who was your first kiss at our middle school dance?”

“I was her first kiss,” Ezra says, pride in the smile he aims at our friend. “Shows how much you know.”

Mona’s mouth drops open. “You

two turds!”

We all laugh, and my phone rings. Piers.

“I need to take that,” I say, wiggling out of Ezra’s grip. “Hey, Piers. Thank you again for all you did today. I won’t forget it.”

“Oh, yeah.” He clears his throat. “That. Just doing my job. There’s some, uh, new developments.”

I frown. “It was good intel, right? Colson’s company—”

“Oh, yeah. The intel was accurate. I actually have more on him where that came from we can use when the time is right. No, there’s something else I need to discuss with you.”

I glance over at Ezra, who I can tell is barely listening to Mona. He keeps looking over at me, every glance a simmering flame I can’t wait to turn up all the way once Mona leaves.

“Maybe we can talk about it Monday,” I say, my eyes locking with Ezra’s in an unspoken, but absolutely clear message. “I think I’m busy tonight.”

Ezra nods in decisive agreement.

“Okay,” Piers says. “But I think you’ll want to hear what else I’ve learned.”

I force myself to focus, dragging my gaze from Ezra’s tall frame. “More dirt?”

“Uh, yeah. You could say that. It’s…well, it’s dirt, yes.”

“You can give me all you got on Colson on Monday, Piers.”