“Kin-Mun?” Robyn gave him a coaxing grin.

“Uh… sure.” Kin-Mun searched through his bag for his wallet.

Robyn handed Lex the tattered flipcard listing the magazines. Lex barely glanced at them. “Golf.”

Kin-Mun gave her an adoringly confused look. “You don’t like playing golf.”

“I like keeping up with the sport. And I already have ESPN and Sports Illustrated.” She handed Robyn some cash.

Kin-Mun scanned the magazine listings with agonizing slowness. His methodical nature really annoyed her sometimes. Like now. Sometime this century…

“Entrepreneur.”

“You don’t invest.”

“I’d like to.” He handed Robyn the card and his money.

“Thanks, you guys.” Robyn finally left.

“So, Kin-Mun – ”

“Unca Kin-Mun!”

The screech came only a millisecond before a three-year-old hurtled in between them. Lex caught a flailing hand across her eyes. “Oof!”

A burning sensation crawled across her eyeballs. She squeezed her lids shut, and the pain radiated laterally to the corners. What did that brat – er, child have on his hands?

“Oh, buddy, your hands are all sticky.” Kin-Mun’s jovial voice spoke through Lex’s dark pain.

“Oh-jay.” The boy giggled like he’d made a joke worthy of Sesame Street.

Tears finally welled and gushed out. The burning eased. Lex rubbed at her eyes.

“Go back to Mommy.” Kin-Mun gave him a pat on his well-diapered bottom as the toddler stumbled away.

“So, Kin-Mun – ”

With a fluid motion, he hoisted his lanky frame to his feet. “You going out to eat with everybody?” He turned toward the door.

Kin-Mun didn’t even wait for her as he walked out. Lex swallowed her ire as she stood up, grabbed her bag, and followed behind him.

Well, at least he held the door open for her as they exited the gym.

Other players walked beside, in front, and behind them as they all made their way to the parking lot.

“Do you know where we’re going to eat tonight?” Kin-Mun dodged a branch that had fallen onto the sidewalk.

Lex shrugged. “Probably the usual.”

“I’m getting tired of Michael’s Diner.”

“Well, then convince some other restaurant to stay open past ten on a Monday night.” Didn’t they have this conversation every week?

When they reached his car, Lex shifted to stand closer to him as he unlocked his trunk. “So – ”

“Hey, Kin-Mun, did you catch the Giants’ game the other day?” One of his teammates jogged up, lugging his monstrous bag.

“No, I saw the highlights on SportsCenter. Did you?”

“Yeah, I have it saved on Tivo.”

“Hey, can you burn it onto a DVD for me?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.”

“See ya.” He and his bag lumbered off.

Lex wouldn’t be interrupted again. “Kin-Mun, go out on a date with me.” Oops, that sounded kinda like a threat.

Bushy eyebrows waggled upward, creasing his tanned forehead, reaching for his hairline. “What?”

“Um… would you like to go out on a date with me?”

“Date? Like in…”

“Date.”

“Well, we always hang out.”

“No, I mean, hang out like more than friends.” Man, she hated this kind of DTR stuff. Wait, was this a Define The Relationship discussion? Whoa. This was weird.

“Um…” Kin-Mun scratched the back of his head and looked down at the ground.

Okay, that was a bad sign, right? No immediate, Oh, that’s something I’ve never thought of before. Sure, let’s try it.

“Is that it? ‘Um’?”

“I like being just friends.”

Aaargh. “Nonono. Not acceptable.” Oops… did she say that out loud? Try again. “You’ve never thought of me as anything else? Not even considered it?”

“You’re like… a brother.”

“A brother? One of the guys?”

“Yeah.” He started to smile.

“What am I, genderless?” It came out just short of a screech. Grandma was not correct, she didn’t need bigger breasts to catch a man.

His smile flitted away. “No. You’re like… a sister. Yeah, a sister.”

Was she really not attractive – No, stop that thinking right there. Don’t be ridiculous. “But I’m not your sister.”

“Uh… no, I guess not.”

“So why would you think of me as a sister?”

“I dunno.”

Lex needed to hit the restart button on this entire conversation. “So why not give it a try?”

“What?”

“Dating.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

As Kin-Mun stood there, Lex could almost see his left-brain logic gears whirling. “Uh…”

“Give me a good reason.”

“Well…” He scratched his head again. “I guess.”

“Great!”

Kin-Mun jumped at her exuberance. His smile seemed a little pained. Maybe she had shouted too loud.

Now to make plans so he couldn’t change his mind. “I’ll email you. We can go out this Saturday night. You’re free, right?”

“Uh…” Gears whirling some more. “Yeah – ”

“Great! You can take me to FJL.”

Kin-Mun’s face brightened at the mention of his favorite Italian restaurant. “Okay.”

“I’ll make reservations. Pick me up at seven.”

“Okay.”

Lex walked away. That hadn’t been too bad. He had just needed a little prodding.

FOUR

Yes, I’ll hold.” Lex loosened her grip on the phone handset.

“Will you stop pacing? You’re making me nervous.”

Trish plopped on the orange-and-brown striped couch. “So, Kin Mun’s reluctance doesn’t bother you even a little bit?”

Trish’s knowing look put Lex’s back up, even as a small part of her whispered, He wasn’t that reluctant, was he? “Can we talk about this later? I’m on the phone.” Lex leaned back in the ancient La-Z-Boy and rested her elbow against the scarred oak side table.

“You’re not talking to anyone right now.”

“I’m not going to be distracted by you.”

“I don’t distract you.”

“You make me emotional, and I need to be pleasant and calm with Mr. Tomoyoshi.”

Trish rolled her eyes but shut up.

“Hello, Lex?”

Lex turned her attention to the phone. “Hi, Mr. Tomoyoshi.”

“Haven’t seen you in the restaurant in a while. How are you doing?” The kind, jovial voice matched Mr. Tomoyoshi’s wide girth and generous nature.

“I’m doing well.”

“Still playing volleyball?”

“Yup. In fact, I’m coaching – ”

“I still remember when your grandma brought you into the restaurant and you wouldn’t leave your volleyball in the car, and you ended up hitting it into your ramen noodles and splashing yourself.” He laughed.

“Heh. Heh. Yeah.” Was that the only memory Mr. Tomoyoshi had of her? He mentioned it every time she spoke to him. What about her graduation party in his Japanese restaurant? Or her dad’s yakudoshi birthday party? Or the numerous other times she went in there to eat and didn’t have a horribly embarassing mishap? “So, Mr.Tomoyoshi – ”

“How often do you see your grandma?”

“I just saw her at my cousin’s Red Egg and Ginger party.”

“Oh, Chester’s niece? That must have been nice.”

For the other guests there, maybe. “Yeah. Good food.” Not that she’d had any of it.

He chuckled. “You tell your grandma to have it in my restaurant instead next time.”

Hmm. Traditional Chinese party in a Japanese restaurant. She wasn’t quite seeing it. “Sure. You’ve got the best food.”

“Aw, thanks. You’re such a sweet girl.”

Lex grimaced at the “girl” remark. “I’m still coaching a junior high girls’ volleyball club team.”**

“Oh, good for you. Way to give back to the Asian community.”

Lex wouldn’t mention that most of her girls were from downtown San Jose. Well, a few of them were Asian. “I’m happy to do it. They’re the daughters of the women that my mom coached.”

“Ah, I miss your mom.”

Lex swallowed convulsively. “Yeah. So anyway – ”

“How’s your dad doing these days?”

“He’s good. He’s bowling a lot.”

“I see him every so often. He’s walking a little slower these days, you know?”

“Uh…” Actually, it didn’t seem that way, but Lex wasn’t about to argue with one of her elders, let alone a potential sponsor. “Sure.”