“I just want to know,” Pearl protested. “This is important. Maybe she’s in love with him.” Her gaze swivelled back to Toni, as penetrating as a laser. “Well? Are you?”
Taking a deep breath, Toni set down her fork. “I really don’t want to answer that question.”
“Why not?” her mother persisted. “You know Dion all your life. You know him better than anyone else. Why not marry him?”
Toni gripped her fork so hard her knuckles cracked. “I’m not going to marry someone just because I’ve known him all my life.”
“Of course not. That’s silly, but there’s more between you two. I think you two make a good match. You balance each other.” She cocked her head to one side, eyeing Toni speculatively. “Yes, you and Dion make good pair.”
“No.” Kai banged his hand on the table. A couple at a nearby table lifted their heads, curious about the commotion, but Toni’s parents were too engrossed to notice.
Pearl set her mouth in a stubborn line. “No?”
“Stop your match-making. You so anxious for her to marry again. Why? She’s still young, got plenty of time.”
“You don’t care about our daughter like I do.” She bristled, hair quivering as she hunched up her shoulders. “You don’t remember when she got divorced? How sad she was? I do. I feel it right here.” She thumped the centre of her bosom. “I want her to be happy again. That’s all I want.”
“You won’t make her happy by nagging her to marry Dion.”
Pearl’s freshly plucked eyebrows shot up, disappearing beneath her curls. “Nagging! I’m not nagging. She already sleep with Dion. I didn’t tell her to do that! She did that all by herself.”
Toni kneaded her temples where an almighty headache was brewing. “Mum, Dad, please stop this,” she protested, but they took no notice of her.
Kai’s lips worked up and down as he glowered at his wife. Never one to raise his voice, especially not in public, his tone was deliberate and forceful as he retorted, “Just because she sleep with him one night doesn’t mean she wants to stay with him permanently. What is she going to do in Piper Bay? She worked hard for her degree and her CPA. She can have good career in Sydney. That’s what makes her happy. Not chasing after another man.”
He took a deep breath, clearly forcing his hands to relax. His initial anger had blown over, and his eyes were less harsh as he looked at Toni. “I understand you feel lonely after your divorce. You want some comforting, and Dion is a good friend, nice boy, always looking out for you. But you must be careful what you do to him. Dion struggle hard to get where he is now. Don’t mess it up for him. And don’t hide yourself here. You go back to Sydney, find good job, stand on your own two feet. That’s the only way you’ll be happy again.”
Her chest felt as if it would cave in. “Dad?” She blinked at him, the back of her throat stinging. “You want me to go away?”
Just for a second his chin trembled before he pressed his lips together. “You my daughter. I don’t want you to go away but I think it’s better for you, and for Dion.”
She glanced at her mother. “Mum?” Surely she would protest?
“I don’t know …” Pearl fretted with a napkin, her gaze darting between her daughter and her husband. “If you love Dion then stay, but maybe your father is right. If you not serious then don’t make things worse for him.”
Toni pushed her barely touched plate of food away. “Huh, so much for parental support. I can’t do anything without you two criticising my every move.” That wasn’t true, but she was too worked up to care. “I’m not sixteen any more. I don’t need your permission for anything. I can make my own decisions. I can sleep with as many men as I like.” As her mother winced, she added for good measure, “Hell, two men at the same time if I’m inclined. And whatever’s going on between me and Dion is no-one’s business except ours, so I’d appreciate it if you respected our privacy.” She folded her arms across her chest in an effort to conceal the trembling in her hands.
Instead of exploding at her, as she’d half-feared, her parents exchanged doubting looks across the table. Her mother scrunched up her napkin, then proceeded to rearrange her cutlery, her fingers restlessly darting about. In contrast, her father ponderously dabbed at his mouth, straightened the cuffs of his shirt, rested his fists on the table, and finally exhaled a long sigh.
“Yes, you’re an adult and so is Dion, but remember, to us you will always be our children and we must give you advice, even if you don’t want it. I don’t want to argue with you, especially on your birthday. I won’t say anything more, okay?”
“Okay, Dad,” she replied huskily.
True to his word, for the rest of the meal her father didn’t return to the subject and her mother followed suit, but Toni could only pretend to enjoy her birthday lunch. It seemed unfair that just one night with Dion could snowball into so many complications, but she couldn’t avoid them, and neither could Dion. She was a grownup capable of making her own decisions, she’d insisted to her parents. She’d made the wrong decision marrying Nick but the right one leaving him. Could she get the next decision right too?
The front of the Happy Palace was deserted, but she knew the kitchen would be buzzing with preparations. Afternoon heat shimmered off the pavement as she walked round to the rear of the building. Several cars were parked there, including Dion’s SUV. The back door of the restaurant stood open. Waves of heat and cooking aromas greeted her as she entered the kitchen. Gary stood at a bench, chopping up a mountain of onions. He glanced up as she walked in and she waved at him.
“Hi Gary.”
“Hi.” He grinned at her, his face flushed to the hairline. “Hot enough for ya?”
Dion walked in from the store room and paused as he caught sight of her. “Hey, chuckle berry.” He dumped the tray of cucumbers he was carrying onto a nearby table and strode towards her, his whole face lighting up.
She gave him a nervous smile. “Hi, hope I haven’t come at a bad time.”
“Nah, we’re only about an hour behind schedule. Not a bad time at all.” His fingers curled around her wrist, tugging her towards him. “Did you have a good time in Newcastle? Got yourself all primped up?” He lifted her hand to examine her manicured fingernails. “Nice colour.”
The warm roughness of his fingers distracted her thoughts. “It’s watermelon red,” she replied and then wondered at her inanity.
“Delicious. Come upstairs, I want to show you something.”
She allowed him to lead her up the stairs, hyperaware of the hairs of his arm brushing against her sensitised skin. The room above the restaurant was normally used to store excess furniture or tins of oil, but now it had been transformed into a private dining room. The walls were freshly painted, the floor sanded and polished, the tables and chairs brand new. There were modern couches, coffee tables, and a stereo system, all providing an airy and relaxing space for a private party. In the centre of the room a table was already laid for five.
“For your birthday dinner this evening,” Dion said. “I thought it would be nicer to have your table up here than downstairs with all the other diners.”
Her throat tightened at his thoughtfulness. “Thanks, Dion. You think of everything, and I know how busy you are …”
“Not so busy I haven’t been thinking of you all day.” He pressed his hands to her waist, his grip light yet possessive. “I’ve come up with a special menu for you tonight, and the piece de resistance is dessert.” He brushed his lips against her cheek. “But it’ll be a very private dessert back at my house. Just the two of us.”
The lure of his body was too much. She slid her hands over his chef’s whites, admiring how the jacket accentuated his shoulders. Closing her eyes, she breathed in his scent. At the moment he smelled of onions. Strange how sexy onions could smell if the aroma was on the right body.
His lips inched towards her mouth. “Sweetie, I can’t wait to get you alone tonight.”
The raggedness in his voice almost dragged her under but just in time she snapped back to reality. Bracing her palms against his chest, she wedged a little distance between them.
“Dion, I’ve been thinking.”
He gazed down at her, his chocolate eyes growing wary. “Hmm, this doesn’t sound too good.”
“I think we got too carried away last night.” She took a deep breath and plunged on, “My dad saw me sneaking into my bedroom this morning, and Uncle Shen told him about you oversleeping and missing the fish market, and now my parents know about us, and I’m so sorry, Dion. I never meant to cause you so much trouble. I didn’t–”
“Wait a minute.” His fingers gripped her waist tighter. “Let me get this straight. Your parents know you slept with me last night and now they’re blaming you for me not waking up in time?” She nodded. “That’s bloody ridiculous!” He let go of her to wipe the back of his hand across his upper lip. “How typical of my dad to run around trumpeting my faults.”