True To You (Taking Chances #2) (5 page)

Ben flipped open her visor and drew in a breath. Melanie’s big brown eyes peered back at him, tugging at his heart so hard that he had to restrain himself from touching the rounded tip of her nose. There was no doubt about it; he was already captivated by this woman. “You look perfect. Here, let me help you with that.” He looped the helmet’s black strap through the buckle and pulled it taut under her chin.

“Thanks.” Melanie took in a deep breath to calm her racing heart and got a whiff of fresh soap mixed with spicy aftershave. The scent was so welcoming and warm compared to the sterile, antiseptic smell of the hospital that she was around day in and day out.
I could get used to this… oh, but I really can’t. What am I thinking? This is Billie’s teacher, and he’s just doing me a favor.
She shut the visor before her nose led her further astray. “What now?”

“All right. Let me get on first and then it’ll be your turn. Just swing your leg over as best as you can,” he stated as he placed his helmet on his head and tightened the strap. He reached down and lowered the foot pegs on either side. Standing back up, he pointed towards the rear of the bike. “Be careful when you get off that you don’t burn your legs on the exhaust pipes.” Then grabbing both handlebars, he lifted the kickstand up with his foot and hopped on. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Melanie slowly climbed on and attempted to tuck her skirt down around her legs. She placed her feet on the foot pegs, grateful for the rubber covering them which provided traction for her heels. “Okay, I’m on. Anything I should know before we start?”

Ben spoke over his shoulder, his voice raised to allow himself to be heard through the helmet. “The only thing you need to focus on is balancing. Just sit up straight and lean into the turns. Look over my right shoulder when we make a right and my left when we go left.”

“Got it.” Melanie bit her lower lip as she realized how closely they sat. Any bumps in the road would likely propel her even closer to Ben. How could she stay steady? “I assume I’m supposed to hold on to something?”

Ben reached back for both of her hands and brought them together in front of his waist. “Just hold onto me like this. Don’t worry, I’m not ticklish.”

“Good to know,” she replied, swallowing hard as the gap between them closed. What she really wanted to know was how it was possible for a high school math teacher to have such firm abdominal muscles? She was grateful the helmet hid her cheeks, which were growing hotter by the second. She wondered if he could feel her heart pounding as she hugged his back. The sooner they reached their destination, the better. “So, where are we going?”

“How do you feel about burgers? There’s a great place two blocks from here.”

“Are you talking about The Grill? Sure, I love their onion rings.”

“Great. Burgers it is.” Ben turned on the engine and they cruised out of the parking lot.

The local streets were clear of traffic, but he purposely drove under the speed limit to allow for a smoother ride. Truth be told, he didn’t mind taking it slow if it meant he could enjoy the feel of Melanie’s arms wrapped around him for a few more minutes. He especially enjoyed the moments when she squeezed him tighter when they turned.

All too soon, they arrived at an old fashioned looking diner and parked. Melanie disembarked first, followed by Ben, and they both removed their helmets.

“That was amazing!” Melanie exclaimed as she shook out her long black locks. “It almost felt like we were flying.”

Ben’s dimples flashed as he smiled. “It’s exhilarating, isn’t it? You’re a natural, too, with the way you leaned into those turns.”

“I just did what you said,” she replied with a shrug. “You taught me well.”

“You’re too kind.” His voice took on a playful tone. “Something tells me there’s an adventurous side to you yet. It takes a bit of letting go to enjoy a bike ride like you did. You weren’t stiff at all.”

Adventurous? Letting go? Had anyone ever described her in those terms? Certainly not in the past few years. But Ben’s words seemed to resonate within her heart. “Maybe there is an adventurous spirit buried deep down inside of me. I guess it just needed the right opportunity to come out.”

“Then you’ve come to the right guy.” Ben took the helmet from her and placed it back into the trunk. “We’ll take the scenic route on the way home so you can fly some more.”

A giddiness rose up in Melanie’s chest as she contemplated another chance to sit with her arms wrapped around Ben. “Sure, I’d like that.”

“All right. I don’t know about you, but I’m starved.” He carried his own helmet under one arm, then gestured for them to go. “Let’s eat.”

They entered the restaurant and were led to a booth in the corner of the room. Melanie sat down first, followed by Ben who slid in beside her. After a few minutes of perusing the menu, they placed their order.

“I need to make a call if you don’t mind,” Ben told Melanie as the server brought over two glasses of water. “Just to let my sister know I’ll be home later than expected.”

“Of course.”

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed. “Hey, Ash. I’m eating dinner with a friend, so I’ll be home a little late.” He paused. “Back to School Night went well. We had a good turnout.” Another pause. “Yes, it’s a female friend. I’ll tell you more when I get home, okay? Love you, bye.” He hung up and put the phone away.

Melanie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing. You and your sister must be close. I don’t think I’ve ever said the “L word” to Sam or Billie before.” She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had said it to her either, at least not since she had left Hong Kong.

“Well, I think life’s too short to not tell people how important they are to you. How do you show your sisters you care if you don’t say it?”

“I do all my big sister duties. I help them with their schoolwork and watch out for them, you know, keep them out of trouble. I go to their school events when my parents can’t. In my family, that’s how we show each other we care, through our actions.”

“Those are good things to do, no doubt, but it’s nice to hear the “L word”, too. You can never say it too much. People don’t get tired of hearing it either. Ash and I always exchange “I love you’s” at the end of our phone calls. It’s something we picked up from our parents.”

“It sounds like a good family tradition to have.” She took a sip of her water. “Did you say your sister’s name is Ash? That wouldn’t be short for Ashton, would it? Sam is always talking about how cute Ashton Kutcher is.”

“No, as much as my sister likes
That ‘70s Show
, she wouldn’t have wanted to be named after a boy. It’s short for Ashlynn. She’s named after my grandparents on my mom’s side; my grandfather was called Ash and my grandmother, Lynn.”

She blinked in surprise. “What a meaningful name. What about you? Were you named after any relatives?”

“My dad and his dad and his dad. It goes back as far as our family can remember.”

“Really? Your family has some great traditions. But what would have happened if there had been no sons?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. We haven’t faced that situation yet. I suppose it would skip a generation. I wouldn’t want my daughter, if I were to have one, to be mistaken for a boy whenever her teacher did roll call.”

“I know what you mean. I’m sure you thought Billie was a boy before you met her.”

“The thought did cross my mind. But the way her name is spelled, it could be a name of either gender.” He paused. “Out of curiosity, is Sammie’s spelled with an “ie”, too?”

“Yes, it is. This will sound crazy, but my mother wanted them to be given male names. That was the solution she came up with to compensate for my family’s lack of Y chromosomes. But I made sure that when we came to America, both their names were spelled in a way that was more feminine.”

“Wow, I had heard about gender inequality in Asian countries, but giving a girl a boy’s name sounds a bit… extreme. How did you manage to get a girl’s name?”

“Fortunately, by the time we immigrated I was old enough to choose my own. So I named myself after a character from one of my favorite movies,
Gone with the Wind
.”

“Scarlett O’Hara’s sister-in-law.”

One side of Melanie’s mouth lifted in amusement. “That’s right. How did you know?”

“My mom loved that movie. She thought Melanie Hamilton was a classy woman, someone who was smart and sensible and giving.”

“She was brave, too. I admired how she volunteered as a nurse and didn’t let the horrible things she saw prevent her from helping people. Watching her character confirmed to me that I should study medicine.”

“That’s funny because watching that movie with its war scenes confirmed to me that I should stay as far away as possible from the medical field,” he confided with a chuckle. “I admire people like you who have stomachs of steel.”

“You don’t like blood either?” she marveled.

“Guilty as charged.” He held up his palms in chagrin. “But that’s the extent of my phobias. I’m not as wimpy as I sound, honestly.”

“I believe you,” she assured him with a grin. “Any guy who is brave enough to buy feminine products is definitely not a wimp.”

“You’ve got a good point there, though I don’t know if I’d go around advertising that fact.”

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

Their eyes locked for a few seconds before they noticed the smell of grease wafting between them. They looked up and realized their server was watching them with an amused grin. The older woman set their plates of burgers and onion rings on the table and walked away.

“The food’s here,” Melanie noted with a sheepish smile.

“Let’s toast before we dig in,” Ben announced as he raised his glass of water. “To chance meetings and second chances.”

Melanie returned his smile and gave a quick prayer of thanks to God for arranging everything so perfectly. She raised her glass of water and clinked it with his. “Amen to that. Cheers.”

They both started in on their food, allowing a comfortable silence to settle over them.

“How’s the burger?” Ben asked as he popped an onion ring into his mouth.

“It’s perfect. Just how I wanted it, slightly pink in the middle. How about yours?”

“Good. But I think it would taste even better with a soda,” he said as flagged down their server. “One Coke, please.” Turning to Melanie, he asked, “Would you like one?”

“No, I’m good, thanks.”

“Are you sure? It’ll help wash down the grease,” he replied with a chuckle.

“I’m fine with water,” she insisted to the server before she walked away.

“Is it a health thing? Do doctors not drink soda?”

“No, believe me we do, especially when we get tired of drinking coffee. It’s just that I’m used to drinking water when I eat out. I’ve got it ingrained in my head how overpriced soda is, even with free refills. A customer pays $1.99 for a glass, but it only costs the restaurant $0.16 to buy it. That’s a markup of more than-”

“One thousand… 1250 percent,” Ben added with thoughtful nod.

“Wow, you’re a human calculator.”

“It was an educated guess.” He turned to thank the server who placed a glass of caramel colored liquid before him, which he gulped down with gusto. “That hit the spot. It may be overpriced, but I think it’s worth every penny.”

“That’s why restaurants are happy to have customers like you. You keep them in business,” she remarked as she picked up an onion ring and stuck it in her mouth.

“Is that right?”

“According to my parents, yes. They would know because they own one.”

“They do? Where at?”

“Downtown Mountain View on Castro Street. It’s a Cantonese cafe called Koo’s Kitchen. They were short-staffed tonight, that’s why they couldn’t make it to school.”

“I’ll have to check it out. Did you know Chinese food is my favorite?”

“Really? Even the authentic stuff? I bet you haven’t had chicken feet or jellyfish before.”

A look of disbelief registered on Ben’s face and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. “Okay, you got me there. I have tried neither one of those. But I’m going to add it to my bucket list. Number twenty-one: Try authentic Chinese food.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Let’s make it our next date then.”

Melanie raised an eyebrow. “Feeling bold, are you?”

“Are you talking about trying new food or asking you out again?”

His laughter rang out, but it was cut short by a middle aged Chinese woman who walked up to their booth. She peered at them over her black rimmed glasses and asked, “Melanie-ah? Who is this?”

“Auntie Wong!” Melanie managed to blurt out through a mouth full of food. She swallowed quickly and stood up to greet her mother’s curious friend. “This is, uh, Billie’s teacher, Mr. Peters. Ma and Ba are working tonight so I’m meeting with him.” Turning to Ben, she explained, “This is a friend of my mother’s, Mrs. Wong.”

“Oh… you’re talking about school? Very good.” She turned to Ben with an enthusiastic smile. “Her sister is hard worker. Smart girl.”

Ben stood up and reached out his hand to Mrs. Wong. “Nice to meet you. Yes, Billie is doing well in math.” He gestured to the booth. “Would you like to join us?”

Mrs. Wong shook her head adamantly. “No, thank you, I’m here with family. They are over there.”

Melanie waved to the customers sitting at the booth across the room. “Please say hello to Uncle Wong for me.”

Narrowing her eyes, she looked Melanie up and down with critical eyes. “Don’t eat too much fried food or you’ll get pimples. Tell your mom I reserved the church. I’ll call her tomorrow to talk details.”

“Oh, okay, thank you. I’ll let her know.” She sat down in relief when Auntie Wong left their table, grateful to have avoided further conversation.
What was that saying again? Oh yes, I definitely avoided a bullet.
Now was certainly not the time to tell Ben about her soon-to-be canceled wedding plans.

Ben shook his head as he took a seat. “Seems like you’re not the only one who gives unsolicited advice. Is she a doctor, too?”

“No, she’s just a well-intentioned Asian auntie. They’re known for speaking their minds. You learn to filter out most of the things they say and believe they mean well.”