Short Soup by Coleen Kwan Read Free Book Online Page B

jealous.
    Dion leaned over and pecked Melissa on the cheek. “Gotta run. I’ll leave things to you.” He walked off without saying anything further to Toni.
    Toni’s cheeks ached as she stretched her lips into a wide smile for Melissa’s benefit. “Looks like you’ll be busy tonight,” she said noncommittally.
    Melissa gave her a friendly nod. “I hear you and Dion are practically brother and sister.”
    Taken aback, Toni blurted out, “Oh, no, not that close.” Surely Dion hadn’t described their relationship like that ?
    Melissa’s smile grew a little confused. “Well, what a cute dress you’re wearing. It’s adorable.”
    “Thanks.” Toni eyed Melissa’s silver sheath dress, red skyscraper stilettos, and chunky silver collar. She wouldn’t be out of place on a Vogue cover. “You look nice too,” she added lamely.
    “I try.” Melissa’s teeth dazzled as she flicked back her hair. “Oh well, I’ll speak to you later.”
    Toni joined her parents and the Chans at the table they’d chosen.
    Dion’s mother leaned towards her. “I see you talking to Melissa.”
    Toni nodded and couldn’t help asking, “Did she and Dion, you know, go out together?”
    Queenie nodded. “Last year, but not any more.”
    “I like her,” Dion’s dad chipped in. “She’s smart. She and Dion get on well.”
    Pursing her lips, Queenie shook her head at Kai. “Dion get on with everyone. Even ex-girlfriends.”
    That was true. For all the many girlfriends he’d had, Dion managed to stay on good terms with them after the inevitable breakup.
    “Why can’t he stick with one girl?” Dion’s dad continued. “He’s twenty-seven already. Time he picked a girl and settled down.”
    “Wah, you expect too much from him!” Queenie exclaimed in Cantonese. “You want him to succeed here, you want him to chose a girl and get married. He can’t do it all. Sometimes it’s difficult to find the right girl. Better he takes his time than choose the wrong wife and regret it later.” Stopping short, she threw an apologetic glance at Toni. “Sorry, but you know what I mean.”
    Toni was saved from answering by the arrival of the first dishes. The others oohed and aahed at the unusual appetisers, but though the food looked delicious Toni was distracted. She couldn’t stop eyeing Melissa who wafted from table to table, chatting to guests about the food, refilling glasses, and directing the waiters. The woman appeared to be good at her job and she was attractive and friendly, Toni conceded. She could see why Dion would be drawn to her. But he wasn’t any more, was he? That peck on the cheek he’d given Melissa had definitely been platonic. Maybe Melissa still had a “thing” for him but the feeling wasn’t reciprocated. Toni grimaced. Since when had she become so interested in Dion’s love life? He’d seldom discussed his girlfriends with her. He could have, but he hadn’t, and she’d never asked. And she wasn’t about to start asking now. It was none of her business.
    “Try this.” Her mother slipped a quail’s egg into her bowl. “Very tasty.”
    She sampled the egg, and then the other appetisers. The fresh, zingy flavours took her by surprise, distracting her from Melissa. Around them everyone was nodding and looking pleased, and as the next courses were served, the buzz of anticipation rose higher.
    “Ah, wonton!” Pearl leaned forward in anticipation. “Let’s see if they good as mine.”
    Toni bit into her wonton. The wrapper was silky smooth, the filling a spicy mix of pork, prawn and bamboo shoots. Eaten with the accompanying clear chicken broth, the dish was sublime, and, Toni had to concede, better than her mother’s. Not that she could ever admit that.
    “Not bad,” she said as Pearl waited for her opinion.
    “Better than not bad. He put in something different.” Pearl made a few sucking noises with her tongue. “What is it? I must ask him.”
    It was quite a while later before they saw Dion.