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Taking a moment to collect myself, I breathe deeply, finding clarity in silence. When I speak next, I shift the focus. “Mom, diving back into comedy is incredible. You’re truly my inspiration.” Then I turn to my dad. “And Dad, retiring to embark on this new adventure with Mom is fantastic. You’ve always been her biggest supporter, even organizing stand-up sessions for your patients. That was amazing!”
My mom, catching on to my tactic, leans forward with a playful accusation. “Oh, so we’re switching topics now?”
I can’t help but grimace. “Was it that obvious?”
“Painfully,” she teases. “I taught you to be smoother than that,” she adds with a wink.
I can’t help but laugh, conceding with a playful groan as I go back to my beef stroganoff. “Fine, I admit it. There’s something going on with Randy. But I’m dealing with it.”
My admission prompts a silent exchange between my parents—a nod from Mom, returned by Dad—signaling their unified support, no matter the topic at hand.
“Whatever’s clever,” my mom quips with a gentle smile.
“And Gina,” my dad interjects, drawing our attention with his serious tone—a natural command that silences the room. “You are a unique kind of woman, exactly what your mother and I hoped for. You’re not someone who can be easily understood. And trust me, Randy is both fascinated and frustrated by that fact.” He then looks lovingly at my mom. “The challenge and reward of loving a truly remarkable woman is one of the greatest joys of my life.”
Mom responds by blowing him a kiss. “Likewise.”
They share a moment of silent communication, their affection evident. Then, shifting his gaze back to me, my dad continues. “All right. Now that we’ve addressed that, let me share the plans for our first podcast episode and how you can be involved.”
Chapter 7
The Right Ask
Gina
“Am I really using too much flour and causing trouble for Calypso?” I ask Kai while we’re busy with the baking.
He laughs. “No way!” He has to raise his voice a bit over the loud mixer. “Is Randy the one making you worry about this?”
“Yes!” It’s such a relief that he figured out the problem right away—it’s Randy. Finally, someone gets what I’ve been going through. “He’s always on my case.”
Kai turns off the mixer, giving us some peace, and I follow him around the kitchen like an eager puppy. Kai’s always on the move, never in one place for too long. “He’s got a crush on you, Gina. Bugging you is just his weird way of trying to get your attention.”
“What?” My voice pitches high in surprise as I lean over Kai, who’s stooping to grab a melting pot. “You know, Sarah said the same thing recently. But I’m not convinced, especially not now.”
Kai, busy with his task, laments the absence of a tempering machine for melting chocolate, noting how much easier and quicker it would make the process. “All Steve needs to do is get one. It wouldn’t cost much, all things considered…” He trails off, focusing on measuring chocolate into the pot before looking up at me. “What did you mean by ‘especially now’?”
“Are you making the chocolate Ceylon cinnamon rolls?” I ask.
“Yep,” he responds, dropping unsweetened chocolate wafers into the pot.
I move toward the metal racks to fetch the glass bin of walnuts. “I’ll roast the nuts.”
“Thanks,” he says.
“But to answer your last question, Randy was on a date Friday night. He’s seeing someone.” Admitting this out loud feels like taking a punch to the gut.
Kai takes a rare break, narrowing an eye to regard me thoughtfully. “Humph,” he finally says.
“Humph?” I echo, desperately wanting to know what he means.
“Yeah, humph,” he repeats.
“Okay…”
“Randy doesn’t date,” he says, sounding sure of himself as he starts stirring the melting chocolate.
Puzzled and a bit unsettled by Kai’s assertion, I can’t help but frown. I know he must be mistaken; after all, I’ve witnessed Randy on a date myself. Yet Kai’s confidence almost makes me believe him. “Why do you say that?” I press.
