Page 6 of Nothing Heals Me Like You Do
“That’s a fairly accurate description of me.” It was easy to respond to Sienna’s smile in kind.
Sienna’s full laugh was even more delightful. Justine could relax more around her because Sienna wasn’t the actor playing her and she didn’t make her feel as though she was trying to pick at all the scars on her soul. Additionally, Sienna was starting to remind her of Rochelle in more ways than one. She was easygoing, had a gorgeous smile, and a certain look in her eyes that was hard to not get sucked into.
“I’m starving,” Justine said. “Do you want to grab some dinner?”
Sienna’s thick eyebrows arched all the way up. Was that a hint of panic in her eyes?
“Not here,” Justine reassured her. “Although there’s nothing wrong with our food.”
“I would love to,” Sienna said, and freely gave away another one of her sunny smiles.
Justine walked them to a small Korean restaurant a few blocks away from the Rainbow Shelter. When they arrived there was a queue of hipsters waiting to get in, but Justine didn’t seem to notice. She marched to the door as though it was her God-given right and the maitre d’, a Korean woman of about the same age as Sienna, she guessed, hugged Justine as though she were a family member she hadn’t seen in far too long.
Being Bobby Bright’s daughter, Sienna had witnessed many times the kind of magic maitre d’s can perform when it comes to conjuring up a table. The woman had the same trick up her sleeve. In no time, a small table was set up for the two of them, tucked away in a discreet corner of the restaurant, as though they were Hollywood royalty and their privacy was of the utmost importance.
“I’m impressed.” Sienna leaned back in her seat and examined Justine’s face.
“My job does come with certain perks, like lifelong gratitude from kids who have done extremely well for themselves against all the odds.” She nodded in the direction of the maitre d’. “Min-ji came to us when she was seventeen. Together with the LGBT Center, we were able to get her a scholarship for the Culinary Institute, and now her restaurant is the toast of the town.” Justine smiled the biggest smile Sienna had seen on her so far. “She always has a table for me.”
“It’s a bit like going to dinner with my dad,” Sienna blurted out.
“The great Bobby Bright.” Justine pursed her lips. “What was it like growing up in his shadow?”
Without having taken any orders, a server arrived at their table with water, bottles of beer, and a divine-smelling Korean pancake.
“Now I really do feel like a princess,” Sienna said.
“You must be used to this.” There was no sarcasm in Justine’s tone, only curiosity.
“My parents divorced when I was five. I’m not close with my father. My mom and stepdad raised my sister and me.” Sienna picked up the bottle of beer and studied the label. “To put it bluntly, I could call my father up right now and ask for a hundred thousand dollars and it would be in my account immediately, as long as I don’t ask him to talk about my feelings, let alone his.”
Justine whistled through her teeth. “A hundred thousand bucks?” Her eyes went wide. “Please, do give him a call with my and the shelter’s regards.”
“Maybe I will.” Sienna sipped from her beer. It was ice cold and wonderfully crisp.
“That was a joke, just to be clear, and one in pretty poor taste.” For the first time since they’d met, Justine looked a touch uneasy. “How did Bobby react to you being queer?”
“As far as I know, he doesn’t care who I fall in love with.”
“As far as you know?”
Sienna shrugged. “As I said, we’re not close. I see him maybe once a month. Less if he’s abroad shooting or doing promo. I’m much closer to Eddy, my stepdad.”
More food was brought to the table. Sienna hadn’t even tried the pancake yet. She picked up a piece with her chopsticks and dipped it in the accompanying sauce. The piece of pancake slipped off and landed squarely in the middle of the dipping sauce.
“Oops.” She grinned at Justine. “I’m usually more dexterous than this.”
Quick as a flash, Justine fished the piece of pancake from the sauce with her chopsticks and held it in front of Sienna’s mouth.
“There’s nothing wrong with being a bit messy.” She gazed into Sienna’s eyes. “It’s always the least of my worries, so here you go.”
Sienna narrowed her eyes, then held up her plate so Justine could drop the piece of pancake on it. She wasn’t going to eat it from Justine’s chopsticks. Sienna considered herself way too cool for that.
“Thanks.” As she successfully navigated the food to her mouth, she wondered what had just happened. The energy had somehow shifted. Then Sienna actually tasted the delicacy put in front of her. “Oh my,” she exclaimed. “It’s out of this world.”
“I thought you’d like it.” Justine pointed at another dish with the tip of her chopsticks. “Try the bulgogi. It’s to die for.”
Sienna focused on the delicious food while she adjusted to the sudden change in temperature. It was as though, after only a few sips of Korean beer, the weight that Justine seemed to carry around on her shoulders all day, had slipped off. It wasn’t an entirely different woman sitting across from Sienna, but Justine looked a lot more relaxed. Sienna chalked it up to the hearty welcome they’d received at the restaurant and the amazing dishes they were treated to.
