The Switch: A Friends To Lovers Romance Read online

  He parked in front of the tinted doors and stumbled up the steps, almost losing his shoe in the process. He tore inside and checked his watch, his chest heaving and his breath harried.

  Ten minutes. He’d made it.

  Luke felt the air turn tense. He lifted his head and glanced around, jumping back when he noticed the customers staring warily at him. Certain that he looked insane, Luke skirted their tables and jogged to the kitchen.

  He poked his head through the door. Uncle Eddie had his back to him. He was banging plates and pots around on the large, industrial stove. Thin smoke rose from the steamer they used to make dumplings. The scent of frying fish lingered in the air.

  Luke opened his mouth to greet his uncle when Eddie spoke. “We’ve got orders.”

  How did Eddie know he was there? He hadn’t even turned around.

  As if summoned by his thoughts, his uncle swiveled and pinned him with a hard stare. “Are you deaf? Go!”

  Luke jumped into action and snatched the tickets pinned to the wheel near the kitchen. He memorized the orders and headed outside to the blenders where he filled them.

  He made all the frozen drinks and waited tables, shipping orders to and from the kitchen. The room soon buzzed with the chatter of happy customers.

  Luke worked in a slight daze. He was used to the lunch rush, but found himself getting orders mixed up and making rookie mistakes. Thankfully, he was able to rectify all the orders and finished out the hour with no major errors.

  When the customers returned to their workplaces and the tables cleared, Luke cleaned up. The sunshine sparkled over the tables left with filthy napkins and soiled chopsticks.

  He stacked the coffee mugs and empty plates on a tray and carried them to the kitchen where he tossed them into the sink.

  The silence was heavy. Luke bent backwards as he tried to spy into the kitchen through the metal shelves separating the two rooms. Uncle Eddie was nowhere to be seen.

  He eventually gave up and grabbed the nearest plate to start scrubbing. Something told him that seeking Uncle Eddie out before he was ready to talk would be a bad idea.

  While he washed, Luke struggled to understand his uncle’s motivation for inviting him back to work.

  Had he called him over because he hadn’t been able to find a replacement under such short notice? Would Luke be forced to work until Eddie hired some other guy?

  Ashanti would be outraged to hear that he was working when he’d already been kicked out, but Luke didn’t mind. Even if it was just for a few more days, he wanted to linger in the café.

  There was nothing he enjoyed more than brewing coffee. Luke had spent hours tinkering with the menu for both the drinks and the food.

  Cooking was Uncle Eddie’s forte, but Luke wasn’t too shabby either. On his off time, he experimented with Caribbean and Chinese cuisine. It was more than a hobby. Creating fusion dishes honored the cultures that represented who he was.

  His parents had been disappointed when Luke chose not to find a job at a fancy firm with the accounting degree they’d paid for.

  He had been miserable, wondering if he’d have to work a nine to five office job for the rest of his life.

  Uncle Eddie had been his hero. He stepped in and offered an opportunity to do what he loved, even if running the café meant putting in more hours.

  No matter how things shaped out with his parents, Luke would repay his uncle in any way possible.

  The kitchen door opened with a creak. Luke straightened and rinsed the plate he had just washed, stacking it in the drainer. His uncle’s footsteps echoed like Garifuna drums. His heart thudded in response.

  Eddie cleared his throat. “Let’s talk.”

  “Yes, sir.” Luke let the plate drop back into the soapy water and followed his uncle to a table in the middle of the room.

  Eddie pointed. “Sit.”

  Luke did.

  Eddie waddled to the door and changed the sign from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’. Luke’s eyes widened. His uncle never closed the store during working hours.

  Last year, Eddie fainted in the kitchen and had to be carted away in an ambulance. Even then, he clawed the oxygen mask off his face just to instruct Luke to stay at the café and take drink orders.

  “What’s going on?” Luke whispered nervously. His gaze darted to his uncle’s hands. “You’re not going to kill me, are you?”

  Uncle Eddie gave him a hard stare that said he was considering murder now. “Be quiet. Just listen.”

  Luke clamped his lips shut and nodded.

  “A long time ago, I was engaged to be married.”

  Luke’s jaw fell.

  “It was arranged by our elders. My father wanted to align our families with the descendants of nobles. I was the only son, thus I was their only hope.” He stared through the windows as if seeing the past play out in front of him. “But a few weeks before my wedding, I met another woman.”

  “Who was she?”

  “She was a simple cloth maker. Her parents worked in a factory in a small, unknown province. She had little money, no education and definitely no noble blood.”

  “Did you introduce her to the family?”

  He nodded. “I told my father I would call off my engagement and marry her instead. He rejected me and cut me off. He tried his best to change my mind, but nothing he did shook my love for her. Eventually, I asked her to marry me.”

  Luke leaned in, eager to hear what his uncle’s lover had said. As far as he knew, Eddie had been a bachelor all his life.

  “She told me no. That she could never be happy if I gave up everything to be with her. I begged her not to worry. Told her she was all I needed, but in the end, she refused to choose me.”

  “Do you still keep in touch?”

  Eddie shook his head. “Last I heard, she was married to a man from her neighborhood. He was someone of a similar background and social standing.”

  “Oh.”

  “She is happy.” Eddie’s expression turned sad, wistful. “She is content with the path she chose. That is all I wanted for her.”

  “I… had no idea. Mom never said anything.”

  Eddie glanced up, searing him with an intense gaze. “Your mother was very vocal with her disapproval. I am sure that is a page of our history she would like to erase.”

  Sounded like his mom. “The girl you loved… she wasn’t black though? She was Chinese?”

  Eddie dipped his head.

  Luke threw his hands up. “And they still had problems with her. My parents will never be satisfied.”

  “That is not the point.” Eddie clasped his thick fingers together. “I’m an old man, Luke. I have seen famine and war. I’ve been in the depths of poverty and worked my way to a comfortable wealth. I’ve known love, the kind that transcends all limits. And I know what it is to lose that love.”

  “Then you understand what I’m fighting for.”

  “Yes.”

  “So why give me the impression you were firing me yesterday? You said I had to choose between the café or giving into my parents.”

  “I did.” Eddie said nothing more. Just stared at him as if waiting for Luke to figure it out.

  “That doesn’t make sense unless… were you testing me?”

  Eddie nodded again. “Whatever decision you made would have been my answer.”

  “Answer to what?”

  “The strength of your conviction. The depth of your love. If you had given in to your mother’s demands and chosen the café, I would know where your heart lies. Not in your woman, but in your ambition.”

  “And then what? You would have helped her break us up?”

  “Yes.”

  At least his uncle was honest. “What if I’d deceived you all? What if I lied and told Mom I’d stopped seeing her but dated her secretly behind your backs?”

  “Then you would not be the man that I know.” Eddie straightened the pepper sauce and said quietly, “Do you know why I’m leaving the café to you, Luke?”
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br />   He winced and answered delicately. “Because you have no children?”

  “Because you remind me of myself. Grand ambitions are good, but true happiness is found in quiet moments. An empty plate. A glass licked clean. A sigh of contentment. This is the music of our souls.”

  Luke stared at his uncle, certain he’d been abducted by aliens and replaced with a clone. Eddie had never spoken so many words all at once. Neither had he struck Luke as the poetic type.

  Eddie got up from the table. “Don’t be late again.”

  “Yes, sir.” He licked his lips and leaned forward with a smile. “This means you’re on my side. Right?”

  Eddie just sighed and limped away.

  Luke changed the sign on the door and headed behind the counter, a huge grin on his face. The smile remained for the rest of the day and as he locked up that night.

  Eddie met him on the sidewalk outside. The moonlight was a luminescent circle in the dark velvet sky. A slight breeze blew, ruffling their clothes. Luke shuffled his feet, sensing that his uncle had something more to say.

  “I’ll talk to your mother. For now, tell no one of your relationship. It will only infuriate her more.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Eddie nodded and limped to his car.

  “Good night, Uncle!” Luke finished off his greeting with a deep bow.

  Eddie flung his hand in a wave.

  When his uncle had driven away, Luke grabbed his cell phone and called Ashanti. She picked up on the third ring. He didn’t give her a chance to say ‘hello’ and blurted, “I got my job back.”

  “What?” she shrieked.

  “Apparently, Uncle Eddie had a girlfriend the family didn’t approve of either.” He bounced his keys as he trotted to his car. “He only fired me yesterday to see if I would give in under pressure. When I didn’t, he offered to support my cause.”

  “That’s great, Luke. Really.”

  There was something in Ashanti’s voice that gave him pause. He tilted his head to the side. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  He didn’t buy it but he’d have an opportunity to see her in person soon enough. “Are you home?” Luke climbed into his car. “I’ll pick you up now.”

  “No!”

  He froze, his hand on the keys in the ignition. “Why? Are you busy? You didn’t forget about me tonight, did you?”

  “I’m coming. It’s just… give me the directions. I’ll drive instead.”

  “What for? I don’t mind coming to get you. We can go together.”

  “You can’t because that will ruin the surprise.”

  “What surprise?”

  “You’ll find out soon.”

  Luke gave Ashanti directions and then drove to the bar. Instead of going inside immediately, he waited on the curb until he recognized Ashanti’s car pulling up.

  Curious to see what her big surprise was, he clamored out of his car and jogged over to her vehicle. The passenger door popped open and a woman stepped out.

  Luke’s heart stuttered. “Michelle?”

  Chapter Ten

  “Whoa, you wanna slow down there?” Luke asked, putting his hand above the shot glass she was about to empty.

  “No thanks.” Ashanti jerked her arm away from him so the alcohol slashed over her hand.

  Luke captured her wrist. His grip was firm, forcing her to look into his eyes. Concern brimmed from their dark depths. “Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”

  “Luke,” she whispered, sensing Michelle eyeing them, “I’m fine.” Ashanti tossed the liquor back and hissed as it burned her throat.

  Luke watched her with obvious disapproval.

  Nervous laughter erupted from his cousins who had been observing them since Luke walked in with a woman on either side. It was clear they were less than comfortable with their presence, but no one had said anything directly.

  At least not yet.

  Ashanti glanced at each of the cousins in turn, her own laughter bubbling from her throat. She knew their names and personalities thanks to Luke’s descriptions and her own brief encounters with them over the years.

  Her gaze moved to the man at the head of the table. He wore a crisp white shirt and black slacks. His hair was shorn like a soldier and his face was square and rigid, adding proof to that impression.

  James Zhang. Lawyer. Involved in politics.

  James was the eldest cousin and considered himself the parental influence. He kept everyone in check and dispensed both loans and advice freely and generously.

  Beside James was a shorter, chubbier man with big cheeks and eyes that were small and flared out at the tips. He wore a simple white T-shirt and khakis.

  Harold Zhang. Chef. Has problems with gambling.

  If James was the one lending money, nine times out of ten Harold was the one accepting it. He worked in his family’s restaurant and had gotten married last year.

  The youngest member of the Zhang cousins sat across from her. Weng Zhang. They’d met at the café a few days ago, but Ashanti didn’t know much about him apart from his obvious love for bad hairstyles.

  “Uh, why don’t we have a toast?” James suggested. He raised his mug. “To family.” He tilted his cup toward Michelle and Ashanti. “As well as friends.”

  “Cheers.”

  Glasses clanked as they all raised their mugs. Ashanti guzzled her beer and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

  Was she creeping toward her limit? Yes.

  Did she care? That was a big, fat no.

  She regretted bringing Michelle here tonight. Watching Luke act all shy and affected simply by her presence annoyed her for some reason.

  Overindulging wasn’t the best plan to deal with her outcropping of bizarre and unusual emotions. Ashanti was well aware, but she didn’t feel like herself and stopping was not an option she wanted to consider.

  “Okay.” Luke pulled her mug away before she licked every last drop. He hid it on the other side of his plate and then slid his platter of dumplings toward her. “Eat something before you get drunk.”

  “I don’t get drunk that easily,” Ashanti lied.

  Luke narrowed his eyes.

  Ashanti avoided his gaze and amended, “I don’t get drunk that often.”

  Weng grinned at her. “I’m surprised you’re keeping up with us.”

  “Why?” Ashanti shot back with a smile of her own. “You think Asians are the only ones who can drink?”

  Michelle held her breath and looked at Ashanti with horror while everyone else chuckled.

  Ashanti didn’t feel a drop of remorse. Luke’s cousins weren’t easily offended and they’d teased each other with far less restraint than that. As long as everyone was respectful and didn’t push their jokes too far, no topic was off limits. Not even race.

  Harold swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “Man, you have no idea how I’ve missed this. Going out. Having fun. It’s like an old dream now. No one tells you what married life is really like.”

  “Why don’t you enlighten us?” James leaned back.

  Harold pushed out his cheeks so they doubled in size. “Forget having your own freedom. Your wife rules everything—money, time, privacy—nothing is yours anymore.”

  Luke cringed. “You trying to scare us away from marriage?”

  “Yes, Luke. That’s exactly it.”

  “Ah, he’s just upset Lin caught him at the slot machines again,” Weng said.

  “Is that right…?” Ashanti arched an eyebrow.

  “I was seconds away from the biggest win of my life! Then my wife busts in. Grabs my ear. And drags me out of there like my mother reincarnated.” Harold squeezed his eyes shut. “Please, don’t remind me.”

  “Sounds horrifying,” James mumbled.

  “You’ll find out soon enough,” Weng said slyly, his eyes on his oldest cousin.

  James ducked.

  Luke froze with his mug halfway to his lips. “What does that mean?” When James didn’t respond, he turned t
o Weng. “You know something?”

  “I heard he’s getting engaged soon.” Weng popped a dried squid into his mouth.

  “What?”

  Harold’s expression crumpled. “Why would you do that, cuz?”

  “Relax.” James reddened. “We’re just in the talking stages.”

  “You have someone you like?” Michelle pounced on the topic. “That’s so romantic. How long have you two been talking?”

  “I haven’t talked to her yet,” James said casually.

  Michelle glanced from one man to the other. “I don’t… what does that mean? Like in person?”

  “It means his marriage is arranged, Michelle. Get with the program,” Ashanti said.

  Michelle’s expression turned pained. “Oh. How… lovely.”

  “It might sound archaic, but it’s not,” James explained. “My parents know me best and I trust their vision, but I’m not marrying anyone just because they picked her out. I’ll meet her first. Decide if she’s someone that aligns with my own goals and then we can move on from there.”

  “Let’s talk about something else.” Harold chuckled. “Luke’s friend looks like she’ll throw up any second.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m just surprised,” Michelle stammered.

  Luke stepped in to change the subject. “Weng, how’s school going?”

  “Seriously? You couldn’t think of anything else to ask me?”

  “Sorry.” Luke shrugged.

  “I remember my days at junior college,” Ashanti said fondly. “I was a Lit and History major, so I had to memorize blocks of texts everyday.”

  “That’s my own personal nightmare,” Harold shared. “I admire you guys. School was never my strength.”

  Ashanti nodded sympathetically.

  “Hey, don’t let her fool you into thinking she was some dedicated student,” Luke said. “Ash was always making out with some guy in the parking lot behind the gym. I have no idea how she passed all her classes when she was barely in them.”

  Ashanti swatted his arm. “Luke Zhang, how dare you besmirch my good name?”

  “So you were that kind of student, huh, Ashanti?” Harold wiggled his eyebrows.