She smiled at me and asked, “Can I help you?”
“Hi, yes, I’m, uh, searching for a place called Slánaigh. Are you familiar with it?”
When I mentioned Slánaigh, both their eyes widened and the old man started shouting at me so vehemently in Vietnamese, I nearly bolted for the door. The girl said something to him that made him silent, but he eyed me like he wanted to nail me to the floor and use me for target practice. He started to pull back toward the curtained area the girl had appeared from but before he fully disappeared, he looked back once, narrowing his eyes. I flinched.
The girl looked at me. “I’m sorry, my father, he is… Anyway, why are you looking for Slánaigh?”
“You’ve heard of it then?”
She looked behind me, contemplating something, then turned back toward me. “I don’t know. Why are you looking for them?”
The ol’ merry-go-round, eh? “I’m looking for a girl that works there. I need to get in contact with her.”
The girl stared me down so hard I felt like bolting again and starting fresh somewhere else. After a few agonizing seconds, she finally spoke.
“Who do you work for?” she bit. Her eyes narrowed at me.
“No one. I’m just looking for my friend.”
“Did Khanh send you here?”
“No,” I insisted.
“How do you find us then? Why this shop?”
“I swear, I didn’t know you were connected with them. I just flew in from the United States and took a minibus straight here from the airport. I was dropped off right there,” I said, pointing at where the bus had sat.
The man came back from behind the curtain yelling again and my skin started to burn hot with the apparent accusations. I lifted my hands in surrender as the girl shoved the man back through the curtain. She turned back to me.
“Listen,” I said, “my friend only mentioned the name Slánaigh and that it was here, near the bay. I know the work she’s doing can be dangerous so I wanted to come help her, protect her.”
The girl’s eyes narrowed at me. “Why didn’t you call her?”
“She’s mad at me. I tried, trust me. She doesn’t even know I’m here.”
She watched me again for a long time as if she was trying to decide something.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Ethan Moonsong.”
“Stay right there,” she ordered, jabbing a finger my direction. “Don’t move. If you leave, I’ll know Khanh sent you.”
I nodded wondering who this Khanh guy was.
She parted the curtains to the back and I could hear her and the older man yelling back and forth. It got quiet for a moment then I heard her talk again but this time it sounded one-sided, like she was on the phone. I wished I spoke Vietnamese. I heard my name spoken once and then a pause, what sounded like agreeing, and finally I heard a receiver click.
She returned to the counter. “Your friend will be here soon.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I paced the sidewalk outside the tea shop, wondering if I’d made the right decision. No, you’re here for a reason. I repeatedly ran my hands through my hair then tucked my hands under my arms, fidgeting. The girl from the tea shop came out, carrying a steaming cup of green tea.
“You need to calm down,” she told me, handing me the cup before heading back inside.
I took one sip of the tea out of courtesy and set it on one of the tables outside the shop. I wrapped my hands around my triceps, hunching my shoulders, my head laid low, watching every step I took. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and—
Finley’s shoes fell into view, stock-still, and I slid to a stop, lifting my head to see her face.
I opened my mouth but her posture struck me silent. Her hands were planted on her hips, her eyes narrowed, lips thinned.
“What are you doing here?” she asked with an eerie calm.
My hands fell from my arms, dangling at my side. My hair blew with the wind across my chest and lifted off my shoulder, as if the fury she wore so clearly on her face affected the nature I stood in. I’m not gonna lie, I was scared of her. I was half a foot taller, probably had eighty pounds on her, and could lay out any man who crossed my path, but the girl who stood in front of me terrified me. Never had this happen.
“Did I stutter, Moonsong?” she asked with fearsome eyes.
I fought a small smile then shook my head to defeat it.
“Listen,” I began and her eyes narrowed into fine slits. “I’m not here to bring you home.”
She leaned back on her heels when I said this. I hadn’t realized she’d reached up on her toes. She looked like she was ready to sock me right in the mouth.
“You’re not?” she asked, still seething.
“No, I’m here to help you. Seriously. I figured if you wouldn’t come home, I’d come to you.”
Her hands went to the top of her head which, from what I remembered in high school, was a bad sign. “Help me? What are you doing here, Ethan? There was a very real reason I didn’t tell you very many details. I didn’t want anyone interfering here. I made it clear multiple times with you in Kalispell and on the phone that I needed to do this alone. It’s none of your business!”
My blood began to boil and my hands found my hips. I leaned over her and she had to strain her neck to look up into my eyes but she stayed stalwart much to my delight, though I wasn’t gonna tell her that.