Page 9 of Quinton's Quest

“I’m making spring rolls. Hopefully one will survive.”

Suggesting she take one or two to work with her that night wasn’t advisable. She was making them formyfriends. Wouldn’t do to run out.

“I’ll put Adam in charge of ensuring you’ll get everything you would like.”

When I’d met the man at the hospital last year, he hadn’t been in great shape. He wasn’t taking care of himself. His burn injuries from ten years earlier had left scars, and he used those as an excuse to hide away. Dean, the buoyant Aussie, had begun to pull him from his self-imposed exile. Only, when Dean had gone away for work, Adam had regressed.

I gave the man a stern talking-to and then added him to my list of invitees. The first few parties, Dean had to drag his now-husband. Last I’d heard, they were planning matching shirts for my party next week.

“Adam’s a good man.” Mama soaked her homemade scallion pancake, a thin and flaky Chinese flatbread, with the remnants of her stew. Mama loved trying new foods, but she always had to, in her own words,add a touch of hometo every one of her meals. I personally thought she just loved eating in general. How she could eat that much and stay so thin was beyond me.

Of course, I ate nearly as much and was always on the slender side. A few muscles from when I found the time to work out.

Nothing like Dr. Leopold Rodgers’s muscles, though.

Don’t think about him. Don’t think about him. Don’t—

“You didn’t come home last night.” Mama sipped her water. “Thank you for texting me. I try not to be intrusive. I try not to be a pest.”

“I try to be respectful.” I didn’t stay out often, but when I did, I’d shoot Mama a text. She knew what I was doing, of course, but she never commented.

“And this one? Was he a nice man?”

I nearly choked on my mouthful of scallion pancake. After swallowing, and gulping down water, I cleared my throat. “Why do you ask?”

She gave methatlook. “A mother always wants assurances that her son is picking appropriate people to spend his time with."

Said mother will lose her shit if she finds out I spent the night in a hotel room with a surgeon. From our hospital, no less.

“He’s…very successful.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s a nice man.”

Ouch.

But she wasn’t wrong.

“I promise to let you vet any potential future partners.”

“So this wasn’t serious.” She held my gaze with her dark-brown eyes. A few crow’s feet had appeared in recent years—but she still had radiant skin and a quick smile. Losing my father had dimmed that for a while. But she was back to happy and joyous most of the time.

“Serious is such a relative term.”

“A one-night stand?” Again with the penetrative stare.

“Well, there won’t be a repeat.”

She pursed her lips. “Maybe less time in the bar and more time on an app.” She held my gaze. “Mrs. Wang has a perfectly lovely daughter. Since you sometimes date women. Or how about Joe Chen? He’s about your age and a friend of my friend Mr. Lu. Didn’t you say he was gay?”

“Mama.” She did love to go on about me findingthe one.

“I had thirty years with your father. Not nearly enough. If you find someone sooner, rather than later, then you’ll have a long life with them as well.”

Unless they’re older.

Well, Leo’s notthatmuch older.

About ten years, if I didn’t miss my mark.