A Handful of Hope Read online

Sara shook her head. “Not...all of those things.”

  Jen took a sip. “How many siblings he has? What kind of church he goes to?”

  “Do you know those things about David?”

  “Yeah. And we’re not even dating.” Should she mention she’d met his sister? It would distract Sara, turn the conversation to her and away from Luc. Judging from the not-quite-scowl on her friend’s face, maybe that was the right thing to do. At least she’d planted some food for thought. Hopefully. “I’ve even met his oldest sister.”

  “What? How’d that happen? I thought you weren’t dating.”

  Jen sipped again, then set the mug down on the coffee table. “We aren’t. But I think we might be headed that way. He came by at lunch and we ended up bumping into his sister while we were out.”

  “Mmmhmm. Convenient.”

  Jen’s lips twitched. “That was my thought. Though if it was prearranged, he’s got an amazing poker face. You would’ve thought they ran across each other on accident all the time. Which, to be fair, is possible. She works about a block from us, at one of the other big tech companies in Tyson’s.”

  “Possible. Still fishy. How was it?”

  “Strange. But okay, I guess. She’s eleven years older than David, so forty? And she has everything together. Or at least it seems like it. I don’t know if I made the grade. When we walked back after eating, he apologized, but she came across like a sister meeting a sibling’s friend. Mostly. And then he had to run as soon as we got back because lunch took longer than we’d thought and he was late for a meeting.”

  “He hasn’t called? Texted?”

  Jen shook her head. That was the sticking point. Wouldn’t he have touched base if he’d had a good time? Maybe asked her out on a real date? Taking it slow was one thing, but she’d read about glaciers that moved faster than this.

  “So you text him. It’s the twenty-first century. I’m pretty sure you’re allowed to make the first move.”

  Jen winced. “I...can’t do that.”

  Sara made a face. “You’re so conventional.”

  Why did it always sound like a bad thing when Sara said it? She shrugged.

  “Fine. But don’t come crying to me when he never asks you out. Are you at least acting like you’re interested in more? ‘Cause if all you’re doing is being sedate, friendly Jen, he’s going to turn you into one of the guys and that’ll be that.” Sara pulled her phone out of her pocket, glanced at the display, and grinned. “I have to run. Keep me posted. Okay?”

  Jen nodded. “Yeah, you too.”

  Sara paused, her hand on the doorknob. “Sorry. It’s just that he’s leaving—work stuff—tomorrow. He didn’t know if he’d have time to see me tonight or not. But he got finished sooner than he thought. On the positive side, for you at least, he’ll be gone several weeks. I’m sure I can work all your questions into email, ‘k?”

  “Sure.” Jen forced a smile and made a shooing motion with her hand. “Go. Now that Ben and Rebecca are back and settling in, we’ll have to arrange dinner. I’ll text her and have her set it up.”

  “Great idea. ‘Night.”

  The door clicked behind Sara as she hurried to her date with Luc. Jen frowned. Should she text David? Everyone did it...and he’d said they were friends. Was it already too late? If she had nothing to lose, would it hurt to check in with him? But if she was already one of the guys there wasn’t a point to texting him in the first place. Who was she kidding? If he was interested beyond being friends, he would’ve said something. When it all came down to it, why would he be interested in her? She was nothing special.

  David frowned at his phone. Should he text Jen? And say what? Lunch was fun—maybe it was too soon to have introduced her to Ji-Yoon, but his sister was persistent. And pushy. Today had bought him some time before she had to meet the whole crew. How much time...well, that would depend. But maybe he could stretch it ‘til they’d been dating, in earnest, for a month or so. Of course, that would mean he asked her out on a real date, not just friendly lunches. Which sent him back to staring at his phone. He swiped it on and opened a new text, scrolling down to where Jen had put in her number. He smiled at the message she’d sent herself from his phone before tapping in his own message.

  Enjoyed lunch today. Thanks for putting up with my sister.

  He hovered his finger over send then finally poked it. He had to start the conversation somewhere. It was better to err on the side of friendly, wasn’t it?

  David set the phone down and pulled his laptop toward him. Better to keep working on his status report than sit and fret over how long it took for her to reply. He couldn’t stop the occasional glance toward the device though. Was it too late at night? He tended to be a night owl, losing track of time once he got home. Maybe she was an early-to-bed kind of girl. Should he have waited and done it in the morning? His phone buzzed. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and snatched it.

  Me too. Your sister is nice, if clearly older.

  He laughed. Ji was definitely the eldest.

  I always said it was like having two moms.

  He hit send and glanced at his laptop. Who was he kidding? If she was up, he was going to text her. He shut the laptop and set it aside before swiveling to stretch out on the couch.

  That’s because you’re the baby. Are you always up this late?

  David winced. Usually. Was it too late to text?

  He tapped the edge of the phone while he waited for her response. He should’ve waited.

  No. I leave my phone in the kitchen when I go to bed. Was working on heading that way, but wasn’t there yet. Night owl?

  Guilty. Early riser?

  Not really. Pretty much right in the middle. Normal person, you know?

  David laughed. Normal is overrated. Did you get your programming problem solved?

  As soon as he hit send, he kicked himself. Why’d he bring up work when there were so many other topics he could’ve hit upon? His phone buzzed again.

  Mostly. Wasn’t my code, found the issue. Now just have to convince teammate to fix his code. Or fix it and try to make it look like he did it that way to start out. Not sure which. Sometimes I hate being team lead.

  The eternal struggle between getting it done right, fast, and helping the people you were responsible for improve and progress in their careers. Ugh. No easy answer. Lunch tomorrow?

  Nice segue. Sure. Same time?

  David scrolled through his mental to-do list. Most of his meetings weren’t until the afternoon. That should work. Anything you’re hankering for?

  Hankering?

  Heat crawled up his neck and across his cheeks. Wasn’t that the right word?

  Sure...but who says hankering?

  Apparently I do. Question stands.

  Not at the moment. Will ponder. Need sleep—see you tomorrow?

  David chuckled. You bet. Sweet dreams.

  He tucked his phone under his leg in case another text came and glared at his laptop. There was plenty to do, and he wasn’t tired...might as well. With a sigh, he opened the lid and got back to work.

  “Happy Tuesday.” David leaned in the doorway to Jen’s office and scanned the small space. She hadn’t done much to personalize it. There were a couple of cartoons hanging off her monitor and a picture frame on her desk, but otherwise the walls were huge expanses of commercial white paint. Her white board had a few notes down one side, but the rest was clear and her markers were lined up in a neat row in the metal rail at the bottom. It wasn’t hugely different from his own office, though he had a few more personal touches—maybe because he had a larger family? But if everyone was giving him photos of his nieces and nephews, he had to put them somewhere, didn’t he? “Ready?”

  “Yeah. Hang on.” Jen clicked her mouse a few times and tapped her keyboard then reached into one of her desk drawers, pulling out the wallet she seemed to prefer to an actual purse. “Okay. So where are we headed?”

  “Ever had Korean fried chicken?”


  Her eyebrows lifted and she shook her head. “No. But it sounds interesting. What makes it different?”

  “That’s...hard to answer. Game to try?”

  “Absolutely. We walking or do we have to drive?”

  David glanced at his watch. He had meetings scheduled all afternoon, beginning at one. It was just barely eleven. “Either. What’s your afternoon look like?”

  “I really have to get this problem solved and something committed to the code repository by the close of business. I think I know what I’m doing, but...”

  He laughed. “Nothing’s guaranteed ‘til you have it in the can. I get that. Why don’t we drive?”

  “How’s your day been so far?” Jen smiled at him as he held the door into the elevator lobby open for her.

  David winced. His morning had been horrible. Unfortunately, that wasn’t unusual. “Fairly typical.”

  “You say that, but your face says otherwise.” Jen stepped into the elevator. “Is it that bad?”

  “It’s not bad, really. Just...challenging, sometimes. But that’s why I love it. Most days I can keep enough of a sense of humor to remember that. We’re losing some key people. I thought I’d convinced one of them to stay, but he told me today he’s still leaving. They’re all, hopefully, going to finish their obligations. But you know how people are when they’ve mentally moved on. So I’m scrambling to fill spots so the contracts don’t suffer.” David stepped off the elevator and clicked the unlock button for his car doors. “I was up ‘til almost one last night and that’s probably going to be the new normal, at least for a while, since I have to be a bit more hands on during the transition. What’d you do last night?”

  Jen chuckled and reached for her seatbelt as he closed her door and rounded the car to slide behind the steering wheel. “Played ball with my dog. Then Sara came over for a bit. You remember Sara?”

  He nodded. “What kind of dog? I keep thinking I should get a pet—the apartment gets quiet at night. Some company would be nice.”

  “Tribble’s a silky terrier.”

  “I’m not sure I’m familiar with that breed. Big? Little?”

  Jen slipped her phone out of her pocket and swiped it several times. When they pulled into a parking spot in front of strip mall, she angled it so he could see.

  “She’s cute...but a girl dog.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, probably. But she’s a sweetie.”

  “She does okay while you’re at work?”

  “Most days. If I don’t run late. She’s in a crate during the day, so it’s not terrible if she has an accident, but I don’t like to leave her stuck in there too long. Even if everyone says they enjoy it and feel secure, it seems mean somehow.”

  David nodded and held open the restaurant door. Familiar scents from his childhood reached him. Would Jen like it? He glanced over at her. She wasn’t wrinkling her nose, at least. She stared up at the menu board above the counter. “Maybe I should think about a cat, instead.”

  “Rebecca has cats. She got them from a shelter in Arlington or Alexandria, I forget which. Either way, she could probably tell you all about cats. We always had dogs growing up. What’s good?”

  “Trust me?”

  She gave him a long look before nodding. “All right.”

  He grinned and pointed to an empty table. “Why don’t you sit, and I’ll go order.”

  “Can I pay...”

  “My treat.”

  Jen opened her mouth like she was going to argue, then closed it. “Thanks.”

  Cats and dogs. Could he have chosen a lamer topic of conversation? Work, maybe. Though she’d brought that up. Had he really been out of the dating pool for so long that he didn’t know how to have a conversation with someone he was interested in? They’d gotten along so well at the wedding...what changed? The man in front of him finished ordering and stepped out of the way. The cashier, one of the owner’s sons and a longtime family friend, grinned when David moved forward and greeted him in Korean.

  “You haven’t been here in ages, David, what brings you out?”

  David glanced back over the restaurant. Jen had settled at a small two-person table in the front corner of the store-front window. “Helping a co-worker broaden her horizons.”

  The cashier looked around David and waggled his eyebrows. “Aha. I’ll tell my mom to come out and take a look, then she can brag to your mom how she’s already seen your new girlfriend. Being one up on your mom will make her day.”

  “No. We’re not...she’s not...wait. How do you know what my mom and your mom have been talking about?”

  “Small restaurant, and there’s nothing else to listen to in the kitchen before we open. If it helps any, they’re both just relieved you’re looking at someone again, after the Soo-Yi thing. Are you really changing churches?”

  He was going to have to talk to his mother. Had she already told everyone in her ladies’ group about this? He’d have to leave the church on principle. “I’m...thinking about it. Can I order before she thinks you don’t actually serve food?”

  “Of course. Sorry. I’m just glad mom’s finally talking about someone other than me, even if it’s only for a little while. I might go ahead and let my dad and grandfather arrange a meeting with someone. What can I get you?”

  David rattled off his order, sticking to his favorites and dishes that had been well received by non-Koreans in the past. As he paid, he grappled with the idea of someone he knew agreeing to an arranged marriage. Well, he’d said meeting, but the understanding was there, wasn’t it, that marriage would follow? It worked for some people...it was just absolutely not something he’d ever considered. He smiled at Jen as he sat across from her, his heart thundering in his chest. He liked her. She was intelligent, fun to talk to, and attractive. Maybe that should be bumped higher up in the list? It was certainly the first thing he’d noticed. There was no point in continuing to dance around the topic.

  His mom’s friend brought two trays over to their table. She gave him a knowing wink and patted his shoulder before scuttling back to the kitchen.

  “You know the owners.” It wasn’t a question.

  David nodded. “They go to our church. Mom and Mrs. Kim are good friends. Have been for years.”

  “That’s neat.” Jen looked down at the plates. “Tell me what everything is?”

  “Can we pray first?”

  Jen’s eyebrows lifted, but she nodded.

  David bowed his head and, after a moment, reached across and laid his hand on hers before saying a brief blessing over the food. After her quiet “Amen,” he pointed to each item and named it and the major ingredients. She didn’t turn her nose up at anything, at least. When he finished, he waited as she took a little of everything and put it on her plate before taking some for himself.

  Before he could talk himself out of it, David cleared his throat. “Can I ask you something?”

  She paused with her fork in the air. “Of course.”

  “Will you go out with me? On a real date. Friday?”

  One corner of her mouth twitched up. “I’d like that.”

  “I need help.”

  David’s sister opened the door wider and gestured for him to come in. His oldest niece, Madison, a precocious six, raced by, shrieking at the top of her lungs. Her little brother, Jeremy, zipped after her, hit the hall rug and slid into the wall before setting off a wail that could peel paint. “Welcome to bedlam.”

  “Maybe this is a bad time. I can call you later. Or something.” Maybe he could ask a friend. He just hadn’t wanted to get in to everything...deal with all the questions that would come. Ji already knew about Jen.

  “Oh, no. You’re here. Come on.” Ji scooped up his sobbing nephew, cutting off the noise immediately. The four-year-old snuggled in and beamed a watery smile at David before reaching out.

  David took the boy and grunted. “You’re getting heavy.”

  “S’cause I’ma big boy.”

  “That’s right.” David k
issed the boy’s forehead before setting him down. “Are you going to let your sister get away with that?”

  Jeremy shook his head vigorously and tore off in the direction his sister had disappeared. Madison’s shriek pierced the temporary silence before Min’s voice cut it off again.

  “Aha, now their dad’s on the case. He’ll, hopefully, wrangle them into pajamas and start getting teeth brushed. What brings you out here on a weeknight?” Ji followed the hall to the kitchen and began rinsing dishes. The dishwasher was already open and half-loaded. He must have interrupted the chore.

  David hopped onto a stool at the island and crossed his arms. “I asked her out.”

  “You asked her out. Jen? I thought you’d already asked her out.”

  “Lunch with a coworker isn’t really the same thing. You know that. I asked her out on a date. A real one.”

  Ji grinned and closed the dishwasher, then rinsed her hands and dried them. “That’s great. I liked her, by the way. A lot. So when’s the date?”

  “Friday. And I have no clue. I haven’t been on a first date in...a long time. What do I do?”

  “Seriously?” Ji shook her head and took two mugs out of the cabinet by the sink. She filled them with water and put them in the microwave. “Out of idle curiosity, why are you asking the sister who’s been married fifteen years? I haven’t been on a first date in a lot longer than you.”

  It was a fair point. But... “You’re a girl. Don’t you have stockpiles of date ideas stashed away somewhere?”

  “I think at this point she prefers the term ‘woman.’” Min pulled out the stool next to David and sat. “But if you do have a date idea stockpile somewhere, you should package it, sell it, and let me retire. I’ll be a stay-at-home dad and even toss in vacuuming every now and then.”

  “Hey, man. Work’s still bad?”

  Min nodded.

  David frowned. Min was a super programmer. He’d been doing a lot of proposal and grant writing lately. He was good at it, but apparently hated it. “I...might actually have a possible solution for you. I have a team-lead position that just opened up. There’s still a decent amount of development involved, though you’d have management tasks, too. I’d need to make sure there wasn’t a problem with you being my brother-in-law. Well...that’s assuming you didn’t have a problem with it first.”