True To You (Taking Chances #2) (2 page)

The man had been standing in the same place for a while, with the same frazzled look on his face. His eyes peered at the shelves before him, then to a piece of paper in his hands and back again. With his free hand he rubbed his forehead as if trying to will a genie to appear and grant him three wishes.

It looks like he’d be happy with just one wish right now.
Melanie’s heart softened as she realized what he was looking at-feminine products.
The poor guy’s trying to buy something for his wife, but he has no clue what he’s doing. Well, he’ll learn soon enough.

She turned to walk away when a loud sigh reached her ears. Before she could think twice, she found herself standing next to the man. Melanie blinked as she realized where her feet had taken her. She believed in practicing good bedside manners as a doctor, but that didn’t include striking up conversations with strangers in stores. But, since she had already walked over, she couldn’t back out now. “I, uh, I don’t mean to intrude, but it looks like you could use some help?”

The man looked up from his list and stared at Melanie wordlessly for a moment. His hazel eyes twinkled as he shook his head in amazement. “Ask and you shall receive,” he mumbled under his breath. His face broke into a wide smile. “Uh, yes, I’m a bit out of my element here as you can see. I sure would appreciate your guidance, seeing as you’re a girl-I mean, a woman.”
She is definitely a woman, and such a beautiful one, too.
He couldn’t help but gaze into her big brown eyes, which reminded him of hot cocoa, rich and inviting.

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Melanie felt strangely at ease. This man had an openness about him as was evident by the kind, yet playful smile on his face. And what a handsome face it was. Chiseled cheekbones, a strong jaw, and…
sigh
… dimples. She had a weakness for dimples. She redirected her attention to the list he held when she realized she had been staring a little too long. “Let’s have a look at that and see if we can make sense of it.”

“Yes, of course.” The man handed the sheet of paper to her and leaned over to allow his six foot frame to meet with her petite one. He pointed to the curvy handwriting that had been inked with a bright pink pen. “I’m supposed to get
Always
ultra thin pads. I found the right section, but I have no idea which one to buy. There’s slender, regular, long super, overnight and maximum. Not to mention there’s the choice between wings or no wings, and scented or non. Now tell me, what’s a guy to do with all these options?”

Melanie shook her head and smirked. She had to admit even she was feeling overwhelmed by his dilemma now that she saw the complexity of it. “I never realized there were so many different kinds. You know, this is starting to sound like one of those math problems where you have to figure out how many-”

“Combinations are possible with the factors you’re given,” he interjected with a grin. “Now you’re speaking my language.”

“Hm?” Melanie murmured with a questioning glance. Was this another idiom she didn’t quite understand? “What language are you talking about?”

“Oh, the language of numbers. Combinations, permutations-those are the kind of things I have a good handle on. This,” he added, gesturing to the shelves before them, “not so much.” He ran a hand through his sandy brown hair and chuckled. “How they expect anyone-girl or guy-to figure this out is a mystery.”

“I personally think this is a marketing ploy to get us confused enough so we start believing we need all these products.” Melanie paused. “Did you try calling your wife and asking her which kind she prefers?”

“Oh, there’s no wife to call. Or girlfriend, for that matter.” He somehow felt the need to clarify this in case she had been wondering. “I’m shopping for my sister. She’s in the middle of writing a paper, and it’s almost next to impossible to interrupt her when she’s studying. I tried calling her earlier, but she didn’t answer.”

Melanie ears perked up. “Your sister? Wow, you’re a really good brother to do this for her. I get dragged into helping my younger sisters out, too, but it’s never for anything as adventurous as this.”

“I try to do what I can. The truth of the matter is that I didn’t know what I was getting myself into this time around.” He paused with a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. “I’m glad I’m not the only one here feeling lost.”

Speaking of lost, she was starting to wonder if she had lost her mind. Not only was she talking to a stranger, she was actually enjoying it. The interested and attentive way he looked at her likely had something to do with it. And the fact that he kept flashing those dimples in her direction didn’t hurt either. “Well, you know what they say, two heads are better than none. I’m sure we’ll figure this out.”

He nodded in amusement. “I think you mean two heads are better than one.”

“Yes, of course,” Melanie answered as she cringed inwardly.
He must think I’m fresh off the boat!
This was one of the reasons she had a hard time socializing. She never knew what embarrassing phrases might come out of her mouth. “Sorry, English isn’t my first language.”

“Don’t apologize. I think English is rather confusing myself; it’s certainly not as straightforward as numbers. Either way, you are right. Two heads are better than none. Which means I’m very happy I ran into you… or rather, that you came to my rescue.”

“I-uh, me, too.” Melanie couldn’t believe her ears. She was both flattered and surprised. Was this guy flirting? And what was that warm, tingly feeling going on inside of her?
I shouldn’t be feeling like this. I’m practically engaged-oh no!
Her sisters would be wondering why she was taking so long. “I have to go.”

His face fell in disappointment. “You do? I was hoping-”

“Here,” Melanie interrupted him mid-sentence to hand him several packages from the shelf. “I think these should work for your sister. At least with three choices-”

“The odds of one working out is higher,” he finished for her.

“Yes,” she replied with a surprised grin.
Was he a mind reader?
“How do you do that?”

Before he could answer Melanie, the
beeps
of several incoming text messages sounded from her purse. “I think you’re being summoned. I won’t keep you then. I’m grateful you stopped by, uh…?”

“It’s Melanie.” She handed the shopping list back to him. “No problem. I’m glad I could help.”

He accepted the piece of paper with one hand, then grasped her extended hand with the other. “My name’s Ben. Thanks again.”

Melanie drew in a sharp breath. The spark from his touch spread through her fingers like rays of sunshine, bringing relief to her itchy skin. Her body’s response couldn’t be more wrong, but why did it feel so right?
I better go before I really lose my mind.
“Goodbye.”

She hurried along to the register, paid for her items, and sped home.

---

An anxious looking Sam met Melanie at the back door. “Where have you been? You were gone for almost half an hour! Ma is about to have a panic attack.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Melanie replied with a sheepish smile. “I got held up at the store.” She handed her sister a can of evaporated milk. “Can you open this? I need to take care of my hives.”

Sam raised an eyebrow when she saw the box of antihistamines in Melanie’s hand. “Huh? You didn’t take it already? Your hives are gone.”

“What?” She ran her hands up and down her arms. Sam was right. The red bumps had disappeared, leaving her skin its normal light tan color. “How did that happen?”

Billie walked into the kitchen with a look of annoyance on her face. “Guys, I’ve played every piano piece from every recital I’ve had in the last five years. My fingers are about to fall off! Is the tea ready yet?”

Sam grabbed a stainless steel kettle off the stove and began pouring tea into a blue and white porcelain cup decorated with lotus leaves. “Argh, I forgot to heat the cups up first.” She stopped pouring and set the pot down on the counter. “
Ga Je
… hello? We need some help here!”

Melanie glanced up. “What? Did you say something?”

“Are you okay?” Billie cocked her head to one side. “Why do you keep staring at your arms?”

“I-uh, yeah, I’m good.” A smile appeared on Melanie’s face. “I think I may have found a cure for hives.”

“That’s great, Dr. Koo,” Sam snapped, “but if we don’t get our butts moving, Ma’s going to kill us, and I’m pretty sure there’s no cure for that!”

“You’re right.” Medical discoveries would have to wait. There were more pressing matters at hand, like keeping their mother’s temper at bay. “I’ll prepare the tea. Can you heat up the pastries, Sam?”

“It’s already been done.” Sam opened the oven door and took out a baking tray filled with goodies. “The other pot on the stove has hot water.”

“I got it, thanks.” Melanie took the pot and poured some boiling water into the tea cups. After swirling the water around in each cup, she emptied it into the sink. She touched the cups to make sure they were warm, then filled them with tea. Lastly, she added a spoonful of evaporated milk to each cup and stirred the contents.

“How do you always know the right amount to add?” Billie peered into the tea cups curiously.

“Ba says it’s eighty percent tea and twenty percent evaporated milk,” Melanie answered. “I tend to go by the color. You want it lighter than chocolate, but darker than…”

Sam looked up from the plate of egg custards and wife cakes she was arranging. “Were you going to say honey?”

“Yes, honey!” Melanie bit her lower lip to stop a smile that was threatening to emerge. That was the comparison she should have been making, not the one that had popped into her head.
What is wrong with me? Why am I thinking about sandy brown hair?
She let out a sigh and reined in her thoughts.
It’s time to come back to reality. I need to focus on finding love in the next room, not at the grocery store.
“All set. Let’s take this out.”

“Get ready for Ma’s wrath,” Billie warned as she opened the door.

“Just nod and smile, girls,” Melanie replied with a sigh. “Just nod and smile.”

TWO

“Hey, Mel, I thought I’d find you here.” Melvin walked over to the cafeteria table where she sat and pulled up a chair. “How’s your day going?”

Melanie glanced up from her phone. “It’s been good. Only on my second cup of coffee so far. I remember needing twice as much caffeine during the surgical rotation. I’m so glad that’s over with.” She stifled a yawn with one hand. “Do you want some?” She pointed to a plastic container of red and green grapes.

“Thanks.” Melvin grabbed a handful of grapes. “I missed lunch again.”

“Busy day?”

“Interesting is a better word. I had a patient who reminded me so much of my mom. She even had the same hairstyle, short and permed.”

Melanie raised an eyebrow. “Most Asian middle-aged moms have the same hairstyle. I think it’s an unspoken rule.”

“Good point,” Melvin replied with a wry smile. “Anyhow, she spent most of the time complaining about her chest, how she had these pains that would come and go. So I asked her to describe the frequency of the pain and the activities that were associated with it. You will never guess what she told me.”

“What?”

“Apparently, she got them whenever she ate dim sum with her friends, and one of them announced their kid was getting married.”

Melanie began coughing, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red.

A look of alarm crossed Melvin’s face. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I almost choked on a grape! For a second there I thought you were talking about
my
mom.” She took a deep breath and wiped some tears from her eyes. “Let me guess, her own kid is still single?”

“Yes, she has a son and a daughter both living at home and no grandkids in sight. It took a while for me to explain to her that her condition was not as serious as she had thought.”

“Having chest pains or having kids who aren’t married?”

“Both.”

“And she felt better after you gave her your professional opinion?”

“To be honest, I think she felt better after she gave me her daughter’s cell phone number
and
their home number, even though I kept refusing them.”

“Of course she did! Asian male doctors are the ideal catch.” Melanie laughed. “You were brave to say no. You weren’t afraid she’d have another one of her attacks?”

“Well, I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea.” He gave her a hopeful glance, his eyebrows raised. “After all, we both know I’m no longer available.”

“Uh, yeah,” Melanie stated with some relief that Melvin was finally addressing their engagement. A little over a week had passed since their families had met for tea, but he still hadn’t spoken to her about it. She hadn’t wanted to bring it up first, especially with the reservations she had. The issue had cost her several nights of sleep, hours which she had spent thinking and praying about the whole situation.

She had to admit Melvin was a good guy, though not her first choice for “Mr. Right”, but still an acceptable second… or third. But, deep down, she knew her reasons for marrying him were all wrong. No matter how much she wanted to be a dutiful daughter or longed for a family, marrying someone out of obligation and practicality would be neither noble nor fulfilling. Something as sacred as marriage required her whole heart. Based on this conviction, she knew what she needed to do, even if it meant upsetting the people closest to her. “About that, Melvin…”

He jumped in before she could finish. “I know I didn’t buy you a ring yet. I plan on getting one. In fact, I was wondering if you want to go shopping tonight?”

“Hold on, this is all going really fast. Do you know what you’re saying? We’re talking about getting married. A commitment for life.”

He reached over and took her hand. “Of course I want to get married. I’m sure you know how I feel about you. I’m more than pleased that you finally feel the same way.”

She swallowed hard. Melvin had certainly been clear about his intentions from the beginning. It had been easy to spot the infatuated expression on his face the morning they had met in Anatomy lab. Melanie had attributed the queasiness in her stomach that day to what lay on the stainless steel table, but she could no longer blame her nausea on a cadaver. Even though she cherished his friendship, that was the extent of her feelings for him. It was time to admit to herself-and to Melvin-how she truly felt. “Melvin, you have been such a good friend to me. I don’t know how I would have survived med school if you hadn’t been there to help me. We’ve been through a lot together, and I’m thankful to have you in my life, but… I just don’t feel the same way you do.” She gingerly removed her hand from his.