“Sweetheart, I think you’re completely overwhelmed right now. When you think this through you’ll realize he hasn’t done anything wrong. He just brought this up before you were ready, that’s all. He doesn’t want to hurt you.”

“So here are two people, a mother and her son, getting along all right, then you decide what’s best for us and we have to try to pick up the pieces of the mess.”

“No,” he said, leaning toward her. He covered her hand but she pulled it away from him. “No, I didn’t decide anything, Lin Su. Charlie told me what he was doing. I could have refused to keep his confidence and gone to you but it wouldn’t have changed anything. He would have continued his search. He wants to know. And he has a right to know.”

A burst of Vietnamese came out of her, shocking Blake again. “Whoa. He said when you get pissed you only speak in Vietnamese...”

“I’m his mother! I know him better than anyone and I decide what is best for him to know, not you!”

“I didn’t decide. I was a witness. Nothing more. Please, don’t do this to yourself. You can work through this with Charlie. I’ll help in any way I can.”

“I would prefer you leave my son to me,” she said. “I can see I made an error in judgment, confiding in you. That won’t happen again.”

“You’re overreacting,” he said. “Let’s calm down and have a reasonable conversation. I love you. I would never hurt you.”

“And yet you have. You took away my rights as a parent and shamed me as a mother. You let my son do things I forbade. You knew I didn’t want Charlie to know things that would only hurt us both. You should have told me at once, but you didn’t.”

“I think you’re out of your mind a little, sweetheart. There’s no shame in your history. I didn’t shame you and what Charlie found isn’t going to hurt him. And as it was not anything you did that was either bad or wrong, there should be no guilt. Can we slow down?” he asked. “Can we be reasonable?”

She stood. “I was afraid I’d regret getting involved with you. This won’t work. I’ll make other arrangements for Charlie’s training. We will be polite when we see each other. And this is goodbye.”

“No, it’s not, damn it,” he said, standing, as well. “You don’t get to toss me out of your life and his just because you didn’t get your way. It’s wrong. It’s far more shameful than anything Charlie might’ve learned.”

“You should have thought of that,” she said. “You can’t come between a mother and her child.”

“I didn’t think I was! I was completely loyal to you both! Not an easy task, either. Think about this, Lin Su. You said that with me you had the first stable and healthy relationship since your son was born. Are you really going to throw that away over a small disagreement?”

“In my mind what you’ve done was not small.”

“You’re going to throw us away over something like this? A misunderstanding?”

She raised a slim brow. “Are you having trouble understanding this?” she asked. “I would be grateful if we could keep all of this private. I don’t want my personal business broadcast to my employer and the town.”

He shook his head. “You’re going to think about this and realize you’ve gone completely crazy. Just think it through,” he said. “I’m here for you. I’d like to help you pick up the pieces. I love you and you love me. We have a chance, you and me and Charlie, to make a family out of our crazy pasts. All we have to do is work through it.”

“I’ve had more than enough time to work through my crazy past, thank you.”

She walked serenely out of his house and went back to her job.

“God,” he said, rubbing a hand around the back of his neck. Did I think I wouldn’t mind helping her untangle her complicated life?

* * *

Lin Su walked across the beach to town around 6:00 p.m. and it was already sunset over the Pacific. If they’d lived farther inland, it would be completely dark. What she saw on the main street was transforming—the entire street had been decorated for Christmas. She had heard something about a town tradition—the stringing of the lights, garlands, electric candles, great boughs of greenery and festive balls. All the shop windows were painted and stenciled and shop owners had put up their Christmas displays. The street was crowded with people still working on the decorations.

Charlie stood between the florist shop and Carrie’s deli, leaning a shoulder against the wall. She took in a breath and said, “Hi.”

He flinched in surprise. “Hi.”

“Do you feel like a hamburger?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I guess. Anything is okay with me. Whatever you want.”

“Let’s go to the diner,” she said. “We can enjoy the Christmas lights.”

The diner was busy; a lot of the folks who were decorating decided to stop in for a quick bite rather than going home to cook. Lin Su said hello to about ten people and answered positively when asked how Winnie was getting along. She marveled for at least the hundredth time about how easily she was drawn into the community. This was something she would hate to give up. And yet, when it was time for her to be a friend, she resisted. She didn’t like that about herself, but she had her reasons.

Charlie visibly relaxed when they were in the diner. He probably thought there would be no discussion until later, until they were at home alone. But she was of no such mood. As soon as they were seated in a booth and had ordered drinks and hamburgers, she launched her argument.

“Charlie, I’d like it if we could come to an understanding about a couple of things. I think you were wrong to go behind my back and get in touch with members of my family.”

He just listened.

“It’s going to take me a while to get past that, I’m afraid. You’re getting older, I know, and want to make your own decisions about some things, but as long as you’re my son, you’re going to have to listen to me.”

“I always listen.”

“I’m very proud of you. You’re brilliant and you’re wise, but there are still some things I know more about than you do.”

“I understand,” he said.

“I want you to stop investigating my family. I want you to stop talking to Leigh Simmons. I can’t prevent you from doing as you please when you’re an adult, but for now, this is what I want.”