She Belongs to Them Both

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Jie prayed he wasn’t too late. His plane from Hong Kong touched down in New York at eight-fifteen at night. He’d managed to get enough sleep during the very long flight, so after he’d made his connection to Boston’s Logan airport, he took a cab to Chinatown even though it was nearly one in the morning.

The driver let him off at the Chinatown Gate. Jie paid him, shouldered his duffel bag and walked through the lionhead gate that marked the entrance to Chinatown. The summer night was mild and slightly humid after a light pattering of rain. The streets were quiet and dark, lit only by the streetlamps and an occasional security light from inside the locked markets and restaurants. He had no idea how large this Chinatown was or where anything was located, so he wandered along slowly, reading each sign and getting a feel for the area so in the morning when places were open he could begin a methodical search for his…mate.

The word always sent an electric thrill through his body. He couldn’t imagine how he would know who she was or how he could simply walk up to her and ask her for ivory, jade and golden silk. The whole situation seemed so strange but here he was, now on the other side of the world from his home.

One storefront caught his eye. He stared at it from across the quiet intersection. Chen’s Market, the sign read in both Chinese and English letters. He raised his gaze above the awning. The brick building appeared to house one apartment above the store. No lights were on and the building sat in hushed quiet. Though the place was locked up, there were no security shutters down and he could see inside. The sight of the place caused a small flutter in his gut. Though the chance was very small, perhaps this was the market Li’s boyhood friend owned.

Jie crossed the intersection and looked in the window. It was a typical market as far as he could see. The shelves were piled to bursting with boxes, bottles, jars and packages, of everything from noodles, rice and tea to Chinese teapots and candies. Along the opposite wall, a set of refrigerated coolers showed packages of tofu, boxes of prepared dishes such as eggrolls, bottles of lychee juice and plastic bags of frozen seafood. Produce stands crowded the main aisle, obviously to be rolled onto the sidewalk in the morning.

The glass counter under the cash register and the shelves behind it were crammed with Chinese herbal preparations and bottles. Because of his canine eyesight, he could make out the letters on the boxes, recognizing many of the same medicines he often gave to his patients.

Scanning the interior of the store, he saw another open door that led to an adjoining room. The market spanned the corner so Jie followed the windows around the corner, finding the room to which the interior door led. Another sign hung in the window, Tai Chi Chuan, also in Chinese and English lettering. His breathing quickened and he peered in.

Mirrors covered one wall and the floor was of smooth wood. The room held an aura of peace, obviously from years of people inside practicing the martial art that was connected to the Tao Teh Ching of Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher. The fluttering erupted again in his stomach. Deep inside, his intuition told him that this was, indeed, the connection to his teacher’s friend. Perhaps Chen would know enough people in the area to help him locate the woman he sought.

Then he noticed a flyer taped to the window from the inside. Tai Chi classes cancelled until further notice, due to death in family. Sorry, was also written in both Chinese and English. The handwriting was feminine, Jie, noted. Perhaps Chen’s wife?

He stared at the sign for several moments, then sighed and stepped back. No matter how possible the connection was, he would have to wait until the morning to find out.

To his surprise, a small Japanese noodle joint was open across the street a few doors down. Jie walked over and went in. He ordered a pot of tea and a bowl of noodles, tucking himself into a booth from which he could still see Chen’s Market.

The little restaurant was empty except for himself and the man behind the counter who served Jie his tea and went back to preparing the noodles.

Jie thanked him and poured himself a cup. Then he sat back took a small sip and settled in to wait.

Finally, at six forty-five, the lights went on in Chen’s Market. Jie caught his breath and sat up, his gaze trained on the store windows. Someone was moving around inside, a young woman from what he could see. He watched her prop open the door and move the produce carts onto the sidewalk, lining them up against the front window. He was tempted to get up and offer to help her but thought the better of it. She didn’t know him and it would probably seem suspicious.

He remembered that the store hours sign said the market opened at seven and though he was terribly anxious to speak to her, forced himself to remain seated.

Without the carts in the aisles to block his view, he could now freely observe the woman as she moved about, checking the shelves and opening the cash register. He was surprised to see she was white. She looked to be perhaps a few years younger than himself. Her light-colored hair was pulled into a loose bun at the nape of her neck and she had a graceful build, slim and curvy in places that roused an ache inside him, a disturbing need to experience what she’d feel like in his arms. The sudden deep longing to know the scent of her hair and skin assaulted him.

Jie waited the last torturous quarter of an hour until seven, then paid his bill and went out onto the street. The neighborhood was awakening in the mild sunny summer morning. Delivery trucks chugged past on the street, while shopkeepers were lifting the security shutters on their windows and restaurants emitted the smells of cooking food. All of this registered in the back of Jie’s consciousness, practically drowned out, however, by the pounding of his own heart.

Drawing closer, he could see her more clearly, registering details of her face and body that hadn’t been as visible, blocked by the objects in the market, like, for instance, the push and stretch of her ample breasts against her t-shirt and the slender strength of her pale arms, and hands with short, neatly trimmed nails. The soft beauty of her face with its large eyes, heavy fringe of lashes and delicately arched brows and lips. Even the tiny bump on her nose just below the bridge added to the raw femininity she exuded. Her eyes, he noticed also, were almost an almond shape, making her appear like a Chinese woman who’d dyed her hair.

Approaching the front door, he took in a deep breath and pulled it open.

The tiny bells on the door of the shop tinkled. Meg looked up from the inventory list she’d been studying and caught her breath.

A man had just entered the store and was walking toward her. Make that an incredibly handsome man who could almost have been Bruce Lee reincarnated.

She swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way the light glinted off his short smooth raven dark hair, or the way his chest and shoulder muscles strained against his white t-shirt as he moved. She forced her gaze not to rove lower but failed, taking in his slim hips and obviously strong thighs encased in plain jeans.

He carried a small duffel bag and a denim jacket slung over it between the handles. He came to a stop in front of the counter and looked right at her.

She gripped the papers in her hand and glanced away, for fear of drowning in the depths of those large, brown, almond-shaped eyes. For one brief moment, she actually thought she was having a hallucination, a visitation from the spirit of Bruce Lee, her beloved idol and one of the best-looking men she’d ever seen cross a movie screen. “May I…” She cleared her throat. “May I help you?”

He was staring at her, the expression on his face indiscernible. In the seconds before he answered, she took in the sight of his high cheekbones, smooth golden skin and the light shadow of beard covering his jaw and upper lip. That, combined with the bag he carried, gave her the impression he’d been traveling. “I’m not certain. I’m looking for someone.” His voice was surprisingly gentle and polite considering his rugged looks and his English was tinged by a heavy accent, as if he knew the language well but didn’t speak it enough to become fluent.

Before she could respond, the bell on the door chimed again. She looked up, aware that he did too.

Auntie Yee, Grandfather’s girlfriend for many years, came in, her eyes looking strained. She usually looked younger than her sixty-five years but since Grandfather had died, she’d aged. She’d known Meg since Meg was a girl and had often helped Lao Ye look after her.

“Da Ma, are you all right?” She slipped into Mandarin, the language Chen had raised her with her whole life.

Auntie Yee waved off her concern. “Oh, one of my headaches. My head feels like it’s going to explode. I just came to say good morning.” The tiny woman reached the cash register before noticing the man standing next to her. She acknowledged him with a brief nod.

Meg furrowed her brow. Auntie Yee had been like a mother to her and she hated to see her in pain. “Have you been to the doctor?”

Auntie Yee waved again. “No time. Too much sewing.”

Meg sighed. Truthfully, she knew the headaches had begun right after Lao Ye passed away. She turned to the assortment of medicines, scanning the shelves for something that might help her. She knew what most of them were, she was just uncertain how to prescribe them.

“Excuse me, maybe I can help?” The man’s soft voice reached through her confusion. The mere tenor of the sound vibrated inside her, unnerving her as severely as if Bruce Lee had, indeed, come into the store.

She looked at him, her gaze suddenly trapped in those large brown eyes.

“I’m a doctor,” he said. “May I be of service?”

Meg nodded and looked at Auntie Yee. “Perhaps he can find out what I need to give you.”

Auntie Yee looked uncertain for a moment and Meg knew it was because she didn’t want to impose. But to Meg’s relief, the older woman nodded. “Thank you,” she said softly.

The doctor set down his bag and jacket and picked up one of Auntie Yee’s hands. He pressed two fingers to the pulse point on her wrist.

Meg watched him, stealing glances at his face, at the light shadow of beard offsetting his soft full lips. She looked at his hair, smooth and glossy, short cropped around the sides and a bit longer on top, as dark as a raven’s wings. Her gaze slid guiltily down his arms, over the contours of rounded muscles, over the smooth dark hairs on his forearms. The lustful way she perused his body reminded her that she’d gone much too long without a man’s touch.

The doctor listened to Auntie Yee’s pulse for what seemed almost a full minute, then tilted her chin gently upward with a forefinger and looked into her eyes. “Let me see your tongue, please.”

Auntie Yee opened her mouth slowly, seeming embarrassed. Meg found herself wishing she were in Auntie Yee’s place right now. The doctor seemed to have such a gentle touch.

Finally, he nodded and released her.

Megan and Auntie Yee both looked at him.

He nodded again. “I see that you’ve had some distress and have been eating too much of certain foods, heavy dense things like animal proteins. They are irritating your sinuses.” He turned to Megan. “Do you have Pe Min Kan Wan?”

She nodded at the familiar name. Grandfather had always kept that medicine in stock. “How much does she need?”

“One course for now.”

Megan reached for the little green box and set it on the counter. “Here you go, Da Ma.” She looked at the doctor. “Thank you very much.”

“Yes, Doctor, thank you.” Auntie Yee smiled, though Meg could clearly see that the doctor’s mention of distress had reminded her of the man she’d loved. The older woman put money on the counter. She and Meg both knew Meg would give it back to her later but Yee had always had difficulty accepting help.

Auntie Yee turned to the doctor. “Please, let me repay you.”

He held up a hand. “No need. Only if you get better.”

Auntie Yee bowed to him. “Thank you.” She looked at Meg. “Bye, daughter. I must go back to work.”

Meg smiled at her. “Feel better.”

Auntie Yee bowed again and bustled out of the store.

Meg turned to the doctor, vividly aware that she was alone with him again. The first rush of customers didn’t usually begin until seven-thirty. “That was very kind of you, thank you,” she said. “She’s dear to me.”

A boyishly shy smile curved his lips. “It’s what I do.”

The way his eyes warmed nearly took her breath away, a surprising feat considering the breakneck speed her heart was pounding. “Are you certain there’s nothing I can offer you in return?”

“Nothing, thank you.”

“At least a cup of tea?”

His smile widened and a touch of humor sparked in his eyes, deepening their chocolate hue. “All right, I can accept that.”