Second Chances in New Port Stephen - Chapter 20

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Second Chances in New Port Stephen - Chapter 20

“I remember these,” Eli said as he reached for a run bing. “Thank you so much, Mr. Wu. I could
never find ones that taste as good as yours in New York.”
What a suck-up. No wonder Nick loved him.
His dad preened under the compliment, fighting the little smile he usually got when someone
praised his food. “Oh, it’s nothing special. Really, I didn’t even make the wrappers thin enough
this time.”
“Are you kidding? They’re as thin as a sheet of paper. I could eat this whole plate if you let me.”
He finished his first one and reached for another.
This seemed to endear Eli to his father in a way that Nick should have foreseen. “Please, please.
It’s a good thing you came; I always make too much.” Tian-yi pushed the platter toward him,
almost out of reach of Nick, who gave Eli an affronted look even as he munched on another roll
with a truly aggressive amount of eye contact. “So, Eli,” Nick’s father said, “your parents tell me
you work in television? Do I have that right?”
Eli nearly choked on the run bing. Nick whacked him on the back, trying to help him breathe.
“Sorry,” Eli wheezed. He reached for his glass of iced tea. “Yep.
That’s me. Working in television.”
Nick tried to keep his face schooled into something neutral, but he couldn’t help the
questioning look he threw Eli’s way. Why would he lie about something like that? Eli, however,
wouldn’t meet his gaze.
Nick’s dad nodded politely. “Your parents must be very proud.”
The back of Eli’s neck flushed pink, a telltale sign of agitation that Nick could recognize a mile
away. “Yeah, sure,” he said. “But what about Nick here? Being a dad and all?” He tipped his chin
to point at him across the table. “Zoe is such a cool kid. You’ve got to be the proudest
grandparent in the world.”
That successfully changed the subject, with Tian-yi regaling his guest with stories about his
beloved granddaughter. Nick picked fish bones from his grilled snook and watched Eli’s
animated face as he chatted with his dad. Soon even his private freakout seemed less important
than seeing his two favorite people laughing over the dinner table.

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At one point, his dad said to Eli, “You know, when your mother was pregnant with you, Ming
told her she should expect a boy. She was very gifted at that. She knew Nick was going to be a
boy weeks before her first ultrasound. She could always tell.”
“Really? I didn’t know that,” Nick said. Even all these years later, he was still finding bits and
pieces of his mom. It was kind of comforting, like he was still getting to know her even though
she wasn’t there. And it was nice to hear his dad talking about her, a rare thing for the past few
years.
“Huh.” Eli smiled, an amused quirk to his eyebrows. “That’s pretty funny. Sorry I ruined her
streak, I guess.”
“Nonsense.” Nick’s dad poured them all more iced tea. “She would be very pleased, I think, to
be proven right after all these years.” He sipped his drink. “I am glad we had this chance to meet
again.”
“I’m glad too,” Eli said, quiet.
Nick could see how touched Eli was at Tian-yi’s words, and how softly his dad smiled when
speaking about Nick’s mom. He was glad his dad could talk about her with joy in his voice; that
hadn’t always been the case, those first hard years after the accident. He put his hand on his
dad’s shoulder and squeezed. His dad placed a hand over his and squeezed back.