I choked on my water, almost spewing it all over Dr. Jae, but managed to only dribble it down my front. Just the picture of class and grace. No wonder I never won those beauty pageants my mom made me enter. Well, except for that one time, and that was on a technicality.

Dr. Jae handed me some napkins, worry creasing his forehead. “Are you OK? I hope this isn’t a problem. I know there’s some, uh, stuff going on between you two.”

“You mean because he thinks I’m a drug-dealing murderer? Yeah, no big.” I tried to play it off. “I guess I just didn’t make the connection since you two are so different. I mean, you seem so easygoing and friendly, and he’s . . .”

“Intense?” he provided, likely sensing my struggle to not insult his brother.

I smiled. “That’s one way to put it. Seriously though, you’re two different people. What your brother thinks isn’t a reflection on you. Unless you agree with him?”

He flushed. “Of course not! Do you think I’d accept a dinner invitation from someone I thought was a killer?”

“I don’t know, maybe you’re undercover as an unassuming dentist so that I lower my guard and give you precious information,” I teased.

He scoffed. “Who would willingly do something like that? That’s so dangerous.”

Adeena swirled the water in her glass. “Yeah, Lila, who would do something super dangerous like spy on murder suspects to try and solve a case? Utterly ridiculous . . .”

I coughed. “So, have either of you eaten here before? What’s good?”

Elena, our waitress, arrived with our drinks at that moment. “Everything’s good, but our specialty is our duck mole. It takes two days to make and has over twenty ingredients in it, lending it a very special, savory flavor.”

My mouth started to water the minute she said the word “duck,” which was one of my favorite meats. “Oh my goodness, yes. Give me that, please.”

She chuckled and added, “If you prefer seafood, our special of the day is pescado a la veracruzana. It’s a much lighter dish, with fish smothered in tomatoes, olives, and capers.”

Dr. Jae said, “Sounds perfect for me! I’ll have that, please.”

Adeena perused the menu. “I’ll take the chile rellenos, with a side of corn tortillas and refried beans. Wait, are the beans cooked in lard?”

Elena nodded. “Yes, but we also make a vegetarian version and I swear it’s even better than the original. I’d recommend the nopales, as well.”

Adeena grinned. “Sold!”

I watched Adeena eye the waitress as she walked away, and I couldn’t blame her. Elena was totally her type: black cat-eye glasses, dark lipstick, and a multitude of piercings. Pretty sure I saw a tattoo snaking out from the tight, long-sleeved black tee she was wearing as well. Which reminded me of Marcus. Wonder if she was the one he was talking about earlier. Where was he anyway?

I texted him: You still coming?

I put my phone back down on the table, where it buzzed almost immediately.

Sorry can’t. Explain later. Tell the cute waitress I said hi!

I rolled my eyes. “Marcus can’t make it. Told me to say hi to the cute waitress. Wonder if it’s the same one Adeena’s obviously—”

Adeena cut me off with a sharp elbow to the ribs. As I clutched my side, she said, “So, Jae, tell us about yourself! You’ve been in Shady Palms for what, a year?”

He dabbed his mouth with his napkin before answering. “Closer to three, actually. Came here shortly after I graduated from dental school to set up my own clinic.”

I helped myself to another chip. “I had no idea you’d been here so long. You must’ve gotten here not long after I left for university.”

His hand paused halfway to his mouth, the chip dripping salsa onto the tabletop. “Wait, are you still in school? How old are you?”

I smiled. “I’m twenty-five. I was working on a bachelor’s in hotel and restaurant management since my aunt and grandmother don’t have any business training. Took some time off near the end of the program to get proper restaurant experience, so I haven’t finished my degree yet.”

He sighed in relief. “That makes sense. For a minute, I worried I seemed like an old man to you two.”

Adeena laughed. “Even if we were fresh out of college, that would make us what, twenty-two? Maybe twenty-three years old? I mean, fairly young in the grand scheme of things, but not exactly children.”

I laughed, too. “Not that our families would ever acknowledge that, of course.”

Dr. Jae nodded, commiserating. “I’m turning thirty soon, and my mom still insists on packing a lunchbox for me every day. I finally got my own apartment last year and you’d think I’d said I didn’t love her anymore from the way she was carrying on.”

“Let me guess, the fact that you moved out but aren’t married yet absolutely baffles her?” I asked.

He nodded. “She’s pretty old-school, but my dad stepped in before it became an issue. As a compromise, I moved to a building that’s only five minutes away. I let them think I was making a big sacrifice, but I do like being closer to them in case of emergency. I just don’t need to, you know, actually live in the same place.”

“So, you said you’re turning thirty soon. How soon?” I asked.

His ears turned red and he cleared his throat. “End of the month, actually.”

Adeena and I glanced at each other and grinned. We both had the same idea.

“Let me guess,” she said. “You plan on having a low-key celebration, maybe dinner with your family where your mom makes your favorite dish, but otherwise no fuss. Am I right?”

He choked on his horchata. “How did you know? That’s exactly what I have planned.”

“Not even a night out with friends?” I asked. “Have a few drinks, reminisce on where your twenties have gone?”

“I don’t really have any friends out here. And I don’t have time to drive out to the city on a weekday to meet up with my old ones.”

I was just teasing him, but now I felt bad. “I’m sorry, Dr. Jae. I didn’t mean . . .”

He waved me off. “First of all, call me Jae. ‘Dr. Jae’ outside the office is weird. It’s not like I’m a pro basketball player.”

At our blank looks, he added, “Julius Erving? From the 76ers? He was a legend!”

Adeena and I looked at each other and shrugged. I said, “I know the 76ers are a basketball team, but that’s it. This is Filipino heresy, but I think basketball is so boring.”

Jae’s jaw dropped. “How could you say that? The Chicago Bulls—”

Elena appeared at that moment, bearing a giant tray laden with our meals. “Haven’t won a championship since I was three years old. Anyway, here’s the special for Dr. Basketball Fanatic.”

Jae chuckled. “Yup, that’s me.”

She winked at him as she put down his plate. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. The duck mole for the lady with the fantastic hair . . .”

I smiled at her. “The secret is coconut oil. And, spoiler alert, you’re getting a great tip.”

“That’s what I like to hear! Since you use hair oil, remind me to tell you about the special beauty oils my mom and I make.” She set down my platter and reached for Adeena’s. “And for my lovely fellow vegetarian, I believe you ordered the chile rellenos, with a side of tortillas, refried beans, and nopales?”

Adeena clapped her hands in excitement. “If it’s all as good as you made it out to be, we might have to bump that great tip up to ‘excellent.’”

“And I think I’ve found my new favorite customers. Anything else I can get you right now?” We shook our heads. “Alright then, enjoy your meal! Buen provecho!”

We all dug in, and for the second time today, Adeena and I made completely inappropriate noises to display our satisfaction.

Jae raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never met people so enthusiastic about their food before.”

I blushed, but Adeena was unfazed. “We’re both in the food business, Doc. It’d be sad if we didn’t have this kind of passion, don’t you think?”

“Hmm, my receptionist does make fun of me for getting excited every time a shipment of the latest dental equipment arrives. I guess nerding out over our professions is a given, huh?”

“Speaking of which, was dentistry your choice or your parents’?”

Typical Adeena bluntness.

He seemed to know where she was going with this. “Mostly mine. Jonathan was the cool, smart guy. Aced all his classes, track star, probably would’ve played football if my mom had let him. He got the dangerous job protecting people, which made my parents anxious but proud. I was the bookworm. I really loved studying and discovered that I liked helping people, but I wasn’t cutthroat enough for academia and didn’t want the high stakes of being a medical doctor. I did do my GPR at a hospital, which was fascinating but reaffirmed my decision. Dentistry was the perfect choice for me.”

I snagged one of Adeena’s tortillas to drag through the leftover mole sauce on my plate. “You seem pretty close to your family. Is that why you moved here?”