My Kind of Town
>> Kahala Mandarin Oriental The second lie
It wasn't a right or wrong thing -- not like her friend Lily having a crush on her own first cousin -- but Fawn Nakamura had never considered dating an older man, especially not one old enough to be her father. But from the moment she met him earlier today, Fawn never considered not being with Chuck Ryan. That she was 27 and he was 51 were just statistics.
"How's your tea?" he asked, leaning across the table with the little tea pot to refill her cup. Fawn was having the Dragon Phoenix Jasmine Pearls, Ryan the Singh Bulli Estates Darjeeling. "Not exactly Lipton's, is it?"
"It's lovely," Fawn said. She was not accustomed to having a man pour tea for her, and at first her traditional Japanese side was uncomfortable -- she was neglecting her womanly duties! But the way Chuck Ryan served her, so natural and selfless, and yet so confident, Fawn had an inkling of the way her life could be with this officer and gentleman. "So would I be correct in guessing that you served in the military?"
"You would," Ryan said. The second lie. The first was his business card, which announced he was "Chuck Ryan -- International Investments and Head-hunting --Baltimore." In fact, Lt. Col. Chuck Ryan, Navy intelligence, was still active duty.
"Which branch?"
"Navy," Ryan said, grateful to speak the truth to Fawn. He had never believed in auras until today, but Fawn changed that. He felt the warmth of her presence as soon as she entered the room, and even now saw a glow of golden-white light radiating from her heart. Ryan wanted to be warmed by that light always. And he did not want to lie. But lying was part of his job.
Ryan's cell phone rang. "Excuse me ... Ryan."
Fawn could see Ryan's brow furrow as he listened on the phone.
"You're sure?" he said, checking his Rolex. "OK, good deal, thanks." He clicked off. Sheila Jackson in their D.C. office had just confirmed that the suspect was in the air from Manila. Their contact Sandy would be picking him up. Sandy also confirmed that her cousin Rey, through whom instructions had been coming, was taking orders from someone else. They had a tail on Rey. "Business call," he explained, clicking off. "Sorry, but a man has to make a living."
Fawn sipped her tea, smiled demurely. She wanted to ask about his business, but didn't want to pry. And besides, most men will tell you about their work in great detail at the drop of a hat. Chuck Ryan just hadn't gotten around to it yet. And that was kind of charming too.
Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek.
His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin
with weekly summaries on Sunday.
He can be emailed at dchapman@midweek.com