He checked his watch. “It’s late; I’m sure the girls have eaten.” What about me? He’d whisked me out the door before I could grab something. “Why don’t you text Jing-Jing and see where they are?”

<Drew>

Help

I mean, where are you?

We just finished up here

<Chloe>

You need to help ME

My mother and I are bra shopping

And we have very different priorities

Let’s just say I want comfortable and she… does not care about that

TMI?

“They’re bra shopping,” I told Mr. Wang.

His face flushed bright red. “Okay. We’ll just go home. Tell her to… uh, actually, no. Just stop texting her.”

As I trailed him out of the office, I discreetly texted:

<Drew>

Nothing’s TMI with me

We’re heading back

Need me to fake an emergency of some sort?

<Chloe>

No because I’m my own knight in shining armor

See you soon, Dr. Huang

I’d forgotten she didn’t know my actual last name. I shoved the phone back in my pocket.

Chloe CHAPTER 13 FREE WILLY

“How about this one?” My mother held up a sheer, lacy black bra with a matching thong that screamed both UTI and yeast infection.

“Remember how just a couple of years ago you wouldn’t let me date?” I said, pushing her hand and its uncomfortable contents away. “I prefer that to this, please.”

“Just to be clear, there still shouldn’t be hanky-panky. But if your bra strap or underwear… strap ever peeks out, it should be something like this, not the boring skin-colored ones with holes you insist on wearing.”

My mother wanted me to have a sexy whale tail.

“Mǎmá, I wear the same bras I got from Taiwan years ago because they’re all that fit me. I don’t conform to any of these”—I waved my hands around me—“body shapes. My rib cage is too big and my boobs too small, so…” I shrugged.

My phone buzzed. Thank God.

I found a nearby seat and took a breather from Mǎmá Free Willy.

I thought she’d still be off replenishing her embarrass-Jing-Jing ammo when I heard, “What are you smiling about?”

I looked up from texting Andrew to see my mother standing before me, a sly curve to her lips, an actual corset in her hand. Who made those nowadays?

“Nothing,” I said, sending off my last text. “We should go soon.”

“Why? We haven’t found anything yet because you’re so stubborn. You haven’t even tried anything on!” She thrust the pink corset at me.

Time to end this. Like I’d just told Andrew, I was my own knight in shining armor. I gestured to my phone. “Bǎbá says he misses you.” She glared at me. “Just kidding. He said through Andrew that he wanted to know what was for dinner—are you cooking?”