After dinner, the rest of her family members had gone off to work intently toward their next goal. Akira had gone off to watch Glee or Gossip Girl or spend time with friends.

Where her extended family had been small, the Coleman family was large. Where her family had been subdued, the Coleman family was loud.

No fewer than twelve people had shown up simply to prepare for tonight’s party: the owners of this home, Caroline and Judson; CeCe and her husband, Hersh; CeCe’s other three kids and their spouses; and Akira and Ben.

Like a military general, CeCe barked out orders. Even so, amid the chaos, she’d made time to single Akira out.

Ben mixed punch ingredients in the enormous bowl on the dining room table while Akira helped CeCe move food from containers onto platters.

CeCe wore a white apron that said Warning: Complaints to the cook will be hazardous to your health over a sparkly purple pantsuit. She’d combed her graying hair tightly off her face and curled it into a low bun. Her long nails glittered with silver polish as she lifted deviled eggs onto a serving dish specifically made for deviled eggs. Who owned a serving dish specifically made for deviled eggs?

“Are you romantically interested in my son?” CeCe asked Akira, point-blank.

Akira continued positioning cookies on a heart-shaped wooden cutting board. She’d just met this woman minutes ago but could already tell CeCe appreciated candor. “I adore him,” she confided. “But I’m very gun-shy.”

“Because?”

“I almost died last year and—”

“Excuse me?” CeCe stilled, except for her eyebrows, which shot upward. “How did you almost die?”

Akira explained how her case of flu had deteriorated into life-threatening sepsis, which had resulted in ten days at the hospital.

CeCe sucked air through her teeth and returned her attention to her deviled eggs. “Praise the Lord you’re okay. That must’ve been terrifying.”

“It was. Recovery has been gradual. The whole thing—the most acute stages of the illness and the long road back—has forced me to reevaluate and get rid of things that aren’t healthy for me. Falling in love is one of those things.”

“Why?”

“In recent years, I’ve had three serious relationships. I ended up with a broken heart each time. I’m not strong enough for that at the moment. The euphoria, the sadness. The euphoria. The sadness.”

“What happens if you meet the man of your dreams?”

“The odds of that happening are small.”

CeCe whistled and shook her head. “You just met my son Ben, didn’t you? The odds that Ben’s the man of your dreams are high. I raised him. I know him better than anyone. So I can speak with authority when I say that you won’t find a better man anywhere. He comes with a lifetime guarantee.”