That declared-signed, Dawn tugged at the bottle in her mother’s hand as she asked, “Do you have a pitcher we can use for water?”

“When did you become the boss of me?” Gyeong asked her daughter with an annoyed cluck.

Nonetheless, she relinquished the bottle to Dawn and went back to the cabinets to pull down a plastic pitcher.

“Has Dawn made you any Korean food?” her mother asked after handing Dawn the pitcher. “Or do you two only eat takeout like my son?”

She eyed Dawn up and down. “You look like you’ve only been eating takeout. What happened to that diet from the year when you lied to us all about going to med school?

The ding of the microwave saved Dawn from answering.

And that was how he ended up having an unexpected lunch with Dawn and her mother.

“Look at how nice he is chewing!” Gyeong observed with a pointed look toward Dawn. “Unlike some people I know.”

Before he could stop himself, Victor glanced over at Dawn, the memory of their one and only conversation on this topic echoing in his head. She had been right about how her mother would respond to his necessary chewing habit.

“See, I told you she would like that about you!” Dawn crowed, her voice triumphant.

Victor tried and failed not to laugh.

“He’s savoring the food,” her mom insisted, taking a drink of water. “Not shoveling it down like you and Byron. Probably because he hasn’t had a homemade meal ever from you.”

“I cooked for him,” Dawn insisted. But then she sheepishly added, “Once.”

“What did you make?” Gyeong asked, her eyes lighting up. “Was it good? It must not have been if he never asked for it again!”

Victor’s hands started moving before he could stop them. “She made me bulgogi. It was much spicier and more garlicky than the kind you heated up for us. But she said it was from your recipe, and she guaranteed me it would be the best meal of my life. She did not lie. I appreciated it because most of my tongue is missing. That means my taste buds are highly compromised. So the meal was perfect for someone like me.”

Both Dawn and her mother stared at him, their eyes wide, but for different reasons.