Page 37 of The Oath Operation
Without another word, she stormed out of the bakery. Fish stood there, stunned, as the door slammed shut behind her. He watched through the window as she ran into Chow Town, right into her sister Jacqui’s arms.
Fish replayed the conversation in his mind, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong. He had only wanted to help, to make things easier for his wife. He had thought he was doing something wonderful for Jules, something that would make her happy. Instead, he had failed her again.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
"Idon't understand men." Jules ran her fingers through her short hair. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough length to pull her hair out. Too bad, since she was truly at her wit’s end.
"Join the club," came a voice from the tablet set up on the kitchen table.
The tablet displayed a video call with their sister Jami, who was traveling in Asia. Jami's face beamed from the screen, the exotic background of a bustling market behind her.
"This doesn't include me, does it?" said the only male voice in the vicinity.
Jacqui reached up to her husband's cheek, giving Noah's strong jaw a pat. "Of course not, sweetie. You're perfect."
Noah grinned and gave his wife a sweet peck on the lips.
"Now get out. It's girl time."
With a salute to the three Chou women, Noah made a dash for the front door. Once it closed behind him, Jacqui rolled her eyes. But her eyes were shining bright with love.
At the table, the warm, savory scents of a diabetic-friendly Chinese meal wafted up from the dishes. The sweetness of stir-fried vegetables and the earthy fragrance of brown rice filled the kitchen. Jacqui was a wizard in the kitchen, effortlessly transforming a typically carb-heavy dish into something delicious and healthy.
Jules poked at the food with her chopsticks. "I just don’t get it. Fish went ahead and signed that contract without even talking to me. It’s like he doesn’t trust me to make my own decisions. Just like Amari used to do."
Jami's eyes narrowed thoughtfully from the screen. "It doesn’t seem that way to me. Amari always tried to get you to do what he wanted for his benefit. Fish seems like he’s trying to help you for your own benefit."
Jacqui nodded, sitting down next to Jules. "I agree. It looks like both men attempted to do the same thing, but for different reasons. But I do think you and Fish need to get better at communication. You both mean well but keep missing the mark."
Jules sighed, feeling the warmth of the meal in front of her but not quite ready to enjoy it. "Maybe you’re right."
Fish had seemed so proud of that contract. He'd only spoken of how it would help Jules do more, not less. Not to mention the blood and sweat he'd put into finishing her bakery ahead of schedule. He wasn't trying to stop her progress; he was trying to widen the path for her.
"But it still hurts that he made such a big decision without me."
Jacqui reached out and squeezed Jules' hand. "He’s learning, Jule-bug. Just like you are. Relationships are about growing together, figuring out how to support each other in the right ways."
Jules looked at her sister, the frustration slowly ebbing away. She was loath to admit that her big sister had a point. Jacqui was always right—almost always. Okay, always. But Jules wasn't going to admit that. Instead, she took a bite of the stir-fry. The flavors exploded in her mouth in a comforting mix of sweet and savory.
"Good, huh?" said Jami.
Jami had described the recipe to Jacqui at the start of their weekly video call, and they'd recreated it. They used to do this all the time when Jami had first started traveling before their mom had gotten sick. Today was the first time Jacqui actually cooked instead of just taking notes. She hadn't cooked much since their dad died, but that had changed since she'd married Noah. There were so many positive changes in their marriage. Jules wished she could have that in her marriage.
But that wasn't fair. She had seen changes. She had a partner who put her first. Though she wasn't sure it was healthy to always put her first. Fish's needs had to take priority now and again. Jules hadn't tended to his needs even once in their relationship. That would need to change.
If she wanted this marriage to be as healthy as her sister's, then she would have to start taking care of her husband, like he was always focused on taking care of her. She would also have to share with Fish her limitations, letting him know that there were some things he couldn't just move out of her way. There were some permanent blocks in the path of a diabetic, and he'd need to make his peace with them as she had.
"Our diners will love this," Jacqui was saying. "They don't realize how privileged they are to experience this global food in our small town."
"Imagine if the rest of the globe got to experience Jules' healthy treats," said Jami.
Jules's head snapped up. "Don't tell me you agree with Fish."
Jami shrugged from the video screen. "I think you have something that you could share with so many other people. I like traveling to find these foods and bring them home. You don't have to leave home to bring your gifts to others. I think it's worth thinking about."
Jules looked to Jacqui for support, but it was clear Jacqui agreed.
"You've never done a distribution deal with any of Chow Town's sauces," Jules charged her eldest sister.
