Free True To You (Taking Chances #2) by Liwen Ho

her right cheek. The male customer had his back to Melanie, which prevented her from seeing his face. But there was something about his head of sandy hair that looked familiar. “Is that who I think it is?” She turned to her sister in awe. “You prayed for Ben to show up?”
    “Yes, I mean, no, I didn’t ask for him specifically, just that God would help you get out of the mess you’re in.” Sam took Melanie’s chin in her hand and turned her head towards the man in jeans and a bright yellow polo shirt. “What better solution is there than him?”
    “I could think of a few,” Melanie said dryly. Solutions which didn’t involve upsetting her mother even more than she was already.
    Based on experience, she figured it would take at least half a year for her family to move on from today’s drama. If she was lucky, the ice would thaw in three months as it did when Sam received rejection letters from Stanford and all the UC schools. Or in one month, as it did when Billie had flunked out of Chinese school in third grade. But the stakes were always higher when they involved her, especially since her sisters didn’t-or couldn’t-follow in her footsteps.
    “There you go again,” Sam replied with an eye roll. “You’re so uptight and way too responsible for your own good. You need to take a chance once in a while, go for what you want.”
    Shaking her head, she eyed her sister’s raven hair, the bottom two inches of which had been recently dyed white. She admired Sam’s boldness to be different, even if the contrasting colors reminded her of a skunk’s mane. “It’s not something I can change. This is who I am.”
    “You weren’t always like this. You used to wear bright colors, not these drab penguin suits.” She reached over to undo the top button of her sister’s white blouse, which she had paired with black slacks.
    Melanie pushed her hand away in protest. “Hey, what are you doing?”
    “Loosening you up a little.” Before Melanie could stop her, Sam pulled out the pair of chopsticks that had been holding her hair up in a tight bun. Her sister’s long hair cascaded down her shoulders like an evening waterfall. “Ah, that’s better.” Placing the index fingers and thumbs of both hands on Melanie’s cheeks, she gave them a quick pinch. “Add some color, and we’re back in business.”
    Melanie groaned and stepped out of Sam’s reach. “Have you been watching reruns of Ambush Makeover again? I don’t need any making over. And anyway, changing my appearance doesn’t change who I am on the inside.”
    “You’re right. But maybe it will inspire you to think differently. To go back to your old self, you know, the girl you were before what’s-his-name cheated on you.” Leaning in close, she whispered, “Yoo-hoo, earth to old Ga Je , I know you’re in there somewhere. It’s time to come out and play.”
    Melanie looked down at her chest where Sam’s gold and black polka-dotted fingernail made contact with a pearl button. For someone who had no clue how to administer CPR, her sister had pinpointed the exact location of the sternum and was injecting life into her heart with each poke of her finger. A jolt of adrenaline rushed through her body as her thoughts returned to her previous evening with Ben.
    She had to admit she liked who she was when they were together. He brought out desires in her that she thought she had long lost. A yearning to be hopeful and lighthearted, even brave. Brave enough to consider going after what her heart wanted.
    And what her heart wanted was Ben.
    Ding ding! The ringing of the kitchen bell brought her back to the present. Melanie heard her father’s voice calling out a dish for table six. Lifting her chin up, she met her sister’s eyes and smiled. “I’ll get that.”
    “Be my guest,” Sam replied with a raised eyebrow. She watched Melanie walk into the kitchen and return with a steaming dish of chicken chow mein. “Are you feeling okay?”
    “Never