I laid back in the bed and stared at the ceiling. All the confidence I had at the hospital was gone, and instead, a deep sickness stormed in my belly. I was nauseous just thinking of facing her again. Sitting up in bed, the world swirled around me, and I had to take a deep breath to calm my stomach.
I sipped at the water I put next to the bed and thought about how I would handle Amanda for the day. I needed to get through a few hours with her, and then Yasahiro and I would go back to business as usual. There were things to do that I could accomplish with her around. It’s not like she’d broken her leg, and I certainly wasn’t going to leave her alone in Yasahiro’s place all day either.
“Are you guys coming out?” Amanda yelled from the other room. “I’m getting hungry.”
I was glad Yasahiro was in the shower because if he’d heard that, he would’ve thrown her to the street.
“I’ll be right out,” I yelled back. Putting on a long shirt and jeans, I checked myself in the mirror. Honestly, I looked green. I guess that’s what happened when I only had three and a half hours of sleep.
I took another deep breath, plastered on a smile so wide it hurt my cheeks, and opened the door into the common area. Amanda was sitting on the couch with her arm resting against her chest.
“Oh good. Finally. Look, someone will have to take me back to Roppongi Hills later so I can get on with my weekend. I don’t want to be in these clothes forever.”
Why was she always so grating? It was like listening to someone scrape their nails on a chalkboard.
“The doctor told us we had to watch you for a while before sending you home. You can call a taxi later if you like.” I didn’t want to hover over her so I stood next to the table.
“Fine.” She sighed, rolling her eyes. “I’m starving and Yasahiro always makes me breakfast.” She adjusted the bandage on her forehead, stood up, and held her arm awkwardly, not wanting to straighten it. She neither winced nor showed any sign of visible pain while doing it, so I added the observations to my mental checklist. Not willing to show any signs of weakness, check.
“He’s in the shower and then heading off to work. But I can make you some toast,” I offered, heading to the pantry.
“Toast? I haven’t touched a carb in six months.” She placed her hand on her hip and frowned at me. “I don’t do carbs. Nothing processed. Water and black coffee only. Lots of yoga and regular massages. That’s how I got this body.” I did my best not to break my stride. I pulled the loaf of thick-sliced bread from the pantry and waved it around.
“It’s the best bread in all of Japan. If you choose not to eat it, you’re missing out.” I took two slices and popped them into the toaster oven before setting up the coffeemaker. “How about some coffee instead?”
“Well, if it’s the same kind Yasahiro always drank, then sure. And I’ll wait for him to come out here and fix me food.”
I filled up the coffee machine with grounds and water and pressed the appropriate button. “Then you’ll be waiting forever.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Maybe for you he doesn’t cook breakfast, but he always did for me.”
Don’t let her bait you, Mei.
“That was before he ran his own restaurant. Now he spends the majority of his time there, and I don’t bother him with things like breakfast unless he wants to make it.” It was amazing my English got better the angrier I got.
We stared each other down as the coffee maker burbled and spit, and Yasahiro’s shower came to an end in the bathroom.
Amanda flinched first. Score! She looked around the apartment. “This place was an absolute dump the last time I saw it.” She ambled through the place, picking up knickknacks and running her hands over the table and the couch before standing and looking out the window. It was as if she was cataloging everything in sight, and it made me nervous, the nausea I felt earlier rising again in my stomach. Unfortunately, the smell of the coffee and toast didn’t make it any better. She plopped herself back on the couch and picked up her phone, ignoring me. Fine.
Yasahiro emerged from the bedroom, clean, freshly shaven, and wearing his clothes for work. When he was at Sawayaka, he wore casual slacks and a t-shirt under his chef’s whites. He was handsome both dressed up and down.
It hit me as he breezed past, ignoring Amanda and squeezing my hand out of sight, that I had everything to lose should I lose him. I came back to Chikata, and I built my new life here around him. He gave me the space below us so I could make the tea shop. He invested money in me and my idea. If he left me, not only would I be totally heartbroken, I’d be screwed financially, too. I wanted to hit myself for getting into this situation. Why did I let so much of my future ride on one person? We weren’t even married.
Sweat broke out on my upper lip as Amanda rose from the couch and sauntered into the kitchen. Her walk was seductive and sexy, and it took all of my willpower not to trip her.
“Yasahiro, darling, how about some Eggs Benedict for breakfast this morning?” She twirled a piece of her hair in her fingers as she asked, batting her eyelashes and parting her lips slightly. Vain, check. Narcissist, possibly.
He closed the open refrigerator, handing me the butter I didn’t ask for but knew I would need for toast, and set the coffee creamer on the counter.
“You make Eggs Benedict now? That’s impressive.” His voice was so devoid of feeling I laughed inside but cringed on the surface.
She blew a quick breath from her lips. “No, of course not. You make the best Eggs Benedict.”
He ignored her as he grabbed two coffee cups from the open shelf over the counter, filled them, and made coffee for both me and him, while I buttered toast for us. We silently swapped toast and coffee and stood next to each other to eat them while she watched. If I closed my eyes and pretended she wasn’t there, it would’ve been a regular weekend morning for us. We rarely ate a big breakfast together, instead eating larger lunches and dinners. We’d rather sleep in and spend the time in bed.
“I was thinking I’d leave you the car today, all right?” He had switched to Japanese, and my whole body relaxed. Everything felt natural and right again. “I’ll take the bus into work.”
I heard Amanda’s toe tapping on the other side of the kitchen, so instead of looking at Yasahiro, I looked at the floor. “Sure. If that’s okay with you.”
“It is. Let’s cancel with Goro and Kumi for the evening, too. I’m sure we’ll want to go to bed early.”
“I was thinking I’d take her to my mom’s place for a few hours. She’ll be out of trouble there. What do you think?”
He laughed. “I think she’ll spend one hour there and be so annoying you’ll bring her back.”
I smirked. “Right. You’re probably right. I’ll try anyway.” I sighed and sipped on my coffee, my stomach settling. “Can you take care of the Kumamoto plans?”
“Sure.” He set his plate on the counter and took my hand. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out the way we planned. I wanted to surprise you with something special. You’ve worked so hard —”
“Hello? I’m right here.” Amanda stepped forward into our peripheral vision, and we both froze in our spot for a moment, the intimate conversation evaporated in a puff of heated air.
“I’ll be home around 21:00, okay? Let me know what your plans are later and if you’ll be here or not.”
“Okay.” I took another bite of toast, slowly making my way through the piece because I was still nauseous, but he had already finished his and drank half his coffee. He placed his plate in the kitchen sink and kissed me on the temple, being sure to smile at me. I ignored Amanda while he drank his coffee on the way to the front door, slipped on his shoes, grabbed his bag and coat, left the mug on the side table, and opened the door.
“Wait,” Amanda called.
I turned to look at him, and he stopped to look at me. “See you later, Mei-chan.”
“Later,” I said, and he closed the door without so much as acknowledging Amanda.
I walk
ed over to the front door to grab his mug, like I did on the days when he left and I took care of the apartment before heading downstairs to work on Oshabe-cha. In the beginning, he said it was strange I’d pick up after him and clean everything in sight, but I always found it hard to stop. It was how I paid back everyone’s kindness. I couldn’t cook, but I could clean.
“Oh, I see how it is,” Amanda said, chuckling. “He’s found the perfect little Japanese servant now. Figures.”
I placed the mug in the sink next to his dish, setting it down carefully because I wanted to toss it in and break it. “You know nothing about our life.” Then I switched to Japanese because my brain had had it, had it, with her nonsense. “I don’t understand why he stayed with you for so long. You cheated on him, and he still stuck around before it was over. I would’ve dropped you like a diseased rag.”
Her eyebrows drew together, and I sighed, switching back to English.
“Eat something and get cleaned up. We’re leaving.”
Chapter Eleven
“Why did you bring her here?” Mom whispered, as I pulled a chair up to the cherry tree to the right of the driveway. It was the only shady place outside where Amanda could sit while Mom and I worked in the fields.
“What else was I going to do with her today?” I snapped, then closed my eyes and gathered strength. “Sorry, Mom.”
“No, no. No need to apologize. I can plainly see what you’re dealing with.”
“Can you hurry up, please? My legs hurt just standing here.” Amanda waved me to her, the impatient tone of her voice drilling into my nerves and making my teeth grind. Yasahiro was grinding his teeth yesterday. I guess it’s everyone’s response to her attitude. It’s a wonder he has any teeth left after dealing with her for several years in a row.
I placed the chair in the shade of the tree, and Amanda smiled as she sat. There were moments when I saw a nice person in that plasticine shell…
“Great. Now you can get me some water,” she said, waving me away.
There was an English swear word that began with an “F” I really wanted to use in this instance.
“Walk in the front door, go to the kitchen, grab a glass, and get yourself your own water.” I pointed straight to the front door, and her smile fell into an open mouth.
“What? No bottled water?”
I was sure my skin was as red as the sun. “No. Our water here is perfectly fine. In fact, it’s some of the best in the prefecture.”
“Forget it,” she mumbled, taking out her phone. “Can I get on your Wi-fi?”
“No.” I turned and walked away with Mom.
“Wow. You weren’t kidding.”
“I thought you’d want to see it for yourself.” I shook off my annoyance and followed Mom to the gardening shed. We were going to plant the first crop of mizuna, other lettuces, and bitter root vegetables that would grow and be ready before the summer. It was time to get to work even though I was so tired I could barely lift my feet.
In Mom’s shed, the rake and gas can were still missing, but she’d bought a lock for the door. She must have gone into town this morning.
“What are you going to do with Amanda?” Mom asked, gathering her gloves and the seeds. “She only seems a little battered on the outside.”
“She’s not too injured. At least as much as I can tell. The doctors weren’t concerned enough for her to stay more than a few hours in the hospital. So I’ll send her home after giving her a stern talking to, some time in the early afternoon.”
“Hmmm, yes.” Mom nodded as she dropped the packets of seeds into her pockets. “You were there for weeks. If they were concerned, she would’ve stayed.”
We dragged the rakes, shovels, and gardening equipment out to the field next to the barn, Mom carting the compost in a wheelbarrow, and got to work on one end. Normally, I would like to pop in my headphones and listen to music, but with Amanda only a few meters away and feeling needy, I knew that’d be futile.
“What are you planting, anyway?” she called out across the lawn, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Mizuna, lettuce, and bitter root vegetables.” I worked with Mom to prepare the soil by raking it while she dumped on the compost.
“And what do you do with the vegetables? This is a lot of land. Do you farm it all?”
“What is she asking?” Mom whispered in Japanese.
“She’s asking about what we farm.” I turned back to Amanda. “Yeah, we farm all this land. Me and mom and some helpers who come during the year.”
The sun was strong, so I took off my hoodie and threw it to the side. Amanda grew quiet, her eyes steady on me and Mom as we made our way down the row. I kept looking over at her, wondering if she was reading on her phone or whatever, but she was watching us. Maybe she’d never seen anybody farm before? It was possible.
Her bios online shouted about how incredible she was, growing up in a fancy neighborhood north of New York City. She went to a special high school just for the arts, and she moved her whole family to California when she was in her early twenties so she could act. She bought the place in Paris not long after because she was in some movie trilogy shooting there over the course of three years. That was when she met Yasahiro.
So yeah, maybe she’d never witnessed people farming? It was easy to travel the countryside in France and stay in villas but not see anyone work with the soil. At least, that’s how I daydreamed France to be based on everything I read online. Vineyards and quiet houses with the wind blowing through them. Nights spent eating and drinking in the village. I was afraid the real thing wouldn’t live up to my dreams.
I let my mind wander and dream of our upcoming trip to Paris. Yasahiro was so excited for it. He talked endlessly about where we would eat, where we would walk, which neighborhoods we’d spend time in. I tried to conjure up the smells of Paris, bread baking, the rain on the cobblestone streets, the flowers blooming in the gardens. The scene kept me occupied while I was hunched over the dirt.
When I finished with the row, Mom took the wheelbarrow to the compost heap at the shed, and I sat with Amanda in the shade. Wouldn’t it have been better for everyone if the two of us became friends? I didn’t want to share Yasahiro or anything like that, and he didn’t want to get back together with her. At least that much was crystal clear. But if I made friends with her, maybe she’d take the hint and leave us alone.
“How much longer are we going to be here?” she asked, her lip curling.
I sat forward over my legs and stretched my hamstrings. “Another hour or two. I figured it was better than sitting in Yasa-kun’s apartment all day.”
She stared me down for a few moments so I looked out at the fields. “Why do you call him that? Yasa-kun?”
“That’s what we do here. It’s part of showing respect and understanding one’s place in…”
“Society?”
“Yeah.”
“Your English is pretty good. Does Yasahiro teach you?”
“Sometimes. I learn a lot by watching videos online and practicing with tourists.”
“You had paint all over you the other day. Are you an artist?”
I swallowed my anxiety about her knowing me. This was what I wanted, right?
“Uh, I paint. Mostly, um…” I waved at the surrounding land, embarrassed by how tongue-tied I was on so little sleep.
“Nature? Landscapes?” She filled in.
“Yes. Those. I’ve been painting since I was a kid.”
Amanda laughed. “I knew it. And let me guess. Yasahiro also buys you expensive things and gives you other things for free, right?”
My skin cooled even though the sun was hot. “Um, sure.” I stammered in Japanese too while I thought of the right thing to say. Yasahiro and I did things for each other all the time. I wasn’t wealthy like him, so I couldn’t buy plane tickets or fancy dinners. But I bought my own clothes, and I contributed to our relationship in other ways. Amanda laughed and waved me off.
“God, he’s so t
ypical.”
I kept my mouth shut because I didn’t want to know what she meant. I couldn’t have cared less what she meant.
“I can see the scars on your back, Mei.” She pointed to my shirt. “FYI, if you want to keep them covered, you should consider a heavier weight cotton shirt.” I turned so my back was away from her though I knew it was too late to hide it. She laughed, and the sound was as cold as Northern Japan in the winter. “So you’re a ‘fixer-upper,’ huh? I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on you since he’ll be done with you in no time. This is his favorite thing on Earth!” She waved her hand in the air in a flourish, like a magician producing a rabbit out of a hat. “He just loves to fix up people and places, and then he moves on. Why do you think he has real estate all over the world?”
A fixer-upper? Me? My brain was stuck in a loop, unable to answer. I imagined him finishing with Sawayaka once it was profitable, his apartment, and me, then heading out for his next big renovation project. He wouldn’t do that, would he?
Despair flooded through me, washing away everything I’d come to believe in the last few months, that I was worthy, that I deserved to have a better life. But even as my emotions jumbled at her statements, I remembered how earlier this morning, as I waited outside her hospital room, I promised myself I wouldn’t fall prey to her poison. This was her poison. Words. Doubts.
I stood up and brushed my hands off on my jeans. “I’ve had enough of you and your fake injuries and imagined situations.”
I turned to stalk off to the house.
“He’ll be done with you in no time!” She shouted after me, and I paused, not turning around to face her. Screw her. “That’s what he loves to do. You’re nothing but a toy, a project to him. It was only with me that he considered marrying.”
I stomped along the front porch, into the house, and slammed the door.
Her voice bounced off the trees surrounding the driveway. “You… You’re nothing!”
I beat a hasty path through the house to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me.
The Daydreamer Detective Opens a Tea Shop Page 7