by Dianne Drake
Definitely no regrets, though. Only love for Riku, and maybe a little bit left over for the man who had given her Riku. Because, after all, without knowing it, Eric had redefined her life, given her a purpose far greater than anything she’d ever known. For that, her soft spot for him was large. Larger than she could have ever imagined.
CHAPTER THREE
MICHI WALKED WITH a purpose. He’d noticed that when he’d seen her on the sidewalk below and hadn’t known who she was. It was that walk that had captured him. Maybe because it had been familiar? Maybe because he’d remembered it so keenly from the first time they’d met, then tucked it away as part of a memory of a night he’d wanted to go so right yet had gone so wrong.
So, she was here to visit family. Agnes and her husband, he presumed. But she’d also mentioned someone called Riku and for a moment he fixed on that. Maybe a little jealously, even though he didn’t have that right. So, who was this Riku? Was he a friend or lover? Maybe a husband? He’d asked, but she’d avoided answering. Did she wear a wedding ring now? Or even an engagement ring? Why hadn’t he looked?
Michi married? That was an idea he didn’t want to consider, maybe because somewhere in the middle of their one night, he’d caught himself wondering if that had the potential to turn into something more. She’d simply seemed to...fit, and he’d even caught himself planning some quick trips to Sapporo every now and then. Maybe he’d find a way to bring some of his business there, to give him the excuse to visit. Or he’d simply be direct and tell Michi he wanted to see if they could have more. Take her to that secluded little cabin in the mountains his father had owned, let her best him at skiing, even though he was pretty darned good.
Hot chocolate by the fireplace during the winter. A walk through the stunning Onze Harukayama Lily Garden in the summer. A trip by rope car up Mount Moiwa in the autumn to enjoy the stunning panoramic view of Sapporo’s turning colors.
But then his dad had died, and Eric had had to make an emergency trip back home. Corporate jet waiting, he’d been out of the hotel room and out of Michi’s life ten minutes after the notification. He’d tried texting, but it had bounced back. Had tried calling, but even in this modern age of technology, that hadn’t worked either. Then life had gotten so complicated, and his struggle to keep up with it had turned into an almost never-ending battle.
Unfortunately, Michi had been lost in all that, and by the time his life had settled down enough to get back in touch with her, which was what he’d wanted to do, it had been a year and a half later. Too much time had gone by and he’d been headed in an entirely different direction—one that would never work for Michi as she was so devoted to her practice. So why try to start something with her when he was barely keeping his head above water?
Even though he’d thought about her off and on all that time, it had been easier to shut the door on all possibilities—or as some would call them, hopes and dreams—and move on. As they said, timing was everything, and his was off in the worst kind of way. “Well, you’re stuck with this life now,” he said to himself on his way back to his desk. “No point in worrying.”
Bucky was waiting for him when he got back. Actually pacing the floor like a caged tiger, which put Eric instantly on alert. Nervous people made him nervous. That was something new, as he’d expected nervousness when he’d been a surgeon. But nervousness in business worried him, because to Eric it always meant the worrier knew something he didn’t, and that was a bad place to be when you were in the middle of a business deal. “So, how’s it been going?” he asked, as Bucky took the seat across the desk from Eric.
“Good,” Bucky said, then repeated himself. “Good.”
“And I’m assuming you want an answer from me today?”
“Moving along with this deal would be to everyone’s advantage,” he said. “Money-wise, this is our best chance. If we hesitate any longer, we’ll either lose the property altogether or the cost of it will go up.”
That sounded just like his father, always answering with a warning and a dire consequence. If you don’t take over the company someday, Eric, do you know how many lives will be changed, and not for the good? That was one he’d started hearing when he wasn’t even ten.
Then there was always the classic, When you interrupt me like this, it costs money. Losing money may mean losing jobs. Losing jobs means people get hurt. Is that what you want to happen? In other words, go away, little boy.
But the one that stood out most in Eric’s mind was when his father would force him to make a choice, then ridicule him for it. Are you sure that’s what you want, Eric? Have you thought it through? Looked at consequences on both sides? Because from what I’m observing you’ve made a very poor choice. It’s not worthy of you, and what you do reflects on me.
That had been the day his dad had put warehouse specs and details in front of him and told him to read everything very carefully as the decision whether or not to buy was totally up to him. He’d been eleven and he’d chosen not to buy for what he’d believed were sound reasons: bad location, too old, not accessible enough. His dad had reversed his decision, though, gone ahead and purchased the structure, then lost a ton of money. For years he’d blamed it on Eric for not standing behind his convictions. “You’ll never be a good businessman,” he’d said.
Well, his dad had been right. He wasn’t. At least, not in the way his dad would have wanted.
“I’m going to be honest with you, Bucky. I don’t want to be part of the deal as it stands.”
Bucky stopped dead in his tracks then stood and stared at Eric. “Seriously? We’ve been waiting far longer than we should have and after it all, you say no?”
“It’s not a good fit.” He really didn’t want to have this argument, not with Michi taking over all his thoughts now, and he’d hoped that once he’d stated his decision he could simply move on. But Bucky looked like he was gearing up for a fight. His ruddy face was turning redder, his breathing was getting shallow.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but right now I’m looking more at investing in a chain of low-cost medical clinics, and I don’t want to get tied up in too many new ventures at once. Unless...” He slid an offer across the desk to Bucky. One that set aside half the acreage for a wildlife habitat. Bucky took one look, then crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash.
“Seriously, Eric? A wildlife habitat on property that valuable? What would your daddy say?”
Eric didn’t have to guess. He already knew. “He’d pull it out of my hands and take it over for himself.”
“And you’re set to go against that?”
“He’s dead, Bucky. The company is mine now, and I like wildlife habitats and low-cost medical clinics.”
“They’re nice, but at what cost? Because they suck money, Eric. They don’t make it.”
It’s not always about making money,” Eric defended, ready for this conversation to end and for Bucky to go away. “Sometimes you just have to do the right thing.” This was the way it always happened when he didn’t do what people expected, just because it was what his dad would have done. The comparisons were always harsh. People made it clear they didn’t respect him or his decisions. But none of this was new to him. People had started the accusations when he was young. He’d grown up with the comparisons. He’d gotten used to the ridicule.
Still, sometimes he did wonder what would happen if he did what his dad would have done. Then he’d chalk it up to a lifetime of attempted and failed Daddy-pleasing and move on. Because in the end it didn’t matter. His dad hadn’t given him credit for anything, ever. Not when the old man had been alive. And now that he was dead...who the hell cared? Still, sometimes old habits squirmed their way back in. But not this deal. Not anymore.
“Your daddy wouldn’t have liked this. Not one little bit. He was a smart man who knew how to take almost any property and turn it into a gold mine. Except wildlife preserves and low-cost health cl
inics. We both know what he would have said about those.”
Ah, yes. This was his dad come back to haunt him in the guise of a slick Texas attorney. “I looked at the land, Bucky. Saw how many ranchers we’d have to displace. It was never mentioned in any of the paperwork, but there are nineteen active ranches out there. Nineteen livelihoods. Nineteen people depending on that land.”
“But they’ll leave when we offer them a fair price, Eric. Everybody has a price, you know. Besides, it’s good land. Just far enough away from everything that when people come to the casino they’ll probably stay a day or two. And it’s close enough to the population base that it won’t be too inconvenient. Meaning lots of cash flow. Cha-ching.” He gestured as if he was pulling the handle of a slot machine.
This got down to the fundamental difference between his dad and him. His dad’s profit had been meant to line his dad’s pockets. The profit Eric made went to something different, something better, in his opinion. Buildings and property management were necessary, but so were humanitarian efforts and charities and people in general. And coyotes. He thought about the little coyote pup he’d seen on that land, and wondered what would happen to all the displaced species, both animal and plant life. Would they just be plowed under and forgotten? That thought, more than anything, was the deciding factor. So was Bucky’s attitude, to be honest.
“So your intention is to move in, bulldoze everything under and shove aside the lives that get in your way, then build your own version of paradise by the light of a slot machine?”
“Not shove, Eric. Convince. We’ll convince them to move on.”
“And start over, like it or not.”
“Has to be done. Some of those ranches are in the path of progress so they become part of the deal.”
“Maybe you think it has to be done, but not by me. That’s not the kind of deal to which I want to attach the Hart name.” No, his deal was to favor the coyotes and the prickly pear cactus and the ranchers. Preserving posterity, even if that posterity was not his own. The older he got, the more he thought about it.
“Is there anything I can say or do to help you change your mind? Up your percentage of the deal. Build you a custom suite in the complex with everything you could ever want in it? Introduce you to my sister...for God’s sake, Eric. Be reasonable here.”
“I am being reasonable.” It was a sound decision. Possibly the best one he’d made since taking over the company, and he felt good about it. Somehow he thought Michi would approve, and that made him feel even better. Of course, it wasn’t the same feeling he’d had when he’d left the operating theater after a good surgery, but in his line of work now it was probably as close as he would get. “I appreciate the opportunity, but it’s not for me.”
Bucky nodded, but ignored the hand Eric extended to him. “Your daddy wouldn’t have missed this opportunity. He was an astute man who knew a good deal when it was presented to him and he always jumped right on it.”
“If he were here, I’m sure he’d be flattered by the compliment. But I’m the one who’s here now, making the decisions. Not my dad.” And for the first time since he’d taken over, he felt like he was on solid footing. Maybe because seeing Michi again had sparked a little optimism he’d been lacking since he’d left medicine. Or maybe he was simply coming into his own. Whatever the case, this time he wasn’t living in his dad’s shadow, doing what his dad would have done. This was what he wanted, and it felt good.
“Your loss.” Those were Bucky’s final words before he left.
But, it wasn’t a loss. Not even close to one. And Eric simply smiled as he sat back down, pulled out his cellphone, and punched in a number. “You know that piece of property down in Texas? The one they want to turn into a casino oasis? Buy it. Every last inch of it.” He listened to the voice on the other end—one of his lawyers. “Yes, I’m aware of the cost. And, no, I don’t intend on selling it back to the casino investors at an inflated price. I want the land to remain as it is. I want the people who live on that land to go on living there, with the legal understanding that if they should move, that property will revert to Hart Properties. Oh, and the purpose of that property is to remain a natural habitat. Tie it up so tight that it won’t be touched forever. And erect a plaque dedicating it to the coyotes.”
On that positive note, and so full of positive energy he felt like he was going to burst, Eric changed out of his suit, bade Natalie good afternoon, exited the building, then took a run down to the park. It was the first time he’d run since he couldn’t remember when, and it felt good. Everything felt good. Sure, Michi was a big part of that, but with this Riku somewhere in her life...well, he didn’t expect anything to come of him and her. But right now he felt great, and he wasn’t going to worry beyond that. He’d made a wise decision, he’d seen Michi again...so far it was turning into a very good day.
* * *
“He’s had a good day,” Agnes said, handing Riku over to Michi. He was sound asleep, sucking his thumb, looking as angelic as a child could look. “Although I will say he tires a little too easily, which is a concern. But...” Agnes shrugged “...Dr. Kapoor will fix him and all of us can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”
“Can you watch him for a little while tonight?”
Agnes arched curious eyebrows but didn’t ask.
“OK, I have a date with Eric. I ran into him and—”
Agnes raised her hand to stop her. “Your business, Michi. Entirely your business. Of course I’ll watch him. Spending time with Riku is the best part of my life, except for spending time with your uncle.”
“I usually put him on a little oxygen at night. That’s when he seems to have the most difficulty breathing.”
“And we’re set up for that. Nothing to worry about.”
She loved her aunt’s cheery outlook, wished she had some of that herself. Maybe in time. After the surgery. After Riku was on the road to recovery.
After...after...after. That was her life. Everything now came after. But truncus arteriosus, a rare type of heart defect, pushed everything in her life aside. All she had to cling to was after. Everything else was a wait-and-see game.
“But I worry anyway,” Michi said as she looked down at her sleeping son and tears welled in her eyes. “There are so many questions, Agnes. Should I have had this done earlier, before he was as compromised as he is now? Should I have tried harder to tell Eric when I found out? Maybe seek out his advice? Should I tell him now and leave out the part that Riku’s his son? Or should I tell him everything and hope he doesn’t retaliate in some way? Because that’s what scares me. Would Eric see me as negligent for my choices and go for custody?”
Agnes gave Michi’s arm a squeeze. “I know you’re still suffering from that incident with the social worker, but she’s not Eric and I don’t believe he’s a vindictive man, Michi. I know him, not very well on a personal level, but what I know about him as a doctor makes me feel confident that Eric will do the right thing after you do the right thing.”
“Which is tell him.”
Agnes shrugged again, then gave her niece a bracing hug. “Have a nice time. And if you want to check on Riku, we’ll do a video call.”
Agnes’s cheerful exterior was only for show. She was every bit as frightened as the rest of Michi’s family. Still, with so much concern and support, the guilt Michi carried around was getting heavier because her common sense was right. Eric had to know. Her heart was telling her the very same thing. But it was fear holding her back, and it was a feeling she couldn’t carry forever. The burden of it was too massive.
Yet when she thought of Eric’s new world, that was where all her debates with herself wavered. Eric lived in a world she didn’t understand now. Would Riku fit in there? Would Eric want him to fit in? She didn’t know, but that wasn’t going to stop her. Not now. After tonight, nothing in her world would ever be the same again. What that world was going to be,
though...she wasn’t ready to think about that.
Michi spent the next couple of hours sitting at the side of the bed Agnes and Takumi had placed in the spare room, simply watching Riku sleep. She loved doing that. Tried hard to do that as much as she could every day then, at the end of it when she tucked him in for the night, she kept her vigil long into the night.
Life worked out well despite her busy schedule. She saw very few patients now. Someone else had taken over the majority of her admin work. And her grandmother, a retired pediatrician, took care of Riku when Michi couldn’t. Her parents were always on hand as well. So far, she’d never gone outside the family to find someone to care for Riku when she couldn’t because her eager family always jumped in first.
She was lucky having so many people who cared. But Eric—did he have anyone? She didn’t really know. She should, because Eric’s family would also be Riku’s family. Surprisingly, this was the first time she’d ever thought of that. Probably because she’d never allowed herself to accept the fact that Eric was a real part of Riku’s life.
“Your daddy’s a good man,” she said, as Riku slowly opened his eyes. “And he won’t understand a word you’re saying when you start to talk because you’ll speak in Japanese and he won’t. Which means we may have to teach Daddy to speak our language.” Riku didn’t say anything, the way he never did, but he did smile, then reach up for her.
“Are you hungry?” she asked him.
Again, he didn’t answer, but she always hoped. Just one word would have sent her over the moon with joy. The doctors had told her not to worry because his delay in talking was probably a side effect of his illness. Not in a medical sense, though, but more from having spent most of his life having medical treatment, which had slowed down his development in both speech and physical co-ordination. He did understand her, though. Of that, she was sure, because she could see the look in his eyes when she talked to him. “Uncle Takumi made you some applesauce. Does that sound good?”