Down and Dirty (17 page)

Terrie gasped in surprise at his confession. “I love you too, Tak.”

Their lips met and Takumijo shuddered.
What in the hell just happened
?

Chapter Eight

“Where are you off to so early?” Yori asked Amaya. It was just eight in the morning, on the weekend, and Amaya usually was still flat on her back unconscious until at least noon.

“Off to meet Harper,” she said, tucking a yellow clutch beneath her arm. She was smartly dressed in a navy blue pantsuit and matching yellow pumps.

“You’re meeting Harper again?” He knew he sounded very much like a jealous husband, but he really didn’t trust his wife around the famously wealthy and handsome publisher. He and Amaya had been meeting quite regularly now after Amaya agreed to be the technical designer for Harper’s new line of young adult clothing.

The man owned one of the biggest publishing companies in New York, was half partner in another publishing company in Japan, and was just about to open a third publishing company in China. Why did he have to be a fashion mogul too?

“This is the only time we have free,” Amaya answered. “He’s a very busy man, and my work is starting to pick up too.”

Amaya did seem a lot happier now since they’d had a long talk about her attempted suicide. She didn’t seem quite so bitchy and less clingy. “Well, drive safely,” Yori told her as he watched her walk toward the door.

She stopped. “What are your plans for today?”

“I have a rehearsal,” Yori told her. “So I probably won’t be home until late.”

“How late?” Amaya asked. “Should I cook dinner?”

“Don’t bother,” Yori told her. “I’ll just pick up something if Ich doesn’t cook.”

“Ich always cooks,” Amaya said. “I don’t have to worry about you starving.” She waved good-bye to him and hurried out the door.

Yori walked away from the spot and headed for the kitchen to fix himself some breakfast. He paused. Why should he do that when he had a perfectly good chef at the farmhouse who was probably cooking breakfast this very moment? He reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed Ichiro’s number.

“Hello?” Ichiro answered.

“Hello, Ich, my friend, it’s Yori.”

“What do you want, fearless leader?” Ichiro asked.

Yori chuckled. “Breakfast.”

“Don’t you have a wife now? Why isn’t she seeing to your dietary needs?”

“She just left,” Yori told him. “She has an early morning meeting with Harper.”

“Again?”

“Yes,” Yori answered. “And I’m starving.”

“Okay, come on over. I’ll cook you something too since I have to cook for the other two dummies and the junior babies.”

“What junior babies?” Yori asked.

“Distraction,” Ichiro answered. “Masaaki and Saburo just dropped them off.”

“I’ll be right over,” Yori said. “Are they being troublesome?”

“About the same as you three guys,” Ichiro answered sarcastically. “They’re just smarter.”

“I’m on my way,” Yori said. “Try not to strangle them.” He disconnected the call, grabbed his keys and coat, and locked up the house. Fifteen minutes later, he was on the road nearing the farmhouse compound. On a whim, he made a detour to check out Shaundra’s new place. He passed just outside the gates, hoping to get a glimpse of her, but all he saw was a picture out of a storybook. The house sat far beyond the gates surrounded by a lot of trees and lush lawns. A sprinkling of fresh snow covered the house, grounds, and two other buildings on the property. He sighed, wondering if Shaundra was happy. She’d seemed fine the last time he saw her in Kagawa, but he wondered if she was truly okay. He drove past the property and headed for the road that would take him back to the farmhouse.

Ichiro had hinted that Shaundra might be moving back. He supposed that was the best thing for the babies, to have both parents present under one roof. But the longer Shaundra stayed away from Ichiro, the harder it would be for her to fall back into the routine of being Farmhouse Queen. He guessed it had to have been hard on her from the beginning being around a bunch of young people twenty-four-seven after raising four kids and finally getting a taste of freedom. And he couldn’t say her really blamed her for leaving Ichiro. Their youngest member still had a lot to learn about dealing with women.

Yori arrived at the security guard station right outside the Aomori compound. The guard recognized him and opened the gates. Yori drove forward until the farmhouse came into view. He sighed contently. No matter how far away he traveled, this place would always be home. Speaking of which, he’d better call his parents later and check on them. They still worried about him even though he hadn’t lived with them since he was a kid. And his father still tried to give him an allowance even though Yori tried to explain to him that his every need was being taken care of. His parents didn’t have to worry about him being destitute. He’d invested wisely and could live quite comfortably when he retired from Aomori.

Yori parked in his usual spot behind the farmhouse and walked to the front door. The aroma of
yakimono
, grilled fish, hit him in the nostrils as soon as he entered the foyer of the house. He heard voices coming from the dining room, reminding him of the old days. He entered.

“Good morning,” he said to everyone.

Everyone stopped talking and stared at him.

“It’s Yori,” the one named Izanagi said.

Yori remembered his name from the other day because he’d been the nicer, more curious of the three. Yori bowed.

“Good morning,” the rest of them said to him.

Satoshi and Takumijo sat on one side of the table while the three members of Distraction sat across from them.

“What are you doing here?” Takumijo asked.

“What do you think?” Yori said. “I’ve come to be fed by my most adoring maknae.”

Ichiro entered the dining room right on cue, wearing a navy blue apron with the words, Sexy Chef blazed across his chest in big white letters. “Have a seat and stop the flattery,” he said. “Breakfast is ready.”

“Let me wash up first,” Yori said, heading toward the door. “I’ll be back in a second.” He stepped out the dining room, walked to one of the downstairs bathrooms, and washed and dried his hands before returning to the dining room. Ichiro was just beginning to serve the meal and the one named Hiroyuki helped him.

This one didn’t talk much, he noted. But Hiroyuki’s eyes spoke volumes. They didn’t venture too far from Ichiro, which he’d noticed the other day too.
Uh huh, a schoolboy crush
. Well, he’d have to keep an eye on him before Ichiro or any of the others noticed. He shook his head. This was bound to turn out disturbing.

Yori sat down at the head of the table.

Ichiro outdid himself again serving a traditional Japanese breakfast starting with
gohan
—cooked rice, miso soup, and
tsukemono
—pickles. There was also the yakimono, which he’d smelled earlier.

Ichiro arranged the table, placing the bowls of rice to their left, and the bowls of miso soup to their right. Behind the bowls he placed each of the
okazu
…side dishes on its own individual plate. The last one, he placed to the center. The pickled vegetables were served on the side.

“Why are you placing the bowls like that?” Hiroyuki asked Ichiro.

Ichiro stopped serving and looked at him. “This is how we set a table in Japan.” He left the dining room with Hiroyuki close on his heels. They returned later with the tea. “I will teach you how to do it properly if you are willing to learn,” Ichiro told Hiroyuki.

The youth nodded. “Yes. It might come in handy in the future.”

Ichiro pointed to Kioshi. “He is the youngest…your maknae. Does he not make sure this is done properly every morning?”

Kioshi looked up and over toward them. “I am not a morning person, and I don’t cook for them.”

“Why not?” Ichiro asked.

“Because its woman’s work,” Kioshi answered.

A hush fell over the dining room.

“It is not woman’s work. It is part of a family duty. Each of you should contribute to the orderly upkeep of the family.”

Both Hiroyuki and Izanagi nodded in agreement.

Yori watched with fascination. Apparently, the youngest member was a little lazy and had a superior attitude to boot.

“I’ll take care of the songwriting,” Kioshi said. “And Hiroyuki can take care of our meals if he wants to, since he has an interest in learning how to cook.”

“I don’t mind,” Hiroyuki said. “I would be honored if Ichiro would instruct me on how to maintain a household.”

Yori groaned.
This kid is smitten to death with Ichiro
. It reminded him a lot of Takumijo. Maybe it was those big blue eyes.

“I will begin your lesson later,” Ichiro told him. “After breakfast and rehearsal.”

Hiroyuki sat down and Ichiro began pouring the tea. He stopped by Kioshi. “In the future, you must learn never to say something is woman’s work, especially if a woman is present. They do not like that.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” Kioshi said. “But the women I date don’t talk much. They’re too busy trying to please me.”

“Lord have mercy,” Ichiro said quickly, moving away from the little heartthrob. “Shaundra is going to love you.”

Yori tried to hide his smile. Shaundra was going to eat Kioshi for dinner with that attitude. He regained his composure just as Ichiro sat down at the table across from Hiroyuki.

“
Itadakimasu
…I humbly receive,” Ichiro said over his food.

“Itadakimasu,” all six other males repeated.

The dining room door opened and Cristal entered. “Who does a girl have to sleep with to get a decent breakfast?” she asked.

All seven guys sprang to their feet.

“What a pleasant surprise,” Ichiro said, hurrying over to her. “Please come in and sit down.”

“What are you doing here, Farmhouse Princess?” Takumijo asked as Ichiro walked Cristal over to the table.

Cristal stood behind an empty chair between Takumijo and Satoshi. “I’ve come to check on all seven of my charges and to get
asagohan
…breakfast.”

Everyone sat down after Ichiro left to get Cristal some food.

Yori watched everyone from his seat at the end of the table. Satoshi’s grumpiness had disappeared and he kept peering over at Cristal.

“Good morning,” he said to her. “This is a pleasant surprise.”

“Good morning to you, Mr. Hayashi. It has been a long time, hasn’t it?”

Their body language was a bit strained, but the heat still radiated from them.

“How are you guys this morning?” Cristal asked Distraction.

“We’re fine,” Izanagi answered for them. “Do you normally come to breakfast here?”

“No,” Cristal said. “Well, I haven’t for quite some time, but the smell of grilled fish led me here.”

Yori noticed her peer across at Kioshi.

“Good morning, Mr. Yamashita. What has you out of the bed so early? I thought you didn’t do mornings.”

The blond-haired youth raised his eyes and glared at her. “I didn’t have a choice. Saburo threatened to call you over if I didn’t get up.”

Cristal bit back a smile with Izanagi and Hiroyuki laughed.
Private joke
.

“And we wouldn’t want that to happen again, now would we?” Cristal asked him.

“The next time will certainly turn out differently,” Kioshi muttered.

“What is this all about?” Satoshi asked Cristal.

“Oh nothing. Just a private joke between me and Kioshi.”

Yori spotted a blush on Kioshi’s cheeks clear from where he sat.
Oh, oh, a second schoolboy crush. Well, at least this one tried to keep it to himsel
f. Hopefully, Izanagi was the sanest of the three.

Ichiro returned with Cristal’s food, said grace again, and they finally began to eat like one big happy family.

****

“Have a nice visit with your family,” Shaundra told Dae-Hyun as he prepared to leave for the airport.

“Are you sure you will be okay?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Shaundra said. She’d never taken care of the twins herself since they’d been born, but she was sure she could handle them. “Go and have a nice time and say hello to the family.”

“I wish you were coming with me,” Dae-Hyun said, looking down at her. “They want to meet you.”

“Maybe next time,” Shaundra said, trying not to look too deeply into those sexy brown eyes. “I’m looking forward to meeting them too.” She’d promised to accompany him to Korea for a short trip soon.

“I left the babies’ bottles chilling in the refrigerator,” he told her. “Ryoto likes his heated.”

“Ryoto likes his fresh from the cow,” Shaundra said, pointing to her breast.

She and Dae-Hyun were trying to wean the twins just in case Shaundra had to fly to the United States to talk to the director about making her book into a movie.

“He’s a smart kid,” Dae-Hyun said, bending and gently kissing her on the forehead. “And he has a beautiful mother.”

Shaundra pushed him away playfully. “Go on, you’re not making this any easier.”

Dae-Hyun straightened up and walked out the door.

Shaundra followed and stood on the porch while Dae-Hyun loaded his luggage into the truck of his car.

“I left the emergency numbers on the refrigerator,” he said once he straightened up again.

“I know. I saw them. Everything is going to be okay. I won’t let them gang up on me.”

Dae-Hyun opened the driver’s side door, leaned in, and started the engine to warm the car up. “I’ll be back right after New Year’s,” he said. “But call me back if you need me.”

“I will,” Shaundra said. But she wouldn’t because he deserved the time off. Dae-Hyun had been working very hard to see to her and the twins and she was sure he’d like to spend the holidays with family and friends. Harper had hired a babysitter for the night of Ichiro’s birthday bash so she didn’t have to worry about that.

Dae-Hyun waved again and climbed into his car.

Shaundra watched him drive away, feeling a bit like a wife watching her husband go away to war. She walked back inside the house to check on the babies. Both little angels were fast asleep. She walked to her office to get some work done. She was just about to print out her notes when her cell phone rang. “Hello?”