One Kiss in Tokyo... (4 page)

Avery stared down at his plate. ‘Sorry,' he murmured. ‘At last count it was around forty-eight hours since I had some proper food.'

She gave a knowing nod. ‘Is it the joys of being an ER doctor, or the joys of being in the air force?'

They returned to the booth and he spent the next few minutes eating. It appeared he'd picked two slices of pepperoni and mushroom pizza and they hit all the right spots. After a few minutes he rested back in the booth and picked up his bottle of beer.

The cold liquid felt like nectar sliding down his throat.

Katsuko was sipping her wine and eating her pizza with a knife and fork. She raised her eyebrows at him. ‘Finally feeling human again?'

He nodded. The horrible churning feeling in his stomach had abated. After the long travel, the working hours and the fast eating, he should be ready to lie down and go straight to sleep.

But there was no way he wanted to sleep when he had the sparkiest woman he'd ever met in front of him.

‘You know, we haven't even been properly introduced.'

She frowned for a second. ‘Yes, we have.'

He shook his head. ‘Oh, no, we haven't. You threatened to break my hand.'

The expression on her face softened a little. ‘Yes, I did.' It was as if she were reliving the memory.

He held out his hand towards her. ‘Captain Avery Flynn, doctor. I'm from Ohio but have been stationed in just about every air force base that's ever existed. Joined as soon as I qualified. Been in the service now for eight years.'

He held his breath. She waited a few seconds, then wiped her hands on her napkin and reached out her hand for his.

There it was again. That tiny little buzz. He hadn't been imagining it.

Her hand was cooler than his. But it seemed to fit in his grasp.

‘First Lieutenant Katsuko Williams. I joined when I was eighteen and did my nurse training. I did a few months in Georgia to complete my nurse training. The rest of the time I've been based here.'

She gently withdrew her hand from his and took another sip of her wine.

He looked at her carefully. In the brighter lights of the pizza place he could see just how flawless her skin was and just how dark her eyes were. No gold flecks. No trace of another colour. Just pure, deep, dark brown.

‘Katsuko's a nice name. What does it mean?'

‘You think my name means something?'

He shrugged. ‘Everyone's name means something. Mine is French—it means wise.'

She let out a laugh and he raised his eyebrows. ‘Or, if you're a fan of
Lord of the Rings
, it means ruling with elf wisdom in English.'

She spluttered. ‘You're joking!'

He shook his head. ‘I'm not.' He waved his phone at her. ‘Want to check it?'

‘No.' She waved over the waitress and spoke quickly. The waitress gave him a knowing smile and walked away.

‘What did you say to her?'

‘I ordered more drinks.'

‘Trying to get me drunk?'

‘As if.' She leaned across the table towards him.

He hesitated. What was she doing? Was she actually flirting with him? No one could deny the electricity in the air around them or the occasional little gleam in her eye. But Katsuko Williams didn't strike him as a woman to mess with. And that just made him like her all the more. So he couldn't resist. He leaned forward too.

She looked him straight in the eye. ‘Victorious child.'

‘What?' He was confused. So
not
what he'd thought she might say.

She sat back, looking pleased with herself. ‘You asked me what my name meant.'

He blinked. She pulled her shirt a little straighter over the curves of her breasts. From the expression on her face it was clear she knew
exactly
what she was doing. She was playing him.

He pushed his plate away and pressed his forehead on the table with a sigh.

‘What are you doing?'

He turned his head to the side. ‘I'm done. I've travelled too far. I've eaten too much. Worked for too long. And now my local tour guide is being mean to me.'

She gave a snort. ‘Mean to you?'

He looked up through the floppy part of his hair—he really needed to get that cut. ‘Yes, mean to me.'

She folded her arms across her chest and he sat back up.

He liked her. She was smart. And direct. Maybe even a little bit quirky. This flirting could lead somewhere. He didn't do long-term. But he could be here for up to six months. She could make those six months fun. ‘Victorious child. I like it. But it doesn't quite have an elf-like ring to it. What was the other name they called you?'

She rolled her eyes and picked up her wine glass again. ‘Nothing.'

She didn't like her nickname? Interesting. ‘It wasn't nothing. It was
faya
-something.'

She sipped at her wine. ‘Only close friends get to call me that.'

He was curious. Could he get to be in that category?

‘Say it for me again?'

She sighed.
‘Faiyakuraka.'

He scrunched up his face and tried to concentrate on the sounds.
‘Fay-acure-aka.'
He leaned back, feeling pleased with himself. ‘Firecracker.'

‘Not even close. You need to work on your accent.'

He took a drink from his beer bottle. ‘Will you help me with that?'

This time Katsuko dropped her head on the table. ‘Give me strength. Do you ever stop?'

‘Not if I don't have to.'

He pushed her head back up. ‘Hey, it's my first time in Japan. I'm learning. Why shouldn't I learn with a beautiful colleague?'

Something flashed across her face and he instantly knew it had been the wrong thing to say. Great. He tried to cover his tracks quickly.

‘Talking of accents, I thought you said you'd stayed here most of your life. Your accent is distinctly American.'

She gave a little nod. ‘And when I speak Japanese, my accent is distinctly Japanese.'

He was confused. ‘What do you mean?'

Her eyes fixed on the corner of the room. ‘Let's just say I'm kind of caught between two worlds.'

It was a strange thing to say. And it wasn't just the words. It was the delivery of them. As if she wasn't entirely happy.

It felt too personal to pry. He barely knew her. He was brand new around here and he didn't want to do anything that would upset a colleague.

He gave a smile. ‘So, what's it like being the daughter of the commander?'

The unsettled feeling on her face vanished. She gave a little shake of her head. ‘Oh, you have no idea.' She lifted her wine glass again and took a careful sip. ‘Let's just say that the man you saw today is not the man that I live with.'

Avery set his beer bottle down. This conversation was getting more curious by the minute. The man he'd seen today had been like most other major generals he'd met in his career—someone not to be messed with.

Katsuko was biting her bottom lip as her fingers ran up the stem of her wine glass. It was as if she were contemplating what to say.

‘So he's a different man behind closed doors? I just can't imagine that.' Avery leaned back against the booth.

She met his gaze. ‘He's not really my father.'

‘He's not?' He couldn't help it. The words just came out. ‘But Frank said...' His voice tailed off.

‘I know. Everyone says that. Because that's what everyone really knows. Don was a pilot—my dad was his RIO. They had to eject from a plane during a combat mission and my father hit his head on the cockpit. He died instantly.'

Avery felt his mouth instantly dry. ‘Wow. I'm sorry.'

She held up her hands. ‘Didn't you spot the family resemblance?' When he didn't answer she shrugged. ‘My dad was African-American, my mother Japanese.'

‘What happened to your mom?'

‘She became unwell just after my dad died. Everyone thought she was grieving—maybe they even thought she was depressed. It turned out she had leukaemia.'

Avery shook his head. This story was getting worse and worse.

Katsuko flicked open her wallet. ‘Here they are.' She turned her wallet around. Behind the plastic inset was an old photo. Even though it was behind the plastic it was a little weathered around the edges—as if it was pulled out frequently—and the colours were a little faded.

He leaned forward to get a better view. It was a close-up of a couple laughing together. The woman had her arms wrapped around the man's neck. She was a petite, beautiful Japanese woman with long straight dark hair wearing a bright red top. The African-American man was much taller and dressed in his uniform. He was laughing too, staring straight at his wife. It was obvious they were in love. Even though the photo was old it was like a little moment captured in time. The love emanated from it.

He looked up. Katsuko was staring at the photo, lost in the memory. It was like a fist grasping inside his chest and squeezing his heart. He'd never experienced anything so intense. Her finger traced over the photo and she gave a sad smile. ‘They look really happy together,' he said.

She looked up. ‘They were. My dad said that he had to court my mom. She pretended to be very traditional to begin with, even though she was secretly more like a rebel. He even learned some Japanese to try and win her round.'

‘What did he learn?' He'd struggled to get his tongue around even a few words today. He'd have to learn the basics for working in the ER. No matter where he worked, he always tried to learn a few words of the language. Japanese just seemed a little trickier than most. Maybe Katsuko could help him?

She shook her head and met his gaze. ‘Oh, I don't want to give away any of my dad's secrets. Before I know it you'll be using them on all the women in the base.'

‘Maybe not all the women.' The words came out naturally. He couldn't help but flirt with her. He'd be crazy not to.

She laughed at him. ‘You think you're good at this, don't you?'

He laughed back. ‘Only when I'm jet-lagged or drunk.' He stared at his bottle. ‘I'm not sure which one I am right now.'

She gave a nod and glanced back at the photo, touching it with her index finger.
‘Kokoro no sokokara aishiteru.'
It was almost a whisper.

He bent forward. ‘What did you say?'

She shook her head. ‘
Kokoro no sokokara aishiteru
. It's just something my dad used to say to me as a little girl.'

Now he was really curious. ‘What does it mean?'

She made a face. ‘I guess the literal translation would be, “I love you from the bottom of my heart.” But when my father used to say it he pressed his hand to my face and then to his chest. It was more like, “You have my heart.”'

‘That's lovely.' It wasn't really an expression he used much. Most guys in the world didn't describe things as lovely. But it seemed right. ‘You must miss them so much.'

She closed her wallet and pressed her lips together. ‘I do—just like any kid would. In a way, I was lucky, even though it didn't feel like that. I didn't lose them both together. That would have been worse. My mother helped me through the death of my father, and she helped prepare me for her own death. She, and Don.'

‘So, the General adopted you?'

‘He had to. It was the only way I could stay on the base. He wasn't a major general then. And he'd never married.' She toyed with her glass. ‘Apparently long before anything happened to my parents they'd named him as my guardian in their will. I guess they just never really expected him to have to act as it.'

‘Didn't your mother have other family?'

Katsuko shifted in her seat. ‘My grandmother lives in Tokyo. She wasn't well enough to cope with a ten-year-old. She has rheumatoid arthritis. She's in a wheelchair now. I visit—I've always visited—but she hates Don with a passion. And she didn't like the fact that my mother had married an American. It seems I can't really do anything to please her.' There was a wistful tone to her voice.

The edges of her lips turned upwards in a forced smile. ‘Don's great. He's always treated me as if I was his own. He tells me I'm the daughter he never had. But sometimes I feel like him adopting me might have ruined his chances of ever meeting anyone else. He and Dad were best friends. I was so used to being around him that when both my parents died I never even thought I could end up anywhere else.' She licked her lips and stared at the table for a second. ‘I remember when my mother was really ill he came and sat with her. My mother held my hand and told me that when she went to sleep I'd go and stay with Don.'

Avery reached over and squeezed her hand. He'd been in the air force for years. He'd worked on servicemen who had been injured in action and sometimes even killed. He'd dealt with sick family members. But he'd never met a kid who'd been orphaned. He couldn't even imagine what that felt like.

Katsuko's gaze fixed on their joined hands for a few moments. Then she pulled her hand back against her chest.

Avery licked his lips. ‘Frank says the Major General bites.'

There was a millisecond of confusion on her face before the comment obviously fell into context.

‘Frank should learn to mind his own business.'

Avery drummed his fingers on the table. ‘Just as a matter of curiosity, how often has he bitten?'

The words hung in the air between them. It was ridiculous and he knew that. He'd only just met her.

He'd been stationed on air force bases before. There were always people you clicked with straight away—hospitals were like that. But he had always been a little cautious. He liked to get know a woman before he decided if wanted to date them. And he didn't do long-term—not with the kind of family he had. His relationships only lasted as long as his posting at the base.