Crimson Footprints (33 page)

“
No, Tak. I would never. I
just—”

He seized her, tickling as
she squirmed, as she giggled her apology. He clamped a hand over
her mouth and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

“
I can’t believe you’re
going to sit here and laugh in my face,” he said.

“
I’m not. All I said was—”
her words muffled and distorted.

“
And John, that poor
bastard, do you see what he has to look forward to? What he’ll look
like in a few short years?”

Deena giggled.

“
Again, with the laughing
in my face.” Tak sighed, finally freeing her mouth. “And Mike,
Jesus, he’s on the fast track there, isn’t he?”

When Deena laughed this
time, she clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle it. Tak frowned
at her.

“
You’re doing it
again.”

He paused, as if with a
thought. “And poor Lauren. Can you picture her in a few years? With
that comb-over and that gut?”

This time when Deena
laughed, he tickled her till she thrashed. “I’m gonna teach you
some manners, little lady. Right now. Gonna give you some
punishment.”

He grabbed her by the
wrists, pinned them overhead and kissed her neck. His body felt
lean and hard, and hers, instantly turned on.

CHAPTER
FORTY-NINE

When Deena ventured into the
kitchen the next morning, beckoned by the smell of coffee, she was
greeted by the Tanaka women—Yukiko, Daichi’s mother, June, his
sister-in-law, Hatsumi, his wife, and Asami, his sister. Erin,
Asami’s daughter, sat at the breakfast nook swinging her
feet.

“
Can I get you some
coffee?” Yukiko asked in that soothing voice of hers.

Deena nodded and pulled out
a chair from the table. Despite the kitchen’s broadness, it still
pulled off a cozy feel.

She took a seat across from
Asami, who sipped tea as she watched her. June took a seat next to
Asami and also began to stare. Deena smiled nervously.

“
So, we hear that you work
for, Daichi?” Asami said.

Petite and pretty, she had
wide dark eyes and black hair that fell to her shoulders, streaked
with chestnut. Her clothes were expensive and reserved—dark
tailored slacks and a sleeveless blouse; Deena recognized them from
the new Dolce & Gabanna lineup.

“
It’s going well. We’re in
the middle of a major project that we’re very excited
about.”

“
Yes, yes we know that,”
Asami said dismissively. “But how is it to work
for
him?”

“
Oh it must be horrible,”
June blurted. The women looked at each other and giggled as if they
thought themselves naughty.

Deena went to work preparing
her coffee. A touch of milk, two spoons of sugar. “Every architect
considers it a great honor to work with him. Myself
included.”

June rolled her eyes. “Yes,
we’ve been told. By him.”

Again with the
giggles.

Deena shifted in her
seat.

“
You know,” Asami said,
bringing a fist to her chin. “You’re not what we were expecting.
Not at all.”

“
No?” Deena
said.

Asami shook her head. “When
my brother said he was bringing a colleague home, well, we
thought…”

“
A man?” Deena
suggested.

“
Well, yes. One that was
older…”

“
And whiter,” June blurted,
as if oblivious to her own whiteness..

Deena grinned. “Then I must
really disappoint.”

“
On the contrary,” Yukiko
said, joining them at the table. “You’re a breath of fresh
air.”

Deena smiled at her. She
couldn’t help it.

“
So, tell us about
yourself,” Asami said as she stirred her tea. “Where are you from?
Where are your parents from? How many brothers and sisters do you
have?”

“
Well,” Deena began, “I’m
from Miami, and so are my parents. And as for my siblings, I have
two. A brother, who’s dead, and a sister. Both younger.”

“
Your brother is deceased?
My goodness, I’m sorry. That must’ve been terrible for you,” Asami
said.

“
Was it a long time ago?”
June asked.

“
It doesn’t matter how long
ago it was, June. You never get over that sort of thing,” Yukiko
scolded.

Deena offered a sad smile.
“I cope. It’s been a few years now, so, I’ve learned ways of
dealing.”

“
You must be so strong,”
June said. “I wilt at the slightest bad news.”

“
And she means it,” Asami
said. “She was inconsolable when they cancelled
Sex in the City
.”

They all laughed, June
included. And Deena wondered. When had she last sat with women and
did something as simple and pure as laugh? Maybe never.

Asami stood and began
clearing dishes. June rose to help her.

“
You’re so young,” Yukiko
said. “Your family must be awfully proud.”

Deena lowered her gaze and
said nothing. But when she looked up, she had their undivided
attention.

“
Anyone would be,” Yukiko
continued softly, as if sensing something just beneath the
surface.

Deena sighed. Would you? She
wanted to ask.

Wanted to, but didn’t
dare.

CHAPTER FIFTY

They didn’t work that first
day, on Christmas Eve, or on the second, Christmas Day. Though
there were no lights and mistletoe or none of the traditional
trappings of a Christmas, there was still a decidedly festive
atmosphere.

Deena spent the morning on
the terrace chatting with the Tanaka women about nonsense matters
like clothes and makeup, movies and celebrity gossip. Afterwards,
June took her into the bathroom and demonstrated a few techniques
for concealing her freckles.

The women marveled at how
well Deena coped with being away from her family on Christmas Day.
It was all she could do not to smile. Somehow, she didn’t miss the
shouting and fighting, or the crass and belligerent way the
Hammonds celebrated the holidays.

That afternoon Daichi and
Yoshi stood before the stainless steel gas grill with its six
individual burners and watched the meat cook. Behind them, their
children splashed in the pool and sunned on the deck. Deena
stretched out on a lounge chair, her face in a book as Michael sat
next to her with a smear of sun block on his nose.

“
You know, Daichi; you
should’ve gotten a charcoal grill. The food would taste better,”
Yoshi said.

Daichi prodded a skewer of
chicken, onions and green peppers. “Charcoal masks the tastes of
food. Propane provides a purer experience.”

Yoshi scowled at him. “Dad
used a charcoal grill for thirty years and you never
complained.”

“
If you wanted your food
from a charcoal grill, Yoshi, you should’ve brought one,” Daichi
said idly.

Yukiko arrived with a tray
of seasoned chicken and Daichi added them to the grill. He basted
half with barbecue sauce and the other half with sweet
teriyaki.

“
Where’s the yakitori?”
Yoshi demanded.

“
There is no yakitori,”
Daichi snapped. “There are chicken breasts and wings, legs and
thighs, beef and pork ribs, lamb chops and steak, hamburgers and
hot dogs. Certainly even a man with an appetite as robust as yours
can be sated with this selection.”

Yukiko’s eyes narrowed.
“Daichi…”

“
Hmph. Well when did you
start adding lamb chops to the menu?” Yoshi demanded. “Was that
after you made the first or second million?”

Daichi sighed. “There are
some of us with more discerning palates,” he said carefully. “I am
one and Ms. Hammond is another. But for you there are hot
dogs.”

“
When we were kids hot dogs
suited you just fine,” Yoshi countered.

“
Yes, and you enjoyed
flying kites and playing baseball.” Daichi lowered his gaze to his
brother’s stomach. “But clearly you’ve given that up.”

“
Daichi! You know that your
brother struggles with his weight! You should support his efforts,
not ridicule them.”

Daichi closed the lid on the
grill. “I’ll be sure to do that, as soon as I witness
them.”

Yukiko sighed.
“Daichi—”

“
No,
okasan
, it’s okay.” Yoshi drew up to
his full weight, turned to Daichi, his stomach round and solid
looking beneath the tuck of his polo shirt. “Maybe I’m not some hot
shot architect that people look up to. And maybe I’m not rich and
fit and important. But I’d rather have people like me than fear
me.”

Daichi eyed him with
amusement. “Then you’re a fool.”

Yoshi squared off, fists
clenched. “This fool might not have your money, but he could teach
you a thing or two about being a father.”

Daichi nodded. “Foremost
among fatherly duties is the ability to provide shelter for your
brood. Take you, for example, Yoshi. You still find it necessary to
rely on your mother for monetary assistance from time to time in
this regard.”

Yoshi turned to Yukiko, his
face beet red. “You told him? You told him about the
house?”

Yukiko looked from one son
to the other with helplessness. “I had no choice. There was no one
else that had that much money.”

She’d called Daichi only
once Yoshi faced imminent foreclosure.

“
But you let me think it
was from you.”

“
You wouldn’t have taken it
otherwise, Yoshi!”

Yoshi stormed past his
mother, pride tarnished. There was now something else his brother
could lord over him, a debt of $13,000 that could never be
repaid.

With a sigh, Deena closed
both her paperback and eyes. Clearly, Michael Tanaka would allow
for no reading today.

“
We should go dancing
sometimes,” Michael said. “I know you wouldn’t think it, but I’m a
great dancer. Not as good as my brother, mind you, but not many
people are.”

Deena lowered her shades.
“John’s a good dancer?”

She thought back to the
nightclub in Manhattan and his spastic thrusts.

“
Are you kidding me? When
we were growing up John used to run with this group
called…Explosion, I think it was.” He shook his head. “They did all
kinds of stuff. Like crazy, break dancing, break-your-neck kind of
stuff. I mean, the guy was amazing. You show him anything and he
can repeat it right back to you, just like that. It’s
insane.”

Deena sat up. “John? John
Tanaka?”

Michael scowled. “You know,
you should really hang out with more Asians. You’ll find that we’re
a lot more than the stereotypes people attach to us.”

Deena nearly laughed. “I
spend plenty of time with Asian people,
thank-you-very-much.”

Michael sat up. “So, you’re
not adverse to…dating one?”

Deena sighed. “Of course
not.”

“
And do you think you could
find an Asian guy attractive? Sexy, even?”

“
The right one,
yes.”

He smiled. “That’s good to
hear.”

It didn’t seem to occurr to
him that he might not be the right one.

Mike followed Deena’s gaze
to the pool, where Tak and John were midway through a game of water
volleyball.

“
I know you wouldn’t think
it,” Michael said. “But I’m quite the athlete. As children, that
was a sport I managed to dominate.”

Deena had heard enough
stories of Michael’s childhood—sprains during tee-ball, nose bleeds
in flag football and fractures during Frisbee, to recognize a lie
when she saw one.

“
Really, now?” she said
dully.

“
Oh, absolutely.
Athleticism comes natural to me—a rarity when combined with my
academic prowess,” he said earnestly.

“
Well, then. You shouldn’t
let me keep you from doing what comes naturally to you” Deena said,
giving a nod towards the game.

Michael blinked. “Are you
kidding me? Even the excitement of competition pales in comparison
to you.”

His flattery nauseated her.
Deena shifted and sighed in relief when she spied John climbing
from the pool. He reached a towel, dried himself, and
approached.

“
Deena, let’s
walk.”

“
Walk where?” she
said.

John raised a brow. “Does it
matter?”

Already she was getting
up.

*

“
Daichi, your brother looks
up to you. And your words effect him,” Yukiko said, closing the
patio door. “And too often, you’re careless with them and his
feelings.”

“
Okasan
, if my words were important to him, he would not be a used
car salesman with a wife and three children he can barely support,”
Daichi said with forced evenness. He glimpsed Yoshi just on the
other side of the glass door, peering at the grilling meet. Daichi
scowled.