The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin Page 0,51

He made her sound … well gorgeous instead of awkward and clumsy and … well, not gorgeous. People like Avril with their perfect make-up and immaculate clothes were gorgeous. Fiona with her charity-shop buys and arty style … well, no one had ever called her gorgeous. Slightly bemused, all she could do was nod but Gabe was talking again so he didn’t seem to notice her stupefied silence.

‘Now it’s out in the open, we can laugh about it. I’ll never forget your friend’s face when she came round the corner and caught us!’

Fiona winced.

‘Hopefully, kissing the teacher did your street cred some good.’

‘Something like that,’ she muttered through stiff lips.

‘But we’ve got an exhibition to sort for you, so we need to crack on with some work. I’m sorry I’ve not been that helpful. I realised today at Meji and Shibuya … well, you remind me of myself when I first started out. Today reminded me of what it’s all about. That magic when the reality of the shot mirrors what you’d hoped it would be.’ He wrinkled his face. ‘Do you think you can forgive me?’ He suddenly grinned. ‘I know you think I’m an arse.’

‘I …’

With a laugh he pushed his hands through his hair. ‘Don’t deny it. You have one of the most expressive faces I’ve ever seen. And I’ve been thinking … your idea … I think it has real potential but we need to visit a few famous sights to make it work. Mount Fuji is a definite, it’s so iconic. But Haruka’s the one for that. Let’s talk with her over dinner. Truce?’ He held out a hand.

She took it and ignored the tiny spark of something at the brief touch. ‘Truce, unless you start being an arse again. All bets are off then.’

This time his laugh was rich and deep and did something very strange to her. She found herself grinning back at him, as if they’d been friends for years.

‘I promise I’ll be on my best behaviour.’

‘Hmm.’ Fiona peered at him from under her lashes.

‘Let’s go and see Haruka and do some planning.’

‘Well, as you say, Fuji is a must.’ Fiona amazed herself with her even tone. ‘And I really want to see a tea ceremony.’

‘Well if we can’t fix that up with Haruka, we’re doomed. Now, while you’re here, why don’t we take a quick look at those shots at the torii gate and your mountaineering shots at Shibuya?’

Fiona nodded shyly, not quite able to believe the transformation in Gabe and the huge weight that had suddenly lifted off her shoulders. It felt weird and yet wonderful at the same time. She turned all the words he used – leggy, gorgeous, stunning – over in her mind. They were so far from the image she’d had of herself that it was as if the fairy godmother had waved a magic wand. The boulder of shame, mortification, and embarrassment that had dogged her had been dislodged and she could almost believe the things he’d said about her. For a vain, stupid moment, she wanted to find a mirror and study herself, this new version of Fiona Hanning, to see if she could determine any difference.

Chapter 12

Kaito, Haruka’s husband, worked long hours and it was rare to see him in the evenings but tonight he was present for dinner, along with Setsuko’s husband, Mayu, and Gabe. It was quite the party and they ate in a larger room seated on cushions around a long table loaded with an array of small, beautifully presented dishes ranging from colourful salads, bright green wasabi, rich brown, salty soy, the fiery orange chilli dipping sauce through to glistening slivers of raw fish and neatly packed rice parcels of sushi. Haruka had gone to a lot of effort and seemed to be in her absolute element, tweaking and arranging the dishes.

With a low bow of greeting, Kaito asked Fiona in perfect English – albeit with a slight American accent – how she was finding her trip and how the photography was coming along.

It was with some relief that she was able to answer honestly as Haruka and Setsuko handed out white china plates with a small lip for dinner.

‘Gabe and I have been discussing an idea for the exhibition. We’re looking for recommendations of where to visit.’

‘Ah. That will cause a heated family debate,’ said Kaito with a wry smile at his wife and daughter.

‘I will tell you the best places,’ said Mayu stoutly. ‘Interesting places. Not boring