The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin Page 0,75

I only twigged a little while ago.’

She took her phone out of her pocket and sure enough there were two new texts. ‘What is she like?’

‘Persistent. You should ignore her.’

‘It’s not that easy. I’m her daughter.’

‘Yes, but it’s not as if she’s particularly old or infirm.’

‘Gabe, I don’t want to get into that now.’

‘Okay. You left your hair loose. It’s lovely.’ Surprised by the abrupt comment, she blushed to the very roots of said lovely hair as he picked up a strand and rubbed it between his fingers and thumb. ‘In this light it’s like burnished bronze.’

‘Haruka said it was like gold. Kintsugi, she said.’

Gabe raised an eyebrow and his eyes travelled over her face, a gentle smile touching his lips. ‘She has a way of saying things, knowing things. She’s … very special. Even though she’s a bossy old bat, I’m very fond of her. She … she saved me. Saved my body at least. My soul still needs work, according to her.’

‘When you broke up with Yumi.’

He winced. ‘Not my finest hour. But then, how many people deal well with public humiliation and absolute betrayal. By rights I should tell her she’s made her bed but I think she’s lonely and … I feel sorry for her. She’s so vulnerable. People think she’s a lot tougher than she really is. She says I’m the only one who really understands her. I guess I still feel responsible for her.’

But that’s her husband’s job, thought Fiona, but as he stared off into the distance, her heart went out to him. He was the one who seemed lost and lonely. For some reason she put her hand down on his, instinctively wanting to offer comfort and her heart was gladdened when he turned his palm up and linked his fingers with hers.

She didn’t know why he was holding her hand or why she was letting him but it felt nice. Part of her, broken for so long, had mended overnight.

‘I didn’t sleep with her,’ he said in a low voice infused with desperate urgency.

‘I know.’ She swallowed hard, shocked by the sudden hot, sweet release of relief.

‘She blows hot and cold but I know if I did … I’d hate myself even more.’

At the pain in his voice, she squeezed his hand, feeling a lot older than him and wanting to put her arms around him. To tell him he deserved to be loved. But somehow she didn’t think he’d believe her.

Chapter 18

‘God, I’m knackered,’ muttered Gabe with a huge yawn as they settled into their seats on the train to Fujiyoshida. ‘I was up half the night negotiating with The Sunday Times and organising the Beckham shoot. It’s a definite.’ He picked up his camera and removed it from the case, fiddling with a few buttons before setting it down on the seat beside him.

‘That’s amazing,’ she whispered. ‘Well done. And don’t keep yawning, you’ll set me off; I’m a shadow of my former self after yesterday.’

He grinned at her. ‘How was the Robot Restaurant?’

‘Mayu had the time of her life,’ she murmured and then pulled a face. ‘My eyeballs were burnt out. All that neon and flashing lights. My poor retinas could be scarred for life. Have you seen those things? Some of them are downright terrifying.’

He laughed. ‘Why do you think I didn’t take you?’

The visit to the restaurant had definitely been one of the more bizarre experiences of Fiona’s life. Huge samurai warrior robots riding glass horses. An enormous tyrannosaurus rex with Barbarella-style dancers in silver and turquoise lamé dancing on its back or at one point in its mouth. People riding Pokémon-style monsters shooting laser canon streams of neon light. It wasn’t something she was going to forget in a hurry.

‘I’ll probably include a shot for the exhibition … to show the contrasts between the modern and the traditional and I got some great shots of Mayu for Setsuko and Haruka. She’s quite a wild child, that one. I always thought Japanese children were supposed to be well behaved.’

‘I think Mayu lets her hair down when her folks aren’t around but like most Japanese kids, she’s very respectful and deferential to her parents.’

‘Well, I got some pictures of her that aren’t quite so wild as well. If you don’t mind, I’d like to work in the studio to create an album of pictures as a thank you when I leave.’

‘Creep,’ said Gabe, stifling another yawn. ‘They’ll bloody love that. No wonder Haruka thinks you’re the bee’s