The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin Page 0,99

shirt off my back.’

‘That too.’ They’d reached Haruka’s door. ‘Come on over when you’re ready.’

‘Okay, I won’t be long.’

‘See you soon.’ And before she could take the step up into the genkan he looped his hand through her arm. ‘Aren’t you forgetting something?’ He pointed to his lips and puckered up.

She laughed; it was rather sweet. ‘No idea what you’re on about.’

He swooped in and kissed her firmly on the mouth with a mock growl.

***

There was no sign of her phone in her room which was odd and slightly perturbing. Fiona racked her brains. Where the hell had she last had it? Mentally she retraced her steps. That morning it had been a rush. She remembered stuffing it into the pocket of her bag thinking she would message her mother on the train. Damn. It was looking increasingly likely that it had been stolen. The other faint hope was that Haruka had found it and put it somewhere safe, but surely that would be Fiona’s room?

What a pain. Everything was backed up on the Cloud but the phone was on contract and only half way through the eighteen-month period. Now she was going to have to report it stolen to the police and try and claim on the insurance which she knew she couldn’t do anything about without some kind of crime number, and she had no idea how to do any of that. She hoped the thief came out in hives or got worms or something worse.

Her mother would be frantic by now. Had probably called the British embassy and reported her daughter missing. Fiona dropped her head in her hands. She really did need to persuade Gabe to let her use his phone. Surely there was some way of blocking the number when you phoned someone. Or she could lie and say she was calling from a public telephone box – that was a thought.

With her head still buzzing about how to deal with her mother, she walked around to Gabe’s building and climbed the wide-planked steps to his studio. In daylight it was a lovely airy space with clear bright light filtering through the shoji doors.

Humming lightly to herself and already picturing the soft smile on his face when she saw him again, she walked through the main studio space into Gabe’s work area. Her face went slack and she stopped dead. Gabe was seated at his desk and next to him was Yumi, leaning against the desk massaging one of his shoulders. Her musical voice was saying something that brought a whimsical smile to his face and Fiona was almost felled by the instant surge of jealousy. It punched her in the stomach and she thought she might be sick.

‘Hey Fi.’ Damn. Gabe had spotted her before she could back out.

Yumi wore a khaki-green wrap-around dress that emphasised her delicate figure and little stiletto ankle boots on her tiny feet. With her porcelain skin and red lipstick she resembled a very pretty china doll.

She pushed herself away from the desk with a lingering smile at Gabe.

‘Gabriel says you’ve been to Mount Fuji.’ She made it sound impossibly tedious and as if she had every sympathy for him.

‘Yes. It was’—she schooled her face into a polite mask—‘interesting.’

Gabe turned away and she felt even more sick. Yumi was examining her with careful disdain and the only thing Fiona could be glad about was that she’d left her hair loose. Gabe had intimated several times that it was her crowning glory and he’d seemed unable to leave it alone, even on the train on the way home this morning he’d pushed a stray strand from her face and stroked along the length of it with a gentle hand.

Yumi was tapping her foot, a little staccato beat that gave away her irritation about something. Gabe was absorbed in something on the screen but looked up as Fiona made an uncertain movement, unsure as to whether to stay or go.

‘Have you got your memory card?’ he asked, all brisk and business-like, holding out his hand.

‘Yes.’ She stood, shifting her weight from foot to foot for a second. Stay or go. Make an excuse and leave. Her skin prickled at Yumi’s sharp-eyed perusal and the tiny sniff as if she’d been found wanting. Even though inside everything was telling her to retreat, she deliberately lifted her chin, her hair rippling down her back. It was her bed Gabe had shared last night.

Gabe caught the movement and his expression softened, a faint smile