Page 15 of Kai
And he would figure it out. Kai Tanaka was as smart as a whip. Carelessly smart. Learning had come easy to him. He never had to try. He conquered everything he put his mind to. And what a damn mind! She thought resentfully as she hauled out shoes and handbags to stack them differently. She was so taken with the task that it took a moment for her to realize that Brutus had snuck up behind her and was doing his own brand of cleaning, by dragging at the heap piled on the carpeted floor.
"No!" Blowing out a breath, she lunged to rescue a brilliant blue Michael Kors from sharp teeth. Thinking it was a game, he inched back, swinging the handle between his teeth. Shoving aside the pile next to her, she grabbed for his collar and managed to wrestle the bag away from him.
"You brute." She scolded, dissolving into laughter when he simply licked her face thoroughly.
"This does not mean you're forgiven," she warned as she pressed her face into the soft coat. "Oh Brutus, I am such a mess." She sighed. Giving him a rub, she rose and led him out of the danger zone, closing the doors with a snap.
"Okay, time to call reinforcement. As in Yvette."
Maxie dialed Yvette's number swiftly, fingers trembling slightly as she waited for her friend to pick up. The line clicked, and Yvette's cheerful voice broke through.
"Hey Maxie! What's up?" Yvette chirped, oblivious to the turmoil that had clouded Maxie's day.
"I need you," Maxie stated bluntly, her voice carrying a weight that instantly silenced Yvette. "It's been a day... and I can't face it alone."
Within moments, Yvette was on her way, her usual vibrancy tempered by the concern that Maxie's tone had evoked. When she arrived, she carried with her an arsenal of indulgence: abottle of red wine, chilled chocolate truffles, and the kind of unwavering support only a best friend could offer.
Settled in Maxie's living room, surrounded by Brutus as he wagged his tail in greeting, Yvette listened as Maxie spilled her thoughts like a torrent. At moments, she held a tissue to her friend's damp cheeks; at others, she punctuated the air with an impassioned comment about Kai Tanaka's audacity.
"Maxie, you're a fortress," Yvette said firmly, gripping her friend's hand. "Don't let anyone storm your walls unless you lower the drawbridge willingly. Not even him."
Taking a long sip of wine, Maxie nodded. Yvette was right. She had let Kai back into her thoughts, but the reins of her life belonged to her alone. And as the evening stretched into the night, the laughter returned, and the air seemed lighter -- Brutus wagging his approval at the warmth his two favorite humans exuded.
By the time Yvette left, Maxie felt a strange clarity. She stood at the vanity stool once more, looking at the revolving shelves. This time, she smiled. Life was a mess, but it was hers to tidy -- or leave gloriously untamed.
*****
He opted to go to his mother for supper. Akemi Tanaka was the typical Japanese wife and mother. She wore the traditional attire and was almost never without it. After her husband's death, she had found herself adrift, without an anchor. His uncles had sorted everything out. They sold the sprawling manor that had been in the family for several decades and set her up in an elegant townhouse a few miles away. She went from completely relying on her husband to relying on the uncles and as the years progressed, on her only child.
Kai had spent his college years moving from Japan to the UK where he attended Cambridge and then Oxford. His education was top notch and in his usual inimitable way, he had soaked up the courses. His specialties were many and varied. He had graduated with honors in entrepreneurial skills, law and mathematics. He had an unusually sharp mind and spoke several different languages.
He had taken the million-dollar enterprise and turned it into a multi-billion dollar one in a few years. He was ruthless in business, but completely fair in his dealings with associates, including his competitors.
Akemi dismissed the maid hovering just inside the doorway and poured the special tea herself. It had been a good supper, even if her son had spent most of it in silence. She had not dared intrude on what looked like very deep thoughts. She was proud of him. So tall, strong and handsome and very smart.
He looked so much like his father. Her Fuji who had spent their time together taking care of her.
"Here you go." She handed him the delicate cup and saucer. "You look well."
"And you look lovely as usual." Kai took a sip of the tea and smiled at her over the rim of the cup.
She fiddled with the iridescent pearl necklace his father had given her ten years ago. She never went anywhere without it and still continued to wear her wedding rings.
Setting the cup and saucer aside, he stretched his legs out and studied her. Akemi Tanaka was lovely, in a quiet, subdued way.Her thick dark hair was scraped back at the nape of her neck and pinned in the usual severe style she favored. She never wore makeup, except for a pale pink lipstick, the same shade she had worn ever since he could remember. Her skin was pampered and soft, her build slight. She was a petite woman, barely topping five feet. And she had never worked a day in her life.
She had left from her parents' home to her husband's at the young age of twenty-one. For the first time, Kai found himself wondering if she had never wanted anything else. He also knew he could never want a partner who submitted to his every whim.
"Is something wrong?" She stared at him anxiously as she picked up her cup.
"Just thinking."
She beamed at him. "You do that a lot. Always thinking. That has been the way of it since you were a boy. You would drive your father crazy with all sorts of questions." Her almond-shaped eyes were eloquent as she stared at him. "Sometimes I wonder how I ever conceived such a smart child."
Leaning forward, he stared at her earnestly. "Are you happy?"
A startled expression came over her face. "What a question!"
"One that needs an answer." He had decided that it was time he got to the bottom of it all. He had never thought about his parents and whether they had been in love with each other or not. All he knew was that they had been put together by their parents as a perfect match for each other. He had never seen them cuddle or exchange a furtive kiss. But somehow, he had known that they were contented with each other.
