Ean’s Rare Gift – Chapter 10

Karina

“You’ve done your best. Honestly, this is a tough situation. I don’t think you could have said anything more to make them take you seriously.” I place my hand on Ean’s arm and squeeze. I feel bad for him. Things were looking up there for a bit. Everyone was being moved, and we had locked down the entire estate for the storm. Then those families showed up and blew the plans straight to hell.

Ume looks at me from Ean’s shoulder and squawks in my direction. I narrow my eyes at her.

“She says they would never take me seriously, anyway.”

He hefts the bag of takeaway panini as we reach his street. We should have eaten them two hours ago, but the drama of the newcomers was too much. Now, they’re probably cold bricks.

The weather has taken a turn for the worse. Dark gray clouds race low overhead, and a soft mist is coming down. Thunder rumbles in the distance, a sign of the storm to come.

I still have another three blocks before I’m back in my neighborhood.

“I suppose that was probably the case.” I sigh. “Try to forget about it for now.” I shrug my shoulders and jerk my head in the direction of home. “I’m going to head home and hunker down for the storm.”

“Oh.” This seems to snap him out of his thoughts. “No. Uh, why don’t you come to my place?” He glances at Ume. “That was the first thing Ume said to me, that you should stay with me.”

I laugh. “Are you trying to use your bird pair as a hook-up coordinator?”

He smiles. “I don’t know. Does that sort of thing work on you?”

“Yes, yes, it does, actually.” I look down at myself. “Can I come by in like thirty minutes? I need to change and check on the café before the real storm blows in.”

“Of course. You know where my new place is?”

“Yeah. I’ll be there soon.”

“I’ll reheat our dinner and find a bottle of wine.”

We wave to each other and part ways, but I can’t help but turn around a block later to watch him go. He’s still standing there, making sure I’m okay. My stomach erupts with the fluttering of a thousand butterflies. I press my hand to my belly and smile. I haven’t felt like this in forever! My breathing speeds up, and warmth floods every cell of my body. I’m going back to his place. Oh yeah. This might be a booty call, and I’m one hundred percent here for it.

When I arrive at Café Mela, I see that Charlie has already locked up and brought down the heavy storefront shutters. I let myself in via the side door and peek in. Chairs are stacked on tables, and Charlie placed everything near the floor on top of the counters or shelves in case there’s any flooding. Great. I’ll have to give him a bonus and let Lydia know we should be proud of how responsible he is.

My houseguests are making themselves comfortable in my apartment when I arrive. Ryū Miyagi is cooking rice and a vegetable stir fry on the stove, and their son is doing homework at my kitchen table. Their black cat is curled up on the couch, snoozing away.

“Karina! I’m so sorry that we cooked before we could speak to you. I —”

I hold up my hand to stop the inevitable torrent of apologies. “It’s fine. I told you to make yourself at home for now. Please eat what you can from the fridge. Most of it will go bad if we lose power during the storm.”

Emily comes out of my bedroom. “We’ll compensate you for whatever we use.”

I look at them both and know this conversation will only get tenser as I deny their help, and they insist. This family is not homeless because they’re broke. They both have salaries. They’re homeless because we have a lack of housing.

“That’s fine. I’m sure we can come to an amicable agreement.” I bow, knowing this will smooth things over. “Thank you for accepting my invitation to stay here.” I sigh as I set my bag down. “It’s been a long day, and I need a shower.”

Between Emily and Ryū, I think I know Emily better, so I wave to her to follow me down the hall towards the bathroom and bedroom.

“Um, I’m not going to spend the night here tonight. There are functional shutters on every window of the building. When the rain starts, if you could close them to help prevent damage, I would appreciate it.”

She frowns. “Miss Varoni, we wouldn’t dream of kicking you out of your place. Ryū, Daniel, and I will all sleep in the living room.”

“No,” I say, touching her arm and chuckling. “I… I’m going to spend the night at Ean Kimura’s.” I widen my eyes at her, hoping she’ll get the message.

Her mouth forms an O. “Ah, I see.” She smiles. “He’s a good man. A fine catch.” She raises her eyebrows twice. “Just as long as we’re not an inconvenience…”

“You’re not. I assure you. Please call me Karina? I already consider you a friend, Emily. Take good care of the place while I’m gone.”

She brings her hand to her heart. “Yes, we’re friends. We’ll definitely do that.”

In my bedroom, I pack a quick bag with some of my less ratty pajamas, clothes for tomorrow, and extras of everything in case the storm is bad enough to either make us homeless or cause us to be without power for several days. I leave my bag on the bed and grab a stack of bed linens from the storage closet. I set these on the bed near the pillows so the Miyagis can use them.

The photo of Matt that I keep on my dresser catches my eye. I touch it and a pang of regret rockets through me. “I’ll never forget you,” I whisper to his ghost. “I’m sorry.”

I take a lightning-fast shower, dry my curly hair only halfway, and get dressed in clean clothes. Do I bother putting on makeup? This will technically be our second actual date, even though we’ve been out together on non-dates. Makeup is not necessary, but… Okay, I compromise, put on a smidge of blush and some lip balm.

Perfect… or close enough to perfect. I don’t need to be perfect. I just need to be me.

When I return to the living area, the Miyagis are all sitting down to eat the dinner Ryū prepared. Even their cat is chowing down at her food bowl. My heart fills with light, knowing I could put a roof over their heads for a few days.

“There are fresh linens on the bed. Feel free to use them. And the couch is super comfortable, so Daniel can sleep there if you don’t all want to sleep together.” With my hand on the doorknob, I turn and wave. “Night! Don’t wait up!”

I skip down the stairs, grab my umbrella from the front entry, and head out into the rain.

—-

Thunder rumbles in the distance, and the wind picks up as I walk to Ean’s street. I’m nervous but excited, my stomach doing a complicated tumbling routine that would flummox most gymnasts.

Okay, Karina. Don’t expect anything to happen. Be cool. Be yourself. Keep the Italian to a minimum. Yes, yes. I can do this.

I scan my hand at his doorway, and the door clicks open a moment later. A gust of wind blows it wide, and it slams against the wall. “Oooh!” My umbrella flips inside out, and I stumble backwards. Wow! The storm is already powerful. I wonder how the estate is doing. Dropping my bag inside on the stairs, I wait a moment for the wind to let up enough so I can close the door.

“Are you all right?” Ean hurries down the stairs just as I get the door closed.

I sink back on the interior wall. “Phew! The wind is strong.”

“Yeah,” he says, his face falling into a frown. “I’m worried about those families at Ginmori.”

I stand back up straight. “Let’s try to relax a little and rest. I have a feeling our night is not over.”

Saying that, I realize it can be interpreted differently. Ean’s tiny smirk confirms he was thinking the same thing. I’m not going to apologize or try to correct it. I would love to get laid. It’s been way too long with just me and my vibrator.

He reaches for my bag, so I slip the straps into his hand. “Dinner is warm again. Come on up.”

I know that the door to my left is his new office space, and I’m sure I’ll see that sometime soon. I climb the stairs behind him and admire his ass. It’s still as lovely as it was the other day. Time spent admiring is time well spent.

Inside, his apartment is dry and warm. The lights are soft and dim, and he has candles lit in the kitchen. The sloping ceiling and hardwood floors give the place a comfy feel. If it weren’t for the stack of boxes and crates in the corner, I would have thought he’s lived here for a while.

Ume sits on his bookshelf across the room. She squawks at me as I enter.

“Ume says hi. She’s found a spot there she likes.” Ean sets my bag on the couch. “She wants to build a nest, so I gave her an old shirt to get her started.”

“Hi,” I say to her, crossing the room. She’s sitting in a rumpled black shirt. The two blend well together. “I bet you’re happy to be out of the weather.”

She makes a few guttural noises, and Ean laughs. “She wishes she had done this all sooner.” He directs his voice at her. “But before this, I was sharing a room with another guy and his cat pair. It wouldn’t have worked out then. Now was the right time.”

She responds, and he nods. “Yes, yes. I’m sure.”

It’s so amazing, this whole dynamic between a person and their pair. Ean literally found her today, and they’re already conversing like best friends. I wonder what my pair will be like. Will it be a fuzzy, cute creature, bird, or something else?

“Karina?” Ean slides into my view, and I pop back. He waves. “You were off on some other world there for a moment.”

“I was.” I shake my head. The wind whistles outside, and rain batters the window. “Sorry. Just wondering what my pair will be like someday.” I inhale, and the heady scent of onions and garlic hits my nose. “Oh, dinner. I’m starving.”

“Great. And I found all my wine too. I forgot it was in a crate in the office.”

He enters his kitchen area, so I follow him. A narrow kitchen table is pressed up against the outer wall next to a window, set with two plates and silverware, a small chocolate cake, and a candle. The countertops are clean and clutter-free. I smile as I spot a jar of shells next to the coffee maker. I had him pegged. Something shiny catches my attention.

“What are these?” I ask, picking up a woman’s hoop earring. It’s silver and a little tarnished, but it’s in good shape.

“That?” Ean looks over my shoulder as he pulls our two sandwiches from the oven with oven mitts on. “A gift from Ume. She’s the one that’s been leaving shiny things in places for me to find.”

“The bottle cap too?”

“Yeah.” He plates the sandwiches at the table using a spatula. It’s nice knowing he can make his way around a kitchen. “And that necklace.” He stops and blinks a few times before setting the tray and spatula down.

Shucking off the oven mitts, he crosses to me and picks up the dirty necklace. “I forgot that this has a plum blossom charm on it.” He turns on the tap at the sink, soaps it up, and rinses it off. “Yeah. Huh. Did you know?” he asks Ume.

She talks to him, and he smiles with a quick exhale.

“What?” I ask, looking between them.

“She said she’s always known.” He closes his eyes and grips the necklace in his fist. “Crows are prophetic… or at least this one is.” He opens his fist and looks at the necklace. “I think this belongs to you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You were there for our first encounter and her naming. You should have it. It seems right.” He takes my hand and places the necklace in it.

Panic flares at the edges of my calm as I stare at the necklace in my hand.

“Are you all right?” Ean tips his head down to look at me.

Find your voice, Karina.

“No one has given me jewelry since Matt died.”

I inhale and consider this turn in my life. I’m becoming someone new. When Matt died, I became a widow with a new business in a strange town. Now, I’m someone who’s dating and gets gifts from a man I’m interested in. I’m a woman with thoughts, fears, and desires, and I’m no longer defined by Matt’s absence.

“I love it,” I say, smiling at him. He raises his eyebrows, so I nod to reassure him. “Thank you.” I turn to Ume. “Thank you.”

She blinks and tilts her head at me.

I grab a dish towel and gently wipe off the chain and charm. Surprisingly, the clasp is fine; I attach it with no issues. Maybe it was discarded, not lost? It’s cold against my skin for a moment before becoming warm and unnoticeable, like it’s always been there. I touch it and try to cement this moment for all eternity.

“It looks nice on you,” Ean says, and there’s nothing I want more than to throw myself at him and kiss him.

Instead, I lift my chin and my eyes with a side glance that makes him grin.

“Thank you.” I clap my hands together. “Let’s eat. Mangiamo.”