Myra’s Big Mistake – Chapter 10

Oh wow. Yeah, this one is definitely a winner. I gasp as I pull the cheesecake from the oven. It’s beautiful, a stunner. The top is golden brown and even, and when I tap the side of the pan, the cake jiggles just a bit. Perfection. Now I have to wait for it to cool.

I push it back on the counter and sigh. I barely slept last night, so I’m up early to bake and then go for a run. I’ll try to return to bed this afternoon before I have to be at work later. We’ll see. It’s not like I haven’t shown up to work tired before. I’ll live.

If Ruby doesn’t kill me.

I cross the room to sit on my bed, lie back, and rest my head next to Mochi’s. Turning my face to his, I close my eyes as he kisses my cheeks.

“I had no idea romance was so hard for humans.”

“How is it for skunks?” I lie on my side and drag my fingers through his sandy fur. Oh well. He’s due for a bath, and I needed to change my sheets, anyway.

He rolls over for belly scratches. I oblige.

“Well, it’s mostly a ritual where I smell her, and she smells me, and then we decide if we want baby skunks together. It’s not something I’ve done, but that’s how I believe it happens.”

“So, no romance.”

“No. Only the insane skunks will pursue a mate who doesn’t want us. One guy I knew went after every female with four legs, even cats.” Mochi sighs as I stroke his belly. “He had issues.”

“Sounds like it. I’m going to go out for a run. Want to come?”

“No. I’ll stay and sleep, thank you.”

With a groan, I pull myself up from the bed. “Fine. I don’t blame you. Don’t touch the cake while I’m gone.”

“I never do,” he says, yawning and settling back into a ball.

With my watch loaded up with music, I take the three-kilometer route around town. It’s a tough run, up and down hills, but I need it today. I can’t believe that I got sucked into a date that I didn’t even know was a date. Would I have said no if I knew it was a date? I’m not sure.

Certainly, Ruby would have told me to say no, and with her insistence, I would have. She’s my best friend, forever and always. I should have told her immediately. The moment I knew something was up, I should have excused myself from the table and called her from the bathroom.

But I cringe as I remember the disbelief in her voice when she learned that Nosuké wants to date me, not her. Is it because I’m not as pretty as she is? Or because I’m boring? Or overweight? Does she think of me like that?

Does Nosuké think of me like that? He couldn’t have been serious. It was a joke when he said he wanted to take me out on a date. A way for him to get into my father’s and my good graces.

Right?

I huff and puff through the hills, and then I hit my stride as I cross town on the level streets. My legs are starting to look toned from pounding the pavement, though I am not a good runner by any definition. Still, I love the point in my run when I’m all warmed up, and running becomes a meditation. I zone out, and my body sings. It’s exhilarating, like I could run all day as long as the weather stays clear and I have music to listen to.

I turn the music down as I approach the spaceport on the opposite end of town. This place is like a different world. Protestors crowd the sidewalks outside the entrance. Their signs call for the end of the space program and a focus on our planet, Orihimé. I frown as I slow down. Their intentions are noble, but it bothers me how short-sighted they all are. Eventually, we’ll run out of room, and this isn’t even our origin planet. Shriveled up and dead Earth is lesson enough. Sigh. I wish I could have been a part of this change. I know we need it, right in my heart. But I failed. Failure, failure, failure.

Near the front entrance, I spot a dog I know. Finn, my sister Suri’s pair, a goofy golden retriever who’s loyal but often gets into scrapes, is waiting almost patiently. He shifts back and forth, his eyes following every person coming and going. His obedience and devotion make me smile.

“Hey, Finn!” I call out as I cross the street over to him.

Finn’s head whips around, and he runs to me. I laugh as he jumps up and tries to lick my sweaty face. “Aw, you’re a good boy.” I smooth back the fur on his face and plant a kiss between his eyes. “Is Suri coming back from space today?”

He woofs and vocalizes at me, even though he knows I can’t understand him. But I can feel his anticipation. Yes, I’m sure Suri is nearby.

“Myra!”

In fact, she’s back right now.

Suri approaches us, but Finn gets first dibs at her attention. She drops to her knees and allows him to lick her entire face before taking a deep breath and hugging him. “I missed you, too,” she says and laughs at his reply. “I missed Erik, too, of course.”

“Is Erik here?” I ask, turning around to check. I don’t see him.

“No. He’s working. We’ll see each other later.” She stands up and brushes herself off. “My shuttle just got in thirty minutes ago. I’m a little woozy. Gotta get home and sleep it off.”

Of course. Returning from space is always hard on Suri. She’s so lucky.

“What are you doing here?” she asks with a smile. “I wasn’t expecting the welcome wagon.”

I wave my hand. “Oh, no. I was out for a run, and I happened to spot Finn. But hey, do you have a moment? I, uh… I could use some advice.”

“Sure.” She peers up at the sunny sky. “It’s nice out. Let’s go across the street to the park and sit.”

I like this park. We call it the Space Park because of its location close to the spaceport, the space-themed statues, and the walkways with star plaques. Families come here when the protestors aren’t too numerous. I frown at a group of them occupying several benches near the other entrance. These people need to find something better to do.

“What’s up?” Suri grabs a bottle of water from her bag as we sit down. Finn lies in the sun at her feet.

“I had a date last night,” I blurt out.

“You did? I didn’t know you were dating.”

“Neither did I.” I tell her the whole story, from my late-night-slash-early-morning meeting with Nosuké to the dinner at Kisetsu and then the run-in with Ruby.

“You know how I feel about Ruby,” Suri says. I nod, not wanting to get into it. Ruby has always bugged the hell out of Suri because of Ruby’s outgoing personality. Suri is more reserved. “But she has a point. Dating her ex is a big deal, especially if she was thinking about getting back together with him.”

I take a deep breath. “You’re right, of course. But what if he doesn’t want to date her?”

“Do you know that for certain?”

I shake my head and roll out my ankles.

“Besides, Nosuké Maeda? Come on, Myra.” She widens her eyes.

“What?” I demand. “You think he wouldn’t date someone like me?”

She tilts her head to the side, her eyebrows drawing in. “Oh. No. That’s not what I meant. Just that he and Dad are, like, enemies. There has to be an ulterior motive here. Don’t you think?”

I focus my attention on Finn, panting in the sun. I thought the same thing before I knew the date was a date. Then, I felt a change in Nosuké. His only ulterior motive was turning the dinner into a date, not using me to get to my father.

I was hoping Suri would tell me something different. No one believes he would date me, so it must be true. Hell, I don’t believe it. Why would anyone else?

“Yeah, you’re right. Of course.” I throw my head back. “Suri, what is wrong with me? I’m twenty-seven years old, and I’m acting like a teenager. Fighting with my best friend over a boy? What the hell?”

She shrugs. “It could be worse.”

She’s right about that. It could be worse, though I haven’t slept with anyone in over two years now.

Suri reaches over and pats my hand. “Well, you got a nice dinner out of it. Speaking of, I need to get home and nap if I’m going to make it to family dinner tonight.” She stands up and grabs her bag. “You coming?”

“Can’t,” I say, hopping up to stretch. “I’m going to finish my run, shower, nap, and go to work.”

“Okay. Good to see you! I’ll drop by Izakaya Tanaka later this week. Maybe we can hang.”

“Sure.” I wave to her as she heads off to the main road to catch the bus, Finn right on her heels.

Looks like all the evidence points to Nosuké using me to get to my dad. I should have known. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.

With a heavy sigh, I turn up my music and return to my run. I’m forty minutes into my circuit when my stride wobbles at the entrance to the boardwalk. Everything here looks different in the light of day. Last night, the boardwalk was charming and energetic. Today, it’s subdued and quiet.

I jog past a woman pushing a baby stroller with her paired dog at her side. Another runner passes me, and her cat is right at her heels. He meows up at her, and she grumbles, “I’m going as fast as I can.” I chuckle. It’s a weekend, so the crowd thickens as I near the more popular stalls and the casino.

The casino.

My feet slow down, and I shift into a walk as I approach the doors Nosuké and I exited last night. The ice cream stand isn’t open yet, but the casino is hopping at barely eleven in the morning. A door opens, and the clanging, beeping, jingling sounds cascade out for a brief moment. A family out for a walk turns their heads from the clamor and looks for a spot to get lunch.

Pacing back and forth outside the doors, I debate with myself again. Maybe I should go in and talk to Nosuké. Yeah, he’s probably in there. I can sneak in. Not many people will recognize me in my running gear with my hair pulled back. What would I say to him, though? I don’t know. After the Ruby blow-up last night, I have no idea what to do about him.

I think I’ll just hope he forgets about me. Most women hope that the guy they’re interested in will keep calling and showing up. Here I am, hoping that this handsome, rich, and influential man will go away and leave me in peace. Because I fear there’ll be no peace if this continues.

I almost walk in, but I turn and get my legs moving again.

The second half of my run is worse, but I keep going to the end of my block. This is where I usually walk to cool down. But I can already see that I won’t be cooling down.

Nosuké is sitting on my front stoop.

So much for him forgetting about me.