Page 12 of Heir to a Curse

Chapter 5

The cabinet shop had been a win. My contact found pieces in the right finish to create my planned design and only had to craft the island to match. Which meant the bulk of the cabinetry would be delivered to the house by the end of the week.

At the hardware store I’d grabbed plumbing and electrical supplies, and ordered sheetrock, flooring, and enough paint to make the room sing. I groaned over the delivery fees. Usually we’d truck it all back. But the volume needed for the space meant multiple trips and a lot of gas money, or delivery—so delivery it was. That would also arrive by the end of the week.

With any luck, we’d have the kitchen back and functioning in two weeks at most. The appliances would be last, and I’d already chosen them, paid for them, and simply had to call to set up delivery. Those could wait until everything else was done. I hoped Montana and Ana liked what I planned.

The last stop on the way back was the antique store. It was after ten in the morning, and I’d called ahead to make sure they were open. The man who answered the phone had a heavy accent that told me he’d immigrated from somewhere in Asia at some point in his life. So when a small Chinese man greeted me at the door to the shop, I gave him an appropriate head bow and wave because I was still wearing the mask.

“You’ve taken over the Yang house?” The man said. “It’s cursed, you know.”

I nodded. “I’ve heard. Sofia was hoping I could solve that for her. Are you a friend of the family?”

The man looked thoughtful. “Knew them. They were aristocrats. Until the war of course.” I knew he meant the internment, which had stripped everything from the family since they had Japanese ancestry, at least those here in the states. “Came here to try to escape the curse. But it followed them.” He waved his hand, like trying to sort through memories. The crinkled skin around his eyes and graying hair told me he was older. Perhaps fifties or sixties. Not old enough to be around himself during the internment. “My family worked for hers for a time. Before the war.”

“Oh. So your family came over with hers?”

“From China,” he nodded. “Her mother had married a Japanese official. Came here as an ambassador. He spent most of his time in Washington DC before the war, left the family here. After the war, a few years later, they had regained some of their money. I think from family in the Old World. They began helping others who had lost everything in the war. Helping them find jobs and homes.” He pointed at the shop around us. “My father got a loan to open this shop from them.”

It was a sprawling shop filled to the brim with pieces from all cultures and times. Some of them caught my eye even without having a chance to explore yet. “Mr. Yamamoto recommended your shop to supply the cabin I’m staying in. It’s near the shrine at the Yang house.”

His eyes grew wide. “Haunted,” he said.

“So everyone tells me,” I agreed.

A young woman entered the shop from a backroom area. She was a beautiful Chinese girl. Hair styled up, leaving her delicate face displayed, looking more like a princess than a girl in blue jeans and a T-shirt normally did. But I knew this girl.

“Madison,” I smiled, despite the mask.

“Zach.” She returned my smile. “Let me grab a mask, for safety. We’ve been pretty quiet, mostly shipping things, but I don’t want to chance you getting sick.” Madison had no accent at all, though I knew both her Chinese and Japanese were perfect. She raced into the backroom and returned a moment later with a surgical mask draped over her delicate ears.

I realized then that she was the man’s daughter. “Madison is yours?” I asked the man.

He nodded.

“Married to Mr. Yamamoto’s son, Hitori.” I had watched Hitori grow up. From a little boy into a Harvard grad. He’d been working across the country when he’d married, but had spent enough time with Sofia that I’d met Madison more than a handful of times.

“Yes, yes,” the man said. “Soon she will have baby.” He patted his stomach.

“Papa, stop sharing secrets. We haven’t had an official announcement yet.”

Oh. My eyes went wide, realizing what they were both saying. “You’re pregnant? Congratulations!”

She blushed. “Yes. We are almost four months along. Wanted to wait a bit longer to tell everyone. Since everyone is mourning Mrs. Sofia.” She put her hand on her chest over her heart. “She would have loved to have met this baby.”

I nodded. “Of course. Has Hitori told his dad yet?”

“Yes, but we were going to wait until the house repairs are done before announcing everything. The pandemic has everything on standby. We were hoping to get the family together soon. However, it may have to be a video thing.”

“I promise to get the kitchen fixed as soon as possible so you can at least have the option of a small gathering,” I offered. “Is Hitori working from home?” He was a college professor now in economic studies, if I recalled right.

“Yes. Teaching online classes. He loves it and hates it all at once.” She crossed the room and patted her dad on the arm. “Papa, let me help Zach.”

The older man nodded. “No heavy lifting,” he added as he headed toward the backroom.

“I promise. I’ll call for you, or let Zach lift anything for me.” Her eyes said she was smiling at him. “They are so excited for the baby.”

“I can understand that. Their first grandchild, right?”