Page 45 of Heir to a Curse
“Not that anyone can tell. But I’ve heard of random lightning as a weather phenomenon. Hitori tells me I’m a bit of a science nerd since I watch the weather channel all the time.”
“Hitori is a bit of a nerd himself, so it must run in the family.”
“Indeed,” Mr. Yamamoto said. “It just might.”
“Maybe for the reopening of the kitchen we can plan a small announcement party for them? About the baby? Congratulations by the way.”
“Thank you. I’ll speak to them about it.”
“Montana can cook, and if we set it up in the ballroom, we can keep everyone properly social distanced. Do a thorough cleaning before and after, but keep the group small.”
He nodded.
“I’ll work on cleaning up the maze when I’m finished in here.”
“You have a lot on your plate already.”
“Do we have a gardener yet?”
“Sadly, no.”
I sighed. “So let me handle it. We’ll have most of the kitchen finished by this weekend. You plan a little party. Get Montana to the store so he can fill cupboards and things, and I’ll worry about the outside. Sounds like I’ve got most of next week off to do just that.”
“You do not seem like a man who likes to sit back and do nothing,” Mr. Yamamoto remarked.
“Nope. Never really have been. Not sure I ever will be. And since it seems I will also be unable to break the curse, looks like I’ll have plenty of repairs to worry about coming my way.” The idea that the curse would remain really bothered me. Not only that I’d never make Sofia’s dream come true and have this grand home be something more than a vacant shell, but that I was letting Xiang down, leaving him trapped. It was beyond frustrating.
“Perhaps,” Mr. Yamamoto agreed. “Or perhaps you merely haven’t found a solution yet. Problems tend to entangle themselves with over-complications when we let them sit for too long.”
“You think I’m not seeing a simple solution?” Was there an easy option I was missing?
He shrugged. “I only express what I know from my long lifetime of solving other people’s problems. Small things like a missed birthday present can turn into a lifetime of resentment and finally a very expensive divorce. Time complicates a lot of things.”
“You’re very smart,” I said.
“Age before beauty,” he teased, patting me on the arm. He turned to leave. “I’ll send Montana your way. He’s going to fall madly in love with this kitchen.”
“At least I can make someone’s dreams come true,” I laughed. “And did you just call me beautiful? Me?” But he was already gone. I sighed and went to help get the counters sealed. Mike was already adding in the sink and faucet to the newly laid top in the island. If I were a chef, I’d adore this kitchen. The space, the layout with a perfect cooking triangle, and endless counter prep area.
Though to say my mind wasn’t on Xiang, the curse, and the odd damage to the maze, would have been a lie. It was a distraction, one that slowed me down, but kept me moving despite the noise in my head. The backsplash went in fine. Grouting was my least favorite job, so I was happy when both Jerry and Mike joined in.
“The work of a contractor is never finished,” I muttered. “The point of being a contractor is to contract the grunt work out to others.”
“Yeah?” Jerry teased. “How’s that working out for you?”
I continued to grumble as Mike laughed. I had guys who did certain things, and other things I just preferred to do myself. It wasn’t a need for perfection, it was a need for control. Especially here, over Sofia’s space. Well it would be Montana’s space now.
By the time Montana had arrived and gushed with excitement over the kitchen, making long lists of items he was going to have to buy to fill every last space, including new pots/pans, dishes, and silverware, I was certain he’d be shopping for at least a week. His joy gave me a bit of a boost. The past couple of days of somber memories lifted long enough to sit down to a small dinner affair he’d planned with the guys and the few staff members. It didn’t matter that the tables were placed a good distance apart, and that the doors were open to the garden to let in fresh air. All that mattered was the food was good, and we got to talk to people who weren’t those we saw every day.
“Someday this pandemic will be over,” Mike said, stuffing his face.
“But in the meantime, we eat good,” Jerry laughed.
I had to agree. Because if I kept eating at the house like this, I’d weigh a thousand pounds.
The sky was growing dark when I made my way, my belly full with a rare treat of homemade lasagna thanks to Montana, to the maze to work on cleanup. I wouldn’t let the guys help. Instead using a pair of heavy garden gloves to load up the broken stalks of bushes into a wheelbarrow and drag them over to the island. I created a good compost spot a small distance from the shrine, filling the shrine with the flowers that had been cut but still mostly intact. It was almost ten by the time I parked the barrow beside the cabin and made my way inside.
Stepping into the darkness, I sort of hoped to find him there, though it would have been a bit creepy. After turning on a few lights, I made my way to the shower, washing away the grime of the garden work and finding a pair of sleep shorts to wear to bed.
While in the shower I struggled to stay awake, feeling every muscle in my body reminding me I’d had a migraine day, which could leave me tired for a few days afterward. But by the time I made it to bed, phone in hand, anxiety made me jittery. So I opened the app to the book I’d borrowed and began to read.
Sofia’s mother’s stories were all fairly simple. Retelling of fairytales with some similarities to things I knew of in Western stories. Sadly, there were no stories about the Mandate that I had found yet. The closest was about a young prince who’d been adopted into the emperor’s family, but who’s magical powers kept him separate from them as he had the unfortunate side effect of turning into a unicorn every time he used his power.
If Xiang had that issue, I had yet to experience it. But I could imagine how inconvenient that would be to a ruler of a country, having to explain the unicorn racing around his home all the time.
The odd bit of humor helped ease the tension, and I put the phone aside. Would he come back? I hated that he only returned in my sleep. Did that mean he was a dream? Or simply hiding from something? I sighed and relaxed into the pillows wishing for those beautiful dark eyes, and something other than haunting music. At least my dreams were peaceful.