Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Emiko
It took me two weeks to find a place to rent. The first few places were okay, but I really wanted a yard where the twins could play. And we really wanted to get a pet. Maybe a dog or a cat, maybe one of each. Seth and I had talked about getting each of them their own pet. We believed that having a pet to take care of would help them learn to be more responsible.
We finally found the perfect house. It has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a nice fenced-in backyard. I didn’t really want such a big house, but my parents said they liked it because they can come visit. They even offered to help me pay for it. Until I figure out my bills, it’s going to help me out a lot.
“Can we get a dog now?” Miyuki calls out from the room she chose.
“Maybe we should get settled in first and then look for pets.” I laugh.
I hear her sigh. “Okay. That sounds good too. But we can definitely get a pet, right?”
“Yes. We will get one, I promise.”
“You know you can’t break promises, Mom,” Kaito chimes in.
My parents are chuckling as we move our stuff into the house.
“Smart boy. Make sure the ground rules are set.” My brother Kentaro snickers.
I glare at him . “Wait till you have babies. They’re gonna kick your ass.”
That only makes him laugh more.
“My future babies will be perfect.”
My other brother, Tadashi, doubles over as he laughs at Kentaro.
“I don’t know why any of you are laughing. You were both such rascals and picked on your sister a lot. Your children will be even more rascally than you.” Our mom laughs.
“Who said anything about me having babies?” Tadashi laughs more.
He gets a dirty look from our mom for that one. We all know that she loves being a grandma and she wants lots of grandbabies. But Tadashi has never really had a serious relationship. Just lots of short ones. It drives our mom nuts. She’s even gone so far as to set him up with girls she meets when she’s out with friends. I laugh because sometimes I think he moved to Hawaii to get away from being set up by our mom.
“I wanted to thank all of you for coming with me. And helping us with everything,” I say to my family.
My brothers come over and hug me.
“We’re always here for you, Emi. If you need anything, I’ll get on the next plane and come back,” Tadashi says as he hugs me again.
I’ve been lucky, my brothers and I have always been close. They’ve been my protectors since we were kids. Kentaro was the first to move away, but he didn’t go far. He moved to the city for medical school. And now that he’s a surgeon, he comes back home on his days off. Then, Tadashi decided to move to Hawaii and became a police officer. He seems really happy there. So as much as I miss him, I love how happy he is.
Now it’s my turn to spread my wings and try to fly. I just never thought I’d be doing this without Seth. But I know he’s watching over us. I just want to make him proud.
“We should go out for a nice dinner after we finish getting everything inside,” my dad says as he walks by me.
“That sounds nice. I saw an Italian restaurant in town, we can eat there.”
It takes us another four hours to get everything in and the furniture set up. My mom said she’ll help me organize the rest later since they’re not leaving for another two to three weeks. I’m trying not to think about how much I’m going to miss them when it’s time for them to leave.
We all get showered and ready for dinner.
“Can I have ravioli?” Miyuki asks.
“If they have it, yes.” I smile at her.
“Yay!”
I watch my kids run around and play before we head out. Kaito is a clone of his daddy and Miyuki is mine. I love watching them grow up and seeing how they change. I’ve been lucky, they’re really good kids. They don’t usually answer back to us or throw tantrums. And so far, they love school. This new school year, the twins will be in first grade. I made sure that they’re in the same class. We talked about it, and they said they would feel better being in the same class this year.
Rhett
“We should go out for dinner,” Emma says to us. “We can close up for an hour and go to Arturo’s.”
“That sounds good. Maybe we should call ahead and put in our orders. That way they know we’re coming and we can eat a little faster,” Paxton says.
“Sounds good to me. I’ll go find Lukas and Felicity to get their orders.”
Paxton and I give Emma our order and she goes off to find the others. My mind drifts back to the woman I saw twice today. I hope she comes in again, she had such a pretty smile.
“Okay, I put our order in and they’ll have a table ready for us in thirty minutes.”
I finish up the pharmacy orders so that they’re ready for pickup and get my ‘out to dinner’ sign up. It’s colorful and flowery. Felicity makes all our signs and I asked for one without the girly frills. So of course I got flowers. Paxton at least got one with a house and lumber on it. I grumbled about it and Felicity said she’d make me a new one…it’s been two years now.
Emma giggles at my sign as she and Lukas walk by. I glare at both of them.
“Why are you giving me that look? I’m not the one laughing,” Lukas says to me.
“She’s your wife. That makes her an extension of you. So yes. ‘You’ are laughing at my sign.”
Emma outright laughs now and Lukas chuckles. I roll my eyes at both of them. I wish I had what they have. The way my brother looks at his wife…I can only hope that one day I find a woman that makes me feel that way.
“Ready to eat?” Felicity asks as she bounces over to us.
“Why are you so perky?” Lukas asks her.
“I know why.” Emma smiles. “I bet you just talked to Levi.”
Felicity’s cheeks turn red. “Shush.”
“Wait, you’re still talking to that guy?” Paxton frowns at her.
“You know I am. I told you that we’re together. He’s coming back in a few months on leave.”
“Coming here? Or back to Lake Renegade?” Paxton asks.
We met Levi earlier this year when we had the five-year anniversary of our parents passing. We also met the Mancini and Bastianini families. They were here visiting and when Emma had an ex stalking her, they came and helped us. Since then, they’ve become a big part of our lives. They’re family now, and Levi is part of their family. So I know he’s a good guy, but is anyone ever really good enough for your baby sister? Nope.
“Levi needs to come here so we can get to know him better,” I say to Felicity.
“Only if all of you promise to be nice to him. Please.”
The three of us look at Felicity and smile.
“I hate all of you.” She squints at us.
We all wrap her in a group bear hug.
“But we love youuuu.” Lukas laughs.
It’s a ten minute walk from our store to Arturo’s. It’s the beginning of spring and it’s cool out. Spring in Wintervale can be unpredictable. It’s my favorite season, I love that in one day we could have sun, rain and snow.
“It’s nice out tonight. But the forecast says snow tomorrow,” Emma says.
“Noooo. Seriously?” Paxton sighs.
Paxton hates winter, he’s a summer lover. The four of us all love a different season. Lukas loves winter and Felicity loves fall. Our parents used to call us by the seasons. They said that from when we were babies, each of us liked a different season. I miss them so much. They died together in an avalanche, Lukas was with them when it happened and it took a few days before we found them. They were huddled in a tiny cave with six other people. Every year we have a get together to remember all of them. The families of the other skiers come and join us. It’s nice being able to catch up with them.
When we get seated at Arturo’s, only a few of the tables are taken. When I look over at one of them, I see the beautiful woman from earlier today. As hard as I try not to stare, I can’t help it.
“That’s the new science teacher,” Felicity says to us as she waves at the other table.
It takes me a second to realize that she’s waving at my smiling woman. She’s sitting with an older couple who look like her parents. Two guys that could be her brothers…at least I hope they are. And two adorable kids who are laughing and having a great time. I just can’t take my eyes off her.
“Her name is Emiko Yamaguchi and the two little kids are hers. I talked to her a little when they were in the store earlier.”
Emiko. Even her name is beautiful.
“You said she’s a single mom?” I ask.
“That’s what Morgan said. The kids are both going to be in her first grade class.”
“Omg. You like her.”
“Shush. And no, how could I like her when I don’t even know her? I’ve never even met her.”
“But you can’t stop staring at her and the smile you had on your face…well, that’s the same dopey smile Lukas has when he looks at Emma.”
“You’re crazy, little sister.” I laugh as I see Emiko wave at my sister.
Felicity keeps giving me side-eye glances. And as hard as I try, I can’t stop watching Emiko. What the fuck is wrong with me?
“You know she keeps looking at you too,” Felicity whispers to me.
I turn to her and shake my head.
“Eat your dinner so we can head back.” I chuckle.
I glance at Emiko again. I need to get to know her.