Chapter 23
Noah
“This narrative wouldn’t be terrible,” said Grace, “but I’m not sure we’re going to be able to spin it correctly when it comes out that the museum is fighting us. Well, you.”
Noah’s cheeks were still flaming. He’d spent the morning explaining to his parents and siblings that he and Aya were absolutely not a couple, and it had seemed like even baby Hana viewed him with suspicion.
“You’re not actually together, are you? High school sweethearts reunited, et cetera. We could you use that.”
Noah put his head in his hands. “We weren’t high school sweethearts,” he said. “I don’t know who told you that.”
She shook her head. “Only the whole town. Apparently, people were putting bets on you back in the high school years, and some of them are still hoping to cash in. Some people even thought you’d have babies together by now.”
He barked a laugh. “Aya definitely doesn’t want someone like me. I’m sorry. I assume you know she’s working on a doctorate?”
“So she’s smart. You’re used to smart women.”
“Yeah, but she’s used to smart men. She’d never want to actually date a college dropout. Nobu warned me about that a long time ago.”
Grace didn’t bother trying to hide her laugh. “And Nobu was supposed to be some sort of expert, was he?”
“Well, yes. I mean, aren’t they all?”
“All gay men? Yep, pretty much. There is not a single gay man on God’s green earth whose advice on my personal life hasn’t been spot-on.”
“Exactly.”
“I was being sarcastic, Noah,” said Grace, the sweetness of her singsong voice in sharp contrast with the sarcasm that lay buried underneath.
Noah was always shocked at how many of his friends thought Grace was a pushover, too kind to do the hard work required of her mishmash of roles.
Whereas, in fact, Grace only grew frustrated when people underestimated her.
Generally, as long as she was respected, she could appear to be kind and yielding.
She didn’t mind nearly agreeing with everything, but she always did what she wished.
Noah was a cheap drunk. It had taken him only a couple of years in show business to realize that anything but near-teetotaler status dulled the ambition that was essential to his success. If he relaxed too much each evening and slept in, he couldn’t keep up.
But he still loved an occasional glass of whiskey. And Grace, though she rarely had time to drink, was no stranger to hard liquor. So he went to the cabinet where they kept a bottle of the good stuff, poured each of them a fraction of a shot, and raised his glass to Grace.
For the first time that morning, she gave a genuine smile. She closed her laptop, put her phone down, and joined Noah at the folding table next to the mini fridge. She raised her glass before taking a sip.
“Kanpai,” she said. Her Japanese accent was better than Noah’s, though she didn’t actually speak the language.
“So,” he said. “Explain it to me like I’m a total idiot.”
She smiled, but he held up one finger.
“Don’t,” he said, and she nodded.
But her thoughts radiated in her smile. You are a total idiot, though. At least she didn’t say it out loud.
“Fine. So. Your brother, Nobu, is gay. Did you know this in high school?”
Noah rubbed the back of his head. “Um, no, not really. There were some signs, but I guess I didn’t read them very well.”
“Good,” said Grace. “Signs. Such as what?”
Noah sighed. One shot of whiskey shouldn’t have been enough to make him spill all kinds of secrets, but he would have to give Grace something. There had really been one incontrovertible sign, but he had come up with his own explanation.
“Gay porn downloaded onto our computer. I thought it was mine, though.”
Grace’s eyebrows could have hit the ceiling. “I’m sorry. What?”
“I thought it was mine. So I thought I was gay. You know, like, subconsciously.”
She laughed. “I assume you figured things out?”
“Yes. Eventually. I mean, it was a weird time.”
“Okay, sure. So you didn’t know Nobu was gay, but this porn was on the computer. And you thought maybe it was yours?”
“Like I’d downloaded it in my sleep,” said Noah quickly. “Anyway, the point is that Nobu wasn’t out to us in high school. So I didn’t know, not at the time. But he did give me advice about some things.”
“Right,” said Grace. “He came out shortly after, right? Sometime in college?”
“Yes,” said Noah, remembering that day. It had been strange to see his mother so emotional, terrified for the country and the world that her son was going to be facing. But Grace blazed past it.
“I heard it all from your parents and from Nobu himself,” she said, which didn’t surprise Noah.
“Nobu had a bunch of weird phases,” Grace continued. “He was angry at everyone. Then he was just sad. He never had a romantic relationship that lasted more than a few weeks, but he managed to still have awfully dramatic breakups, and he switched jobs just as frequently.”
“That’s a little harsh,” said Noah. “I switched jobs a lot during those years too.”
Grace gave him a pitying look. “Yes, but you were working toward something. If I’ve read between the lines correctly, Nobu wasn’t.”
Noah held out his hands. “Look, sure. That’s fair.”
“So what changed?”
Noah smiled. “Weirdly, it was getting the job he has now. Turns out Nobu just needs to be a dictator.”
Grace grinned. “Well, a middle school principal has to be a dictator. So he ended up being a miniature version of your dad?”
“Yep. Turns out they were similar all along. My mom was the only one who really figured that out, though.”
Grace clapped her hands. “Excellent. So remember, when we’re talking about the Nobu who gave you that advice, the advice about Aya not wanting to date you?”
“Yes. That guy was my brother.”
“Your brother. He wasn’t exactly a reliable narrator. So maybe that wasn’t advice you could take to the bank.”
“Meaning?”
Grace shrugged. “Meaning maybe you and Aya actually liked each other then. Maybe things would have worked out if you’d dated. Maybe Nobu was wrong.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter now. If anything, we’re even more different. She’s all but finished her doctorate, and I worked a bunch of random jobs instead of finishing college.”
Grace nodded. “She is, however, single.”
He paused. Grace was never someone to interfere in his love life, not actively, anyway. But sometimes, after he mentioned going on a date that really hadn’t worked out, she dropped a comment that had her own opinion hidden in there. He usually chose not to hear.
“You’re not serious, right? She doesn’t even want to talk to me.”
Grace grinned. “Well, you’re going to have to talk to someone. Because I just got a call from the president of the museum’s board, and they’re threatening to blow up our festival.”
When Noah started, Grace clarified. “Not literally. But my guess is that, figuratively speaking, the person I spoke to could do some real damage.”
“Who is it?” asked Noah, his voice full of trepidation.
Grace grinned. “Oh, it sounds like you already know the answer.”