Chapter 48
The Katos’ home was overflowing with people.
Half of them, Aya didn’t even know. The glamour they exuded indicated they were probably friends of Nobu and Justin, yuppies who had flown in from Denver for the event and would be nursing their hangovers the next day with iced coffee as they went antique shopping and gushed over Love Hollow’s “quaint” series of shops in its historic downtown.
Most of them were in outfits that were both more expensive and less fancy than hers.
Cocktail attire encompassed a wider range of clothing than she’d thought.
Then there were the people Aya did know.
She caught sight of Carson Cobb. Apparently, black was an appropriate color, and it looked really good on Carson.
It accentuated the blond in her hair. Carson’s dress had one of those necklines that would never work on Aya.
She could never even remember the name. It went all the way down past Carson’s pierced belly button.
Aya had heard dresses like that had to be held on with some kind of tape, which had always seemed painful to her.
But seeing Carson, she could see why people went for it.
Noah was going for it, apparently. He was standing in a corner, clinking glasses with Carson and taking big swigs of champagne.
Her laughter was audible even over the noise of the crowd.
Aya didn’t know what to say to either of them, so she attempted to escape to the kitchen, where Nami was wearing an emerald-green dress underneath a sweatshirt.
“Hi,” said Aya.
Nami raised her eyebrows. “Hey. “I thought you’d be too busy to come.”
“No. I mean, things are busy, but I didn’t want to miss this.”
Nami’s smile was strained as she whisked an impossibly small spoon through a little glass container of soup and rice.
Hana, in her high chair, was adorable. Aya was glad to see that she could look at the baby and not think too much about Byron.
Hana had probably gotten some features from both parents, but with her round face and lopsided grin, she really just looked like herself.
“You and Noah are funny,” Nami said. “Miss all the baby stuff but go to the engagement party, huh?”
When Aya didn’t respond, Nami shook her head.
“It’s okay. I mean, not for him but for you. Twyla says you’re basically a hermit these days, so I shouldn’t take it personally.”
Aya frowned, hoping Nami wasn’t referring to the gender reveal and shower that had preceded Hana’s birth. She had felt a little guilty about skipping them and only rationalized it by deciding that it would be rude to show up without a gift. And she couldn’t afford a gift, so problem solved.
“I go out of town at least every other week, so I don’t think I am,” said Aya.
“Yeah, but for work stuff, right? Everyone in my family is like that too. Don’t know how I ended up the only one not married to the job.”
They could hear Nobu’s loud voice over the crowd and the pop of champagne.
“Is Nobu really married to the job?” Aya asked.
Nami gave her daughter another spoonful. “Yes. You’d be surprised. He’s just good at taking advantage of his weeks and hours away. He’s a lot like Dad in that regard.”
“Not your mom, though?”
Nami scoffed. “Mom almost brought a pile of grading to my wedding.”
Their mother swept into the kitchen. “I spent so much time helping you with the details of those hideous flower arrangements that I had to do at least a little grading. Since you insisted on having your wedding during the school year.”
Aya shifted in her chair, not sure how much she was supposed to say about Nami’s wedding.
Wouldn’t talking about that bring back all sorts of memories of Byron?
But neither of the Kato women seemed discomfited.
Mrs. Kato was at the sink, adding water to a large pitcher full of ice and cucumbers, Nami was grinning at the baby, and little Hana was slapping her hands down on the tray of the high chair.
“I’m sorry I missed it,” Aya mumbled. She couldn’t remember what excuse she had given at the time, but she had felt a little bit guilty. Now that the Kato family was older, her dogged avoidance of events where Noah might be present had made things ever more awkward.
Of course, going to an event where Noah was present wasn’t any guarantee against awkwardness.
Mrs. Kato had left the door to the dining room open, and Noah was sitting in a circle full of women she didn’t recognize.
He was drinking the cocktail Nobu had insisted on mixing himself, some sort of hit with his friends in Denver.
He called it a “D-Minus in a Glass,” and from the shade of Noah’s cheeks, it looked rather strong.
“Aya,” said Nami. “It’s seriously great that you missed it. Big white wedding? Done. Check.”
“Yeah. Okay. But I am sorry to have missed the baby stuff.”
Nami shook her head again. “Twy and Marty were there for me. And your mom. I’d say your family was working triple time.”*
That only made Aya feel worse. She remembered how much her mother had encouraged her to just do one thing for Nami, to try to cheer her up, to go hold the baby for twenty minutes, but she had refused.
She hadn’t wanted to deal with Noah’s family, and she was also afraid of the messiness of the situation.
She usually avoided people who were not feeling happy, afraid of exposing her own mental weaknesses.
Even with Emi, she had hesitated before booking a flight.
She had gone eventually, though. Her poor friend, who had never known heartbreak, had really been sucked into a vortex of despair.
Back before Charles, Emi had gotten her heart so badly broken on her backpacking trip to China that Aya had known it was her duty to be there. Yet she had tried to get out of it.
“I’m sorry,” Aya said suddenly.
Nami put the spoon down and looked directly at her. “It’s okay. But don’t keep repeating your mistake.”
“What?”
“Get out there. Enjoy the party.”
Aya tried to follow Nami’s advice. She got a little bit closer to Noah, but that only forced her into the crowd of admirers who had gathered around him.
She was in the outer ring with a couple of the best-looking women she had ever seen.
Their names were Diana and Mimi, and they wore matching gold jumpsuits that looked like they must be seventies vintage but were in such great condition that Aya suspected they had been tailor-made for them.
Her phone buzzed with a picture. She had tried to tell herself she wouldn’t do work things all evening, but she was relieved to see it, even when she saw that the sender was Mrs. Irving. When did Mrs. Irving learn to send text messages? It was going to be even more difficult to dodge her.
Of course, the message wasn’t exactly clear. Mrs. Irving’s thumb covered half the picture, and what remained wasn’t in perfect focus. But Aya had seen enough. She put her drink down and wiped her palms on a napkin.
“I’m so excited for the festival,” Diana said before Aya could escape. “I’ve been wanting to go talk to Noah all evening, but I can’t bring myself to do it! It’s crazy. Nobu is so nice, but I just never thought I’d be near a celebrity like this.”
Mimi, who was Diana’s wife, rolled her eyes. “Yes, well, Nobu would remind you that his brother is the less handsome version of himself. Et cetera, et cetera.”
Diana took another swig of champagne. “Oh, Noah is so dreamy, though! He looks like a taller, handsomer Nobu. Don’t tell him I said that!”
Aya shifted in her chair.
Mimi shrugged. “Ah, the celebrity crushes. It could be worse. All of mine are athletes. So put me in a room full of killer basketball players and women’s soccer stars, and I’ll look like just as much of an idiot.”
“I am not an idiot,” Diana insisted, giving her wife a playful swat.
Aya gave a wan smile. She hated being the third wheel with couples who were bickering, but when they flirted in front of her, it was even more annoying.
She excused herself then sidled up to Noah. “I need your help. Can I talk to you outside for a minute?”
Aya spoke in Japanese, as that was the only way they were going to get any semblance of privacy.
Their Japanese lessons with their grandparents had been fairly ad hoc, though Aya had taken a couple of semesters in college.
Plus, she had years of experience speaking with Emi’s parents.
Noah clearly did not understand much anymore, especially not when he was drunk.
“Nani?” he asked, grinning at her.
“Outside,” Aya said through gritted teeth.