Chapter 8 #2
“Please, come this way,” Yoko said, beckoning for the Suttons to follow her through a living room that reminded Lily of a cathedral and into a massive state-of-the-art kitchen.
Three chefs were already cooking, making what seemed to be a traditional Japanese meal.
Yoko offered the Suttons champagne, wine, and sake, and the Suttons agreed they were interested in sake.
It felt more traditional, especially when paired with the food.
“You have a stunning home,” Grandma Esme said as they sat on the veranda, watching the waves roll onto the beach.
“Thank you,” Yoko said. “It’s been in the family for generations. My husband’s family, anyway.”
“Is your husband joining us?” Aunt Bethany asked.
Yoko flinched. “He’s out of town on business, I’m afraid.”
“Oh, it must be sad when he travels.” Rebecca’s eyes clouded over.
“He’s important.” Yoko gave a slight shrug. “He’s always taken his career very seriously. Of course, so did I, before it was over.”
Lily felt a tightening in her chest. She thought of the hundreds upon hundreds of photos taken of Yoko through the years: the tennis skirt, the slender arms and legs, the determined smile.
It was sometimes hard to believe that this Yoko and that Yoko were one and the same.
Did Liam fully know how his mother had transformed into the woman he called Mom?
Soon, dinner was ready, and they gathered around the table for traditional “izakaya,” which Lily learned meant “small plates” or Japanese tapas.
There were all sorts of dishes to try: yakitori, gyoza, tsukune, and agedashi tofu, all of which were divine.
Lily was grateful that her family was made up of foodies.
Nobody questioned the different flavors.
Everyone gushed about how tasty it was. Even Lily’s mother thought out loud, “I think I’ll incorporate something similar into the restaurant menu.
It’s time that I experiment in an Asian direction! What have I been waiting for?”
Yoko seemed pleased that they liked the food, but she spoke very little and only when spoken to. This led to Esme, Aunt Bethany, Aunt Valerie, and Rebecca peppering her with questions about her reasons for moving to the United States and what she missed most about Japan.
“I haven’t been back to Japan in many years,” Yoko admitted. “It’s difficult, because I no longer understand if I fit in there. I’ve been gone too long to feel like I belong anywhere.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment. Lily had the impression that they were overcome with emotion, thinking about their own lives and their departures from their home.
“We were gone for many years,” Rebecca said finally, gesturing toward her two sisters. “We returned, what? A year and a half ago now?”
“It’s hard to believe it’s been that long,” Bethany breathed.
“And you felt it was still your home?” Yoko asked, furrowing her brow.
“We did,” Bethany said. “It took some time to adjust, but we found a way.”
“I’m sure Lily and Liam would love to go to Japan with you,” Aunt Valerie said, glancing Lily’s way. “It’s half of Liam’s culture.”
“Wouldn’t that be an incredible honeymoon destination!” Grandma Esme said.
Lily smiled too large and for too long and felt her cheeks ache. For some reason, she couldn’t fully picture herself and Liam in Japan, just as she couldn’t picture herself in a wedding dress, celebrating her forever love. Maybe she had an imagination problem.
“We’ve missed having Liam around,” Rebecca said to Yoko. There was a looseness to her shoulders, proof that she’d begun to warm up to Yoko. “It’s sad that he’s so far away.”
“Yes,” Yoko said softly.
“Do you talk to him often?” Aunt Valerie asked.
Yoko touched her ear and let her eyes flutter to Lily. “He calls every week or so. I can’t blame him.”
“He’s busy,” Rebecca affirmed. “But our Lily’s busy here, too. Wedding planning. Working at the restaurant. And, of course, matchmaking! You met with a client today, didn’t you, Lily?”
Lily’s mind’s eye filled with Mick Hamilton, his sea-blue eyes, his face as it burst into an outrageous laugh. “I did. The artist. I have to send him a list of potential matches this week.”
Yoko looked intrigued, her eyes churning. “You are a matchmaker? I did not know those sorts of roles still existed.”
“It’s an old concept, isn’t it?” Esme said.
“But people are tired of dating apps,” Aunt Valerie chimed in. “People want to be seen and understood. If anyone ‘sees and understands’ people, it’s Lily. You’ve paired up many couples at this point, haven’t you?”
Lily nodded, feeling a blush crawl up her neck. “It happened by accident. I never knew I was good at it until I suddenly had a reputation.”
“And now you want to bring that reputation out to Nantucket!” Rebecca said.
“And Los Angeles, apparently,” Lily said. “Liam already recommended a friend of his out there, someone who wants a partner. I have a few contacts out there.”
“Amazing!” Aunt Valerie said.
But Yoko didn’t smile along with the others.
She continued to look at Lily with a quiet intensity.
“Tell me,” she said finally, when the silence stretched thin, “how do you know who to pair with whom? What I mean is, why do you think certain people end up together, and why do you think certain people end up apart?”
Lily wasn’t accustomed to having people question her methodology. Her heart banged in her chest. “It’s certainly not scientific,” she said finally.
“Try to explain it, if you can,” Yoko said.
“Okay.” Lily wet her lips and searched for an answer she thought Yoko would like, even if it wasn’t an answer that echoed the whole truth.
“I think plenty of people don’t know what they want.
They can write a list of all the attributes they want in a person, their interests, what they look like, and so on.
But if the chemistry isn’t there, they’re doomed before they even begin. ”
“So it’s an aura thing?” Aunt Valerie asked.
“I think it’s something you can feel, yes,” Lily said, snapping her fingers. “An aura. Something almost spiritual. A connection that doesn’t have a language.”
Yoko leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “I see,” she said. She’d never looked at Lily this way, as though she’d discovered something on her face she’d never seen before. “That’s strangely beautiful,” she said.
“But imperfect,” Lily said. “I’m often wrong at first. I have to get to know my clients. I have to talk to them and sense who they are and how they might grow.”
“And you felt this connection with my son?” Yoko asked.
Lily felt a spike of anger that she swallowed away. “Yes! Very much so,” she said.
“And she’s the master,” Grandma Esme said, teasing her.
“Right? It must be easy to date when you’re a matchmaker,” Aunt Bethany said.
Lily laughed along with her family, grateful that the tension had dissipated.
But when she glanced back at Yoko, she saw a woman burdened with something Lily couldn’t name.
Did it have something to do with Lily and Liam’s relationship?
Or was Yoko perhaps asking because her own husband, Kendall, was so often gone?