One Kiss in Tokyo... by Scarlet Wilson

Author:Scarlet Wilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

AS A DOCTOR, Avery Flynn had met a lot of cantankerous patients in his time. But he’d never met anyone like Hiroko Satou. She definitely won the prize.

From the second they left their shoes at the entranceway and entered her single-storey home he could sense the tension in the air. Not that he could understand a word of what was going on.

She didn’t shout, but her tone spoke a thousand words. Katsuko tried to introduce him but he was instantly dismissed with one look. Then the tirade clearly aimed at Katsuko started.

Avery had never been rude, but as the staccato words flowed freely he started to get annoyed. It was clear Katsuko was doing everything she could to placate her grandmother, who clearly wasn’t listening.

After about fifteen minutes Katsuko threw her hands in the air, walked through to the kitchen and started banging things around. She’d already warned him she’d need to make something for her grandmother’s dinner.

He folded his arms and leaned against the wall. It could appear impertinent. But he was a twenty-eight-year-old man—not a boy—and now he could understand clearly why Katsuko had looked nervous on the way over.

The smell of food cooking quickly wafted from the kitchen. ‘Can I do anything to help?’ he asked.

There was a tiny rise of the old woman’s eyebrows. Interesting. Katsuko had said she didn’t speak or understand a word of English. Avery wasn’t so sure.

‘No, thanks’ came the reply from the kitchen. ‘She wouldn’t like it.’

Avery caught the sharp gaze of the woman in the wheelchair currently scowling at him and gave her a knowing smile.

He started to walk slowly around the room. As expected, it was clutter-free with everything in easy reach. She had a giant modern television on the wall and her tablet sitting on the table next to her. It seemed she wasn’t entirely steeped in tradition.

He stopped as he caught sight of a photograph in a frame on the wall. A beautiful young Japanese woman, around Katsuko’s age, dressed in a traditional red kimono smiled back at him. The photo had aged a little around the edges. It had obviously been there for a while. He glanced around the rest of the room, looking for any photos of Katsuko. There were none.

‘Your daughter was beautiful,’ he said quietly. ‘You must miss her.’

She blinked and her scowl deepened.

He kept walking. Her eyes occasionally darted towards the kitchen. She could hear Katsuko making dinner. Avery kept walking slowly, aware that the old lady’s eyes were following his every move.

‘Katsuko’s a great nurse. A real credit to you.’ He pointed to the photo. ‘I can see she gets her beauty from her mother.’ He paused. The old woman really did have an unwavering glare.

He faced her square on. ‘You must be very proud of her.’

Finally, she drew her eyes off him, giving him a look of disgust. She understood a whole lot more than she admitted to.

Katsuko stuck her head back through the doorway. ‘Dinner will be ready soon.

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