Fiona grinned and went up on tiptoes to kiss me. ‘Show me what you’ve got, Satoshi.’
We watched a YouTube tutorial together before she surrendered her makeup bag to me. ‘So, tell me more about how today went.’ I cupped the nape of her neck, careful not to disrupt her hair as I tipped her head back gently to catch the light in the bathroom. ‘The kids got on okay?’
‘Mmm-hmm.’ She was trying not to move her face, so the words came out between her teeth. ‘Lex really tried, bless them. They sent Elias out on a quest at the crack of dawn this morning to buy books for Micah and Nikki. I don’t think Micah is much of a reader, but it seemed like he appreciated the gesture. God knows how Lex’ll react if he tries to reciprocate and turns up next time with a football or something, though.’
‘Open your eyes and look up for me?’
She did. ‘Nikki was clinging to Matt at first. Like, physically clinging. And the girls were… I don’t know ifoffendedis quite the right word, but they didn’t like it. Rosie in particular is so sensitive about the idea of Matt loving his other kids more than them, and it all nearly ended in tears.’
‘Close your eyes again?’
The skin of her eyelid was delicate beneath my thumb as I carefully filled in her lash-line. ‘But then one of the babies started crying, and Matt had to pick him up because Laura was feeding the other one, and Georgia twigged that Nikki was upset because she was no longer the centre of attention. So she started firing questions at her about what it was like to have babies in the house, and Rosie joined in. Nikki seemed to find it pretty cathartic to complain, so it all worked out in the end.’
I kissed her cheek. ‘Happy?’
‘I mean, it was uncomfortable. But it could have gone so much worse.’
I tapped her on the end of the nose. ‘I meant with your eyeliner.’
Fiona laughed, opening her eyes. ‘Sorry,’ she said, turning to look at herself in the mirror. ‘And – oh wow, Satoshi. Is there anything you’re not good at?’
With a little practise, I knew I could get it perfect. Some of the lines weren’t as clean as I wanted them to be. But Fiona was happy, and that was good enough for me.
I put my arms around her from behind, stooping slightly to rest my chin against her shoulder. ‘I’m glad it went well.’
‘The real test will be how they react to it over time.’ Her hands drifted up to cover mine. ‘That’s what their therapist told me, anyway. The excitement will wear off, and they’ll start thinking. And I really am worried about Rosie. She’s starting to grasp the implications of what Matt did in a way that Georgia hasn’t quite yet, and…’
She let out a long breath. I kissed the corner of her jaw.
Then Fiona smiled at me in the mirror. ‘But there’s nothing I can do about it tonight,’ she said, a spark igniting in her eyes. ‘Tonight I get to be the date of the sexiest young somm in the world.’
I did not win Young Somm of the Year. ‘I’m sorry, Sato,’ Isamu said, when I called to let him know, ducking outside the hotel ballroom, fingers in one ear so I could hear him. ‘I know you wanted it.’
‘It’s all right.’ I meant it, too. A year ago, not winning might have crushed me, but even though I was disappointed, I was proud of how I’d performed. ‘It would have been nice to win, but just getting nominated is great. And it was good practise for the MS exam.’
‘You’re still going to do what we agreed, though? Just focus on theory for now?’
I rolled my eyes, but it was with fondness rather than irritation. ‘Yes, Isamu. Don’t worry.’
We’d had this conversation after Fiona and I got back together.I’m not giving her up,I told him.I love her. And I’m not giving up on being an MS either – but I want to be sensible about it.
And so, we’d arrived at a compromise. Except in emergencies, I would never work more than four shifts a week at Tsundoku so I could take the time I needed to study; and instead of aiming to pass the tasting, service and theory portions of the MS exam all at the same time, I’d focus on them one at a time over a space of a couple of years. I could tell Isamu didn’t believe me when I promised to take things slowly with Fiona too – his response to that had been to snort derisively and say,I assume we’ll be hosting your wedding in, what, three months?– but I’d promised anyway.
‘How’s Theo going?’ I asked, switching the phone to my other ear. People were starting to stream out of the ballroom and they were rowdy, carrying bottles of wine filched from the tables as they headed back up to their rooms.
‘He’s solid,’ Isamu replied. ‘I’ve got him running the floor right now – while I supervise, don’t panic. His knowledge of the list needs some work, but that’ll come with time. He’s got the service skills down. You chose well, Sato – he looks like he’s shaping up to be a great junior somm.’
‘Thanks.’ I paused. ‘And thanks for covering for me. I know I’ve been an insufferable diva about it, but – thank you.’
He grunted. ‘Thank Noriko. I’ve got a vested interest in the bar succeeding. She did it for standard hospo wages, two cases of Bibliophile, and gratitude.’
‘Has it—’ I paused again. ‘Have you… been okay?’
Isamu didn’t say anything.
‘I know what it must have cost you, reaching out to her,’ I said. ‘That the wound is still raw. So – are you okay?’
He was silent for a long moment before he replied. ‘I’m okay. I’m – I’m actually seeing someone new.’
