MISTAKEN - The Complete First Season (6 page)

W
e crossed
the busy parkway to the train station. Brandon went up to a kiosk and bought two tickets for the train. It would have been an understatement to say the place was intimidating. I had always thought the D.C. Metro was intimidating enough, but this was another animal altogether. I'd never seen so many signs. If I had been on my own, I wouldn't have even bothered. This kind of train station was the reason they made taxis, after all, at least in my opinion.

He guided me onto a train that went to God-only-knows-where. The signs were in Japanese and English, but I didn't know one prefecture from another. If he were to ditch me, I would have had no prayer of finding my way back. And he thought I wasn't coddled. God, I was the most spoiled, coddled woman I could think of. I hated myself for feeling so helpless.

People packed the train, too many people. I didn't think that another person could even fit on, but each time the train stopped, more people managed to press through. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest and I could hear it throbbing in my ears. A cold sweat formed at the back of my neck and I tried not to shiver.

My body was pressed against his before long because of the crush of people on the train. I felt his arms slide around my waist. At least, I hoped they were his arms. He bent his head to whisper into my ear. "Are you claustrophobic?"

I nodded into his chest. "A little."

He turned his head and kissed my temple. "Two more stops." He rested his chin on the top of my head.

I turned my head and pressed my cheek to his chest. I felt his arms tighten around me and I felt so safe, so protected that I almost relaxed. I caught a glare from an older woman standing next to us who had been watching our exchange. I squeezed my eyes closed and waited for the trip to be over.

It seemed to take forever, but I felt him pull me from the train car a few minutes later. I opened my eyes and found myself swept onto the platform outside the train car with the rest of the exiting passengers. The crowd dissipated and I was able to breathe again. I let out a long slow breath.

He bumped my shoulder with his arm. "Are you going to be okay?"

I nodded. "I think I'm a little more high maintenance than you give me credit for." I managed a weak smile.

"We all have our fears." He shrugged. "We'll take a cab back to the hotel." He took my hand and we walked out of the station onto the sidewalk. We were in a large shopping district, filled with stores and restaurants.

I loved how he made it sound like no big deal, the fact that I was terrified of crowds. Maybe I made it more than I should have. "I'll pay." It was the least I could do, especially considering how big of a pain in the ass I thought I was being.

His brow furrowed and he looked down at me. "Don't be silly. It's not a big deal, Jen."

We walked in silence a few more blocks. I had forgotten how overwhelming the shopping districts were. I had a vague memory of shopping with my mom in one of the large markets in Tokyo when I was little, but it was almost like it had happened in a dream. I was only a child the last time I had been in Japan, but the overwhelming feeling was the same as it had been then. I couldn't read any of the signs except for the few that were in English, and, of course, I recognized the American chains. Those signs, the McDonald's, the Burger Kings, the KFCs, were all the same no matter where you went.

We walked up to what looked like a diner and he guided me inside. Everything was white except for the red chairs. It looked like they were trying to knock off a 50s-style diner. We sat down at one of the few open tables near the back of the restaurant.

A waiter came to the table as soon as we sat down and Brandon said something in Japanese. He looked at me. "Anything you won't eat?"

I shook my head. "Only whale. And shark."

He shook his head and grinned at me. He turned back to the waiter and ordered in Japanese. The waiter gave a nod and smile to both of us before leaving our table.

I narrowed my eyes. "Curry? With pork, right?"

His eyes widened and he tilted his head. "You could have told me you spoke Japanese." He raised an eyebrow at me. "Maybe I shouldn't have assumed you didn't, seeing that your company sent you alone on a business trip here."

My cheeks flushed a bit. "It's a little rusty. It's been a while." I wished I had a glass of water to disguise my embarrassment.

The waiter appeared with water almost as soon as the thought left my brain. Brandon raised his glass before taking a sip. "I shouldn't have assumed. My mistake." He gave me a weak smile. "So you've been to Osaka?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so. I lived in Tokyo for a while when I was young."

He nodded and fiddled with his glass. "Military brat, huh?"

"Something like that." I took a sip from my own glass. I wondered how much longer I could get away with not telling him who I was. It would be easy to explain that my dad had been the ambassador to Japan when I was a kid--before he was elected to the Senate. But then, you know, he'd know who I was. I couldn't stand the thought of him judging me for it. I was far from being a spoiled little rich girl, but I hadn't lived the life of a military child, either.

"So where else have you lived?" His eyes looked hopeful. It was just my luck that now would be getting-to-know-you time. I supposed that it was inevitable. Our present relationship had skipped a bunch of steps.

"Oh, just California and the east coast." I guess it wouldn't have been a huge deal to say D.C. My Hoyas shirt probably gave that away, but he didn't need to know that I'd pretty much lived there since my dad was elected to the Senate. My stomach knotted and I felt acid creeping up the back of my throat. "What about you?" I could turn it back on him. Get him to talk about himself.

He shifted in his seat like there was a rock under him. "Oh, you know, here and there. I don't really call one place home." I could tell he was forcing the smile I was seeing. "The apartment in San Francisco is the most permanent place I've lived in years."

So he was hiding something, too. It almost put me at ease, knowing I wasn't the only one withholding information. The waiter appeared with two plates of food that smelled delicious. I hadn't eaten since the plane and I hadn't realized how ravenous I was. I picked up the chopsticks and took a huge bite of the tasty mixture of rice, sauce and pork. The flavors were so familiar and when I realized why, it hit me why like a punch in the gut. Daniel's mom had made this dish for me many times. Pork curry was his favorite thing in the world. I set my chopsticks down. What had been a ravenous appetite was now gone.

The guilt crushed down on me without warning. I wished a hole would open in the floor and swallow me so that I would never have to think again. I grabbed at my water and the ice cubes clinked around in the glass as I brought the cup to my lips. I kept my gaze on the table and sucked in my lip to keep my chin from quivering.

"You don't like it." He reached for my hand.

I couldn't get my hand on my lap in time to avoid him, and I had to let him take it. I was sure he could feel the cold sweat on my palms. I couldn't bring my gaze to meet his. "No, it's fine. It’s great. Really."

I knew he didn't believe me. How could he when nothing was fine? I was a hot mess. A hot, broken mess. I thought I was getting better, but I wasn't. I never would be, and how could I ever really be better? How could I ever tell him or anyone else the truth?

My fiancée was dead and it was my fault.

"
L
et's go
." He squeezed my hand.

I looked up at him. My silent pity party ended when I saw the way he was looking at me. A weird mix of apprehension, pity and fear was in his eyes. I wished I could explain it to him, to anyone.

I nodded and we stood up. He paid and we walked out of the diner. He took my hand and we walked a few blocks down the sidewalk in silence.

We stopped in front of a store and he turned to me. "Are you okay? You looked like you saw a ghost back there."

What could I say to him? What could I tell him that would make him understand? I turned to make eye contact with him. "It just reminded me of someone." I shook my head. "It isn't you. I swear to God." I managed a weak smile. "You were right. It was the best thing I've had in my mouth in Japan." I winked. "So far." I forced myself to grin. Might as well get past the awkwardness with some more innuendo.

He chuckled and pulled me toward the business we were in front of. The Golden Spoon. I had no idea what it was. "I think you'll like this place. It's right up your alley." He turned to me and gave me a wink.

Great. I wasn't even sure what my alley was anymore.

We walked inside and I recognized what it was immediately. Frozen yogurt. We walked up to the wall where the machines were and he tossed me a container. I went to the one marked 'lemon' and filled my bowl, topping it with raspberries again. This time, he only pulled one flavor into his bowl and poured some chocolate syrup on top. I could see him watching me from the corner of his eye, a sly smile on his face. We checked out and went to sit down at one of the little bistro tables that were set up at the front of the store.

I raised an eyebrow. "Only one flavor this time?"

He laughed and took a bite. "I learned my lesson last time."

I scooped up a big bite of my yogurt with a couple of raspberries and put the whole spoonful in my mouth. Tears began to form in my eyes and my taste buds screamed at me to spit it out. I forced myself to swallow it and tears streamed down my face like a fountain. It was like I had eaten about a thousand sour lemons all at once.

He covered his mouth with the back of his hand and I could see he was trying to contain his laughter. I punched his arm and grabbed his bowl from in front of him. I took a bite of his vanilla yogurt and closed my eyes when it hit my tongue. Sweet ecstasy.

He let out a huge belly laugh. "That was mean of me. I should have said something."

I punched him again, this time even harder. "You knew?"

"That lemon flavor here actually means
lemon
? Yeah, I had a pretty good idea." He snickered a little and pulled his bowl back in front of him. He took a huge bite of his vanilla yogurt then pointed his spoon at me. "Vanilla, on the other hand, is usually pretty safe." He snickered again and scooped up another spoonful. This time, he held it out to me.

I leaned in and licked the bite from his spoon. The hyperactivity of my salivary glands was almost back to normal. I licked the ice cream from my lips. "You're awful." I pointed at him with my index finger. "And you
will
suffer for that."

He gave me a wicked grin. "You can think of a punishment for later. I'm sure you'll come up with something suitable." He took another bite of his dessert and looked down into his cup with a grin.

He shared the rest of his dessert with me and we left the restaurant. He took my hand into his and pulled me closer to him. He motioned with his head toward a store across the street. "Well, Miss Jones, have you ever been to a 100 Yen store?"

I bristled. I remembered giving him the fake last name when we had first met at the watercolor class. Even when someone didn't recognize my face, they always recognized my name. Or at least asked if I was
that
Jenna Davis.

I looked at him and wondered how much longer I could keep up the charade of
not
being that girl. Because Jenna Davis was still a girl, still doing only what her father had stamped and approved. The girl I was with him—Jen—she was in a foreign country, ready to give a kick-ass presentation to win a huge account for her company. And she was in the presence of the most beautiful man she had ever met.

He squeezed my hand, breaking my reverie. He looked down into my eyes. "You okay? I thought I lost you for a second."

I flicked my eyes up to his gaze, forcing a smile on my lips. "Is that like a dollar store?"

He nodded and grinned. "They're awesome. You have to check it out with me."

I nodded in agreement and we crossed the street to the store.

We walked in and it was insane. The colors and just sheer amount of stuff squeezed into the small space was incredible. He pulled me down an aisle and started showing me random crap. We got to the rather large tool selection and he pulled something from the shelf and put it in my hand. "Here, you need some pliers."

I turned the tool over in my hand. I was surprised at how heavy they were and by the high quality of the dollar store item. "What the hell am I supposed to do with pliers?" I handed the package back to him.

He shrugged and put it back on the shelf. "I don't know. Take them with you to your meeting tomorrow. You'll wow them with your ability to be ready for anything."

"With pliers? You're crazy." I saw the display of Hello Kitty stuff against a far wall and knew I had to get something for Mel. I knew she'd be able to get her own Hello Kitty crap while she was in Tokyo, but I had to get her something anyway.

Brandon saw where I was headed and lifted an eyebrow at me. He gave me a slow shake of disapproval with his head and he walked into another aisle. I could deal with his disappointment in me long enough to get some good, cheap Hello Kitty stuff. What girl didn't like the utter cuteness of Hello Kitty? I picked up a notebook and a package of colored pencils and continued looking through the store at the displays. The stuff in the store was way higher end than any dollar store I'd ever been to. I grabbed a few packages of candy and headed to the register to pay for my items.

He came up behind me with a single item in his hand. I paid for my items and saw him set his on the counter. My eyes widened to saucers. "You obviously don't know me very well." I felt the heat rising in my cheeks. I grabbed my small bag and shoved it into my purse. I turned on my heel and walked toward the door.

I heard him snicker and he finished paying. He came up behind me. He laughed again. "These aren't for you. They're just a gag gift for a friend."

I lifted an eyebrow and turned to meet his gaze. "Neon pink, sparkly condoms?"

He slipped an arm around my waist and guided me out the door. "Remember my high maintenance business associate?"

My brow furrowed with my horror and my jaw dropped to the floor. "You said you'd never met her!" I turned to face him. "That seems pretty inappropriate for someone you haven't met."

His eyes twinkled. "They aren't for her. Not exactly. They're for the person I'm introducing her to. Re-introducing her to." He smiled. "It's a complicated business transaction, but they aren't for her. They're for an old friend that will also be at the meeting. He's pretty sure he'll need them." He shrugged. "It's complicated."

I shook my head. "I don't get it."

"Yeah, like I said it's complicated. I don't usually get involved in stuff like this, but it was for an old friend. And he made it worth my while. Really worth it." He lifted an eyebrow.

I nodded. At least doing something like that for money was understandable.

He continued without skipping a beat. "They were close at one time. He was head over heels for her, but their relationship took a… well, a strange turn. She doesn't know he's going to be there. I don't think she would have agreed to come if she did."

"So you lied to her and now you're playing matchmaker. With pink, sparkly condoms."

He laughed. "Something like that."

I shook my head again. "I think I'd castrate you both if you pulled that on me."

"Well, you're a badass. She's a pampered brat, and my friend is in love with her.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Love is blind that way, I guess."