Megumi stepped into the crowded restaurant, looking for Ootori Laney. She had just about zero inclination to be here, but her brother had convinced her otherwise. You can't just ignore people like her and think there won't be any consequences, he'd said. Considering he was currently working on a contract renewal with the Ootori Group, she decided to take him at face value on this. I can't believe how much I still get dragged into Hisakawa Janitorial business, she grumbled silently to herself. Of course, Kaoru was another factor. She genuinely enjoyed working with him, and she had a feeling that their cordial relationship might start to go a little sour if one of his best friend's wives hated her. So here she was, giving up a perfectly good Saturday afternoon to try to keep the boat from rocking too much.
"May I help you, miss?" a young lady asked as Megumi craned her neck, trying to find Laney.
"Yes, I'm meeting someone here. Ootori Laney? Is she here yet?"
The hostess's slightly bored expression vanished instantly. "Oh yes, miss. Right this way, miss. Ootori-sama is waiting for you."
God, the way everyone jumps through hoops for these people is unbelievable, Megumi thought.
Laney was at a corner table. The windows looked out over a small courtyard with a few trees covered in wisteria. She was staring out the window, the fingers of her right hand tapping a complicated pattern on the table. When she saw Megumi, she jumped up and bowed. "Hisakawa-san! I'm so sorry for my rude behavior the other night. Please accept my deepest apologies!"
Megumi was a bit taken aback. She wasn't quite sure what she'd expected, but it hadn't been this. "That's alright. I accept your apology. It's not really that big a deal, I guess."
Laney straightened up and waited for Megumi to take a sit before sitting back down at the table herself. "If I'd been twenty years younger and pulled a stunt like that, my grandma would have sent me out to the woods to pick a switch," she said. "I'm so glad you could make it today. I feel just awful about my rudeness. I've only been in Tokyo for a few months, and to be honest, I don't really have a lot of friends. Haruhi is wonderful, of course, but that baby will be here before you know it, and I'm sure she won't have much time after that. And Reiko and Mei are nice enough, but we don't really have much in common, you know? So I was so excited when Kaoru said he was bringing you the other night, and …" she stopped suddenly. "And I'm coming off as really desperate and a little creepy, huh?"
Megumi couldn't help laughing. "Maybe a little. What do you say we just wipe the slate clean and start all over?"
"That would be excellent," Laney breathed, clearly relieved. "I'm sorry—I'm running on a major sleep deficit here. I'm usually a little more pulled together, socially speaking. But to be honest, half my mind is always in the lab right now."
"Your husband said you had been stuck on a project?"
"Not anymore." Laney smiled beatifically. "I can't get into details, but your comment about things being twisted out of recognition gave me a skeleton key to open a number of locked doors. I'm enormously grateful."
"I'm sure you would have figured it out on your own," Megumi said.
"Probably," Laney responded, not bothering with false modesty. "But it may have taken another few months."
"So, Kaoru told me you moved back to Japan just a few months ago," Megumi said. "What prompted the move?"
Laney shrugged. "Kyoya, mostly. He took on a lot more responsibility in his family's business after finishing up at Georgetown. He spent most of the last year commuting back and forth between Tokyo and D.C., which was not fun for anyone involved, believe you me. So when Todai offered me a fellowship after finishing my doctorate, it didn't make any sense not to take them up on it."
"Still, you must miss your home," Megumi observed. Todai offered her a post-doc? She can't really think her last name didn't have anything to do with that, can she?
"I miss it like hell," Laney smiled ruefully. "But to be honest, government funding back in the States is not exactly fabulous, and with the upcoming election, it stands to get a lot worse. Japan is a lot more forward thinking in terms of the money they're willing to sink into research. And there are fewer restrictions when it comes to genetic research. It's entirely possible that I would have wound up here even if I'd never met my husband." She took a sip of her tea. "Assuming they would have offered the fellowship to Laney Johnson instead of Laney Ootori. I'm not unaware of the political ramifications of my name."
"It doesn't bother you?"
"Of course it bothers me. I'm a woman, and I married into the most important family in the medical industry in Japan. So yes, when people assume that I got where I am because my husband's family exerted pressure, rather than on my own merits, it pretty much makes me see red. But like it or not, that's the reality I live in. So if my name helps me push projects forward and develop new treatment protocols, then all the better. Leukemia patients don't care about who the people making their drugs are or aren't sleeping with; they have more important things to worry about." Laney took a deep breath, clearly willing herself to relax.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up such a sensitive subject," Megumi said, feeling the smallest twinge of guilt. "I've never had to deal with those kinds of assumptions. Hisakawa Janitorial doesn't exactly command a lot of political sway. But I understand the frustration of not feeling like you're making own way in the world."
"Is that why you went into teaching?" Laney was clearly grateful for the change in subject.
"I love teaching. I love that moment when a student makes a connection and they just light up. I love seeing them come alive when they find their passion. Yes, it can be exhausting, thankless work, but there's no place I'd rather be than in the classroom," Megumi answered. "And I like my students. They're such a wonderful combination of worldly and naïve. It's amazing to see them broaden their horizons."
"Have you always known that's what you wanted to do?" Laney asked.
"Pretty much. I used to tutor some of my classmates back in high school, and it kind of light the fire in me."
"I think it's maybe spreading to Kaoru," Laney said. "Hikaru told me he hasn't seen his brother this excited about anything in a long time."
"I was a little surprised at how much energy he's bringing to this," Megumi confessed. "When I asked the chairman to reach out to some alumni, I figured we'd get one or two people to come in and give a quick 20-minute presentation, but Kaoru's taking it way beyond that."
"He's not causing trouble, I hope."
"No, not at all! I've actually always wanted to do a curriculum like this, but I've never been able to justify it. The students were absolutely hooked when he came in last week. I've even had one or two already approach me with ideas for the individual projects Kaoru and I are asking them to think about."
"So he was good with the students?"
"He had them eating out of the palm of his hand," Megumi answered. "You have to admit, he's not short on charisma." WHY did I say that? I sounded like a 15-year-old schoolgirl with a crush.
Laney gave her a sharp glance. "Hmmm. Well, none of those boys are, that's for sure. There's not a single one of them who couldn't bring coals to Newcastle and then get knighted for it." She gave Megumi a conspiratorial smile. "But something tells me you don't quite buy into his charm."
Megumi smiled back. "Maybe not quite as much as he'd like me to."
Laney laughed. "Don't let him fool you. Underneath the cocky charm, he's got a sweet streak a mile wide." She caught Megumi's eye. "He's one of the good ones."
That was a warning if I've ever heard one, Megumi thought. I know Kaoru said he was fond of her; it's pretty obvious the feeling is mutual. The knowledge made her feel kinder towards Laney; knowing she was a loyal friend definitely helped counter the poor first impression she had made last week.
The two continued to chat through lunch, and, against all expectations, Megumi enjoyed herself immensely. Afterwards, Laney convinced her to accompany her while she went shopping for baby clothes.
"Haruhi's shower is in a few weeks, and my cousin Amanda is due with her first in about three months," Laney explained, sifting through the racks in a high-end store not far from the restaurant where they'd had lunch. "What do you think about this?" She held up an adorably ruffled peach dress.
"It's gorgeous," Megumi said hesitantly.
"But?" Laney pressed.
"Well, it is beautiful. But for one thing, lots of babies don't ever fit into newborn size. You probably want to get 3 months, at the smallest. And it doesn't seem particularly comfortable for an infant," Megumi told her. She selected a box of onesies in five different colors. "They're not as cute, but trust me, they'll get a lot more wear."
"Thanks," Laney said gratefully. She grabbed a second box of onesies, and selected a larger size of the ruffled dress. "So, these for practicality, and this for cute." She waited for Megumi's approving nod before making her way to the checkout.
As Laney paid, Megumi's phone rang. She checked the screen: Kaoru. "Hello?" she answered.
"Hey! I thought we could grab dinner tonight—chat about how it went last week and start making plans for next month's session," Kaoru said enthusiastically.
"Um, I'm kind of busy right now."
"Hot date?"
"No," Megumi said. "Actually, I'm out with Ootori Laney."
"Perfect!" Kaoru enthused. "We can have dinner at her place. Hang on, I'm going to text her."
"Kaoru, wait!" Megumi fretted. "You can't just invite us over like that."
"They're used to it. I do it all the time."
And Laney said he's one of the good ones? She must have an infinite amount of patience, Megumi thought, watching as Laney pulled out her phone and frowned, shaking her head.
Laney held her hand out for Megumi's phone, and Megumi passed it over. "Honey, you'd better not even be thinking of asking my poor overworked boy to cook tonight," Laney said into the phone. Megumi heard fast talking coming out of the phone, but she couldn't distinguish the words. "That's what I thought," Laney said. More talking. "No, honestly, he needs a relaxing evening. He's been right at redline lately. If y'all come over he won't have any excuse to work instead of taking a night off." Then, "I'm his wife. It's my job to worry about him." She handed the phone back to Megumi.
"So clearly I'm bringing dinner with me," Kaoru said. "Do you like tapas?"
"I guess so? I haven't had much Spanish food, but I'm not picky."
"Great! I'll see you guys in about an hour or so." He hung up.
Megumi looked at Laney. "I'm sorry about this," she said helplessly. "I can't believe he just imposed on you like that. I'm so embarrassed."
"Oh, don't be," Laney said breezily. "Kaoru usually shows up around dinner time at least once a week."
"That doesn't bother you?"
Laney shook her head. "He's family to Kyoya, so he's family to me. And family's always welcome in my house."
Author's Note: You guys. It has been a while, and I sincerely apologize. The first part of May I was visiting family (my sister-in-law married my son's godfather, in possibly the most awesome wedding ever). and then I had some fairly significant medical issues. I'm recovering, but it was really, really difficult to get my head back into this story. Please know how much I've appreciated everyone who has reviewed, followed, and/or favorited this story-you guys gave me some serious warm fuzzies during a very, very difficult time. The next chapter of this is already half written, so hopefully there will NOT be another monthlong lag between chapters.