Billionaire's Single Mom

“I prepare what you want,” Sato said. “Right away.” He hurried off to grab some fish cuts from the back.

“You come here often enough that the chef knows you?” Emily said, an amused expression on her face. “Just how often do you come to Japan?”

“Not all that often.” I shrugged. “I came to Tokyo a few years back, found this place. Loved the food, but the place was having some trouble.”

“Oh?”

“Sato had a lingering bout of illness. He wasn’t able to work the long hours. He was about to close.”

“What happened?”

“I decided I didn’t want my favorite sushi place to close, so I helped him out with his medical bills.” I motioned around. “And I bought the building for him.”

Emily gasped. “Seriously? You bought him a building?”

“It wasn’t that expensive. It’s not that big. He made me take a partial controlling interest in his business.” I shrugged. “It all happens electronically as far as that’s concerned, so it’s not like I have to be here, and it ensures I get my sushi for free when I come to Tokyo.”

Emily leveled a gaze at me, a faint smile on her face. “So, you’re saying it wasn’t charity?”

I offered her a grin. “Well, in this case, charity and my self-interest came together.” I gestured to the restaurant. People filled the tables happily eating their sushi. “The owner is a good man. He just had a run of bad luck.”

She nodded. “It’s how I was raised you know.”

“What?”

“Charity and good works in the name of family, city, and church.” She shrugged, a distant look on her face for a moment. “Mama was surprised when I decided to go off to college. She thought I’d follow directly in her footsteps, helping out with her charity functions, that sort of thing.”

“Why didn’t you?”

She had just opened her mouth to reply when Sato emerged from the back and placed a bottle of premium sake in front of us along with two porcelain cups. I poured our sake, holding the bottle with both hands, and we both took a sip.

Emily smiled warmly. “I’ve never had this before.”

I inhaled the nutty aroma of my drink before taking another sip. “Well, I’m glad I can introduce it to you in Japan, then. Please continue your story.”

“My story?”

“Why you went to college instead of becoming a socialite like your mother?”

Her cheeks were red, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the alcohol or from embarrassment.

“My parents are wealthy.” She sipped her drink. “Not billionaires, mind you, but I didn’t grow up concerned about money. I thought a lot about it, though, and I wanted to work, even if I didn’t have to.” She shrugged. “First, it was about being able to make my own way, but then, it was about making sure my daughter didn’t grow up thinking hard work isn’t important.” A rueful smile appeared on her face.

“What is it?”

“Mama likes to talk about how our family blood goes back deep into the history of Tennessee. That’s true, but it’s also true that family didn’t escape from the Great Depression with a lot of money. My grandparents did all right, but my daddy worked hard to make the family comfortable again.” She shrugged. “I think Mama’s a little insecure at times. She remembers what it was like to have the status but not the money, even it was a long time ago.”

Sato returned to the counter again. Rice, dried seaweed, and fish had all been set up. He grabbed his knife and began cutting. A few slices later, he started wrapping a sushi roll.

I gulped down the last of my sake. “And what do you think?”

“I think everyone has their own problems.” Emily sighed. “Mama at least spends most of her time working on charity projects. When I married Lionel…” She grimaced. “You don’t want me to talk about him.”

I poured myself some more sake. It wasn’t like Emily was going to be familiar with the customs concerning it, so I didn’t blame her for not refilling my drink.

“I want to know more about you, so if that involves talking about him...” I shrugged.

She gulped down her sake. I refilled her cup.