{Kadee}

"I believe you, Kamiko," her father said. He was folding his cloth napkin neatly, his eyes lowered. Around them, cutlery tinkled against fine china and there was a murmur of pleasant conversation. "The board of Elders will discuss it this afternoon." He was cool and removed in a way she rarely saw at home—she guessed this was his business face, the manner he wore to deal with his bank employees and customers.

Her mother was sitting rigidly in her chair, her worried frown making a deep crease in her smooth forehead. She broke in. "This boy is not safe for you. It is not good for you to be with him." Her accent tripped up the words—English was harder for her when she was upset.

"Mumma, he is safe." Kadee's voice rang a little too loudly, and her mother's eyebrows rose as she glanced at the nearby tables. Kadee took a breath, hiding her shaking hands in her lap. "Cary would never let anything happen to me."

Her mother said something in Japanese, and her father let out a small puff of breath. "Yes." He met Kadee's uncomprehending frown. "It is a saying like the one that is in English: You can take the soldier out of the war—it is harder to take the war out of the soldier." Kadee glared at him, tears stinging hot in her eyes. Her father spoke simply. "He would not mean to put you in harm's way, Kamiko. But he has lived a violent life until now. It will not be easy for him to leave it behind. That is what we saw today."

When she was 14, she might have screamed at them and made a scene for an audience of diners—You can't forbid me to see him! But she was nearly 17 and knew better. She bent her head, smushing down her emotions and collecting her thoughts to meet her father on equal terms.

"Papa, Mumma, today was as much my fault as it was Cary's." Her voice was tight, but it stayed steady. "I put him in harm's way. I knew there was bad history between him and Todd, but I made him come with me. He was only there because of me." Her cheeks heated, realizing she had actually hit Todd first. How ashamed her mother would be to realize her own daughter had started that fight. If there was any way to protect her mother from that shame, she would try to keep that ugly truth hidden from her.

Her parents' faces were silent and inscrutable, listening, and she knew she had a chance. She lifted her chin, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I take responsibility for today. I dragged Cary into a situation he didn't want, and I won't let it happen again. I care about him very much. I feel more safe with Cary than any guy I've ever met. And I think he can—leave the war."

"Are you saying you want to leave your church friends for this boy?" her mother asked. There was steel under her soft voice.

"Some of them—yes," Kadee said quietly. "Just because their families go to church with us—doesn't mean their kids are nice people, Mumma." A little bubble of anger broke through her cool. "Todd had a bat waiting in his car for Cary. I would think that he was kind of person you would want me to avoid."

There was a stiff silence, then her father nodded his head, a single bow. "We care for you, Kamiko. We want what is best for our youngest daughter."

"Thank you," Tears were close again. "I know that. I love you both. Thank you for showing kindness to Cary today. I would like you to get to know him properly." It was pushing it to say this so soon after he had frightened and offended her mother, but it was true. And after talking about him all lunch hour, she could hardly wait to get away to talk to him and check that he was okay.

///

Her heart leapt with relief at the sight of Cary, pushing the lawn mower over the patchy grass in the Whites' front yard. She got out of her car with a tray of two Frappuccinos with frosty sides. The roar of the lawn mower was too loud for her to be heard, but as Cary pushed it up to the sidewalk, she lifted her hand in a little wave, trying to smile. His eyes noticed her, but his face, frowning and intent, didn't change. He didn't break his stride, turning the mower and making the next stripe of trimmed grass toward the house.

Kadee watched him walk away, the muscles on his shoulders bunching under his sleeveless shirt as he worked. She could see a bruise, hot purple and red across one shoulder, like her footballer boyfriends used to get from their games. Some of her footballer ex-boyfriends had been in the crowd around the court today.

She went to the front steps and sat with the drinks melting in their tray while he passed back and forth, each stripe of the lawn bringing him closer. When he was finished, he threw the switch and silenced the mower. In the abrupt quiet she said, "I brought you a Frappucino."

He took off his cap and swiped sweat off his face with his arm, checking the sky like he needed to know the weather before he turned around.

"I didn't know your favourite, so I got...matcha and espresso. You can have whichever; I like them both." She swallowed, hoping he would at least look at her. "I'm really sorry, Cary."

He jammed his hat back on his head. "For what?" His voice was flat.

"Would you even have been there if I hadn't asked you?"

He looked at her sideways, his mouth twisting unhappily. "Probably not."

She wove her fingers together so tightly they ached. "I feel like it's my fault that fight even happened. And you're in trouble for that."

He exhaled, his shoulders sagging. "I fucked it up—not your fault."

She nudged the tray in his direction. "These are going to melt."

After a moment, he sloped across the grass and took a seat on the step below her. There was a butterfly bandage holding together the cut over his eyebrow. His eyes were hidden behind his lashes. "Thought I might've scared you off," he said.

"You weren't the scary one in that fight," she said sharply. Her fingers were more gentle than her tone, touching the swollen edge of the bruise on his cheek.

He pulled away, reaching for the espresso drink. He took a sip and turned it in his hands to look at it like he'd never tasted one before.

She took the matcha Frappuccino, glancing sideways at him. "Are you okay? Did anyone look at the bruise where Todd hit you?"

He shook his head. "Doesn't hurt."

She leaned behind him, adrenaline singing in her ears, and lifted his shirt up his back. The bruise was black, bigger than both her hands put together, and spreading under his shoulder blade. She sucked in her breath softly. "How can you not feel this?" She shivered, looking at the side of his face. "He could have smashed your head in."

He growled, "He could have smashed your head in." Twitching his shirt back over his skin, he rolled his shoulders. "Whatever. He's not as badass as he thinks he is."

Kadee squeezed her hands together. "You should have someone look at that, Cary. Or at least ice it. Not traipse around in the heat pushing the lawn mower, okay?"

He paused, his eyes brown and warm in the light as he looked sideways at her. "You're worrying about me."

She smoothed her hair off her face. "Someone needs to. God."

"I'm okay." He ducked his head, but not before she caught the smile curling his lips. "I was going to ice it after my shower. Will you wait?"

"Yes." Her laugh had a hysterical edge. "What do you think I came over for?"

He walked the mower around the side of the house and put it away in the garage. Standing for a moment, he looked at the freshly mowed yard like he wanted to store away every detail. He turned and came toward her. "I'll just be five minutes."