Rows of cherry blossom trees overlooking a pristine koi pond welcomed Harriet and Frank to Chiyo's. Harriet eyed the hibiscus-print dress hugging her waist. "Are you sure it was alright for me to wear this? I'm not exactly as thin as I used to be."

"You look stunning," Frank said. The subtly citrusy scent of his cologne tickled her nose as he leaned in and planted a kiss on her cheek.

He didn't look half bad himself, all gussied up in his suit. The only thing shinier than the silver watch peeking out from his sleeve was his smile.

The restaurant hadn't changed in the slightest since the last time Harriet had been there. A tanuki statue still greeted them with a cheerful smile and bloated belly as they entered the dimly lit interior. The regulars chatted in boisterous Japanese by the bar as they dined on the chef's assortment of omakase sushi, each roll a culinary masterpiece in its own right. Once she confirmed their reservation, the hostess led Frank and Harriet through the bustling first floor of the establishment up to the quieter second floor, a space set aside specifically for couples who would rather not have to raise their voices to be heard above the chatter on the first floor.

This was the same table where they'd had their first date as a serious couple, as well as the same one where Frank had eventually proposed to her. The view was spectacular thanks to the koi lazily drifting in the pond outside their window. Of course, the view across the table was even better.

Frank kept sneaking smiles at her from behind the sushi menu. "Damn, I swear you get more gorgeous every time I look at you."

Warmth rushed to her face. He still knew exactly how to make her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. "So what should we get started with, handsome?"

"I am so glad you asked! I was thinkin' we could get salmon, scallops, and mackerel. How about some eel, too? I've always wanted to try that."

"I'm up for giving that a shot, but only if we get a couple cucumber rolls to go with it."

"Good idea. Those will make the perfect palate cleanser."

When their waitress brought their pot of freshly brewed green tea, Frank gave her their sushi order. "That should be a good start," he said as he poured tea into their cups.

Harriet blew on the rising steam before taking a small sip of the bitter beverage. "Thanks for taking me here," she said.

"Anything for you, babe. It's about time we spent more quality time together. As much as I love the goodies you've been making lately, it's nice to talk to you when you aren't slaving away in front of that oven for a change."

"I'm not slaving away," she said, her fingers making air quotes. "I actually really enjoy it. You should try it sometime."

"Maybe, but I think I'd better learn the basics before I end up gettin' in your way. Otherwise, the fire department will end up spending more time in the kitchen than I will."

"I bet they have baking classes at Sur La Table."

"That sounds like a blast! They better come with self-restraint classes though 'cause otherwise something tells me I'll end up eating all the supplies."

"Even the flour?"

"Even the flour. Just not the sugar. That would taste downright bitter in comparison to how sweet you are, babe."

Harriet took a long sip of tea to hide the blush blooming across her cheeks and give her hands something to do. The urge to bake burned inside her despite how far she was from the kitchen and its many temptations.

Even when the sushi arrived, her hand still kneaded her napkin as if it was made of dough. After they placed their entrée orders, Frank nudged a piece of salmon as orange as the sunset toward her. "You'd better take one before I start pigging out."

"You go ahead," she said. "I'm thinking of getting dessert later."

"Suit yourself."

Frank made quick work of the sushi, even the thick pieces of eel. "It's actually pretty good," he said. "Almost meaty. You sure you don't want to try it? I can order some more if you want."

"I'm good," Harriet said. She hadn't even touched the cucumber roll she'd asked for, although she had gone through half the teakettle already. Perhaps that was why her hands were so twitchy, so restless.

When her vegetable tempura arrived, Harriet's chopsticks trembled in her grip, sending a chunk of crispy fried lotus root crashing into the sauce.

"You need a fork, babe?" Frank asked between slurps of ramen. Noodles streamed into his mouth as quickly as if he'd been born in Japan.

Harriet shook her head. "I'm just excited is all. You know how hard it is to find good tempura."

"So true. Some places, I swear it's more oil than breading. If you don't get that crunch, it has no right to be called tempura!"

The lotus root proved his words as it burst a hidden jolt of mustard into her mouth. Whoever had thought of giving tempura that extra kick was a genius. There were some combinations only true master chefs could come up with. What crazy yet brilliant pairings would she invent when she returned to her kitchen?

"This is all very nice," Harriet said as she chewed on a perfectly crisp green bean, "but why now? You don't usually spoil me with this place unless it's our anniversary or something."

"Well, um..." Frank slurped on his noodles to stall for time. "About that. You see, Hershey's liked my ad. Loved it, actually! And there's this new product they're releasing real soon, a huge new product, and..."

"And they want you to help with the ad for it. Honey, that's amazing! We should have ordered some sake to celebrate."

She raised her arm to flag down their waitress, only for Frank to motion for her to put it down. "It really is! And I'm glad you agree, but..." He blew out a breath that sounded like he'd been holding it in all evening. "They couldn't get me a flight back here until Thanksgiving morning."

"Oh." Harriet folded her hands in front of her. "Surely they can reschedule?"

"I've been trying to get them to do that. It's why I've been at the office so much, actually! They won't budge, though, and there's been talk they'll go to another firm for their ad if I don't get involved."

There went her perfect Thanksgiving. Gone, just like that. What was she going to tell Sam? And her parents, what would they think? Her mom would take it as another sign she should never have married Frank, of course. She'd put her hands on her hips with a knowing smirk and say, "Didn't I tell you the man's married to his job? I never should have let him make a mistress out of my daughter."

And her dad, Christ, her dad would throw himself into the prep work no matter how much she and her mom told him not to overdo himself, all to make sure Frank could get plenty of rest when he finally joined them. Bless his heart, her dad barely took care of himself, but he always did everything he could to spoil his family.

"If you want," Frank said softly, "I could tell 'em I can't do it."

"How many times do I have to tell you it's not about what I want?" Harriet said. "If you want to fritter away Thanksgiving just so you can film some damn chocolate, do it. Just don't keep throwing your decisions on me!"

Their waitress approached the table as if it was a warzone. "The dessert you ordered is almost ready, sir. Would you like me to take your entrees away, or are you still working on those?"

"We're done," Harriet said sharply. "And we didn't order any dessert."

"Actually, I did," Frank said. "Could we get it to go?"

"No, you're going to eat the dessert you ordered like a grown man," Harriet said.

Frank gave the waitress an apologetic look. "Make that for here, please."

The tables around them exchanged hushed whispers as they waited for their dessert, but Harriet didn't care. Let them talk. It wasn't as if the night could get any worse.

The whispering grew louder as the waitress brought out their dessert.

The waitress set a turquoise mixer in front of Harriet before detaching the bowl and setting it in front of her. "Enjoy your green tea ice cream!"

The woman scurried off, no doubt dying to tell her coworkers about the weirdest special request she'd ever served. She'd be receiving a hefty tip for sure, even if the ice cream was already melting into a lukewarm puddle.

"Patricia told me she saw you eyeballing that and a fancy set of knives at the mall," Frank said. "With everything going on, I figured it couldn't hurt to give you your Christmas presents early."

Harriet ran her fingers over the mixer. That was the one, all right. The sleek piece of kitchenware gleamed with the promise of perfectly blended batter. No more mixing until the whisk left indentations on her fingers. Now all she had to do was push a button and let the whir of the mixer drown out anything she felt like venting.

"Thank you, honey." The words dripped off her tongue like molasses, sweet but with an undercurrent of bitterness.

The rest of their dinner passed uneventfully, aside from a spoonful of melted green tea ice cream dripping onto Harriet's favorite dress and Frank tipping the waitress more than enough to keep her gossiping about them for weeks to come. As they passed the koi pond on their way to the car, Harriet got a call from her mom.

"This isn't a good—" Harriet stopped herself from saying the rest of that sentence as Nia's sobbing came through the phone. "What happened?"

"He's gone!" her mom wailed.