Blake Yasuda

Blake, a character in the "Rules of Engagement" series, is the manager of Nomade, a fine dine French restaurant on board the ship, and one of Party-Girl Sister's love interests. He is first seen in Book 1, Chapter 2.

Appearance
Blake has short, black hair, light skin and black eyes. Usually, he wears a gray suit with a blue checked shirt, a black tie, and a white pocket handkerchief. Noted for his looks by Party-Girl Sister.

Personality
Focused on work, Blake is very strict and stern. However, he has a softer side, shown through his interactions with his mom on the phone and his blossoming friendship/relationship with Party-Girl Sister.

Party-Girl Sister
Blake meets Party-Girl Sister at the 'Wine and Mixers'. He later finds out that she's the new addition to the staff. Their relationship was rocky at first. He disapproved of her party ways and indifference to working hard. As Party-Girl Sister begins to prove herself at work, Blake recognizes and appreciates her drive. In Chapter 10, she can get some advice from him for the Pierce dinner party by doing a tasting some of the food and wines together. When she points out that this almost sounds like having a dinner, he blushes and starts to stutter. During the tasting she is initially surprised when she hears him laugh for the first time but then tells him he should laugh more often. She thinks that he only offered his advice because she was lagging behind and his last resort but he admits that he considers her to be "smart, [and] quick to improvise" and that she has promise and can prove to be "someone I can truly count on".

On the night of the Captain's Ball, Blake and Party-Girl Sister stayed behind to celebrate their raise from the Captain. They end up sleeping together. The morning after, Party-Girl Sister hastily leaves the room, including a sleeping Blake. Later on, they meet in the hallway, where Blake apologizes for putting her in an awkward situation.

Parents
Blake's parents are not seen but it is mentioned that they and Blake are close. Blake always wanted to become a chef, especially since food played a huge role in the family. However, going to a culinary school was too expensive so he started working as busboy on different ships instead and worked his way up until he got the position at the Nomade. He says that his parents stood by him and his decision and that he thinks that it was the right decision to put his own hold to better help them, but he doesn't want to go into more detail at this moment. Later, Party-Girl Sister hears Blake speaking to his mother on the phone. He tells her he will send over some more money to pay for his dad's medical bills.

Trivia

 * He bears a resemblance to actors Ian Anthony Dale and Ben Affleck.
 * He grew up on a small island near Okinawa. This is one of the reasons why he was always drawn to the sea and started working as a busboy on different vessels.