AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hm. Okay. If anything changes, I still have my spare key. I can drop in.”
As much as I want my best friend to figure out what is going on—if only so I have someone to talk to about all of it—I know it’s not a good idea. I want to believe Yakov wouldn’t hurt any of my friends, but I’m not about to trust my gut on that one. I’d rather be safe than sorry.
“Thanks, Kay. I’ll call you when I get back.”
“You better. Drinks!” she announces. “There will be drinks. And queso. And more drinks.”
I laugh for the first time in two days. “It’s a date.”
When I hang up, I’m still smiling. I hate lying to Kayla, but hearing her voice helped a lot.
Then I look up and my smile vanishes. Yakov is staring at me, his eyes dark and searing.
I catch my breath. “What?”
He blinks and, just like that, the look is gone. He’s back to normal.
He snatches my phone out of my hand before I can even try to keep it and drops it in his back pocket.
I take a deep breath, trying to steady my heart rate. Men like Yakov can’t walk around looking at people like that. I feel like I’m going to combust.
“Well? Did my performance please you?” I drawl.
“Your friend bought your story, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I shrug. “What can I say? I’m a good actress.”
To my surprise, Yakov nods. “It was impressive. Except for that one part. I didn’t buy that at all.”
“Which part?”
“That there was no spark on the date.” He walks past me, leaning in to whisper as he does. “I saw right through you.”
16
YAKOV
“What is all of this for?”
Luna is standing in the doorway to the dining room in a pale pink dress and towering heels. I told Hope to pass along the message to wear something nice, but I’m still surprised Luna listened. I figured I’d have to wrestle her into a dress. This is… unexpected.
“It’s dinner.”
Luna takes another step forward, taking in the formal place settings and the dimmed lights. “There are flowers on the table.”
Hope must have known what Luna was planning to wear. The tulips in the center of the table are the exact same shade of pink as her dress.
“The flowers aren’t for dinner. They’re decoration.”
She glares at me. “I know what flowers are for.”
“Then stop acting like you’ve never sat down for a nice dinner.” I pull out her chair. “Sit down.”
She crosses her arms, staying firmly planted in the doorway. “Is that an order?”
“Eating is a basic survival skill. Do I need to force you to survive, Luna?”
“Wearing a dress to dinner isn’t ‘survival.’” She gestures down at herself. “This is luxury. I’m just trying to figure out what the catch is.”
