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He glances over at Yulia, then back at me. A knowing smile curls his lips, but he simply nods. “Right, let’s get to it then.”
What the hell is he so smug about?
“Ms. Ivankov, did you pick a horse for today?” Mikhail’s attention shifts, his voice more formal as he addresses Yulia.
“Chestnut, of course!” Yulia skips excitedly towards one of the stables.
“Absolutely; let’s get you saddled up.” Mikhail flashes a Hollywood-worthy smile, then winks at me.
I plaster on a polite smile in response, my mind going a hundred miles an hour.
Where the fuck are you, Luka?
My mind feels like it’s stuck on replay.
But who could blame me? Luka’s like catnip to my inner kitten. He’s got this presence. This unmissable, unignorable presence that’s like a shot of vodka – sharp and intoxicating. And despite myself, I’ve started to…
Started to what, Sophia?
I miss him. God, I miss him.
My eyes scan the joint, half expecting Luka to just pop up out of nowhere. Instead, I get a full view of this Ivankov playland.
I can’t help but stare.
Sure. Why not?
Horse stables, lawns that stretch forever, and a mansion that could probably house half of Chicago – it’s like some wild fantasy someone dreamed up.
Probably hides a dragon or two.
I snort at my own stupid joke.
“Hey, Sophia, this is Chestnut!” Yulia’s voice rips me out of my head. She’s got this handsome horse by the reins, and his coat’s as shiny as a freshly polished boot.
“I see. Chestnut is a real stunner!” I holler back, my heart going all soft seeing her happy little face. For such a little squirt, she has more spunk than half the adults I know. And now she proves it by clambering fearlessly into the saddle as if she was born to be there.
I’m watching her head off to her lesson when I get that eerie feeling like somebody’s staring holes in my back. I wheel around, and there she is. This petite woman, not much more than five feet tall, dressed in a maid’s outfit that’s two sizes too big. Brown hair scraped back into a bun, glasses perched on the edge of her nose.
She’s gaping at me, wide-eyed and frozen.
“Oh! Hello there,” I say, throwing my hands up. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
My reassurance doesn’t seem to help. She stumbles back, trips on thin air, and lands ass-first in a pile of hay.
“Oh, damn! You okay?” I can’t help the laugh that slips out. She’s like a cartoon character come to life.
“I…I…” she sputters, her cheeks flaming up.
“Let’s start over. I’m Sophia.” I smile.
She blinks up at me, still sitting in the hay. “I’m…I’m Anya.”
“Nice to meet ya, Anya,” I grin, offering her a hand up. She takes it, her fingers trembling a bit.
I straighten up, dusting off the front of my shirt. “You new here too, Anya?”
She nods, biting her lower lip. “Been here for six months,” she says quietly.
