“It’s good to meet you, Teresa.”
Her eyes roam over him carefully before she shakes his hand. “You too.”
Polite but cautious. I know that tone. Mama has spent her entire life reading people quickly because life required it. And Alexei practically radiates danger.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” Mama says. “I’ll bring you somethin’ to eat.”
Alexei nods, and Ivy climbs into the booth. I slide in beside her.
“Do you still have the three-legged dog?” Ivy asks.
“Mr. Pickles? Sure do.” I watch Alexei slide into the booth across from us. “He stole somebody’s grilled cheese this afternoon.”
Ivy gasps. “He did not.”
“He absolutely did.”
“What happened?” she asks.
“Well, Cheryl screamed like she saw the devil himself and Mr. Pickles ran under my desk with the sandwich hanging out of his mouth.”
Ivy bursts into laughter so hard she nearly hiccups.
Alexei watches the two of us. The look in his eyes warms slowly while Ivy talks. It hits me then how rare this probably is for him. A child laughing in a small southern diner over stories about badly behaved shelter dogs. No security detail hovering nearby. No tense phone calls. No cold business mask covering his face.
Just Ivy smiling and dinner.
My chest tightens unexpectedly.
A few minutes later, Alexei rises from the booth.
“Excuse me a moment,” he says before walking toward the counter. Toward mama.
I try not to stare, and I fail completely. Mama crosses her arms immediately when he approaches.
This ought to go well.
Ivy continues talking about Winston chewing through another leash while I sneak glances toward the counter. Alexei sayssomething. Mama’s posture remains tense at first, then slowly her shoulders ease. A moment later, she reaches out and touches his arm gently while saying something back. Alexei nods once. Then he looks toward me, and our eyes meet across the diner.
It’s not lust this time or even attraction. It’s trust. Despite every alarm bell ringing in my head, and despite the break-in, the vandalism, and the secrets wrapped around his life, part of me still feels safer every time he walks into a room.
Alexei returns to the booth just as Mama appears carrying plates of food. She places them in front of Ivy and Alexei.
Ivy’s eyes grow wide the second she sees the pile of fries next to her grilled cheese. “Oh wow.”
Mama smiles despite herself. “You like fries, sweetheart?”
“I love fries.” Ivy looks up at Alexei seriously. “Papa only lets me have them sometimes because he says too much fried food is bad for me.”
Alexei pulls his napkin into his lap without missing a beat. “That’s because it is.”
Ivy sighs dramatically and reaches for a fry anyway. “Well, tonight feels worth the risk.”
A laugh slips out of me before I can stop it.
Mama presses her lips together like she’s trying not to smile too hard while Ivy takes a bite of her grilled cheese and immediately lights up all over again.
“This is really good.”
