I looked between the two. “He is actually doing it.”
“You underestimate me.” Dmitri tilted a portion of batter into the heated pan, and the kitchen filled with a soft sizzle.
“What can’t you do?” I asked.
“Nothing,” He glanced over with a wink before turning back to the pan. Why was that hot?
I picked up a cloth and wiped a section of the counter that didn’t need wiping. My hands needed something to do, so Irearranged the bowl of green beans for no reason. But I watched him anyway. The way he handled the pan, adjusting the heat without looking at the dial, and moving through the kitchen with ease.
It was not meant to be attractive, yet it proved enticing. Why was he good at everything? He should be subject to some kind of regulation.
My brain, without my consent, placed those hands on my body instead of the pan. Moving the same way, with that same certainty, the pleasure sitting in my stomach became less polite.
Whatever was wrong with me needed an urgent doctor’s appointment.
Chapter Twenty-two
Inna Grace
“What?” I asked Cole, whowas staring at me with the expression he reserved for when he had questions.
“Can I ask you something?” He gripped the edge of the blanket. The way he held it told me this wasn’t a casual question.
“Yes.”
“Will we go back to our old house?” he asked. “You said Dad would come back. So when he does, will we go back there?”
He was too young when everything fell apart, and every time I told him Dad was working abroad, Cole accepted it. But he never stopped asking.
“Don’t you want to go back?”
He nodded quickly. “I do. But I like it here better.” His eyes moved to the ceiling. “I don’t want to skip school anymore. My teacher is nice. And we have food here.” He paused. “We don’t starve here.”
The lump arrived in my throat before I was ready for it. I never let myself think about it from his side, what it felt like to be nine years old and relieved not to be hungry. He was already buildinga life in this place, attaching himself to the routine, the teacher, the food, and to the grandmother who called him ‘son’.
“Grandma is nice as well,” he added as if he had read my mind.
There were a lot of things I would not say out loud.
“Don’t worry about any of that right now,” I said, keeping my voice even. “Focus on your lessons and be kind to everyone. That’s your job.”
“I am kind.”
“You are.” I leaned in and ruffled his hair. “And you are also going to look like a zombie in the morning if you don’t sleep. Your teacher is always on time.”
“You’ve never even seen a zombie.”
I gave him my best dramatic glare. “Goodnight, young man.”
He laughed and pulled the blanket up to his chin.
I tucked it around him and stayed for a moment after he closed his eyes, just watching his face relax as sleep took over. I dimmed the lights and walked towards the bathroom, but before I could go in, there was a knock on the bedroom door.
Not sure who it could be, I walked and pulled the door open. Grandma stood in the hallway in her robe. She always went to bed early, but tonight she looked as if she had a specific reason for not doing so.
“Grandma?” I stepped back. “Is everything alright? Do you need something?”
She stepped inside, and I really hoped she didn’t come to interrogate me. We had a nice moment during dinner, and that still buzzed inside me.
