Page 86 of The Beauty Who Loved Him

Hannah shrugged under her many thick layers; she refused to wear a parka or another suitable coat for the weather. Instead, she opted for a thick wool shawl covering her equally warm hoodie. She added a matching hat, scarf and mittens to the set, but Vera couldn’t say she’d brave the weather wearing the same. Even if Hannah assured she was more than comfortable under all the layers. Whatever floated her friend’s boat.

“I might move back,” Hannah whispered.

The promise was like a warm hug around Vera’s broken heart. Life had not been the same since Hannah raced out of the country practically overnight. She missed her best friend, and while Vera hadn’t really lost Hannah, so to speak, phone calls were not the same as having her near. Virtual could never replace reality.

“Would you?” Vera pressed.

Hannah nodded. “To be honest, I need time away from my mom, too. It’s not like she’s a whole lot better than my ex-husband, but at least she never beat the shit out of me the way he did. Nothing’s ever good enough for her.”

“Toxicity still kills.”

Just in a different way.

Vera cringed at the sight of a car’s rear end skidding back and forth on an icy patch in the car park. Hannah, on the other hand, laughed when she noticed the driver’s predicament, saying, “He needs chains on those tires.”

Glancing her friend’s way, Vera said, “You know, if you don’t want to worry about having a place to stay, and wouldn’t mind the occasional roommate” —Hannah turned away from the window, then, meeting Vera’s gaze— “then my villa is open. I’m moving to Dubna after Vas and I get married. The villa’s fine to sit for a while, but a home needs a heartbeat to really live.”

Or that’s what her mother always said. Claire even kept the family’s many properties around the world rented throughout the year with cleaning staff that went in regularly between tenants when the homes were empty.

“Dubna isn’t too far,” Hannah muttered. “I suppose.”

“In a way, I feel like I’ve only just met him, but he’s exactly where I want to be. So, I guess now I just want to spend the rest of my time with Vaslav learning all the stuff I skipped over before I fell in love with him.”

“God, I can’t see you moving all those plants, either.”

“You’ve not seen how big the house in Dubna is, but I think I’ve got a few rooms to fill. The ones at the villa can stay. As long as you learn when to water them. I know there’s a lot, but it’s really not that hard.”

Except the lilac shrub. She would bring Irina home for Vas. They could find a new spot for the bench and bush.

Hannah laughed; it was lighter the second time. “You won’t hate me if I kill a few in the process? Because I might, it’s a real possibility.”

“Is that a yes?” Vera returned with a grin.

Her friend’s face, full of freckles while her emerald eyes twinkled, lit up with her laughter all over again. “Yeah, why not? I’ll move in and water your damn plants.”

Then, Hannah’s laughter fell short as she eyed Vera. “But you’re the occasional roommate, right?”

“I’m the roommate.”

She opted not to mention that Kiril might still be up in the air on that side of things. Who knew what the next weeks and months would bring?

“And you will be back for the wedding, right?” Vera asked.

Hannah had the audacity to roll her eyes. “I picked a dress and everything, didn’t I?”

*

“What’s all that about?” Vera asked.

The train of transport vehicles hauling heavy equipment, flagged on both ends by police presence, caught Vera’s attention as it passed their vehicle on the road leading into Dubna going the opposite way.

Kiril didn’t even glance sideways, keeping his eyes firmly on the road ahead of them as he steered the SUV over icy roads. “Who the hell would know? I heard an old bridge got burned down last night, something about a car catching fire, or whatever.”

“What?”

The teen only shrugged.

Vera tried not to think about it despite watching the line of eighteen-wheelers shrink in the passenger mirror. “I hope nobody got hurt.”