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I tear my eyes away from Nick to smile at Leo. “Thank you, love.”
Wobbly steps bring me closer to the chess setup. It’s been a while since I walked in heels.
“You’re learning chess?”
“Yes.” Leo beams. “Grandma is teaching me.”
“Grandma sounds old,” Vera states, moving a pawn.
But she doesn’t tell Leo to stop calling her that, I notice, and he seems undeterred. “You said English doesn’t matter anyway.”
“I did say that,” Vera replies. “Your move,vnuk.”
“We should get going,” Nick says.
My pulse pauses and then picks up at the sound of his voice.
Stupid, I tell my heart.
I bend and kiss the top of Leo’s head. “Be good. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Leo nods, mostly focused on the board. “Night, Mom. Night, Dad.”
Two sentences I never thought I’d hear my son say.
Nick bends down to whisper something to Leo. Whatever it is, it makes him smile. He straightens and says something to Vera, louder. But that exchange takes place in Russian, so I once again have no idea what is being said.
I give Vera a small smile before walking out of the living room. She doesn’t return it exactly, but she doesn’t scowl either, which I would call progress.
A maid is waiting with my coat in the front hall. I shrug into it and thank her before heading out into the cold. The wind nips at my bare legs, brutal with no barrier at all. Thankfully, there’s a car pulled up and waiting, exhaust winding from the rear into the void of night air.
I settle into the passenger seat as Nick adjusts the driver’s. And then we’re zipping away from the estate and toward the front gates.
“Who got engaged?”
“Leonid Belyaev.”
“He works for you?”
“Yes.”
“I wouldn’t invite my boss to a party.”
It’s hard to tell in the dim car, but I think Nick smiles. “I doubt he’s expecting for me to show up.”
“Why are you going then?”
“You said you’re bored.”
“You made it sound like you’d go without me.”
“I lied.” Nick rolls down his window to talk with the gate guard.
The metal swings open, and then we’re moving again, zipping along dark roads.
I should ask him how things went in Philadelphia. Whether it’s safe to return once Dmitriy is handled. But instead, I say, “What did your mom call Leo? Vr-nik?”
“Vnuk.”
