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And to my intense relief, she looks like she’s regaining her balance after the threat to her and Isla’s lives.
“Gospozha,” I greet her with a respectful nod.
Then my heart skips a beat as I recognize the platinum blonde bob that appears above the refrigerator door.
Dani turns, closing the fridge, her cheeks coloring as she meets my eyes. “Hi,” she murmurs.
“Hello.” Caught off guard, I stand awkwardly in the doorway, unsure if I should leave her in peace. I hadn’t expected her to be here, and her presence fills me with a potent combination of relief and guilt. Both on behalf of the fact that she didn’t go home to her parents.
“Well, I think you two should talk,” Silvia states, clapping her hands. “Feel free to stay. I’ll leave. If you want more privacy, since the girls are in and out of the kitchen a lot in the morning, feel free to use the roof or wherever you prefer.”
My stomach tightens, and I step aside to let Silvia pass. When she gives my arm a pat, I almost dare to hope it’s a silent gesture of encouragement. Then I turn to face Dani once more.
“Are you up for a chat on the roof?” she suggests after a moment of silence.
“Sure.” I gesture for her to lead the way.
She does, stepping past me, and I’m intensely aware of the fact that she’s wearing the same clothes as yesterday—because she left my apartment without her bags. Which means she’s not wearing a bra under her cropped sweater.
God, give me strength.
Swallowing hard, I follow her up the stairs to the roof, and instantly, I’m struck with the memory of Dani crouched by a pot of dahlias, taking a picture of them in her bright summer clothes. That was the day it all started, the day she kissed my cheek and burrowed her way into my mind, leaving me helpless to my feelings for her.
From the way Silvia left us, I’m confident she and Dani spoke about our argument, and the good news is Dani seems ready to talk with me. But where she’s ended up on the whole thing, I don’t know.
I still feel the heavy weight of guilt on my shoulders. Though I’m more than willing to bear that guilt if it means being with Dani, I’ve also come to terms with the fact that I will take whatever she’s willing to give me. As long as she’s happy.
As soon as the door clicks shut behind me, Dani turns to meet my eye. Her fingers twine nervously as she stands just a few feet away, and I can see the tension in her shoulders and the regret on her face.
Immediately, I want to wash her discomfort away.
“Dani—”
“Efrem, I—”
We both start and stop at the same time, then, “No, you go,” simultaneously.
Dani giggles nervously, bringing a smile to my lips.
“Ladies first,” I insist after a moment’s silence.
Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she nods. “Silvia told me what happened. To her. At the pharmacy. I get why you would be upset about not being there—I mean, it’s in no way your fault, and Silvia said that herself. She wouldn’t have asked you to go with her in the first place, Efrem. But I can understand why you would feel guilty about not getting the call.”
Though Silvia’s safetyismy problem, always, because I’m supposed to be in charge of vetting guards and ensuring Pyotr and his family are well protected at all times—even if they need to make a late-night run into the city for medicine—I don’t argue with Dani. Of course, Silvia is too kind to find fault with me. She would take responsibility for her actions even if Pyotr’s anger, and my guilt, were well placed.
“I know how loyal you are to the Veles family, and I understand why,” she says softly, her blue eyes deep and perceptive in a way that sends a shiver down my spine. “I would never want to do anything to jeopardize that. And I fully respect that you need to dedicate more time to their safety, especially as things are right now.”
I don’t know what Dani and Silvia talked about last night, but I find myself unnerved by Dani’s shift in understanding. And suddenly, I wonder if I haven’t been honest enough with her, open enough to give her fair understanding.
Whatever it is Silvia told Dani, however, I could kiss her for speaking so generously on my behalf because it had to be Silvia who changed Dani’s heart. This conversation isn’t going at all how I expected when I lay awake late into the night.
“As for my family,” she states, and my lips part of their own volition as I take a step forward. “Nah-ah,” Dani says, pressing a finger over my lips to silence me. “You said I could go first, and I don’t want to hear a word out of you until I’ve said my piece.”
Smiling at her conviction, I close my lips but take advantage of her sudden proximity to snatch her hand and press a kiss to her palm.
Color stains her cheeks, intensifying her beauty. Though I know we’re technically finishing an argument, I refuse to let go of her hand. She can take it from me if she wants.
But she doesn’t.
