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“Great.” She gave me the two thumbs up. We both laughed.
CHAPTERFORTY-FIVE
NORA
My grandmother’s cancer was under control, but she still had chemo every week. Surprisingly enough, she hadn’t lost her hair, but she had the most debilitating nausea and sometimes she was just too tired to be awake yet in too much pain to sleep. I would sit with her in the rocking chair by her bed, while she lay down with her eyes closed, reading a book out loud because it distracted her from the pain. It was a scary time, but Dr. Drake was very encouraging, letting me know she was doing very well, and the chemo was making a difference.
I sat with her as she prayed, too much of a nonbeliever to join her but respectful enough to bow my head. I would have liked to know where God was when Celia died, but no one could tell me. They just said, ‘have faith’ as if it was that easy.
Alexei dropped me off at home and then went to handle a situation that had arisen involving a rival gang attacking one of their people. He said you had to nip that sort of thing in the bud otherwise it could escalate.
I sat with my Lita until she truly fell asleep and then crossed over to the house, skirting the swimming pool and entering through the glass doors that opened out to them. The dogs came running to me, hoping for treats but I knew they’d already been fed.
I rubbed their heads and sent them off. They were meant to be guarding the premises not fraternizing with the residents. Still, they rubbed themselves against my legs, and my spirit was too weak to send them on their way. I went to the kitchen and got them some dog treats. “Don’t tell Alexei, alright?”
They barked their thank yous and took off happily. I climbed the stairs slowly to our room, resigned to another night going to bed alone, but to my surprise, the light was on. I paused, cautious, before easing the door open as silently as possible. Alexei was sitting in bed, in nothing but his boxers. He looked up and smiled at me, putting his iPad aside.
“Hey, how’s Carmen?”
“Asleep. I didn’t hear the car.”
“Hm.” He shrugged holding out his arms.
I walked up to him and sat on the edge of the bed. “Actually, I feel filthy. I was gonna get a hot soak in the tub and listen to some music.”
He laughed. “Sounds fun. Do you want some company?”
I smiled. “Always.”
He pushed his legs off the bed. “I’ll get the wine and candles, you get the bath salts, and music set up.”
“A man after my own heart,” I called after him.
He waved a hand in the air without turning around. “Yeah, yeah.”
I stood up smiling and crossed over to the bathroom. There was a sunken bath in the middle of the floor, octagonal in shape and big enough that Alexei could stretch out his legs. In my opinion, it was criminally underutilized.
I switched on the water, making sure that it was just hot enough not to peel off the skin. If Alexei wanted to join me, he’d have to tolerate my water temperatures. I poured in some lavender bath salts as liberally as possible before crossing over to my phone. It was sitting on the stool in the corner next to the potted plant. I chose my playlist.
Alexei walked in, carrying a tray of wine, cheese, wine glasses and candles. He set the tray down on the flat edge of the bath. Next, he set the candles in their holders before lighting them, bathing the room in a cozy glow. I shed my clothes fast and threw them in the laundry basket and then looked to him expectantly. He pulled off his boxers before reaching down to pour the wine.
I stepped in the tub with a sigh, sinking into the hot water and letting it envelope me in a warm hug. Alexei handed me a glass of wine before stepping into the tub himself. He sat down before gesturing for me to settle in front of him. I moved between his legs, laying my head on his chest with a sigh of contentment. “Mmh, I’ve missed you,” I said softly.
“I’m right here.”
“I know. I just mean…” I didn’t really have the words.
“I know. And I’ve missed you too. Things have been crazy the last five months. Lots of upheaval. But it’ll calm down and we’ll have more time for each other.” He ran a hand up and down my arm.
“How was your thing tonight? Did you handle it okay?”
“Yeah. Turned out it was some personal beef over a girl,” he said derisively. “I gave them the sharp side of my tongue for wasting my time. One more incident and we’re dropping them. We want to work with professionals.”
I huffed in amusement. “Professional drug dealers.”
“Exactly.” He took a sip of his wine and placed his head back on the edge of the bath. “People who can handle their own shit, you know?”
I nodded. “I know.”
