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“He’s too old for her.”
Sat in between the two women, Harri snorted. “Do you even know how old he is?”
Alicia flicked a hand. “Let’s talk about something other than him.”
Sabrina looked as though she might protest, but then her eyes sharpened on Alicia. “We could finally talk about why you walked away from your life in New York.”
“Or we could chat about how your girlfriend looks so very much like a retired Russian porn star.”
Sabrina fired her an exasperated look. “I wish you’d stop saying that.”
“It’s true,” insisted Alicia. “Are you sure Tamara doesn’t have such an interesting background?”
“Yes, I am. Now, back to the subject of Aleksei, one date couldn’t hurt.” Sabrina looked at me. “Right, Addie?”
I shrugged. “I guess not. He is hot, if that helps,” I told Alicia.
Apparently, it didn’t help, because she shot both me and Sabrina a foul look. “How about you two focus on your own lives instead of mine?”
“We can do both,” I told her, stifling a smile.
Sabrina gave a sharp nod. “We’re awesome multitaskers, and we have your best interests at heart. Now stop being difficult and let us rule your life.”
Alicia rolled her eyes with a snort. “I’m thinking you two havewaytoo much time on your hands.”
Sat on my other side, my mom leaned into me. “You doing okay?”
I smiled at her. “Of course.”
Vienna tilted her head, studying me closely. “You’ve been quieter than usual.”
Well, I’d been rehearsing in my head exactly how I’d break my news, anticipating the reactions of each person. Also … “It hit me that I’m halfway to sixty.”
She chuckled. “Did Ashley call you?” she asked, referring to a family friend who had moved to Oregon with her husband to be near their youngest son and his family. Their eldest had soon after moved to Vegas.
“She did,” I replied. “And she wished me a very happy birthday. It was an amusing call, since she had to repeatedly pause to tell one of her grandkids to stop yelling at the other. You’ll be a grandmother soon, too. Looking forward to it?”
Vienna beamed. “Can’t wait. You looking forward to being an aunt?”
“Of course.” Catching the worried glint in her eyes, I assured her, “I’m thrilled for them, really.”
“I didn’t think you wouldn’t be,” she firmly stated. “I just worry that it’s hard for you.”
“Well, it isn’t.”
Just then, Tamara planted herself on Vienna’s other side. “What are we talking about?” Though she’d lived in the US since she was a child, she spoke Russian at home throughout her childhood and so had a slightaccent that I happened to adore.
“Your shoes,” I lied. “We want them.”
Tamara sniffed. “That is tough.”
“You have more shoes than I do, and that’s saying something.”
Vienna threw me a frown. “No one has more shoes than you do, Addie.”
Tamara gave a curt nod. “She is right. I have seen your closet. It looks like a small shoe store.”
I snickered. “How’s Aleksei?”
