I pulled on a pair of shorts in case my University tee wasn’t large enough for modesty and crept out of my bedroom. I almost tripped on the kids at the top of the stairs and knelt between them.
“What’s going on?” I whispered. “Why is she here?”
Anya’s curls looked about as wild as mine and bounced when she looked up. “She’s friends with Papa. I think he likes her, likes her.”
Sasha shushed her when she started giggling. “They’ll here you!” he hissed and looked up at me with a scowl. For once, it wasn’t directed at me. “She started coming around a couple months ago. She’s always bringing us food and stuff. I don't like her.”
Me, neither, kid, I agreed.
“She is really pretty, though, Sasha,” Anya whispered solemnly. “She has hair just like Rapunzel.”
I nodded and answered, “That is impressive.”
Sasha leaned in and put up a hand to my ear. “She’s too nice to us. Papa asked me the other night if I liked her.”
I looked down at him, amused. “What did you say?”
Sasha grimaced. “What do you think?”
Peter’s voice floated up the stairs. “Hey, you guys going to just hang out on the stairs all morning, or you gonna come eat some doughnuts?”
Anya yelped and giggled as she darted down the stairs to attack Peter in a hug. Sasha groaned and shared a look with me as we stood to follow.
“Just watch her. You’ll see,” he told me, and I realized my nephew might like me a little after all.
Hailey King didn’t have hair as long as Rapunzel’s, but it was golden and tied up in a bun behind her head. She moved around the kitchen, pulling napkins from the pantry to place on the table as if she owned the place. Two pink doughnut boxes sat on the dining table.
“Morning,” she greeted us as we entered the kitchen.
“Morning, Hailey!” Anya replied.
“Hey, there, baby girl.” Hailey smiled when Anya hugged her around the middle before sitting at the table.
I crossed my arms over my chest and clenched my jaw to keep from saying anything I’d regret. It may have been because we had never gotten along or the fact that she called my niece by the pet name my brother used for me, but I wanted to rip her golden hair out. I didn’t notice Sasha standing in a similar pose next to me until Hailey turned to greet him.
“Sasha, did you sleep okay?”
My nephew shrugged and kept his scowl in place. Peter came up behind him and pushed him forward by the shoulders.
“C’mon, tough guy, eat. You guys need to get ready in the next ten minutes.”
Hailey met my stare once the kids and Peter sat down. A mix of expressions crossed her face before an icy mask settled in. In that moment, she looked a lot like the new Adam King.
“Danica.”
“Hailey,” I acknowledged as I sat in the chair opposite her, between Sasha and Peter. I listened while Peter laughed with Hailey, as though they did this every morning. I didn’t touch any of her doughnuts.
“Leach got paid a visit by Mrs. McSpadden yesterday,” Peter said.
“Seriously? Did she give him Amber’s number again?”
“No, but it gets better. Apparently, Amber’s coming into town for a mini fall vacation next week. And she’s actually interested in meeting Leach.”
Hailey shrugged and said, “When you get to a certain age, the pickings can be pretty slim. You think they’ll hit it off?” She rested a stray hand over his open palm.
Anya interrupted. “I have a boyfriend.”
“Do not.” Sasha grunted out the words. “You're just a baby, and babies can’t have boyfriends.”
“Can too!” Anya stuck her tongue out at him.
“Be nice to your sister,” Peter warned.
Hailey leaned forward, and her green eyes sparkled. “Who’s your boyfriend, Anya?”
“Timmy,” Anya announced with a lift of her little chin. “He’s my very best friend and gives me flowers and kisses.”
Peter choked on his orange juice, and Hailey patted him firmly on the back with a laugh. “Easy, Papa Bear. I’m sure it’s not what you’re thinking.”
Peter shook his head. “I think I need to meet this Timmy and have a discussion with him.”
Sasha growled at his sister. “You better not be kissing anyone, Anya.”
“You can’t tell me what to do, Sasha! Only Daddy tells me what to do, right, Papa?”
“For now, thank God.”
Sasha pushed his chair back and gave Hailey one last nasty look. “We better not be late today, Papa.”
“What time is it?” Peter leaned back to look over my head at the kitchen clock and cursed in Russian. “C’mon, kids, let’s go. Brush your teeth; get your clothes. Already have your lunches ready.” He chased them out of the room and up the stairs.
I kept my gaze trained on Hailey and crossed my arms over my chest. “So… what are you doing here, Hailey?”
Hailey narrowed her catty eyes back at me. “I could ask you the same thing, Danica. You haven't bothered to show up before now.”
Ouch, she doesn’t pull her punches.
Instead of flying over the table to slap her in the face like I wanted to, I dug my nails into my elbows. “I see you haven’t changed. Still working at the hospital with your mom?”
“Yeah, I got my RN license not long after you left. I hear you got an MA at St. Petersburg. Same major as your dad.”
“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” I replied and smirked when she started to twiddle her thumbs.
Good, you should be nervous.
Her next words took me off guard. “I’m here for the same reason you are, you know. I’m not those kids’ mother, but I’m your brother’s friend.”
“Just his friend? I’m surprised you aren’t married with kids of your own.”
Hailey’s voice lost some of its bite as she said in a low voice, “Never found anyone as good as your brother.”
“Well, there’s something we can agree on.”
“Good, because I’m not going anywhere,” she said. Hailey smiled, this time with her frosty mask back in place. “Oh, and by the way, stay away from my brother.”
I leaned over and set my elbows on the table. “Only if you stay away from mine.”
The herd of elephants pounding over our heads announced Peter and the kids’ arrival as they marched downstairs. Hailey and I stood at the same time to meet them, but I made it to the front door first.
Anya took my hand in hers and gave me her best pitiful puppy look. “You'll be here when we get home, Aunt Dani?”
I grinned and pulled her in for a quick hug. “You betcha.”
“Bye,” Sasha called over his shoulder as he pulled open the front door. “C’mon, Anya, the bus is here!”
Anya took his offered hand, and they ran to the street together.
Hailey looked up at Peter with adoring eyes. “Want a ride to work?”
Peter grinned lazily at her as he reached up to lean against the doorframe. “Thanks, but Danica is taking me today. Isn’t that right, baby girl?”
I nodded, thankful for any excuse to get rid of Hailey King. “Yep, maybe next time, Hailey.”
Hailey nodded but masked her disappointment by leaning in to kiss Peter’s cheek. “I'll see you later?”
“I’ll call you, babe.” He shut the door after watching her walk down the front walk. Only then did we turn to face each other, and I asked, “What was all that about?”
Peter had given me a classic runaround when I asked him about Hailey, while he demanded to know what had happened after he left the kitchen table. Thirty minutes later, we were both dressed and driving down the street for his garage. Both of us were still pissed.
“You sure you’re good to work this morning?” I asked, breaking the long silence.
Peter looked out of his passenger window. We had to take his car, and he made suspicious little fuss over the fact, as if he already knew. “Yeah,” he said. “I f
eel good this morning. Might as well take advantage of it.”
I gripped the steering wheel a little too tightly. “’Kay. I’m gonna try and catch up with the university. Need a ride home?”
“Leach said he can take me whenever I want.”
“Good. If he can’t, call or text me, and I’ll pick you up.”
His car was a fully restored ’67 Ford Mustang. It purred when it ran. A tiny tap of the gas could push the speed from twenty to eighty in a few seconds. I tried not to press the pedal too hard.
“The kids love you already, you know,” he said. “You’re doing a good job, baby girl.”
I smiled. Petey had never been able to stay mad at me for long. “I haven’t even been here two full days yet, Petey.”
“I know, and I meant what I said. How did it go last night, by the way? Besides the fact you couldn’t drive yourself home?”
“Like I expected. So, are you gonna tell me why you’re sleeping with Hailey King again?”
Peter sighed. “I told you we could talk about it later.”
“How about now?”
Peter nodded to himself a moment before turning to face me. “First of all, we haven’t slept together yet. It’s kind of a long story, but Hailey came by the garage, and we sort of hit it off.”
“Petey, you guys dated off and on the whole time I was in high school. Did you forget why you broke up every time?”
“Listen, baby girl, I know it can’t be easy having her around. The two of you never did get along great for some reason, but we’ve all grown up a little more. Besides, she already knows about the cancer. She’s still here, and that’s the only thing that matters.”
I tapped the steering wheel. “Yeah, and what about when things get bad? Will she be there for you? Will she take care of the kids?”
Peter laughed and took my hand in his. I put my foot on the brake and parked behind his garage on the outskirts of town. When he squeezed my hand, I met his knowing smile.
“Right now, we’ve just been on a couple of dates. She’s coming by to pick me up tonight once the kids are in bed. She helps me forget I’m sick. That’s why I’m dating her again. Can you accept that?”
“I don’t like it, but I can accept it.” I shook my head. “I just want you to be happy, Petey. If dating Hailey King again does that, then I’ll support you.”
Peter grabbed hold of either side of my head and leaned in to kiss my forehead the way he used to. “Thank you.”
“You’ll have a harder time convincing Sasha, though,” I warned him as he stepped out of the vehicle.
“That’s why I hired you, Nanny. Now you get to convince him.”
“Oh, thanks!” I laughed.
“Don’t worry about your car. I’ll make sure it gets home. I'll check in with you later,” my brother said as he shut the passenger door and walked to the back entrance.
“Break his heart, Hailey King, and I’ll break your face,” I promised. It wouldn’t be the first time Hailey had screwed with my family, though since I’d done the same to her, I guess we were even.
A prickling sensation made the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end, and I rubbed my arms. No one was in this part of the yard this time of morning, not on the street, either, but I couldn’t shake the feeling someone was watching me. I glanced up at the second-story windows but saw no one there.
Must be imagining things, Zvezda Danica.
After dropping Peter off, I found my way to a local café downtown, the sort that makes its own coffee and teas, with a side art gallery and indie music scene for the nightly college crowd. The air smelled like heaven, and after ordering the largest caramel mocha latte possible, it tasted like heaven too. I sat against the wall in a far corner with my laptop open and greedily sucked my sugar coffee down.
As was expected, there were no personal emails waiting in my inbox. Three were from the university back in Petersburg, while another was from the housekeeper who looked after the house I occasionally lived in. Housekeeping was necessary for me in Russia, since I was hardly ever home long enough to keep cobwebs away. I sent back a quick reply and clicked on the university emails.
One was from my department head, explaining all I was expected to work on to receive payment. The next was about my project. Apparently, they wanted me to connect with the local university in Fayetteville to acquire certain items and hopefully compare research. Most of my trips across the European continent had been in pursuit of knowledge, at least on paper. Now that I was back in America, my department hoped I would continue my research. The third email gave me contact info for Carolina University. I pushed through the tedious communication until I drained my caramel mocha.
At the last moment, I decided to send another email to my housekeeper. There were a few items sitting around my house in boxes that the kids would like. I smiled as I thought of Anya’s love for the witch Baba Yaga. After clicking Send, I stuck my laptop back in my pack and went to the counter to order another large to go.
The girl behind the counter had multiple piercings and streaks of green in her dyed-black hair but acted as chipper as Andi while she took my order. She glanced up at the sound of the doorbell, and an even bigger smile transformed her face.
“Hey, Mrs. King! The usual again today?”
I clutched my pocketbook, praying it wasn’t my Mrs. King, the woman who’d practically raised me alongside Adam.
Mrs. King laughed, confirming my fears, and replied, “Yes, thank you, Jessie.”
“One mocha latte with extra whipped cream, coming up!” Jessie announced with dramatic flair. Drama student, I’d bet my paycheck on it. She handed my large caramel mocha to me, and I handed over cash, postponing the inevitable.
“Danica Pavlova?” Mrs. King asked as she leaned against the counter I was propped against.
I winced and turned slowly, preparing for the worst.
Mrs. King wrapped me up in a warm embrace, and I savored the familiar blend of scents she carried—hospital and cinnamon. It wasn’t Dior, but it smelled like home to me.
“Danica! I heard you were back in town,” she said as she pulled back and held me in place by the shoulders. Her smile held quite a few more wrinkles, and her once golden hair was peppered with gray, but she wore it well.
I still had to look up to meet her gaze. “It’s really good to see you, Mrs. King.”
“I am so glad I ran into you, honey. How long will you be in town for?” She released my shoulders but took hold of my arm in her enthusiasm.
“Long as Peter needs my help,” I offered with a shrug. I tried to keep the truth from my expression. The truth was a different matter.
Mrs. King’s smile was genuine as she nodded. “Yes, Hailey mentioned something about that. I think it’s wonderful you’re here for those kids. Their mama sure hasn’t bothered herself much to care for them at all.”
“Here’s your drink, Mrs. King,” the barista announced.
“Thank you, Jessie.” Mrs. King replied as she handed over a five. “Good luck on your exams, by the way,” she added, Southern charm turned on.
Jessie beamed. “Thanks, Mrs. King!”
Mrs. King took my arm again with her free hand and walked me to the door. She had always been on the move when we were growing up. “I have to be back at the hospital in fifteen, so here’s what I’m thinking. I get off early tonight, about six. Would you like to come by for supper about seven?”
“Um, yeah, that would be great, but I don’t think I can make it tonight. I have to babysit the kids.”
And I sort of promised your son I’d stay out of his life.
Mrs. King chuckled. “How silly of me. I forgot about Hailey’s date with Peter. How about those two? Been dancing around each other for ages, haven’t they?” She paused outside the café and took a quick sip of her latte. “Well, since you’re busy, how about tomorrow night?”
“I don’t know, Mrs. King…” I began.
“Nonsense, Danica Pavlova. I haven’t seen your pr
etty face in ten years! You must tell me all about your world travels. I guarantee it’s been more exciting than life in our dinky town. Humor an old woman.” She laughed, and my resolve weakened.
“Here, at least let me give you my number. That way, you can text me tomorrow and let me know if you can make it or not.” She pulled her phone from the pocket of her scrubs.
I tapped the side of my cup and bit my lip. “I should check with Peter… but that sounds good.” I gave her my number. I justified my choice by the second warm hug Mrs. King gave me and by the fact that Adam had only asked me to stay away from the Brewers.
8
Pale Blue Eyes
Peter texted just after I made it home, letting me know he wouldn’t be home until bedtime. Hailey King had offered to pick him up from the garage. Long as I didn’t have to look at her condescending face, I was down with that plan. I didn’t care to face the witch after making dinner plans with her mother. Somehow, I had the feeling she wouldn’t be any more in favor than Adam. Dinner with Mrs. King may have bent Adam’s rules in a theoretical sense, but part of me wanted to rebel.
The door slammed shut as the kids came inside, and I called from the kitchen, “Hey, guys, how was school?”
Sasha threw his backpack on the kitchen table. “Boring.”
Anya threw her arms around me and bounced on the balls of her feet. “It was great, Aunt Dani! We played with playdough and made shapes! That was my favorite part. I love centers.”
“Play-Doh is the bomb dot com.”
Sasha glanced up as he sat down and pulled a folder from his Ninja Turtles backpack. “Huh?”
Anya giggled. “Bomb dot com? What does that mean?”
“Sorry, old expression. So, what do you guys think of mac and cheese for supper?”
Anya gasped and took my hand. “Yes, yes, please!”
“You guys can watch cartoons or play for a bit. I’ll let you know when supper’s ready.” I was feeling generous, but honestly, I wanted some extra time to think.
“I’m gonna play dress up!” Anya called back to us as she ran out of the kitchen and for the stairs.
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