Happily Ever After: 6 Marriage Romances In 1 (BWWM Romance)

by BWWM Club

  They went in to meet the head mistress Mrs. Rykov who was a pleasant woman with a warm smile. She had Shay’s schedule and would personally take her to her first class.

  “So Shayna there are a few work packets you need to complete. Thankfully the break is coming up next month for the holidays. The good news is that it is only November and school started in September so you are not too far behind.”

  She handed Shay seven thick manila envelopes, one from each teacher and Shay’s mouth dropped open.

  Mrs. Rykov laughed. “Don’t look so worried. It’s mostly worksheets.”

  She handed Shay a small book.

  “Those are the school rules and regulations. Learn them.”

  A small notebook.

  “Your homework planner.”

  A combination lock.

  “Your locker assignment and the combination is on the sticker in the back.”

  Several sheets of paper.

  “The daily lunch menu for December, upcoming events, winter and spring break schedule, the field trip permission slip. I’m sure that’s it but if I forgot something I’ll let you know.”

  Shay put everything in her back pack which was significantly heavier than when she got there.

  *****

  After getting Shay settled, Dimitri and Jordan made their way to his office.

  “You look very nice by the way. That color blue is my favorite,” he said.

  “Thank you again. I would really like to pay you back for them.”

  “I told you it really is no trouble,” he said waving her protests off.

  He pointed out a few structures as they drove, Jordan knew to change the subject.They pulled up to the gate of a daunting looking building. Where the school had been warm and inviting this was utilitarian in comparison. It looked to be a newer building made up of taupe tinted concrete, and little architecture compared to the modern structures surrounding them. Once their credentials were checked they made their way to the parking area. Jordan looked up at the building.

  Basically it was a giant, five story block of beige brick. The only thing to distinguish it were the Russian and American flags proudly hung on opposite flag poles. Inside the walls were a nondescript beige color, with expensive but darkly colored furniture. A pretty young receptionist who looked out of place in such a place smiled at them before they made their way to the elevator.

  They made their way down a hallway, much nicer than the lobby as it was decorated by colorful paintings until they came to a large wooden door. Inside were several people typing or doing various tasks at different cubicles. They all smiled as Jordan and Dimitri passed them.

  Towards the back, the main room split into several offices where men and women in business suits could be seen through the glass doors, busy or on the phone. Finally, they came to an office at the end of the corridor, with a dark wood paneled door that looked heavy. On the front of the door a plaque read:

  Димитрий Vladikov : Посол

  Dimitri Vladikov Ambassador

  Inside it was nothing like Jordan expected. The office was large and airy, so unlike the functional offices they passed earlier. She could tell that Dimitri had personalized his office to suit his own tastes. Here there was a massive walnut desk with a big comfy leather chair. An oversized armchair and couch stood at the far end with a long table. On the table was a bronze statue of a man on a horse and a tray holding a dark amber liquid and a clear one Jordan was sure was vodka, in two glass decanters and four short glasses. It was very masculine There was a gigantic painting hanging above the desk and on the far wall a bookshelf filled with books.

  In one corner, adjacent to his desk was a smaller simple glass desk and black leather chair. On the desk was a laptop and next to that, a bookcase with several empty shelves except for two wire baskets.

  “Well this is where you will be working,” Dimitri said gesturing to the desk.

  He took her coat and hung it on the coat rack near the door.

  “The bathroom is through that door,” he said indicating a door near the couches.

  “So where should I start?” Jordan asked.

  “I have some correspondence that I have copied you on. I need those proofed and sent. And also check new emails. I have some paper work that needs checking before I sign them. That should be it for now,” he said sitting at his desk.

  Jordan sat at her desk and logged on to the laptop.

  “Mr. Vladikov,” she said after a moment, “I don’t know any of my log-in information.”

  “My apologies. You need to go to the first desk and speak with Helena. She will give you all of the information,” he said turning back to his computer.

  Several minutes later Jordan returned and began working. It seemed awkward working in silence but since Dimitri didn’t try to have a conversation she was unsure if she should. She read his emails and realized he definitely needed an English tutor. His spelling was not terrible, although he spelled most things phonetically, but his grammar needed work. However, she realized that it gave her a good insight into how much work they needed to do. They decided that the last three hours of each workday they would work on his English skills.

  The time passed fairly quickly. Several times Jordan looked up and caught Dimitri’s eye. He smiled but said nothing. She didn’t know why that made her blush but maybe it was because he was so gorgeous. His mere proximity got her heart racing.

  Around one they took a break. Dimitri had ordered lunch. A cold sour soup that surprisingly was very tasty, an entrée of beef and potatoes with thick slabs of rye bread, and sweet milky coffee. It was all very delicious. It was during lunch that Jordan got to see glimpses of the Dimitri she had met at the estate. He was funny and animated. He made her laugh and just as suddenly, he was serious again when lunch was over. He was an enigma.

  At around three, Jordan and he moved over to the couch where they began their English lessons. He proved to be a fast learner and Jordan was pleased with the session. Too soon it was time to head home. On the drive Dimitri put on the radio, playing old rock and roll hits. Jordan hummed along as she took in the scenery.

  He walked her to the front door and excused himself, explaining that he would see her at dinner. This was fine because Jordan wanted to find Shay and see how her first day went. Not surprisingly Shay was in the kitchen with Katya, Ivanna, Olaf and Andrei. She walked over and kissed her on the top of her head, saying hello to everyone else.

  “How was your first day?” she asked.

  “It was fine. I got tons of homework,” Shay groaned.

  “You should get started. Dinner is soon and I don’t want you up too late.”

  “Okay,” Shay sighed heading to her room.

  “I bring you snack,” Katya called after her.

  “Would you like a snack as well Jordan?” Ivanna asked.

  “No, I’m fine. I’m going to take a long shower. I’ll see you at dinner,” she said.

  After a lengthy shower, Jordan put her hair in a casual up-do and reapplied her lip-gloss. As she perused her closet for something to wear her hand stopped on a blue wool dress. Dimitri liked blue she remembered. She paused before grabbing a red sweater and black jeans. She shook her head at her silliness.

  Chapter 3

  The next week passed quickly and before they knew it, it was already Friday. Shay was finally in a good mood because they would be going to do some more sightseeing after school.

  Jordan looked up at the clock, she was shocked to see that it was after eight. Andrei was already waiting in the car, class started at exactly nine am.

  “Shayna Hill! If I have to call you downstairs one more time I am driving, you to school myself,” Jordan threatened.

  Shay came bounding down the stairs. She had obviously spent time straightening her normally spirally hair. Today she had it slicked back with a blue and green plaid headband that perfectly matched her school uniform. Jordan looked her over and frowned. Her little girl wasn’t so little anymo
re. In a few years she would be taller than her. She looked just like Jordan with her high cheekbones and dark eyes. Everyone said she was Jordan’s twin but shorter and skinnier.

  “Wipe that off your lips Shay,” Jordan said automatically.

  “You promised,” Shay reminded her.

  “No, what I said was that you could maybe wear lip-gloss when you were thirteen. That’s still ten months away young lady. And stop borrowing my stuff without asking,” Jordan scolded.

  “Fine,” Shay said pouting as she grabbed a napkin to wipe off the lipstick she had put on.

  “And what did you do to your hair?” Jordan queried.

  “I’m trying something different,” Shay said shrugging.

  “Is that what took you so long?”

  “Mother. It takes time to reach this level of perfection,” she said winking.

  “Where are your shoes?” Jordan said pointing at the pink sneakers currently on her daughter’s feet.

  “We’re allowed to wear kicks on Fridays. Relax mom,” Shay said rolling her eyes.

  “I didn’t get the memo,” Jordan said frowning. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive,” Shay replied.

  Jordan pulled out her phone and checked the school’s website. Sure enough the school had allowed sneakers every Friday.

  “Okay fine. Sneakers are okay but only on Friday,” Jordan called as Shay grabbed her toast and headed out to the car.

  “You can wear sneakers on Friday too,” Dimitri said entering the kitchen. “Ready to go Ms. Hill?”

  Jordan smiled. Dimitri was smooth on many levels but he loved corny jokes, though they were starting to grow on her.

  “No thanks, I’ll stick to my heels. Sneakers don’t exactly match this outfit,” she joked as she walked to the front door.

  “You’re absolutely right. The heels are definitely better.”

  Jordan could feel his eyes on her as she walked to the car, she didn’t mind at all. *****

  The next two months seemed to fly by. They were getting used to the routine. Although Shay was mostly sad, the enthusiasm of her first few days gone. The only time she seemed happy was when she came home and spent time with Katya and Ivanna. It worried Jordan that her normally outgoing daughter didn’t seem to be making any friends. She was also grumpier than usual. She complained to Jordan about everything from the choice of uniform to the lunch menu to girls who only spoke Russian in her presence. She was morose and withdrawn, spending most of the time in her room. Jordan had hoped that she would have adjusted by now. Seeing her daughter unhappy hurt Jordan immensely and made her question her decision. On the other hand, Jordan and Dimitri were making progress on his English lessons and things seemed to be going great.

  Jordan hoped that the upcoming break would make Shay happy. She suggested that they could even go home for a few days. This seemed to lift her spirits. That was until Jordan checked ticket prices. She figured she would make it up to her by buying the new laptop she wanted. She would break the news to Shay that evening.

  It was Friday, the last day of school and Jordan had arrived home to find Shay packing her suitcase.

  “What do you mean we’re not going home?” Shay cried her face streaked with tears.

  “Shay the tickets are far too expensive, especially now during the holidays,” Jordan explained.

  “But you promised.”

  “I said I would see. Besides you have a lot of work to do.”

  “So I have to spend Christmas here? Doing homework?” Shay asked incredulously.

  “I thought you liked it here,” Jordan countered.

  “Like? No. I tolerate it because I have no choice. I’m not going to crawl in a hole and die because you want to move us across the globe but now I can’t even spend Christmas with Morgan,” she said flinging herself dramatically across her bed.

  “You’ll see Morgan over the summer,” Jordan said frustrated now.

  “She’s my best friend and my only cousin. We haven’t spent Christmas apart since we were born,” she said, slightly muffled by her pillow.

  “Well I’m sorry but we can’t go,” Jordan said exasperatedly.

  “You’ve ruined my life,” Shay said.

  “Stop being dramatic. I have some things I need to take care of but I’ll see you at dinner,” Jordan said.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Well it’s only four o’clock. I’m sure you will be soon,” Jordan said closing the door behind her.

  She took a deep breath. She knew Shay would be disappointed but she had hoped she would have been a little more reasonable. She had calculated and two tickets were just too expensive. Even one was too much. She spent some time organizing some paperwork and sending off some emails for Dimitri. She sighed and made her way down to the kitchen to see if Katya needed help.

  When she entered the kitchen Shay was there. She took one look at Jordan and excused herself, heading back up the stairs. Katya and Ivanna gave her sympathetic looks. So Shayna must have told them what a terrible mother she was being.

  “It’s okay. Shay is just sad. Russia not her home. The holidays people want to be home,” Katya said patting her on her shoulder.

  “I wish she understood that this sacrifice is for her,” Jordan said shaking her head.

  “She’s young. She will one day,” Ivanna assured her.

  “I know,” Katya exclaimed suddenly. “I make her something nice.”

  “What do you mean?” Jordan asked.

  “What American food does she like?” Katya asked.

  “That’s actually a really great idea. She likes pizza,” Jordan said.

  “Katya makes amazing pizza. With sardines, tuna, mackerel, and salmon, and onions and herbs and salmon roe. Then we put it in the fridge, it should be cool by dinner. You’ll love it,” Ivanna said.

  “That sounds…delicious but Shay actually likes her pizza with mozzarella and pepperoni,” Jordan said suppressing a smile.

  “Oh. Okay we can make that too,” Ivanna said. “I’ll just run to the store.”

  Shay stayed in her room for the rest of the night. Around seven Dimitri came home after his business meeting. Everything was ready for dinner but Shay still refused to come down and eat. Jordan came back downstairs clearly frustrated and upset

  “May I go and speak with her?” he asked.

  “At this point I don’t see why not. She won’t listen to me,” Jordan said exasperated.

  “Shay?” Dimitri asked knocking on Shay’s door.

  She opened the door and he could see her eyes were rimmed red.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked sitting in her desk chair.

  “I miss my home and I miss my friends. I wanted to go to DC for Christmas,” she said sniffling.

  “Ah. I see. You know that your mom really wanted you to go but the tickets are just too expensive,” he tried to explain.

  “I know. I’m just disappointed and angry at her. She promised,” she said.

  “Your mother is doing the best she can, you know she’s very sad that you are sad right now. Do you know why she moved to Russia?”

  “No. She never tells me anything but I guess the pay was good,” Shay suggested.

  “She wanted to make sure that you could stay at your school. Do you know I could have hired a Russian tutor? There are plenty that speak perfect English. But then my good friend Yuri who is assigned to the embassy in DC told me about your mother. When I heard why she wanted the job, I hired her immediately. She is a good woman, your mother.”

  “I…I didn’t know that,” Shay admitted.

  “Please don’t tell her I told you. I’ll tell you what. If you make good grades and try to help your mom out, try to make the best out of living here. I will buy you a ticket to go to DC over your spring break. Deal?”

  “No, my mom would never let you do that. She’s very stubborn and independent,” she said stressing the last word.

  “Well maybe I can visit Yuri and then we’ll all have to go. It will
be our little secret.”

  “Really? You would do that?” Shay asked.

  “Really,” he promised.

  “Thank you Mr. V,” she said hugging him gratefully.

  “Now your mom worked really hard on something to make you feel better. Will you come down and join us for dinner please?”

  “Okay,” she agreed.

  Shay followed him down the stairs. When she entered the kitchen and saw Jordan she rushed to her and threw her arms around her.

  “I’m sorry for being a brat mommy,” she said.

  Jordan hugged her back, clearly shocked, she looked inquiringly at Dimitri who simply shrugged.

  That night they had an enjoyable dinner. Katya had made the Russian specialty pizza as well and Jordan and Shay even braved a few bites though neither liked it very much.

  After dinner, Jordan ventured to the library where she found Dimitri drinking a cup of tea.

  “Oh I didn’t know anyone was here,” she said.

  “Don’t be silly. Come join me,” he said. “Would you like a cup?”

  “That would be great. Thank you,” she agreed, sitting in one of the big comfy armchairs.

  “Milk? Sugar?” he inquired.

  “Just sugar. I wanted to thank you by the way. I don’t know what you said to Shayna to get her to cheer up, but thank you.”

  “It’s nothing. She is a good kid. She’s just homesick,” he said handing her the teacup.

  “Yes, but I appreciate it nonetheless.”

  “Are you homesick?” he asked abruptly.

  “Not really. I miss my best friend Paula but to be honest all I really had in DC was my job and Shay and I.”

  “So no ah…significant other?”

  “No,” Jordan replied quickly.

  “I’m sorry if that was a personal question. Just a woman as beautiful and smart and kind. It’s hard to imagine you all alone.”

  “To be honest, I don’t have time for anyone else. Shay is my only priority. A relationship would complicate things…what?” she asked seeing his expression.

  “Shay will be fine Jordan. You do know that you have a right to be happy don’t you?” Dimitri asked.