Love in E Flat (20 page)

Agata raised an eyebrow. “You can be very charming.”

“Thank you.”

“When you’re not being adolescent. And yes, the song brings back many memories. My grandmother loved that song. I remember her playing it over and over. It was one of the first pieces I learned as a child.” She sighed pensively. “It has stayed with me and in a way comforts me.”

Lou said nothing as she watched Agata, who looked lost in her thoughts. Agata looked up then. “I played the piece at her funeral. It was her wish.”

“I’m so sorry,” Lou said softly.

“Thank you. But Baba lived a wonderfully full life and died peacefully.”

“Would that we all lived and died as she did.” Lou cleared her throat. “Well, let’s see. We’ve covered your education, your family, and Communism, but we’ve only touched on your marital status.” She looked at Agata, who raised both eyebrows. “For the readers, madam. You know how they love to hear about a star’s love life.”

“The readers?” Agata asked dryly.

“Yes, the readers.”

“And this is not for your personal curiosity?”

Lou feigned a shocked expression, holding her hand to her heart. “Madam Karetnikov, I assure you this is strictly for our readers.”

“Hmm,” Agata said.

“Is that a ‘hmm’ as in you’ll answer a few questions. Or a ‘hmm’ it’s none of your business?”

“As I said, you are like dog with bone. I doubt you will drop this. So continue.”

Lou pushed away her half-eaten plate.

“You are no longer hungry?” Agata motioned to the plate.

“No,” Lou said with a smile. “For some reason, my stomach is…ya know that feeling you get when you’re going on vacation?”

Agata’s smile immediately turned to a frown. “What are you talking about?”

Lou chuckled. “You know. That feeling of anticipation, excitement of the unknown. You’re not sure where you’re going, but you know damned well you’re gonna have fun.” Lou loved the shocked look on Agata’s face as she blushed furiously, trying to hide it when she took a healthy drink from her wineglass. “Shall we go on?”

Agata narrowed her eyes; Lou knew she challenged her. “Certainly. We continue.”

“You said your career and traveling would not be conducive to a relationship.”

“Conducive?”

“Beneficial,” Lou offered.

“Ah. You are correct.”

Lou sat back. “That’s it?”

Agata offered a smug grin. “You are asking the questions.”

“Hmm. Okay.” Lou sat forward once again. “Have you ever been in love?”

“Yes.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“
Nyet
.”

Lou hung her head. Comrade Karetnikov was not going to make this easy. She looked up when she heard the chuckle.

“I will give dog a bone. Just this once,” Agata said. “I was in love many years ago when I was a young woman. It lasted several years, but as I said, it was not easy. Knowing very little of life I led, it was difficult to keep up and understand the passion I felt. We parted as friends.”

Lou nodded as she searched Agata’s face. There was no sign of sadness or betrayal or loneliness. However, her deep blue eyes seemed darker as she stared at her wineglass.

“Do you hear from him?”

Agata looked into Lou’s eyes; Lou didn’t know what she was looking for or hoped to find. Lou just smiled and waited, while her heart pounded in her chest. Agata Karetnikov had intense blue eyes.

“There is much I will not go into. My life is private, never more so than right now. It is the way it needs to be for now.”

“The world is changing.”

“It is not about the world. It is about my life. It is the way it needs to be for now. And I do not want any of it in the interview. On this I must insist.”

Lou thought Agata was almost pleading with her to understand without saying too much. “I respect that, Aggie. I promise the interview will include only what you have said.”

“Thank you.”

“How about off the record?”

It was Agata’s turn to hang her head. “Dog with bone,” she muttered and looked up. “Okay, off record. I know what you are going to ask. And yes, it was a woman.”

Lou couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. “That was my question. But is it because of your world exposure you want to keep this secret,” she leaned forward again, “which by the way is safe with me. I will not betray that. Not for the interview, not for anything.”

Agata cocked her head. “Thank you again. I will trust you. And trust does not come easy to me.”

“I understand.”

“There is more to this that I just will not go into, Lou. I am here for only a few more days. Then I will be out of your scalp.”

Lou frowned, then laughed and corrected her, “Out of my hair.”

“That too. So please let us not ask anything further on this topic.”

“Okay, but I have to tell you it’s nice to know. And maybe I like you in my scalp.”

“I am leaving in a few days.”

“I know. Just the same…”

“Please do not think this changes anything or means anything because we are of the same…persuasion.”

Lou watched as Agata fidgeted with her napkin, avoiding Lou completely. Lou grinned. “Oh, Madam Karetnikov,” she said softly. “I think you like me.”

Agata’s head shot up. “Do not be egotistical.”

“Your department?” Lou asked with a smile.

Agata tossed down her napkin and stood. “You are indeed full of yourself.”

Lou stood and quickly walked around the table to face her. “Aggie,” she whispered.

Agata stepped back. “No. This cannot happen.” She walked away toward the couch. “It will bring nothing but heartache.”

“Like a Russian novel?” Lou walked up behind her, putting her hands on Agata’s shoulders. “They can’t all end unhappily.” She gently pulled Agata against her, reveling in Agata’s perfume as Agata sighed.

Agata turned around to face her. “Most of them do,” she whispered.

Lou held on to her shoulders and heard the sadness in her voice and saw the tear in her eye. “You have us ended before we even get started.”

“We cannot start anything,” Agata said, trying to pull away. “What is point?”

“Point is we care about each other. You feel it. I feel it.” Lou smiled as Agata struggled. “Let’s try an experiment.”

Agata stopped struggling and raised an eyebrow. “Experiment?”

“Yes,” Lou said. “We kiss, and if you don’t like it, then we’ll know. If you feel something, then you kiss me back.”

Agata raised the other eyebrow. “Why are you so adolescent? You are grown woman playing games. Let me go.
Idiotka
.”

“Did you just call me an idiot?” Lou sounded incredulous as she held on to Agata.

Agata couldn’t help herself, she laughed but still struggled. “Yes. I did.”

“I see you speak more Polish than Russian.”

“Oh, shut up and let me go.”

Agata gasped when Lou pulled her closer. “Kiss me, Aggie,” she whispered. “Just one kiss.”

“No…” Agata looked up into Lou’s eyes. “What would it matter?”

Lou lowered her head, their lips inches apart, and whispered, “It matters.”

Then Lou kissed her. Agata seemed to sag against her body, slowly wrapping her arms around Lou’s neck. Lou sighed into the kiss and held on. Agata’s lips were warm and so inviting; it seemed so natural to Lou, she hoped Agata felt the same. Reluctantly, Lou pulled back and smiled when Agata’s eyes fluttered open. She seemed disoriented, and unfortunately for Lou—angry. Uh-oh…

But as God in his infinite mercy smiled, Agata pulled Lou down for another kiss. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Agata’s fingers ran across the back of her neck and into her scalp. Lord have mercy, Lou thought. She had no idea how long that kiss lasted; they could have been standing there for hours.

This time, Agata pulled back. Lou was breathless, finding it difficult to swallow. “I take it you felt something?” Lou asked in a coarse voice.

Agata nodded and led her to the couch. They sat side by side, holding hands. “It was very nice.” She looked at their hands.

“Yes, it was. Aggie, look at me.”

Agata looked up. Lou saw so many emotions in her blue eyes. She reached over and gently held the silver chain on Agata’s neck. Her fingers traced along the edge of her collarbone, up to her neck. Agata closed her eyes and sighed. “This is not fair.”

“Why is that?” Lou touched her lips against Agata’s in a soft brief kiss.

Agata felt Lou’s warm hand on her cheek and leaned into her touch. “Nothing can come of this.”

“Something already has. We both know that.” Lou kissed her forehead, then put her fingertips under Agata’s chin. “Open your eyes.”

Lou saw the tears once again. Agata reached up to cup Lou’s cheek. Lou saw the uncertainty and doubt in her eyes. “I would never hurt you. You know that.”

“It is not you I worry about. It is me. I have too much right now. It would be so unfair of me to start something with you when I have to deal with so much.”

“I know. I’m not asking for anything more right now than the time we have.”

“The timing—”

“It has nothing to do with timing. Things happen in their own time. Let’s just be grateful we found each other and take whatever we can for as long as we can.”

Aggie nodded and smiled. “I do care for you, Loushka…”

Lou’s heart raced at the sincere tone in Agata’s voice. “What does that mean? Did you make that up?”

“You Americans have not cornered the market on nicknames,” Agata said with a grin. “It is term of endearment. Inga used to call Ana her darling Anushka. She loved her so.”

“Say it again, please.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Agata’s mouth. “Loushka.”

“My darling Loushka?” Lou offered.

Agata laughed then. “Not too fast, Comrade.”

Lou laughed along and pulled her close. “We’re good, though, right?”

“Yes, we are good.” Agata snuggled a little closer. Lou kissed the top of her head. “I am very comfortable with you.”

“So am I,” Lou said.

“Agata.”

They both jumped when they heard Ana’s sleepy voice. Agata quickly went to her. “What is it, Ana?”

“I’m thirsty,” she whispered. When she saw Lou, her eyes lit up. She ran past Agata. “Hi, Lou.”

“Hey, Ana. What are you doing up?”

“I was thirsty.” Ana crawled up on the couch next to Lou, who laughed and made room for her.

Agata grinned as she poured a glass of water from the tray and sat next to Ana. Ana took the glass and gulped the water. “Thank you,” she said to Agata, who took the glass and placed it on the table. “What are you talking about?” She looked up at Lou.