Love in E Flat (24 page)

Agata laughed openly, if not nervously, causing Lou to do the same. “No. I think once is enough for you. Now where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.” Lou sat back as much as she could as Nick drove down Michigan Avenue. “Do you like surprises?”

“Yes, I do.” Agata then narrowed her eyes. “Why? Where are you taking us? Please do not say Burgor Kink.”

“No,” Lou said, “no Burger King or McDonald’s. Sorry, Ana. Just sit back. We’ll be there shortly.”

Agata obeyed and sat back. “I am not sure I trust you, Comrade.” She looked up at Nick. “Do not look so smug, Nick.”

“Yes, madam,” Nick said solemnly.

After weaving in and out of downtown traffic, Nick pulled up to the Russian Tea Time restaurant.

Agata looked out and chuckled. “Very nice.” She looked back at Lou. “You thought of this?”

“Yes,” Nick chimed in.

“Well, I wanted something you would like and appreciate.”

Dmitry got out and looked lovingly at the restaurant. Edie had Ana by the hand and stood next to him. “Good choice?”

Dmitry licked his lips. “Excellent.”

Nick jumped out and opened Agata’s door. Agata waited a moment, still watching Lou. She smiled and placed her gloved hand on Lou’s arm. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now get going, you’re letting the Chicago winter wind blow up my pants leg.”

“Call me when ya need me,” Nick said as he counted heads. “Okay, you’re all out. Have fun.”

*******

The restaurant was quiet with only a few tables filled as they waited for the hostess. When she asked for the name and Lou gave it, the woman’s eyes widened.

“Madam Karetnikov, when I told them who was coming, they were so excited. We’re honored to have you here. Please, come right this way.”

Lou strutted just a little as she followed the hostess, very pleased with her selection. It didn’t last as Edie jabbed her in the ribs, bringing her painfully down to earth. They sat at a table close to the window. The hostess laid the menus on the table, and Agata stopped her. Looking worried and horrified, the hostess froze. “Something wrong?”

“Not at all,” Agata said. “Why don’t you surprise us? Have your chef make whatever he likes.” She glanced at Dmitry’s horrified expression. “But we will require borscht if he wouldn’t mind.”

“Of course.” The woman smiled when Dmitry let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll tell him. If you need anything right away, your server will be right with you.”

“Thank you,” Agata said, slipping out of her coat. Lou leaned over to assist. Again, she was aware of Dmitry’s scrutiny.

“You didn’t kill a poor fox for that hat, did you?” Lou motioned to Agata’s head.

Ana giggled behind her stuffed animal.

“I did not. Just because I have money does not mean I throw it away. Wearing a dead animal’s pelt is quite disgusting. Isn’t it, Ana?”

She nodded furiously. “It’s bad to kill an animal.”

“Tell that to the women on Michigan Avenue,” Lou mumbled to Agata’s and Edie’s glares. She looked from one woman to the other. “I can see it was a mistake to introduce you to each other.”

Edie laughed and stood. “I need to visit the ladies’ room.”

“Me too,” Ana said, quickly standing.

Dmitry watched them as they walked away. “I will be back, as well.”

Agata and Lou watched as Dmitry followed them through the restaurant and down the hall.

“I think Dmitry is in protective mode. I catch him looking at me every now and then when I talk to you.”

“One cannot blame him, though he is so serious for a young boy.” Agata adjusted the fur headband. “And this is faux fur, is not real. What do you think?”

“I think you wear it very well. You look…well, you look very sexy.”

Agata blinked, as if not expecting the comment. Lou laughed and picked up the knife. “You look stunned.” She turned the knife over, examining it. “Don’t tell me no one has ever told you that before. Because I won’t believe it. This looks like sterling silver.” She looked up. “What’s wrong?”

Agata shook her head slowly. “Nothing is the matter. You have a distinct way about you.”

Lou grinned. “In a good way or a bad way?”

“A good way.”

“Good.” Lou leaned in. “Can I tell you something?”

“If you must,” Agata said warily.

“I’m glad I talked to you last night. Thank you again for listening.”

“You are welcome. When we just think and do not speak openly, we can fool ourselves into anything. But when we speak of what bothers us and we tell someone, it somehow starts, I don’t know…”

“Healing,” Lou said softly.

“
Da
. Healing is good word,” Agata said. “And you enjoyed the other part of the evening, as well?”

Lou grinned then. “What other part? Oh, the food? Yes,” she said with enthusiasm. “I love Italian and…” She stopped when Agata narrowed her eyes. “What? You weren’t talking about the food?”

Agata hid her grin. “No, I was not,” she said in a low voice.

“Hmm.” Lou struck a confused pose for a moment. “Oh…” She leaned into Agata and whispered, “You mean the kissing?”

Agata looked around the restaurant, the blush flooding her cheeks. “Yes.”

“I enjoyed that most of all,” Lou said, struck by the earnest tone in her voice and the sincerity she felt in her heart. “I really did, Aggie.”

Agata smiled and covered Lou’s hand with her own. “Me too, Loushka.”

Lou sighed happily and held on to her hand. “Aggie. I…Before Edie gets back, I want you to know this is not just a casual fling with you.” She looked up into Agata’s eyes. “And I’m hoping you feel the same way, maybe.”

Agata’s smile faded; she ran her thumb across the back of Lou’s hand. “I find myself trying so hard not to care. It would be so much easier not to.”

“But…?”

“But I cannot deny I have feelings for you. I am not sure what will happen. The children need me so much right now.”

Lou tightened her grip. “We don’t have to settle anything right here and now. It’s enough we both agree.”

“Yes. We both agree.” Agata smiled warmly and gently pulled her hand away.

“This is good for you, as well,” Lou said tentatively. “You could tell me if something was bothering you.”
 

Agata cocked her head. “I have nothing that bothers me.”

Lou gave her a skeptical look. “Maybe it’s me then. You just looked sad the other day, right after we got the kids to your hotel room. I just thought something was wrong.”

Agata picked up her fork. “This is sterling.”

“Okay, I get it. I won’t pry.”

“Lou,” Agata said. “You are not prying. But I do not know when you are conducting the interview or not.”

“I understand. How about this,” Lou said with a grin. “We’re off the clock. No interview, no business. Just two new friends having…whatever we’re having here. How’s that?”

Agata smiled then, and Lou’s heart skipped a beat. “That sounds good. New friends.” She held up her water glass in toast. “But more than friends.”

Lou did the same. “More than friends. Though you still look very sexy in that hat.”

Agata shook her head. “Dog with bone.”

They looked up when Ana ran back to the table ahead of Edie and Dmitry. “Boy, we had to wait so long for you to finish talking, right, Eathie?”

Edie turned bright red as she sat across from Lou and Agata. Dmitry sat down, saying nothing. Lou and Agata couldn’t even look at each other. Ana continued.

“Eathie said you needed time to talk. So we looked at the pictures on the wall, and Eathie read the…” She stopped and looked at Edie. “What did you call it?”

Edie stared at nothing in particular. “A plaque.”

“A plaque with all sorts of stuff on it. Then Demmi came out of the bathroom.” She stopped and giggled. “He forgot to zip…”

Dmitry glared at her from across the table. “Keep still, Ana.”

Ana lifted her head. “I don’t have to.”

“Then you’d better keep an eye on Brown—”

“Dmitry,” Agata said quickly as Ana looked horrified and clutched said bear. Dmitry sported an evil grin and picked up his butter knife.

*******

Lunch was delightful, when Dmitry wasn’t threatening Brown Bear. The only thing Lou recognized was the stuffed cabbage and beef stroganoff. Agata ate some fish, Lou could not determine what kind, but Agata seemed to love it, though it was covered in sour cream.

Dmitry ate some red soup with onions in it, and if Lou didn’t know better, it looked as though the young man was having some sort of out-of-body experience with each spoonful. Ana and Edie were thick as thieves as they tested each dish, expressing their likes and dislikes with grimaces and happy nods. And dessert was heavenly. Lou thought they were pancakes, but Agata laughed, telling her they were blintzes. Whatever they were, they were very good.

Lou sat back and patted her stomach. “Man, that was tasty.”

“Yes, very tasty,” Agata agreed with a groan. “And I ate too much. Dmitry, the borscht looked good.”

“Oh, yes. They did a wonderful job.” He raised an eyebrow in Lou’s direction. “For Americans.”

Lou laughed, thinking how much like Agata he was, even though they were not blood related. One minute he brooded, and the next, all was forgotten when a plate of food was set in front of him.

“Now what should we do?” Ana asked, though she yawned.

“Now we go back to hotel and you, little miss, take a nap,” Agata said, finishing her coffee.

“Nap? I’m not tired,” Ana argued, leaning into Edie, who laughed.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m pooped. I could really use a nap,” she said.

Ana looked up at her. “Grown-ups don’t take naps.”

“Sure we do,” Edie said emphatically. “Just ask John when you see him. He’s the biggest napper I know.”

Lou hailed the waitress for the check while she listened to the discussion. The waitress hurried over and took the offered credit card. “I know I’m bushed…” Lou said to no one in particular.

“But I don’t want to,” Ana said in full pout.

“Then you will be too tired to go to the concert with us. We will have to get nanny for the night.”

Ana seemed to ponder this scenario while she looked from Agata to Edie, who gave her a helpless shrug.

Dmitry was the deciding factor. “Ana, do not be a baby. You know you are tired, so just lie down before the concert. Look at Agata,” he motioned to her, “does it look like she will give in?”

Ana frowned and looked intently at Agata. She glanced once again at Edie, who held up her hands. “How are you going to stay awake when we go out afterward if you don’t take a nap right now? Besides, Brown Bear looks exhausted.”

As the waitress came back and Lou signed, she realized it was Edie, not Dmitry, who was the deciding factor. Ana turned Brown Bear around and looked at his...her…its…face. “Well, only if Brown Bear is tired.”