Page 29 of Ride or Die
"Thank you for being so supportive," she says. She stands on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek. She opens the door and leads the way inside, still holding my hand like it's a lifeline.
"Hello! Mama? Papa?" she calls as we walk inside.
"Ah, Calina,milaya. How are you?" Her mom, Klara, pulls her into a hug, causing her to let go of my hand. "Have you been taking it easy since the bakery has been closed?"
"Yes, Mama, I have. I've been spending a lot of time with friends," Cali tells her.
"Oh good! And Ryan!" She pulls me in, hugging me tightly. "We sure have missed you around here. How have you been? Are you home for good?"
"I've been good. Better now that I've been back with Cali, and yes, I'm back for good," I reply. A huge smile crosses both Klara and Cali's faces.
"Well, it's good to have you back. Maybe that means we'll be seeing more of the two of you?" She gives me a pointed look.
"Is that Calina?" Her dad, Andrei, shouts.
"Yes! Calina and Ryan are here," Klara responds to him. "Come, come."
We follow her into their living room where Andrei is sitting. Klara sits in a chair next to his, while Cali motions for us to sit on the couch.
"Where are Viktor and Gleb," Cali asks her parents.
"They're out on business. They send their love and will be in touch with you soon," Andrei tells her. She nods her head in understanding. "Speaking of business. I have some news on your bakery."
"Will we be able to reopen soon," Cali questions.
"Yes, the repairs have gone as planned. Why don't you take another week and plan a grand reopening," Andrei suggests.
"That sounds like a good idea," I tell her. Andrei and I briefly talked about this when we had our meeting with Bull. We'd like to get her to take another week off so we can try to figure out what the cartel is planning. Cali’s eyes bore into me like she's trying to see inside my mind.
"Your employees will still be paid if that's what you're worried about," Andrei says. She looks back to him.
"Thank you, Papa. I'll tell my employees. I appreciate all your help," she tells him.
"Anything for you,printsessa," he replies. "Now, how about we eat?"
We all stand. Klara and Cali walking into the dining room together, Klara grinning from ear to ear. Andrei and I walk side by side behind them.
"I trust you to take care of her, Ryan." He pats me on my back.
"Thank you for trusting me, sir. It means a lot," I tell him. We take our seats at the table. Andrei and Klara are at either end, while Cali and I sit on the same side to be close to each other. If Viktor and Gleb were here, they would sit opposite of us. We've had dinners like this when we were younger but Andrei was usually gone away on business. Now I know that business was Pakhan business.
The food is already out on the table but there's steam coming from it, showing it's pretty fresh. Taking a closer look, it's beef stroganoff. Klara used to make this for us at least once a week when we were kids.
"Klara, did you make this on purpose?" I smirk and Cali giggles. She must have had the same thought.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Ryan," she replies without looking at me. There's a small smile on her face.
"Mama, you knew this was always his favorite," Cali says.
"Oh, was it? I don't recall," Klara gives us a sly smile.
"It's also Papa's favorite meal, right, Papa?" Cali looks to Andrei and he smiles at her. Showing how much he adores her.
"That's right,milaya." He keeps it short. We all are eating, keeping the conversation light as we do. We talk about ideas for Cali's grand reopening and holiday changes for the menu. Her face lights up when she talks about the bakery. It’s her life. I hope we can get this cartel issue dealt with sooner rather than later.
We finish dinner and before Klara can offer us dessert, Cali is telling them we need to leave. We say our goodbyes and promise to come back again next weekend. When we get to the clubhouse, she gets out of the car before I have a chance to open her door for her.
"Is everything okay? Do you need me to walk you back to Minx's?" I tuck a stray hair behind her.
