Vic opened up, smiling at them both as he stepped back to admit them. Come through. Shes already making you plates.
He gave her a hug and brushed his lips over hers. A kiss that told everyone in the house they were together. A kiss Rachel knew the rest of the family was okay with as no one stopped what they were doing, though they all noticed.
Pavel shouted a hello before enveloping Maybe in a big hug and then, surprising Rachel, he gave her one too. Though not as ebullient as Maybes, which made her choke up a little. He knew enough to want her to know he was happy to see her but also knew she needed to be approached gently.
And then Vic was there, drawing her away toward the big dining room table where, as hed noted, his mother had set out overflowing plates she described as a little bite.
Rachel wasted no time tucking in. Shed last eaten hours ago and the food smelled as good as it tasted. This was comfort food at its most perfect. Warm and hearty. The sauce on the golubtsi was spicy rather than sweet. Nestled up against that were the potatoes that padded the carbs until all her cells relaxed with a sigh.
She must have made the sigh audible because when she snapped from her food fugue, she noted Irena giving a satisfied nod. Vic draped an arm over the back of her chair, leaning back so he could continue flirting with his aunt Klara.
Klara gave his arm a blatant look and then tipped her chin. He grinned like he had a secret, unrepentant.
Before Rachel had kissed him that first time, shed been able to appreciate his charms but keep a distance between them. Now it was like her attraction to himher awareness of himwas at ten.
He was fucking adorable. Irresistible. God help her.
Irena sat across from them at the table with a tired sigh. Get the girl some tea, Vityunya.
He kissed the top of her head as he stood and went off to do his mothers bidding.
This is all so good, she told Irena as she made the superhuman effort not to stare at Vics butt while he puttered around in the kitchen.
Vics mother attempted a casual shrug but there was pleasure on her face at the compliment. Irena loved taking care of her family and friends. She baked you something if you were happy or sad. She made soup or dumplings if you were sick. A cluck or a tsk. A hug, a congratulations, a stern talking-to. A whole emotional language through food.
Until we moved next door Id never had cabbage rolls. I had no idea what Id been missing, Rachel said. Their mother had been a good cook, but for her, food had been a means to an end. Fuel and nutrients.
One of the reasons Rachel had been active from an early age was her mothers constant focus on weight and clothing size. It had been Rachels way to control food and her body.
Still, she liked food and while she knew she tended toward obsession when it came to exercising and physical strength, she felt like she had a better handle on it than she ever had, even before the kidnapping.
Irena frowned and then pushed some bread and butter her way. I will teach you. Its easy.
Rachel somehow doubted it was what shed consider easy, but she liked knowing things. Liked learning and mastering things. And she liked being in Irenas kitchen, in the heart of the house. Liked being part of what the Orlovs had built.
Id love that. Im always happy to learn whatever youre willing to teach me.
If she learns them then she can make them at our place, Maybe said.
Or you could make them for the rest of us. Ill pay for groceries, Rachel said before she thanked Vic for the mug of much-needed tea he brought her.
I know you like the kind without caffeine so I bought some, Irena told her.
Better sleep at night without it so late in the day, Vic said, as if to remind her he hadnt forgotten about her sleep problems.
When Vic and his mother doted on her and did nice things, it made her extra blushy and a little shy. Sometimes she wondered what they saw in her that made them like her so much.
Evie joined them. Youre here. Lets talk about the tattoo I want.
Panicked, Rachel looked to Irena and then Pavel. Evies parents frowned, but they didnt say anything.
Vic snorted. Shes a big girl. If she wants ink, theyre not going to stop her.
Not when you have it and they didnt stop you, Evie told him.
Irena chuckled as she waved a hand. Dont worry, Rachel, we dont hold it against you.
I do. But youre too sweet to stay mad at, Pavel said.
That cracked her up. Vics dad was hilarious and nearly as adorable as his son. The noise level rose, but it was pleasant instead of annoying.
Since your specialty is bird tattoos, Ive been thinking about a firebird. The mythological kind. Which isnt real of course, but its a bird, Evie said.
Why a firebird? The answer would guide the design.
When I was little, my mom would read us fairy tales from this beautiful old book she brought with her from Russia.
Color?
Evie nodded.
Orange and yellow. Rachel could see the design in her head already. Placement would be key.
Where?
Ill leave that up to you. I have another small tattoo on my calf already. But. I want it big and bold.
Irena said a long stream of something in Russian at that. Evie was an adult and if she wanted to get a head-to-toe tattoo it was her business. But that was between her and her parents, and as a childs girlfriend, Rachel had no place in the discussion.
Finally they stopped sniping and Irena rolled her eyes, sitting ramrod straight. Shed said her piece and it was over.
Evie looked back to Rachel with an expectant smile.
Call the shop and tell them to set you up with the appointment. Ill work up a few sketches so you can look them over first.
Evie clapped her hands, clearly excited, and it was impossible not to get caught up in it.
Vics sister wanted a tattoo from her. She mentioned other ink on her calf so she already had a tattoo artist she knew of. But the design she wanted meant something to her, which meant something to Rachel.
It also made it easier for Rachel to create an image meant for Evie and Evie alone. There would be other firebirds, but only one like what shed put on Evie.
Every piece Rachel did was unique. Little details that no one else would have. It was just a little thing she did. And now shed do one for Vics sister.
Stuffed and feeling rather warm and loose, Rachel sat back and rubbed her stomach. That was so good. Thank you for inviting us to dinner.
A full house makes her happy, Vic said.
It does until a quiet house makes me happy, Irena replied and Rachel could totally relate.
Let me clean up, Rachel said, standing and beginning to gather plates.
Irena made a dismissive sound. You can help.
Maybe joined them in the kitchen as they put away the food and then began the process of tackling the dishes. Vic came in to ferry whatever food that hadnt fit in the fridge to the one in the garage.
It didnt take very long and, in the meantime, the cards had come out, along with a chessboard, and Evies best friendand Alexseis ex-fiancéehad shown up.