All the Lies We Tell (Quarry Road #1)(41)

“Thank you, I appreciate that so much,” Alicia said.

When the woman had moved away to her own table, Theresa said, “Everyone loved Babulya. Do you know that she sent me a birthday card every single year?”

Alicia’s eyebrows rose. “She did? Even . . .”

“Yeah, even after. I mean, I only had one birthday when I lived there, but she remembered. Sent me a card every single year, with two—”

“Two brand-new dollar bills!” Alicia clapped her hands. “Yes. Wow.”

Theresa’s eyes glittered a little, and she smiled. “Exactly. There were times when my father didn’t even remember, but Babulya did.”

“I’m going to miss her.”

“We all are.” Theresa pulled a napkin from the holder and wiped her eyes. “But hey, listen, I came here for something totally unrelated to any of the craziness going on at the Sterns’. Talk about an ulterior motive.”

Alicia grabbed a napkin, too, her own voice thick with tears. “Yeah?”

“Yep.” Theresa pulled a thick white envelope from her bag and passed it across the table.

“What’s this?”

“It’s an offer from the company I work with. Diamond Development.” Theresa cleared her throat and inched forward to sit on the edge of her seat. “They want to buy the quarry.”





CHAPTER TWENTY


“Hey.” Niko nudged his sleeping brother. Ilya hadn’t been off the couch for the past couple of days except to use the bathroom and go back to bed. “Are you ever getting your ass up? Going back to work? I’m sure Alicia would appreciate it if you’d at least let her know what’s going on.”

Ilya cracked open an eye and gave his brother the finger. “I have the flu.”

“You don’t have the flu.” This came from Galina, who’d just come in from outside. The tang of smoke clung to her clothes. “You have the laziness. Get up. Take a shower. You stink.”

Ilya muttered something and flopped back onto the couch, facing the back cushions. This was all getting out of hand. He should’ve left a week ago, yet here he still was, dealing with everyone else’s bullshit.

Irritated, Niko poked him again. “Get up. Or I’m going to make you get up, and I’ll throw you in the shower myself. Mom’s right. You do stink. It’s been two weeks, man. You need to get up and get back to work, starting tomorrow.”

“Bite me,” Ilya said.

Niko grabbed his brother by the back of the shirt and hauled him upright, ducking out of the way when Ilya tried to swing at him. “You want to hit me? G’head and try.”

“Boys.” Galina tut-tutted, shaking her head. “Take it outside.”

It was what she’d always said when they were young. They were too old now to be scrapping, but Niko put up his fists anyway. Like a dare. Watching his brother’s expression for any sign that he meant to take another swing.

“I don’t want to fight you,” Niko warned.

Ilya snorted laughter. “Yeah. Sure you don’t. You’ve been aching to punch me in the face since you got here.”

The only person Niko had ever punched in his life was his brother, and most often then only at Ilya’s instigation. He uncurled his fingers and held out his hands. Not a target. He’d gone away and come home again, but that didn’t mean he had to keep falling into all the same stupid patterns.

“Boys!”

Both of them turned to look at their mother. She’d put her hands on her hips. Today she wore her hair in a braid that swung over one shoulder. The lines around her eyes and creases at the corners of her mouth were a little deeper, but not by much. She didn’t so much look older as smaller, Niko thought. Galina had always been built tiny but strong. She looked frail now.

“I’m making dinner. It will be ready in an hour.” She poked a finger at Ilya. “You. Shower and change your clothes. Niko, clear off the table in the dining room. We’re going to eat in there like civilized people. And set a place for Allie. I invited her to come over.”

Both brothers stopped their posturing to face their mother. Ilya laughed. Niko didn’t.

“What? Why?” Ilya asked with a shake of his head. “Jesus, Mother.”

Galina waved a languid hand. “Because that girl used to be my daughter-in-law, and, so sue me, I always liked her. She was good to your Babulya and, frankly, Ilya, to you. So why shouldn’t I invite her over to spend some time with us? She’s family. We’re all a family. I told you, it’s time we started acting like one.”

There wasn’t much to say when she put it like that, not without sounding like a dick or making too much of it and calling attention to a situation Niko really didn’t want to overthink more than he already had. He studied his mother’s expression, trying to see if she had any idea about Alicia and him, but Galina had always been difficult to read. Whatever her reasons for including Alicia in the “family” dinner, he convinced himself it probably had nothing to do with what had happened between them.

“Go. Do as you’re told,” Galina said now with an imperious wave of her fingers that brought back flashes of memory from when they were kids. First she commanded, and if she wasn’t obeyed, she screamed. Even as an adult, Niko discovered he didn’t want to tempt his mother into a meltdown.