Soldier Mine (Sons of War #2)(32)

I pull up to the curb of his apartment building and park. “So we good? You like the schedule.”

“I love it!”

“Great. Let your sis know. I’ll pick you up at the diner, same time tomorrow.”

With an eager nod, Todd grabs his bag and hops out. He slams the door behind him and leaves, trotting down the snow-cleared sidewalk towards the building. I wave back and flip on the windshield wipers to prevent snow from building up on my windshield.

When he’s inside, I pull away, deep in thought. Todd has never had a positive male role model. It pleases me to be able to provide this for him. What disturbs me: fearing Claudia means to move again, destabilize Todd and well … expand the ache lingering in my chest from her retraction this morning.





Chapter Fourteen: Petr


Baba accompanies me to the diner the next morning, portfolio in hand. We’re sitting for ten minutes before Claudia arrives. I know she likes my father, and her smile grows wider when she sees him. Her reaction to him is far less shocked than most women I’ve brought home to meet him. If anything, she seems to find him funny, the way I do, rather than feeling on the spot about his constant attempts to marry me off. When I was a teen, his efforts horrified and mortified me, and Mikael refused to bring anyone home for a seven-year stretch.

In my early twenties, I learned to watch the reaction of the woman I was with as one of the ways to gauge both her interest and how good she was with my father. Family is important to me, and any woman who doesn’t get along with Baba isn’t going to be around for long.

The moment Claudia enters, he waves her over. She approaches with two mugs of coffee and my pie. In truth, I’m almost grateful Baba is here today. I’m a little raw from yesterday, a little less able to force a smile than usual. There’s a new kind of tension between Claudia and me, one I chalk up to emotional restraint. It doesn’t feel good, like stretching towards someone standing on the other side of a chasm but never reaching them.

“Here is my project for you,” Baba tells her.

She glances at me. “Anton, are you sure you don’t want someone with more experience to do this?”

“No.”

“He wants you.” I wink at her and am satisfied with pink fills her cheeks. She averts her gaze from mine, though I catch the movement of her wringing her hands in her apron.

“Christmas cards,” Baba proclaims. “They must have the following: a Russian reindeer, a tree, red and green color scheme, and they must not be sappy.”

Her brow furrows. “Russian reindeer?”

“He’s offended by the image of caribou on cards,” I explain. “Real reindeer come from Russia and nowhere else, right, Baba?”

“Correct,” Baba says and sips his coffee. “Here are pictures of reindeer.” He hands her the portfolio.

She accepts it. “Okay. I, uh, I’ll work on it,” Claudia says, a bit baffled. “When do you need it by?”

“A week. You have a computer?”

“An old one. It should work fine.”

“Petr, give her your computer,” Baba orders me.

“No, it’s okay,” she flashes a smile. “If I need his computer, I can let him know.”

Baba nods, satisfied. I’m trying not to laugh at the oddball task, knowing full well why this bizarre project is being levied in the first place. It has nothing to do with Christmas cards and everything to do with the fact Baba likes Claudia. Claudia, for her part, is being sweet about it. Baba’s tried similar tricks with girlfriends of mine and Mikael’s and either been laughed off, ignored or told outright no.

Not that I blamed them. He comes up with some loopy stuff, and it took me a while to understand he’s testing everyone who enters our lives. It’s a combination of the natural distrust of people ingrained in him from his years in the spy business and his love for his kids. In hindsight, I realize the women who refused the tests were universally ill matched to Mikael and me.

I think Claudia has been one of only two women in my life who agreed. The other was Brianna, though I think she did it more to curb favor than to help my father, which is why I’m guessing Claudia agrees.

I meet her gaze, and we study each other long enough for the quiet to become awkward and my father to notice. Shifting, Claudia clears her throat.

“Thanks for taking Todd out last night,” she says. “He talked about it for almost an hour.”

“He’ll do great,” I reply. “He’s a natural.”

Baba is looking closely between the two of us.

Claudia nods and moves away.

“Looks complicated,” Baba observes, always alert and sharp despite his age and attempt to play the occasional fool.

“That’s an understatement,” I reply.

“I bought you a week.” He stands. “Good luck.”

Lifting my coffee mug in salute, I watch him leave, entertained. I understand Claudia’s fascination – if not affection for – my father better today after learning her own dad is dead. She returns to refill my mug.

“Time for the daily question,” I say. “Dinner?”

“Ask me tomorrow.” An almost smile tugs up the corner of her lips.

“I will.”

Shortly after she returns to the counter, I pay my bill and leave.