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Eventually, it was Mom who broke the spell by fanning herself with a huff. “Is it just me, or is it getting really hot in here? Row, you can take off your shirt if the heater is too much.”
“The heater is not on.” Row frowned.
“Mamushka!” I chided, frowning at her.
“He finds it funny.” Her innocent eyes clung to my face. “See? He is laughing.”
Row was, in fact, laughing. A low, husky rumble that dripped like warm honey into the pit of my stomach.
“He’s just being polite,” I said.
“I’m never being polite,” Row retorted. “Not unless I can help it.”
“So.” I cleared my throat. “I’m going to go get dressed now.”
Row nodded, taking a seat next to Mom and looking completely at ease. “Not my favorite state of you, but go for it.”
“Row!” I gasped.
“Oh, come on.” Mom laughed. “We both know you weren’t playing Monopoly when you spent the night away from home.”
“The emotional scars from this conversation will never heal,” I mumbled as I made my way to my room. Once there, I decided to take a quick, cold shower. Mainly to calm my raging hormones down. Then I slipped into my sports clothes.
“Callichka, sweetie, I’m off to the supermarket, and I’m taking the car!” Mom called outside my door.
“’Kay, Mamushka. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I blow-dried my hair quickly and put on minimal makeup, trying to atone for my Full Metal Jacket look yesterday when I showed up at the inn.
From the other room, I heard Row dropping his voice to a threatening whisper. “Now, you listen to me, Semen.” Semus, not Semen. Also, was he…threatening my cat? “You’re gonna stop pissing in Cal’s shoes, or I’ll come here personally every day to take a shit in your litter box. Now, how would you like that?”
My educated guess was that Semus wouldn’t like it at all. But it was incredibly sweet. He had stood up against my bully. My bully just happened to be a seven-pound furball.
Semus meowed his response, and that was when I decided to walk out of my room. Row gave me a slow, appreciative once-over, his gaze heating.
“How’s my outfit?” I twirled in place.
“Hate it.”
“What? Why?”
“Blocks all the good views.”
“Behave yourself, Mr. Casablancas.”
“That’s not on the agenda today, baby.”
We both walked outside, hit by the frigid air.
“Hey,” I said. “Are you coming to the holiday parade on Main Street next week?”
“Absolutely not.” Row made a face. “Filled my quota for Staindrop events after the Christmas lights incident.”
“It’s not like it’s gonna happen again,” I said, realizing that I really, really wanted him to come. “For starters, Allison is not going to ask you to cook the turkey she’ll pardon, and I won’t be kissing Kieran.”
“If Kieran wants to keep this pointless life of his, he better not be on the same side of the street as you. Still, I’m not coming.”
