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I pull my gloves from my pockets. “Do you want to head home or do something else?”
“I know a great little café that serves mulled wine.” Hans takes off down the slick cobblestone street, pulling Lina behind him.
Her shoes slide on the damp cobblestones, and she shrieks with laughter. “Careful, Hansi!”
I crook my elbow at Eva. “Milady?”
With a giggle, she puts her hand on my arm and fans herself with her other hand. “How very continental of you, sir!”
We make our way carefully down the sloped road, following Hans and Lina through the narrow streets. Lights are on in the businesses, glowing brightly through lacy curtains. The old-fashioned streetlights—refitted with LED bulbs in the Grand Duchess’s latest attempt to look “green”—cast a warm glow on the wet sidewalks. Snowflakes drift around us, melting when they hit the pavement. A blast of warm air follows a couple out of a building, bringing a hint of cinnamon and coffee.
And Eva holds onto my arm, exclaiming over the twinkling lights outlining the steep roofs of the Altstadt. I could walk all day through a blizzard with her. “Look at that one!” She points at a tiny store. Books fill the upper windows, and a cat sits on a cushion in the lower one. “How have I not seen this street before?”
“We were here the first week.” Lina waits for us with an impatient Hans. “You were probably still jet-lagged. The tour guide took us through here, remember?”
Eva wrinkles her nose, a faint dusting of delicate freckles barely visible in the flickering fairy lights. “Was that before the Christmas ornament street?”
Lina shakes her head. “No, it was—I forgot! You didn’t come out of the palace with the rest of us.” She turns to Hans. “That was the day we watched movies with Eduard.”
Hans grunts, not responding. Hans thinks Eduard is a conceited pig—he’s not wrong—and Eduard pegged Hans as an uncultured slob, thanks to his unusual accent and frequent slang. Neither of them has been inclined to change their first impression.
“Let’s go!” Hans grabs Lina’s arm and darts across the tiny square.
Lina shrieks again, but this time there’s an edge of panic. Her shoes slide on the uneven cobbles. She hits an icy patch just as Hans speeds up, and her feet fly out from under her. She goes down on her face. Hans yelps and falls backward, his arms whirling as he attempts to retain his balance, then he plunges to the ground, his head thudding onto Lina’s back.
Chapter Seventeen
EVA
I scramble across the tiny plaza, trying to maintain my footing on the slick stones. Skidding to a halt, I drop to my knees beside my friends. Teo leans over me.
Hans sits up, rubbing his shoulder. “Lina? You okay?” He twists around to look at her.
Lina pushes away from the cobblestones, then drops to her face again with a groan. “My arm hurts!”
“Which arm?”
“Left.”
Teo and I help her roll over. She lies on the damp sidewalk, cradling her arm. Snowflakes drift down, leaving tiny droplets on her face and hair.
“Should I call an ambulance?” Teo has his phone out.
“No!” Lina struggles to sit up, then slumps back again. “Maybe? Will my student insurance cover it?”
“It won’t be a problem.” He rises as he presses the phone screen and moves a few steps away.
Hans crouches beside Lina, supporting her to a sitting position where she leans against him. He touches her head. “Does anything else hurt?”
“My pride?” Lina chokes back a laugh—or maybe a sob. “I think my arm broke my fall.” She releases her elbow to touch her cheek gingerly. “I might have bruised my face.”
Hans turns her head gently toward the lamp, while I pull out my phone and turn on the flashlight. “Close your eyes.” I wait until she complies, then shine the light on her. “I don’t see any scrapes, so it was a clean hit.”
Hans snorts softly, then bites back a grin. “Sorry. It struck me as funny.”
Lina giggles, then touches her cheek again and winces. “It was funny. And true. I’ll probably have a bruise.”
“We’ll tell everyone they should see the other guy.” I shine the light down her body. Her coat is wet and muddy in a few places, and a new tear in her jeans allows a scraped knee to show through. “Can you move your toes?”
