Page 99 of Oh, Flutz!

Lyudmila ruffles Katya’s hair. “This one here has never been very good with change. Brings out her, ah,colorfulside.”

“Hey!” Katya protests, and I burst out laughing.

“You don’t have to tell me twice. You should’ve seen us at the beginning of the year.”

That earns me a swat to the back of the head from the end of the couch, and I grab her hand and lace my fingers through it before she can smack me anymore. I turn and grin at her family. “Exhibit A.”

Dr. Andreyev hands me a steaming mug, giving me a conspiratorial look. “She’s always had a rebellious streak. Gets it from her mother.”

“And who the hell do you think I got it from, you old buffoon?” Lyudmila fires back, in the kind of teasing way that gives me the idea that this is a constant thing for them. It kind of makes sense now that Katya can keep up with our back-and-forth without hesitation, if she grew up going round after round with these two.

I take a careful sip of my drink, and it doesn’t do much good because I still burn my tongue, but whatever. “This is good. Alexandra would love this.” I glance up, seeing the squinty looks on Lyudmila and Dmitriy’s faces. “My sister,” I explain hastily. “She’s five years younger than me. She’s obsessed with all those seasonal drinks they have at Starbucks.”

Katya smiles. “Sasha is very…” She pauses. “Zhivoy?Lively?”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“Sounds familiar,” Dr. Andreyev says with a meaningful glance at his daughter and granddaughter, before he raises his bushy eyebrows at me. “So. Bryan.”

“Uh oh,” Lyudmila jokes.

“Yes?” I squeak.

“What are your intentions with my granddaughter?”

I choke on my tea, and Katya burns fire-truck red.“Dedushka!”

“Oh, leave them alone, Papa,” Lyudmila scolds, but she’s laughing, and once I recover myself and put down the mug of boiling hot liquid, I look back up.

“Well,” I say, struggling to suppress a grin. “I was thinking Olympic gold, and then we go from there.”

Dr. Andreyev appraises me, squinting, then nods approvingly. “I like this one, Katya. Don’t bully him too much, eh? It’s a wonder he hasn’t run screaming already.”

“Oh my god,” Katya says miserably, shaking her head, and I’m laughing so hard I can’t breathe. She glares at me. “Wow. You too?”

“I’ve been on the receiving end of this all year, sunshine. It’s your turn now.”

She grumbles under her breath, then stands up, sticking a hand out for me. “Come on, Lian sent us the practice tapes she wants us to look at.”

“You heard the lady,” Dr. Andreyev says. “Get to it,mal’chik.”

Chapter Thirty-One

KATYA

“Merry Christmas!” someone yellsinto my ear, and I shriek, swinging my fist before my eyes can even open.

“God—ow!” Bryan clutches a hand to his face, mouth dropped open. “What kind of good morning is that?”

“Are you insane?” I demand. “Do you usually go around screaming at people while they are asleep?”

“On Christmas morning, yeah. Come on, sunshine, get moving!” My partner physically drags me out of bed while I groan and stumble after him, rubbing at my eyes.

“You are such a child.”

Bryan grins, and leads me into the living room. “I don’t care. Here!”

I barely catch the package he throws at my face. “What is this?”

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