Page 156 of The Pucking Arrangement

“She’s going to Dubrovnik. Then on a tour across Europe. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.”

“So?”

I stare at her, incredulous. “So I can’t ask her to stay, Galina.” My voice rises, frustration finally cracking through. “To give that up. Choose me—us—over her future. This girl is going places.”

Galina’s exasperation is palpable. “Who said anything about choosing?”

I shake my head. She doesn’t get it.

“It’s not that simple. Look at Ris, Galina. She’s heartbroken.”

“It’s exactly that simple.”

She steps in, voice gentling, but her piercing stare doesn’t waver.

“Dmitri, look at me.”

I do.

“Ris is heartbroken because from where she’s standing, Erin isn’t coming back. Did you tell her how you feel? Ask her to come back after the festival? After the tour?”

I swallow hard. “She’s always welcome here.”

Galina throws her hands up.

“She’s welcome here? Like a houseguest?”

She shakes her head, disgust clear on her face. “You are stubborn as a mule and twice as dense.”

“I told her?—”

“What?” Galina cuts me off, eyes flashing. “What exactly did you tell her? That you love her? That you want a life with her? That she belongs with you and Ris, no matter where she performs?”

My silence is answer enough.

Galina’s eyes soften, something like pity settling in the lines of her face.

“Oh, Dimushka.” A sigh, tired and knowing. “For such a smart man, you are being incredibly stupid.”

“This arrangement was always meant to be temporary,” I argue, but even I can hear the hollowness in my voice. “We agreed to it from the beginning. I knew that. She knew that.”

Galina lifts an eyebrow.

“Maybe. But things seem to have changed for both of you.” She waits a beat. Lets it sink in. “Or did you assume the deal is on as agreed at the beginning? Confirm it by shutting down? By letting her walk away?”

“Papa!” Ris calls from the foyer. “I can’t find my Spanish folder!”

Saved by a six-year-old.

“Coming!” I call back, but Galina’s hand on my arm stops me.

Her voice dips low. Quiet. Sharp.

“Don’t make this stupid mistake.”

I pull away, my chest tight as I stride toward the foyer. “We’re going to be late.”

She doesn’t stop me this time.

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