I’d ever seen. A bird could make a bigger dent.
“Maybe after skating we can show you more of the Cape,” Sergei said. “Em, do you have anything going on tomorrow evening?”
“No, I’m free. Chris and I had a phone interview, but it got postponed until next week.”
“You not take Liza without me,” Elena said sharply.
Sergei set down his fork. “I wasn’t planning to. I meant the invitation for both of you.”
Oh, fun. I ripped off a piece of my pizza crust and shoved it into my mouth.
“We see how Liza feel after skating,” she replied.
“I’d like to go,” Liza said.
Elena pushed her silky hair behind one ear and took a miniscule sip of water. “Then I guess we go.”
Liza could ask for a horse, six dogs, and a lifetime supply of chocolate, and Elena would probably give it to her. That was how desperate she seemed to get back in the child’s good graces.
“We can drive out to Brewster,” Sergei said. “It’s a little town not far from the rink, and there are some good places to eat. Do you like seafood, Liza?”
“She is allergic,” Elena quickly replied.
“Oh. Well, that’s good to know.”
“There is much you not know about her,” Elena said.
“And I hope to change that,” Sergei said.
Liza had dropped her head again and was picking at the black olives and artichokes on her pizza. I hated when my parents would talk about me as if I wasn’t in the room.
“There’s a really cool sweet shop in Brewster, too. I bet you’re not allergic to candy,” I said with a smile.
Liza’s blue eyes met mine, and she chewed on her lip. “I’m not allowed to have too much candy.”
I leaned my elbows on the table and angled toward her. “Yeah, neither am I, but we all need a treat every now and then.”
She gave me the shy smile Aubrey had received earlier. I caught a glimpse of Elena as I sat back, and the sour look on her face had deepened.
During the meal, we gleaned more bits of information about Liza – she loved to swim, she’d once had a goldfish named Goldie, and much to Sergei’s delight, his daughter was an avid reader. “She always have book with her,” Elena said.
“What’s your favorite story?” Sergei asked.
Liza chewed hurriedly, appearing very excited to answer once she finished. “ The Secret Garden . It’s so good.”
Sergei smiled. “What’s it about?”
“It’s about this girl, Mary, who goes to live with her uncle in England, and she finds a secret garden at his house that’s been locked for years. She and this boy, Dickon, fix up the garden, and then she finds out another secret when she meets her cousin…”
Liza couldn’t talk fast enough as she spilled out more of the story. I hadn’t heard her speak that many words since I’d met her. Sergei wore the biggest grin, and the more questions he asked about the book, the quicker Liza’s answers came.
It didn’t look like Elena was going to finish her dinner, so I started clearing the dishes. She and Aubrey carried some of the plates to the kitchen with me while Sergei chatted with Liza about skating.
I dumped the dirty utensils into the sink and turned to Elena. “We could’ve ordered something else if you don’t like pizza.”
“I am not hungry.” She dumped the remnants of her meal into the trash can and looked at my empty plate. “You eat very much for skater.”
Aubrey was behind Elena, and she gave me a look that said, Oh, no she didn’t! I pressed my lips together and chose my words carefully.
“Do you know how many calories I burn every day?”
“I do not eat so much when I skate,” she said.
Since when were salad and two slices of pizza a ginormous meal?
“I grew up in a family of Italian women. Not enjoying food is considered blasphemy.” I picked up a sponge from the sink. “I hope you’re not encouraging Liza to follow your eating habits.”
“How I raise my daughter is not your concern.”
“She’ll be my stepdaughter soon, so I think it is my
“Maybe after skating we can show you more of the Cape,” Sergei said. “Em, do you have anything going on tomorrow evening?”
“No, I’m free. Chris and I had a phone interview, but it got postponed until next week.”
“You not take Liza without me,” Elena said sharply.
Sergei set down his fork. “I wasn’t planning to. I meant the invitation for both of you.”
Oh, fun. I ripped off a piece of my pizza crust and shoved it into my mouth.
“We see how Liza feel after skating,” she replied.
“I’d like to go,” Liza said.
Elena pushed her silky hair behind one ear and took a miniscule sip of water. “Then I guess we go.”
Liza could ask for a horse, six dogs, and a lifetime supply of chocolate, and Elena would probably give it to her. That was how desperate she seemed to get back in the child’s good graces.
“We can drive out to Brewster,” Sergei said. “It’s a little town not far from the rink, and there are some good places to eat. Do you like seafood, Liza?”
“She is allergic,” Elena quickly replied.
“Oh. Well, that’s good to know.”
“There is much you not know about her,” Elena said.
“And I hope to change that,” Sergei said.
Liza had dropped her head again and was picking at the black olives and artichokes on her pizza. I hated when my parents would talk about me as if I wasn’t in the room.
“There’s a really cool sweet shop in Brewster, too. I bet you’re not allergic to candy,” I said with a smile.
Liza’s blue eyes met mine, and she chewed on her lip. “I’m not allowed to have too much candy.”
I leaned my elbows on the table and angled toward her. “Yeah, neither am I, but we all need a treat every now and then.”
She gave me the shy smile Aubrey had received earlier. I caught a glimpse of Elena as I sat back, and the sour look on her face had deepened.
During the meal, we gleaned more bits of information about Liza – she loved to swim, she’d once had a goldfish named Goldie, and much to Sergei’s delight, his daughter was an avid reader. “She always have book with her,” Elena said.
“What’s your favorite story?” Sergei asked.
Liza chewed hurriedly, appearing very excited to answer once she finished. “ The Secret Garden . It’s so good.”
Sergei smiled. “What’s it about?”
“It’s about this girl, Mary, who goes to live with her uncle in England, and she finds a secret garden at his house that’s been locked for years. She and this boy, Dickon, fix up the garden, and then she finds out another secret when she meets her cousin…”
Liza couldn’t talk fast enough as she spilled out more of the story. I hadn’t heard her speak that many words since I’d met her. Sergei wore the biggest grin, and the more questions he asked about the book, the quicker Liza’s answers came.
It didn’t look like Elena was going to finish her dinner, so I started clearing the dishes. She and Aubrey carried some of the plates to the kitchen with me while Sergei chatted with Liza about skating.
I dumped the dirty utensils into the sink and turned to Elena. “We could’ve ordered something else if you don’t like pizza.”
“I am not hungry.” She dumped the remnants of her meal into the trash can and looked at my empty plate. “You eat very much for skater.”
Aubrey was behind Elena, and she gave me a look that said, Oh, no she didn’t! I pressed my lips together and chose my words carefully.
“Do you know how many calories I burn every day?”
“I do not eat so much when I skate,” she said.
Since when were salad and two slices of pizza a ginormous meal?
“I grew up in a family of Italian women. Not enjoying food is considered blasphemy.” I picked up a sponge from the sink. “I hope you’re not encouraging Liza to follow your eating habits.”
“How I raise my daughter is not your concern.”
“She’ll be my stepdaughter soon, so I think it is my
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