“What about the gifts we brought for Joanne, June, and the girls at the ER?” Hope sounds in her tone. “Are we making a detour via New York?”
“No.” I try to deal the blow with gentleness. “Leonid already mailed the gifts yesterday from town.”
“I see.” She nods a couple of times. “That was a good idea.” Leaving the paper cup on the nightstand, she gets out of bed.
“Katyusha.”
“I’m going to get dressed,” she says, not looking at me. “My mom always gets up early. I’d like to have breakfast with her.”
It takes every ounce of willpower I possess and more not to go after her, but my gut tells me to give her a moment. As close as we were during sex, she’s pulling away from me again. Her behavior only confirms what I already know. Katerina isn’t a woman I can buy with gifts and keep happy by showering with jewelry.
What she needs are things money can’t buy, such as the freedom I can’t give her yet… and that I’ll never be able to give her if she doesn’t say yes.
27
Kate
Alex just gave me an enormous gift, but instead of making me happy, it reminded me of what he’d taken away from me. I’m not ungrateful. I just can’t forget that in reality I’m nothing but a prisoner, as Dania so kindly reminded me.
Determined not to let my sadness ruin what little time I have with my mom, I get ready and go downstairs at seven to knock on her door. She opens it wearing a pretty red dress and matching jacket. Red looks good on her. The color compliments her complexion and brings out her blond hair and blue eyes.
“Morning, honey,” she says, drawing me into a hug. “Merry Christmas. Where’s Alex?”
“Merry Christmas, Mom.” I kiss her cheek. “Alex is taking care of something work-related. He’s having breakfast in the room and will catch up with us later.”
She runs her gaze over my jeans, sweater, and Uggs. Planting a fist on her hip, she says, “We need to go shopping.”
I lift a finger. “Oh, no. I’m not walking into that trap again.”
The last time my mom took me shopping, we spent hours trying on clothes. I had blisters on my feet by the time I finally managed to drag her home. To add insult to injury, she convinced me to buy a short black dress that’d cost an arm and a leg and that I’ve never had the courage to wear.
Gasping, she grabs my right hand. “Look at that. This ring is gorgeous.” She meets my gaze with a twinkle in her eyes. “Let me guess. Alex?”
I nod. “My Christmas gift.”
“That man is something else. I’m happy for you. You deserve it.” She hooks her arm through mine. “Come on. Let’s have breakfast, and then I’ll take you on a tour.”
Some of the heaviness pushing me down vanishes. Her enthusiasm is contagious.
“Let’s,” I say. “It might be the mountain weather, but I’m starving.”
In the dining room, we take a small table on the closed terrace. With the view of the lake and the sun filtering through the window, it’s gorgeous. While we sip a delicious brew of carob and cinnamon, my mom fills me in on her treatment process. I feel a little guilty about enjoying the breakfast of frozen berries and vegan yogurt, knowing Alex’s money is paying for it, but I brush the thought aside. He’s told me repeatedly he wants to do this. At first, I thought it was because he loves me, but now I know better. Alex is a very generous person, and he likes to give gifts. That’s what this is—an enormous gift. Although for a man as wealthy as Alex, the price of this treatment must be small change. I was a fool to see more into it.
“Did you hear what I said?” Mom asks.
I pull myself back to the present with an internal reprimand. Now isn’t the time to let my mind drift. “I’m sorry. I was daydreaming.”
“Mm.” She gives me an approving look. “Someone is in love. I asked if you’d like to see the rest of the place after breakfast.”
“Sure.” I finish my drink and pick up my fork. “I’d love to.”
After we’re done eating, my mom takes me on a quick tour, showing me the parts I didn’t see during my first visit, including the gym, the heated pool, the yoga and meditation rooms, the dietician’s office, the lecture hall where they have educational sessions, and the physiotherapy wing.
The physiotherapy treatment includes massages and mobility exercises, Mom explains. Next to the wing where they do the treatments is a small beauty salon where patients can have a haircut or a manicure. Most patients stay for a couple of months, which makes such a service necessary.
At the end of the tour, Mom checks her watch. “Oh my goodness. Look at the time. We’d better go grab the food you brought.”
Alex is working on his laptop at the desk when we get to our room. After he and my mom exchange Christmas wishes, we get the dishes from the fridge while he packs up his laptop and locks it in the safe. Just before twelve, we make our way downstairs.
Dr. Hendricks waits in the deserted reception area. Tall and dark-haired, with gray creeping into his sideburns, he’s a handsome man who looks both smart and relaxed in a button-up shirt and a pair of chinos. At our approach, he straightens from where he was leaning on the counter. When his gaze falls on my mom, his green eyes go wide.
“Laura.” He crosses the floor and meets us halfway, taking the shopping bag from my mom. “You look amazing.”
“Thank you.” A flush darkens her cheeks. “This is my daughter, Kate, and her boyfriend, Alex.”
“Kate.” He extends a hand, shaking first mine and then Alex’s. His smile is warm, his eyes friendly. “It’s good to meet you both.”
“Thank you for inviting us to your home, Dr. Hendricks,” I say.
“Please, call me William. Thank you for accepting.” He reaches for the shopping bag I’m carrying. “May I?”
We load everything in his car while he asks how our flight was. Alex replies with a vague answer, not mentioning that we came by private plane. As William helps my mom into the passenger seat of his car, he tells us about the local attractions in the nearby Smoky Mountains in case we decide to return in the summer.
He looks up when Alex’s guards get into their cars, but he refrains from asking questions as Alex and I head to our car. Mom must’ve already briefed him about Alex’s so-called protocol.
William’s vehicle takes the lead, and we follow. I look around as we exit the clinic grounds. Where are the men watching out for my mom? Alex said she wouldn’t even know they were there. Are they hiding out somewhere in a nearby cabin, or are they keeping tabs on her via satellite? Maybe both.
We take a road that snakes up the mountain. From there, the drive only takes fifteen minutes. William’s house is a modern structure situated on an outcrop with a view of the lake and the mountains. While my mom unpacks the grocery bags, he takes Alex and me on a tour. The house is small, but the rooms are spacious and the minimalistic furnishings create an unobstructed flow between the living area, dining room, and kitchen. Two upstairs bedrooms share a bathroom and balcony. My favorite part is the outside terrace that overhangs the slope.