“It was really dark.” He clears his throat. “So I was thinking…maybe your backup Audi would be nice.”
“The convertible?”
The kid nods eagerly.
Tolyan scoffs. “When that faucet runs vodka.” He gestures at the kitchen sink.
“Oh, come on!”
“You’re getting the Sienna.”
He has a minivan? The image doesn’t fit. Tolyan’s like James Bond, except darker and edgier.
“What?”
Tolyan shrugs. “There is another option.”
“The SUV?” the kid says hopefully.
“Your feet. You can walk. With your feet.”
“Come on, Daaaaaad,” Lyosha says.
“I taught you better. Unless you can buy yourself an Audi convertible, the answer is no.”
Lyosha opens his mouth to argue—
“I’m already thinking about having you pay for your own auto insurance.”
—and shuts it with a click.
I give him a look full of sympathy. It’s going to be painful driving a minivan. He’s going to have a hard time dating.
On the other hand, he’s going to college and he has a dad who loves him. So he should consider himself lucky.
“Would your parents force you to drive a minivan?” Lyosha’s tone is pleading. Help me, please. Get my dad to change his mind!
I shrug, not wanting to get involved. “I wouldn’t know. I never totaled a car, and they passed away when I was eighteen.”
His face falls. “Oh crap. I’m sorry.”
“Now we’re even.” I give him a small smile. “And it’s totally okay. Like with you, it was a long time ago.”
Tolyan clears his throat and gives Lyosha a pointed look.
The boy sighs. “Thank you for another car, Dad.”
“You’re welcome.”
We finish the breakfast in silence. Tolyan cleans up, refusing my offer to help, as usual.
Lyosha and I head to the living room. He takes a couch, and I take a love seat near it.
“So.” He casts a quick look over his shoulder at the kitchen to make sure Tolyan’s busy. “We’re cool, right?”
“Cool how?” I’m not sure what he’s going for. Although he was polite to me during breakfast, I haven’t forgotten his attitude earlier before Tolyan showed up.
“No hard feelings?” He frowns a little. “It’s just… I don’t know. I feel like you might stick around for a while. And I…” He shakes his head. “I was annoyed. I just came back to filch the fob for his Audi. I didn’t think he’d still be lying around in bed so late. He normally isn’t.”
He’s trying to smooth things out, but not very well. But then, he’s a boy who’s dealing with the fact that his dad has a libido. If I were in his place, I might not do as well, especially if my dad hadn’t been with a woman for a long time. I nod. “We’re cool.”
“Good.” A relaxed smile splits his face. “So. Are you going to be around for a while?”
It’s a good question. Initially, I was thinking just until Roy was dealt with. But now, I’m not sure if that’s the end date I want. Sex changes things, but maybe they only changed for me. You never know with men…
“I guess,” I say, since I’m not going to quit my internship at the foundation regardless of what happens with Tolyan. The opportunity’s too good, especially if I can renew or switch to a full-time position.
But I can’t ignore the voice in my head that whispers, The real reason you want to stay in L.A. is Tolyan.
Chapter Thirty-One
Angelika
I put my feet up on an ottoman and relax, a bottle of water by my side and my phone clutched in my hands. It’s a quiet Thursday evening and I’m letting a wonderful dinner digest. The Greek takeout we grabbed on our way home was incredible, and I probably overate.
Tolyan’s in his favorite armchair, vodka in one hand, a lit cigar in another. He’s undone the top two buttons of his shirt and rolled his sleeves up to the elbows, showing his well-muscled forearms. He puffs the cigar fondly, coffee-and-spice-scented smoke spreading like clouds. The dogs are sprawled around his feet, forming glossy, dark, furry valleys.
Just looking at him makes my body tight and wet. It hasn’t been that long since we started sleeping together, but my libido’s been trained to flood my system every time I’m near him or think about him. It’s so bad I’m seriously considering taking spare underwear to work.
I look at my phone. There’s a brand-new social media app just waiting for me to tap it. Lyosha stayed the weekend, and he saw me try some more Doberman latte art. He was impressed and asked me if I wanted to post my work.
“Post it?”
“Yeah, so people can see. They’re pretty awesome. You’ll get a bunch of shares.”
“Oh. I don’t post them online.”
He stared like I told him I like to dance naked on I-5 every Monday morning. “How come?”
“I don’t really do social media.”
“Because…?” His gaze said, What kind of medieval woman are you?
“I…had some issues with a stalker before.”
He scoffed. “And? That’s what the Dad Unit is for.”
“He’s right. If you want to post them online, you should,” Tolyan said calmly.
“You don’t think it’s going to be a problem?”
A corner of his mouth quirked up. “No.”
Lyosha spread his hands. “See? If you want, you can follow me. I only post cool stuff. I’m trying to get a hundred thousand followers, and I’m pretty close.”
I stare at the bright app icon on my phone. Maybe it’ll be fun to post some of the latte art I’ve done. I might get some pointers from people who are better than I am that way. As long as I’m not posting my face, I should be okay. I’ll even join as Angie, rather than Angelika, which would make it harder for Roy to link the account to me.
My mind made up, I enter my information and register.
The app suggests some people for me to follow. Lyosha’s easy to find. There’s only one in Berkeley. Plus his profile picture gives him away. I follow him.
The system immediately suggests more people. Rhonda. Sean. Eric. Patrice. Maggie. Even Mira from the hotel.
My skin breaks out in goosebumps. How can a Silicon Valley company know so much about me just from what I entered? The system doesn’t show an account for Tolyan, though. I steal a glance. He’s still puffing his cigar, his eyes narrowed with pleasure. Yeah… I can’t picture him posting anything.
Okay, so… I tap my lip. Eric is a definite no. But Rhonda and Patrice… Should I follow them, too, even though I see them every day in the office? I just wanted to follow Lyosha; those two would triple my initial limit. And what if the app recommends even more people to follow? Or recommends my account to others, so they can follow me? Rhonda and Patrice might also get an alert that I have an account.
It’s sad I’m excited over the prospect of making friends online. Am I that starved for friendship and connection? I suppose eight years is a long time to be alone.
Wait… What about Roy? Is he going to get an alert, too? But he might not have an account. Should I check real quick?