“It’ll befine. Just tell your housekeepers to check his rooms several times a day, just to make sure—”
“Theodore,no. He can’t stay—”
“Oh shoot. Listen, I’ve gotta go, but he’s on his way. Can you make sure your gate guards know to let him through?”
“Teddy!”
“Bye, Sis!”
The blank screen of my phone mocks me as I stare, but not for long. I’m still processing the fact that Teddy fuckinghung up on mewhen I get a call from the front gate.
“Hello?”
“Boss. We have a man here who insists you’ve invited him as a guest, but he doesn’t seem like the type of person you would—”
“Thatcher Prescott.Just tell her my name, and she’ll let me through.”
Pulling up the surveillance app, I filter to the entrance, and sure enough, Teddy’s friend is hanging out the window of his SUV like the goddamn puppy he is.
“Boss? Do you want me to let him in or take care of it?”
“Take care of it? Sir, I’m sorry, I’m not into men like that, but I’ll definitely take a hot blonde if you’ve got one of those in that guardhouse with you.”
“Boss?”
Sighing, I grab not only the bottle I put down earlier but two more as well. Something tells me I’ll be double-fisting drinks for the foreseeable future.
“Let him in.”
Chapter 6
No parties.Okay,I can work with that. Except…maybe just alittleparty. First, I need to order, well, everything. It was fucking depressing to get to the hotel last night and realize that I only had my phone, keys, and the clothes on my back. The firefighters said anything left in my condo would have too much smoke damage to be used now, and the remediation company will have to see what they can restore. Luckily, I’m not a sentimental guy, but I hope they can at least fumigate some of my hockey mementos.
Even though Mila’s welcome speech was short and to the point, shedidtechnically give me the green light to explore the main house. Well, I guess she said “don’t go outside,” but I think they mean the same thing. I won’t open any doors marked “secret” or anything, but I have to find out the delivery addressfor this place so I can order some clothes and a new laptop. She did at least tell me which direction the kitchen was in, so I head that way first, hoping to find something I can munch on for brunch.
I’d be lost almost immediately in the maze-like corridors if not for the voices drawing me to an archway at the end of the hallway. One is familiar, and I stop to observe the scene in front of me.
“You’re almost there, Kirill. You have to flip the pancake just a moment sooner, before it gets too brown. The pan might be a little too hot, I think. Here, let’s try a cool pan and a fresh burner on the stove. That should help.”
Misha, Mila’s huge, strong right-hand man, wears an apron featuring the Swedish Chef on the front while guiding another giant through making the perfect pancake. It’s as domestic a scene as I’ve ever seen, and after observing Misha’s ferociousness in the training gym when I met him at Teddy’s new estate, it’s nice to see a softer side of him. He was patient with the men he was training, though, so I’m not surprised to see that he doesn’t even flinch when Kirill immediately burns another pancake.
They’re unlikely to see me from this angle, so I’m about to knock to announce my presence when Misha turns.
“How long are you going to skulk in the doorway, Thatcher Prescott?”
“Uhh. Please just call me Thatch. And how did you know I was here? I wasn’t in your line of sight at all.”
Kirill laughs, and Misha rolls his eyes before pouring a perfect row of pancakes onto a griddle. He says something to Kirill in Russian, and it must have been a dismissal, because he comes to take a seat by me at the kitchen island while Misha cooks.
“If you think I couldn’t hear you barging down the hallway, that’s one thing. But if you think I don’t know when a manis behind me with my back turned, you do not know me well enough, yet. I have a feeling that will change soon, though. Pancakes?” My stomach rumbles in the quiet kitchen, and he chuckles. “I’ll make you a big stack.”
It’s a luxurious space, but lacks charm. This would be a kitchen I would expect in a hotel or maybe a high-end restaurant, not in a home. From what I’ve gathered, Mila and Misha haven’t been here long at all. Before them, it was Teddy’s cousin who lived here, but they’ve moved on to greener pastures, or something. It seems like a long, convoluted story, and Teddy wasn’t even sure how they were related for a while.
“You don’t seem surprised to see me.Oh God,thank you!” I could kiss Misha as he puts a tall plate of steaming pancakes down in front of me, then does the same for Kirill. There’s chopped strawberries and some whipped cream on the counter, but I go for the classic syrup container.
“I’m usually Mila’s first stop with any news or unexpected occurrences. You, Thatcher Prescott, are an unexpected occurrence.”
I’m in pancake heaven, but still. “Dude, it’s weird that you keep full-naming me. Thatch only, I’m begging you.”
