With his help, I sat as gracefully as possible without showing my undies, and he sat as close to me as he could without actually touching me. It was a gorgeous day, and with the trees acting as shade, it was positively delightful. We both turned our heads to watch Lidi as she played a safe and close distance. Lev opened the picnic basket, started to remove items, and handed them to me.
When Lev told Mirella that we planned to steal away her ward for the afternoon, she insisted on putting together a picnic basket for us rather than having us buy something to eat. I was okay with that. I mean, Mirella had made toast for me on occasion, and she was pretty good at that. I was positive she could make sandwiches with ease. Within ten minutes, we had a relatively full picnic basket, a doll and ball for Lidiya to play with if she got bored, her blankie in case she felt sleepy, and bottles of water to sip on.
As Lev handed me items, I placed them down in front of us. Mirella had done well packing potato chips, zip-locked bags full of sliced apples, strawberries, carrot sticks, spears of cucumber, squares of cheese, and wafer-thin crackers, sandwiches, some of Ada’s ridiculous blueberry muffins, and lastly, bite-sized brownie pieces. He took out bottles of water and handed me one. I opened it, sipping slowly, watching him from the corner of my eye.
He removed his jacket, placing it over the basket so it wouldn’t touch the ground, then removed his cufflinks and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows.
“I have my first question.” I smiled to myself. “Do you always wear a suit?”
He inclined his head. “Yes, mostly.”
I waited for more of an explanation.
I got nothing.
My eyes narrowed, I motioned with my hands for him to tell me more.
His brows rose. “That’s it. There is no more.”
I scoffed. “Oh, we are going to have to do better than that. Why do you wear suits all the time? Do you own anything other than business-wear? How about a pair of jeans?”
He looked out at his daughter, who had collected a bunch of leaves, and responded, “I don’t know why I wear suits all of the time. It’s habit, I suppose. And yes, I own other items of clothing, including a pair of jeans.”
Oh my.
What I would give to see that ass in a pair of well-fitting jeans. Gah!
“Okay.” I was satisfied with those answers. I opened a bag, picked up a piece of cheese, and threw it into my mouth. “Now you ask me a question.”
He didn’t respond for a long while, and for a moment, I didn’t think he would, but then he opened his mouth and spoke, clinically. “Did you love your mother?”
My brow furrowed.
What kind of question is that?
I answered with ease, “Of course I loved my mother. She was the best. Her name was Clara, and I look just like her.”
“She was beautiful then,” Lev uttered, almost to himself, and I reverted to the old me, turning my head to hide behind my hair.
“She was beautiful, but you know what made her stunning?”
“What?”
I turned to face him. “Her smile.” I grinned. “It was contagious. And when she laughed, her whole body shook in one joyous, choreographed movement. It was as if she danced with her laughter. She smiled all the time, even when it was hard to muster, and she laughed a lot too.” My throat thickened the more I spoke of her. I finished on a whisper, “She was pure sunshine.”
“And then she died.” It was so morbid, so morose that I winced.
“And then she died,” I confirmed with a nod. “It all happened so quickly. She went to the doctors with stomach pains and bloating, and was misdiagnosed at first. We found out that she had bowel cancer, and it was too late. They told us she had three months.” I frowned at the memory. “She barely made it to two.”
“I’m sorry.”
I shrugged just as Lidiya returned with another handful of leaves to add to the small collection she’d gathered. This time, she sat down, right on my lap, and reached for the bag of apple slices. I opened it for her and handed her a slice, hugging an arm around her belly and resting my cheek on her head. “What about your parents, Lev? You haven’t mentioned them.”
“They’re dead,” he stated without emotion.
I turned his question back on him. “Did you love them?”
He picked up a blade of grass, his brow bunching. “I don’t understand love,” he started. “Love is just a word.”
My brows rose in surprise. I could see he loved Lidiya, loved her with all he had inside of him. I could see he loved Nas, and even Sasha in his own way. I did not understand how a person surrounded by people who loved him did not understand love. “But you love Lidiya. You love Nas and Sasha.”