I show him the three missed calls on my phone. “Something apparently needs my attention.”
“Your father mentioned late-night calls,” He says.
“I didn’t want to think about it. We should be setting some kind of limit.”
Valerie laughs and I look over at the bathroom. It’s good to hear her laugh again. Not a fake laugh or one that promises violence, but a real happy giggle. I ease into my shoes. “She deserves to have a bit of normal.”
“How much normal do you want to give her, Chase?”
“You say that like I’m going to have to choose.”
“We both know your father isn’t going to give up on the idea to present you to the businessmen he has connections with. I hate to admit it, but the man is right.”
“About Valerie or our relationship with her?”
“Both.”
Lief’s rarely wrong, but I meant what I said earlier today. We have to move forward with the times. Unfortunately, the men our father is connected to are just as stuffy and conservative as he is. If only all the sons were taking over at once.
“We’ll need to talk to her about that. She won’t tolerate women throwing themselves at us.”
“She might find it fun, actually.” I grab my glasses from the table and adjust my clothes one more time so I don’t look freshly fucked. “I’m sure she’ll make bets and laugh at all the women thinking that they can take us home.”
“Until one gets too handsy and Valerie has had a few drinks. Or your father says something that lights her fuse,” Lief murmurs.
“That’s two weeks away. Maybe she’ll have a school function or an emergency patient. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“When spring break comes, we should take her to see Sophie.”
I blink at him. “That’s out of nowhere.”
“If I don’t tell you now, I’ll say it too late and you won’t be able to prepare whoever for a short trip.”
“Anything else I should know, Lief? About our girlfriend or the plans you have for the year?” I can’t stop the frustration in my voice.
“My parents will be visiting within the next month. I’m planning to introduce them to Valerie.”
“That’s who you’ve been on the phone with so much?”
The shower turns off, but Lief nods. I think about that as I head to the mansion. I’ve known Lief since college. Sure, he didn’t do great in the relationship area considering how hard he is to read, but he never had a problem getting a girl for a night or a week.
But he almost never mentioned his family. I only met his mother once in passing because she was selling at an auction in D.C. I’ve never met his father and I don’t think Hunter has either.
“He’s serious about her.” I realize stupidly.
Of course, he’s serious about Valerie. We all are. We love her. We’ve said that plenty and that’s the first time I’ve heard Lief say the words. But seeing Sophie – him making a note of that so far in advanced – and him wanting to introduce his parents to Valerie ... something’s afoot.
As soon as I walk through the doors of the mansion, those thoughts disappear. Because there is Dad. I narrow my eyes at him. “You’re the one who’s been calling?”
“Da.” He answers.
“Did something happen to Mom?” I ask, switching to Russian like it’s natural.
“No. I needed to speak to you without Lief and Hunter around.” He motions to the conference room.
A private talk in a soundproof room is never good. But I sit with him anyway. Dad drums his fingers on the table. “I know that you and your brother don’t take the problem of your girlfriend seriously. But she proved what a problem she is considering that mess with Jolie.”
“She was an asset.”