“I saw a place a few hundred yards back that way.”
He turns and nods. “Okay, lead the way.”
I lead him back toward the pizza place I saw on the way down the street, which is heaving with people.
“Are you sure we will get a table?” he asks.
I shrug. “I hope so. It smells delicious.”
We stand in the entryway, waiting for one of the servers to greet us.
“Hello, how may I help?” A young woman asks, smiling at us both.
“I was hoping we could get a table for two?” Valery asks.
She purses her lips, glancing over at the bookings. “It’s a bit tight.” She looks back at the restaurant.
“It would really mean a lot. We’re newlyweds on our honeymoon and have never tried pizza before,” I lie, since we’ve been married for over a month.
Her eyes widen. “Never tried pizza?”
I shake my head. “No, but it smells delicious.”
“Okay, I think we can squeeze you in.” She grabs two menus. “Follow me.”
We follow her through the restaurant and toward the back, where there’s a small table for two. “Here we are,” she announces.
I sit first and Valery takes his seat next to me.
“Thank you,” I say.
“Can I get you any drinks first?”
“I’ll have a Coca Cola,” I say.
Valery rolls his eyes, as I’ve recently discovered how delicious it is and it’s all I ever order. “I’ll have a whiskey, neat.”
She jots our orders down. “Of course, coming right up.” She walks away, leaving us alone.
“It does smell good, I must admit,” Valery says, looking at me over his menu. “The question is, what the hell am I supposed to pick?”
I read the menu. “It all sounds amazing, but I think I’ll try the pepperoni. It sounds interesting.”
Valery chuckles. “How about we share?”
“What do you propose?”
“One pepperoni and one chicken, just in case you don’t like the pepperoni.”
I purse my lips and then nod. “Sounds like a good idea.”
He places his menu down and then reaches across the table. “You are a very good liar, Anya Gurin.”
I squeeze his hand back. “We are on our honeymoon. It’s just a very long one.”
He chuckles. “So you are okay with me starting a new bratva in Boston?”
“As long as you are careful, yes. I can’t ask you to give up what you know when you’ve already given up so much for me.”