Page 33 of Crimson

Nikolai tried to distract her.

“Have you eaten here before?” he asked.

“No,” she said.

“You should get thecoco lardo. It’s the specialty.”

“I already ordered the halibut,” Nadia said regretfully.

Nikolai looked at the other side of the table, empty, with the glassware and cutlery undisturbed.

“Wait,” he said. “Are you here alone?”

“Yes,” Nadia said, a little stiffly. He could see her annoyance at Maxim bubbling beneath the surface, but she didn’t want to tell Nikolai anything about it.

“I haven’t eaten yet,” Nikolai said. “Do you mind if I join you?”

Before she could say no, he sat down in the chair opposite.

“I’ll order thecoco lardo,” he said. “Then you can try it.”

Nadia hesitated a moment, but her desire to be polite, or perhaps her irritation with Maxim, won out.

“Alright,” she agreed.

Nikolai motioned to the waiter and placed his order, as well as asking for a bottle of the Corton.

He took it as a good sign that Nadia didn’t object as the waiter returned with the wine and poured them each a generous glass. She took a sip, the deep red wine staining her full lips. God, he’d like to taste that wine from her mouth.

Nikolai pulled his eyes away, trying to focus.

“Is that your mother’s journal?” Nikolai asked, seeing it still open in front of her.

“Yes,” Nadia said, closing it quickly and stowing it back in her purse.

“What are you learning?”

“Well,” Nadia said, “when she was about my age, she fell in love for the first time.”

“With your father?”

“No.” She shook her head. “With somebody named Ivan.”

“Ivan what?”

“I don’t know. She hasn’t mentioned his last name yet. But he wasn’t aVor, I don’t think. He was just a normal person.”

Nikolai laughed.

“We’re still normal,” he said.

“Oh yes,” Nadia said dryly. “It’s completely normal to order a three-hundred-thousand-ruble bottle of wine.”

Nikolai flushed. She knew he’d picked the most expensive one to try to impress her.

God, she was sharp. He’d have to tread carefully.

“Do you want me to read the journal out to you?” he said. “It would be faster than that dictionary.”