Romance Beneath the Ice

Charlotte tried to be disgruntled but dissolved into laughter along with Sarah. Bless her sweet little outgoing heart, but Zoe was something not quite human sometimes with her energy and enthusiasm. Charlotte loved her all the more for it. Zoe was her whole world.

"All right. So it was awkward, but he didn't swear at Zoe, so that makes him all right." Sarah sipped her coffee. "Maybe later, to make it up to him, you guys could take him some home-baked cookies or something."

Charlotte pursed her lips as she considered her friend's suggestion. Alexei's hard body didn't look like the kind that indulged in cookies but she could do something.

"Maybe." Rubbing her cheek, Charlotte sipped her coffee, wondering more about how she could curb Zoe's rambunctious behavior at home. She didn't want to force Alexei to complain to the building manager. She was lucky enough to be in such an affordable place so close to her work and Zoe's daycare and couldn't afford to lose it.

"Hey, how about I take Zoe for a sleepover sometime?"

"A sleepover?" They had done that once or twice in the last two years. Charlotte always enjoyed the time to rest and recharge but ended up feeling guilty that she couldn't cope like she felt she should. The voices of her parents and older sister always rang in her head, telling her she'd made her bed and she needed to lie in it now.

"Think about it." Sarah leaned forward and squeezed her hand. "There's nothing wrong with getting help, Char. Don't let yourself burn out."

Charlotte nodded, looking down at their joined hands, Sarah's soft brown hand encompassing hers. "Thanks, Sarah. I will think about it."

Another squeeze and Sarah released her. "All right. Now, let's finish sorting that new product and then Ursula can decide later how she wants to display it."

Charlotte nodded and downed the rest of her coffee, more than ready to forget her morning.

"I'm Zoe."

Alexei shook his head as he returned from his daily run and workout in the building's gym.

'I'm Zoe', she'd said, as if she introduced herself to every angry, early morning guest. And it hadn't occurred to him to ask what her mother's name was. Not that it mattered. It shouldn't. Except, he'd done nothing but wonder what her name was since that morning's encounter.

His phone rang as he stood in his kitchen, guzzling a glass of water. He lifted it up, frowning when he saw Olle's name on the display. He'd have thought Olle would be busy with his wife on their day off. They'd be leaving for a road trip in another two days, following their next game against the Minnesota Wild.

"Hey."

"Alex! What are you doing for dinner tonight?"

"I don't know. Something here, like usual." Alexei poured more water into his glass and chugged that back as well. "Why? What do you have in mind?"

"Joelle told me to invite you guys over."

By 'you guys,' Alexei knew he meant him and Tarik. Possibly a few more of the single guys on the team. Joelle, Olle's wife, was sweet and had decided long ago that she needed to feed all the single guys on the team, especially the ones from Europe, with no family nearby to look after them. As if they weren't all grown men. Still, Alexei knew she was being kind and seemed to genuinely enjoy throwing impromptu gatherings.

"Sure. I'm in. What time?" Alexei wasn't much of a social butterfly, but he didn't mind spending an evening or two with his teammates throughout the season. He was one of those European players, with no family nearby. No family at all, really.

Olle hummed as he considered. "I mean, come over whenever you want. We can all play some pool or ping pong or something until dinner. But Joelle says dinner will be at seven, sharp."

Alexei smiled and nodded, finishing another glass of water. "All right. See you then."

He did some stretching before jumping in the shower. As he got dressed, he checked the time. He might as well head to Olle's now. Not like he had some pressing hobby or significant other who demanded all his spare time.

Red hair and lips flashed in his mind's eye and he shook the thought free. Or tried to. As he double checked that he had his wallet and phone, thundering feet overhead announced Zoe's arrival home.

Instead of irritating him, Alexei shook his head with a sigh. She was just a kid. He could and would be patient, as he'd promised earlier. Starting now, by fleeing the scene.

When Alexei got home from dinner later that evening, he walked down the hall to his apartment while scrolling through his Twitter feed. He didn't do much in the way of social media but he did follow some entertaining folks and often got stuck on the scroll, like anyone else. He heard a soft knocking and looked up, startling when he saw Zoe's mother with a hand stretched out at his door, her other hand holding something close to her stomach.

She knocked again as he got closer, not noticing him at first. After another moment, her shoulders dipped and she looked up. Her eyes widened when she saw him. "Oh. Hi."

He came to a stop before her, his eyes locking on hers as she lifted her free hand in a feeble little wave.

"Hi. Can I help you?" What on earth could she be doing at his apartment door at this time in the evening? A glance at his phone showed him it wasn't all that late, actually. A little after eight. "Where's Zoe?"

She smiled and pointed at the ceiling. "She's in bed. Actually went down easy tonight, thankfully."

He nodded, his gaze skittering over the rest of her now. She was wearing a loose long-sleeved shirt that looked threadbare at the collar, and did nothing for her figure. Her pants were also loose and he was pretty sure there was some sort of brown streak on one thigh. She wore slip-on sandals, her feet bare within them.

"I didn't realize you were out."

As she spoke, Alexei dragged his eyes back up her body, telling himself he wasn't checking her out. "I was out."

Her lips curled up in a tentative smile. "Right. Well, I came to apologize pre-emptively for all the noise tonight."

Alexei huffed out a breath and shook his head. "I missed out on it."

"Lucky you."

"Zoe does seem to have a lot of energy."

"She does." Her hand shifted from her side to cup the plate in her hand. "I brought you these. We made them tonight."

Alexei's eyes dropped to the plate she held and saw about a dozen or so cookies covered in plastic wrap. "You made me cookies."

"Yeah. As an apology. Or thank you, for being patient."

He lifted his gaze to hers again. "But I wasn't here tonight."

Her face fell, the smile fading away. "Oh. Right. Of course. Why would you want these cookies?" She half-turned away from him as if to go, her shoulders drooping. "Well, I'm glad we didn't disturb you tonight."

"Wait." Alexei rubbed his chin as she turned back to him, those luminous eyes boring through him. "I like cookies."

"They're snickerdoodles."

"I'm sorry?" He lifted his eyebrows. "What is a snickerdoodle?"

She bit her lip, drawing his attention there for a second that lasted a little too long. "You've never had a snickerdoodle?"

"It's not a cookie I had growing up in Russia."

"Oh, you're Russian." She nodded as if he'd answered a question for her. "I wondered." At his look, she flapped a nervous hand between them. "Your accent."

He rubbed a hand over his head. "And all this time, I thought it had faded."

"I mean, it's not super strong or anything. Obviously."

"Obviously." He eyed the plate in her hands and stepped closer to her, reaching for it. "May I?"

She nodded, holding the plate out as he peeled back one side of the plastic. He picked up one fluffy cookie and took a bite. It was as fluffy as it looked, with a bite of cinnamon under the sweet, buttery flavor.

All the while, Zoe's mother watched him, her eyes wide.

"Good."

"Would you like another?"

Instead of taking one, Alexei plucked the plate from her hands. She opened her mouth, one hand reaching out to take the plate back but Alexei blocked her, turning his body to slide the key into his lock.

"Um." Her voice shook as he opened his door and walked inside, flicking on a light as he went.

"Come in." He didn't look back to see if she followed.

She did, barely standing inside his doorway, her hands clenched together in front of her. "I should get back upstairs. Zoe's all alone."

"Does she wake up a lot during the night?" Alexei set the plate on his kitchen island and turned to the fridge. Cookies and milk. That was the American thing to do, right? It certainly hadn't been a regular tradition in his home growing up. Cookies or anything beyond the bare necessities, really, but that wasn't a memory he wanted to peek at tonight.

"No. She hasn't done that since she was a baby. She's always been a good sleeper, actually."

Alexei couldn't help but smirk at that as he poured two glasses of milk. "She wears herself out during the day, I guess."

The woman matched his look and nodded once. "You're probably right."

"Did you lock the door?"

She nodded again, patting her pocket where she presumably had a key tucked away.

"Then I'm sure she's fine for a minute." Alexei handed her a glass of milk and nudged the plate of cookies towards her. "Have one."

"I have two dozen upstairs still." But she lifted one from his pile and nibbled at it while he watched her.

Another personal first. Alexei didn't mind socializing with his teammates but he struggled to make friends outside of his hockey life. Even as a kid, he hadn't been much for idle chatter or play.

As they stood there, each eating a cookie and holding a glass of milk, Alexei watched Zoe's mom. She fidgeted and hadn't closed his door behind her, letting the fluorescent lights from the hall flood into his foyer.

Remembering his introduction to Zoe earlier that very day, Alexei set his glass on the island and brushed his hands together, dislodging sugar and crumbs. "I'm Alexei."

She smiled, her neck working as she swallowed her last bite of snickerdoodle. She slipped her smaller hand into his and shook. "I'm Charlotte."

Charlotte.

"Nice to meet you." He let her go, leaning back against his island.

She dipped her chin once in a nod and continued to smile at him. He didn't know if he should smile back, offer to walk her upstairs, or toss her over his shoulder and show her his king-sized bed. The mixture of feelings were entirely new for him.

"Well, I should probably get back upstairs." She pointed over her shoulder, as if he needed clarification on where she lived. She set her half-empty glass of milk on the island next to his and Alexei's gaze lingered on the two glasses for a second before he followed her back his door.

"Thank you for the cookies."

She paused in the hall and looked up at him. "I am sorry about this morning. Like I said, it's going to take some time to get Zoe on board with the quiet."

Alexei sighed and rubbed his neck, leaning with his other hand on his doorjamb, looming over Charlotte. "I don't expect you to be silent. She is a child."

Charlotte nodded, nibbling on that perfect bottom lip. Perfect lip, perfect freckles.

Fucking hell. He was into her.

"All the same, I'm trying."

"I know." He tilted his head and let his hand fall back to his side. "I don't need cookies every time you make noise."

Her aquamarine eyes skipped over his shoulders and down his torso before she met his gaze again. "Um. Well, okay. We'll make oatmeal raisin next time. They're somewhat healthy."

He made a face. "Raisins are evil."

A light laugh escaped her, surprising her, and she lifted her fingers to her mouth, pulling his eyes there as well.

"Duly noted." She waved and moved off. "Good night, Alexei."

"Good night, Charlotte."

He stayed in his open doorway for a minute, listening to the stairwell door bang shut and then a minute later, he backed into his apartment when her heard her enter hers overhead. Then he followed her steps into her bedroom, over his, and thought again about her perfect freckles, wondering if she had them anywhere else on her skin.

A week later, Charlotte found out who Alexei really was.

"I'm Alexei."

He introduced himself to Zoe and Charlotte so nonchalantly, as if he were a normal neighbor and not an international superstar with a World Hockey gold medal and a Stanley Cup title.

"That's Alexei?" Sarah stared at Charlotte's phone screen, her chocolate-brown eyes wide with shock. "Your Alexei?"

Charlotte flushed at the way she phrased it but shrugged. "So it would seem."

She'd discovered his true identity by accident. Or rather, it had been Zoe. They'd been caught up with a new chocolate chip and nut loaf recipe in the kitchen, but the television had been on, the afternoon children's movie turning into a Chicago Blackhawks game at the dinner hour.

"Zoe recognized him when the hockey announcers started talking about the game last night."

"She did?" Sarah smiled and handed the phone back. "That's funny."

"It is." Sort of. Alexei had knocked on their door one more time before apparently leaving on his road trip. The afternoon after she'd taken him the snickerdoodles, Zoe had been in rare form, driving Charlotte right up to her wits end. And Alexei's apparently. He'd knocked on the door, gruff and grumpy as he had been the first two times.

Zoe, in a sulk at her side, had stared at him while Charlotte stammered out a fresh apology. Alexei had rubbed his eyes and asked them to keep it down. It had been all Charlotte could do to rein in her own temper. She'd told him—the night before!— that she was trying and that it wouldn't be instant. If he was going to come knocking every time they made a peep, maybe she should think about giving up her apartment. She was as stressed over his possible confrontations as she was over Zoe causing them.

So clearly, his face had been fresh in Zoe's mind when the game had played a couple days later. The hockey team was in Calgary for a game, then would travel on to Vancouver before returning to Chicago the following week.

"She said, 'Mom, it's the grumpy man'." Charlotte mimicked her daughter's voice so well that Sarah giggled in response. "I thought she was talking about some commercial, but sure enough, there he was."

Alexei Novikov. Leading scorer last season for the Chicago Blackhawks. Stanley Cup winner from his rookie year with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Currently having a great start to the season with two goals and five points already, in less than ten games.

The front doorbell rang and the women exchanged one more look before heading up to the front end. It was nearing the end of their shifts for the day but no one else was on the clock yet.

Sarah went to see to the new arrivals, two women, and Charlotte double checked the stock levels on a few more items. She headed back and forth between the front end and the stockroom, finishing up her shift with nothing exciting to interrupt the day.

Zoe was quiet for a change when Charlotte picked her up from daycare. At first, it made Charlotte worry that something had happened in daycare but as soon as they got home, her little girl fired up the energy.

Well, Charlotte thought, at least Alexei isn't home for another couple of days. Knowing what he did for a living, and knowing the obvious days when he wouldn't be home would help her anxiety over the situation a bit, no doubt.

Alexei didn't want to storm up to Charlotte and Zoe's apartment the same day he'd arrived home. He really didn't. But he knew the exact minute they got home from wherever they'd been for the day.

He'd spent the past week going back and forth on whether or not he felt like a total ass for how he'd handled their last encounter. Every time he remembered the snickerdoodles, he was an ass. Then he remembered how the last two games on the road trip had gone and his right thigh started to ache again. That shot he'd blocked hadn't been light. It had affected his sleep ever since, which was why he was so annoyed now. Or so he told himself.

It had nothing at all to do with the fact that he was wondering how they were doing. Of course it didn't. He wasn't their friend, perfect freckles or not.

There was a series of bumps from overhead, ending in a louder bang that startled him from the book he was trying to read.

"Really?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. Maybe they assumed he was gone, still gone, since he hadn't complained for eight days now. Though why that should make a difference he didn't know.

Another bang, and he set the book down, crossing to his front door. He didn't want to be the bad guy but seriously. This was getting old.

As he approached their door a minute later, before he raised his hand to knock, he heard Charlotte's voice. It was loud, though not quite a shout. There was a response from Zoe, definitely on the whiny side.

Rolling his head on his neck, Alexei knocked twice, short raps.

Silence for several heartbeats, then something spoken low and sharp from Charlotte —at least he thought it was Charlotte— followed by footsteps to the door.

"Hi." Charlotte frowned at him but her lips turned up at the corners, as if she was trying to smile. "I knew it would be you."

He wasn't sure what to say to that. Lifting one hand, he rubbed his fingers through his hair, absently noting that he should get a haircut. "I'm sorry."

Her frown evened out and she shifted on her feet. "Well. That's a first. Sorry that we're disturbing you?"

"I don't know." Alexei wasn't sure anymore. All he knew was she looked so unhappy and stressed that he couldn't bring himself to berate her. He blew out a breath and dropped his hand. "I'll go."

"Wait. I'm sorry, Alexei." She took a half a step out of her doorway and glanced over her shoulder. "I had a terrible sleep last night and I'm afraid I'm not being a very attentive mom today. Zoe is letting me know. Loudly. So, yeah. I'm sorry."

Alexei let his eyes roam over her face and realized she did look pale. She also sported some dark circles under her eyes and even her freckles looked lighter. "Don't worry about Zoe then. Make noise. It's fine."

She bit her lip on an aborted laugh. "You can't mean that."

"Maybe." He shrugged one shoulder. "I maybe shouldn't be so sensitive."

"Right. You are a tough athlete after all."

He started to nod but at her words, he froze. "Athlete?"

She looked down, clenching her hands together. "Yeah. Zoe recognized you on TV the other night."

"Oh." Well. It wasn't like he'd set out to hide it from her. He didn't walk around with a sandwich board proclaiming his identity either. "Yes. Which game?"

"Um, Pittsburgh?" She squinted as she tried to recall. "Yeah. It was Tuesday night."

"Right. That was a good game at least."

"Well, Zoe enjoyed it, I think, but she didn't make it to the end."

Alexei nodded. "Sure. She goes to bed early?"

"I try to get her down around eight every night." Her eyebrows lifted and she smiled. "Maybe I'll try for earlier tonight, just for you."

"No, for you." He circled a finger in front of her face. "You need sleep."

Her cheeks colored, just a touch. "Gee, thanks, Alexei."

"No, I didn't mean—" He narrowed his eyes when she smirked. "You're teasing me."

"Sure am."

They stared at each other for a moment, the silence stretching out. At last, she shifted on her feet, one of her hands going to the edge of her door, as if to brace herself.

"Look, I am sorry, Alexei. I've put Zoe on a time out for a bit, and then I was going to suggest a Disney princess movie marathon. That usually gets her to settle down for an hour or two."

"It's okay." And there he went, knowing for damn sure he was an ass for piling on to Charlotte's worries. She was a single mom, for crying out loud.

"You're kind, but we'll be better from now on." She backed up, swinging the door closed. "Have a nice evening, Alexei."

He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but couldn't come up with a single word. The door closed with a click, followed by the heavier thunk of her deadbolt a second later. He stared at the numbers on her door for a second longer before heading upstairs.

Over the next two weeks, Alexei had no reason to go knock on Charlotte and Zoe's door. He was torn over the relief of having his relatively quiet apartment back, and disappointment that he had no excuse to go upstairs.

An opportunity was presented as he walked into the building one afternoon following practice, a few days after Halloween. He was checking his mail in the main lobby when the front door opened and in swept two familiar redheads.

"Grumpy!" Zoe cried and bounced up to his side. "You don't knock in forever!"

"Zoe!" Charlotte followed, her cheeks flushed and hair coming loose from her ponytail.

Alexei stared down at Zoe as the child skidded to a stop on the tile floor about eight inches from his hip. "Do you want me to come to the door?"

Zoe shrugged, shifting from foot-to-foot. "Yes! I can go like this!" And she stomped her feet, her mouth open as she added some sound effects. "And then you go, knock-knock! It's like a game."

Charlotte stopped behind her daughter, lifting mortified eyes to Alexei's. "I'm so sorry. Just ignore her. Sweetie, say sorry to Mr. Alexei."

"Why?" Zoe's lower lip jutted out.

"You called him a name." Charlotte bent close to speak in a low tone to her daughter, though they all knew he could hear every word. "That's not nice."

"I didn't." Zoe pointed up at Alexei, who stood with his mail in one hand and his other on the key still sticking out of the aluminum mailbox door. "He's grumpy."

"She's not wrong," Alexei said, his tone mild, and not at all offended. He rarely smiled and he could readily admit it, never mind the nature of their interactions to this point.

"Oh my God, don't encourage her," Charlotte hissed at him as she straightened and pressed Zoe's head to her thigh. "She doesn't need to be going around giving people accurate nicknames."

Now there was a thought. There were a few interesting characters in their building and the idea of Zoe labeling them as he'd been labeled did make him smile at last.

Charlotte blinked as he shut the mailbox and extracted his key, still smiling. He blinked in return and tipped his head one way. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." She nodded and reached for her own mailbox, quickly flipping it open, then closed, nothing inside. "Come on, Zoe. Let's get upstairs and see if we have enough to make those garbage cookies."

"Yay!" Zoe pelted across the lobby for the elevator. She jumped and pounded the 'up' button, even though she was tall enough to reach without the added physicality.

No wonder she made such a ruckus in their apartment. How did Charlotte keep up with the little imp? Another glance at Charlotte told him that maybe she didn't. Her face was as pale as it had been the last time they saw each other, if not more so. Her gait was slow as well and her eyes didn't seem as bright as normal. Perhaps she was having trouble sleeping?

Shoving the thoughts aside, Alexei scratched his eyebrow and walked with Charlotte towards Zoe and the elevator. ""Um. Garbage cookies? You don't actually cook garbage?"

Charlotte smiled and shook her head. "No. That's just what they're called. The recipe is all stuff that you usually have leftovers of in your pantry or fridge. Some things can be substituted for others, or quantities adjusted."

"This is good?"

"They're sooo good!" Zoe clasped her hands under her chin, tilting her little freckled face up towards him as they boarded the elevator. She turned and immediately smacked the number four for their floor.

Alexei kept his attention on the little girl. "Why?"

"Because my mom makes them good." Zoe glanced at her mom and grabbed Charlotte's hand. "She makes everything! Eggs, and cake, and cookies, and fish sticks."

"Really?" Alexei nodded. "Moms are good with food."

Zoe nodded, as if it were an unassailable truth.

Charlotte's gaze bounced up and down between Alexei and her daughter, her aquamarine eyes wide.

"Are garbage cookies your favorite?" Alexei asked.

"Yes!" Zoe grinned and jerked her mom's hand as the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor.

They all filed off.

"They are?"

"Yes. And I love chocolate smacks." Zoe hopped up and down, swinging Charlotte's hand as they walked. "And ginger snaps. Oh, and oatmeal."

"And snickerdoodles?"

Charlotte shot him a look that he returned with a mild one of his own.

"Yes!" Zoe reached out and grabbed his hand, though her smaller one couldn't to much except clasp three of his fingers. "They're yummy and Mommy lets me make them. All alone."

"Does she?" Alexei lifted an eyebrow at Charlotte.

Charlotte wasn't looking at him though. She was staring at the way Zoe was clasping Alexei's hand.

Uh-oh. Was he crossing a line? Shit. He hadn't meant to overstep. He was only the grumpy downstairs neighbor after all. He'd just been sucked into Zoe's orbit, like a wandering meteor. The girl was a force unto herself, no doubt.

"I make all the cookies." Zoe skipped a step and wiggled both hands she held.

"I thought your mom made them?"

"Well, she helps."

"Ah. I see."

"Well, here we are." Charlotte announced, drawing her keys out and sliding one into their lock. "Thanks for the walk, Alexei."

"No, Mom, he needs to see the garbage cookies." Zoe marched into the apartment, Alexei's fingers in her death grip.

Alexei turned wide eyes to equally surprised ones in Charlotte's face, but bent slightly at the waist to follow the imp inside. She dropped his hand at last and fell to the floor to yank her shoes off, tossing them to one side.

"Zoe—" Charlotte stood in the open doorway, her eyes still wide. "I'm sure Mr. Alexei has more important things to do than make cookies with us."

Alexei should nod right now and leave, let the tiny family get back to their own lives. But something kept him rooted to the spot. Quite possibly the little hand that grabbed his three fingers again. The child had a remarkably strong grip.

"No." Zoe tilted a stubborn chin up at her mother. "He stays."

Jesus. It was like a hostage negotiation. The little imp had a spine of steel.

Letting out a breath, Alexei scratched his chin. "I can stay for a little bit."

"See?" Zoe threw herself at Alexei's legs, hugging them tight before scampering away again.

"I'm so sorry, Alexei." Charlotte moved to his side, closing the door. Her voice was pitched low, so Zoe wouldn't overhear. "I can sneak you out. Don't worry, she'll forget all about you in minutes. I'll add extra chocolate chips to the cookies or something."

Alexei huffed a laugh and shrugged. "I don't mind. Besides, this way, we're all noisy together and no one is being disturbed downstairs."

Charlotte chewed on her lip for a second before she sighed. "Are you sure? The noise in here might change your mind."

"Then I can leave. Win-win for me."

"So be it." Charlotte turned and put her jacket and purse on the hooks hanging from the outside of the front hall closet door. "Well, let's get started."

Apparently, making cookies consisted mostly of Zoe jumping up and down off the chair she dragged to the kitchen counter to stand next to Charlotte. She'd get excited about being allowed to add sugar or flour, and then want to show Alexei her favorite toy or book or ponytail elastic.

Once the cookies were in the oven, Alexei and Charlotte watched as Zoe jumped down again, almost upsetting the chair she'd been on. Alexei caught it in one hand and righted it under the little kitchen table, looking up to see Charlotte holding her palms to her cheeks.

"She's—" Alexei searched for the right word. "Energetic."

Charlotte let out a laugh and nodded. "That's a very good word for it."

"Have you considered putting her in sports? Or dance?" Alexei watched Zoe whirl around the apartment, some unrecognizable doll in her hand.

Charlotte dropped her hands, her lips pressing together in a thin line. "They're all too expensive for me right now."

Alexei nodded. Right. That should have been obvious to him. It wasn't like he'd always had the bank account balance he did now.

"Are they done, Mommy?" Zoe raced back into the kitchen, throwing herself at Charlotte's legs.

Charlotte smiled at her daughter, running a hand over Zoe's wild red hair. "No, sweetie. You know it takes longer than that."

Zoe blew out a breath and turned to Alexei. "Want to play?"

Alexei covered his smile with one hand. "Actually, I should probably go." He'd clearly stuck his foot in his mouth a few too many times already and he'd sensed all along that Charlotte was out of sorts with him being there. "I had fun though."

Zoe grinned and clutched his legs, tilting her head back so she could rest her chin on his thigh. "You'll knock soon?"

"Sure." On impulse, he reached down and patted her head. "Thanks for having me over."

"Yeah!" She jerked back and held her little hand up in a fist.

Alexei hesitated before bumping his own fist against hers. She grinned and hurried around his legs to resume her flight training with the same toy from before.

Charlotte walked him to the door and he turned to face her as he stepped out into the hall.

"I'm sorry if I was intruding."

She shook her head, her cheeks a little flushed but she managed a small smile for him. "You weren't. It was nice to have her energy focused on someone else for a change."

Alexei frowned. "You do too much on your own."

Her smile vanished. "I don't have much choice on that."

"No babysitters? Friends or family? Where is her father?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Alexei knew he'd gone too far.

Charlotte's entire body stiffened and she gave him a proper glare. "That's none of your business. Good-bye."

Without another word, without even giving him a chance to apologize, the door all but slammed in his face. Alexei lifted his hand, ready to knock at once, but dropped it.

Damn. He'd messed that up and then some.
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