Maggie #2
Mama smiles despite herself. “You like fries, sweetheart?”
“I love fries.” Ivy looks up at Alexei seriously. “Papa only lets me have them sometimes because he says too much fried food is bad for me.”
Alexei pulls his napkin into his lap without missing a beat. “That’s because it is.”
Ivy sighs dramatically and reaches for a fry anyway. “Well, tonight feels worth the risk.”
A laugh slips out of me before I can stop it.
Mama presses her lips together like she’s trying not to smile too hard while Ivy takes a bite of her grilled cheese and immediately lights up all over again.
“This is really good.”
“Honey, around here we believe butter is a personality trait,” Mama says proudly.
Ivy giggles.
For the first time all day, the knot inside my chest loosens enough for me to breathe without feeling like someone’s squeezing my heart.
The diner noise continues to swirl around us while Ivy happily eats fries one at a time. Mama keeps pretending not to see it every time Ivy reaches for another one, which is probably the quickest way to win her over.
Alexei notices too. I can tell by the faint look in his eyes every time Ivy sneaks another fry into her mouth while trying to look innocent.
“You’re very committed to this crime,” he tells her calmly.
Ivy gasps. “I’m not committing crimes.”
“You have eaten at least seven fries already.”
“That’s not illegal.”
Mama snorts while she refills Alexei’s coffee. “Well, I like her already.”
Ivy beams at that while reaching for another fry anyway.
I sit there listening to them talk, and somehow this little booth at the Magnolia Street Diner feels warmer with Alexei and Ivy sitting with me.
I find myself relaxing deeper into the vinyl seat while Ivy launches into an animated story about how Elvis tried to steal her shoelace the last time she visited the shelter.
Alexei listens while he eats, occasionally asking questions that keep her talking. There’s still restraint in him even here, even now. It lives in the way he watches every entrance automatically and the way his eyes move through the diner before returning to Ivy.
Mama returns and slides into the space beside me.
“So,” Mama says casually, “what exactly do you do, Alexei?”
Straight to it.
Alexei dabs his mouth with his napkin before answering. “I own a logistics and shipping company.”
Mama hums. “That sounds expensive.”
Ivy smiles widely. “It means Papa talks on the phone a lot.”
That earns a genuine laugh from me.
Alexei’s eyes slide toward me, and this time the look in them lingers.
Mama watches the two of us before leaning back against the booth with a knowing expression.
“Mhmm,” she says. “Well, at least he’s pretty to look at while he’s bein’ mysterious.”
“Mama,” I hiss under my breath.
Ivy immediately looks delighted. “Papa is pretty.”
Alexei actually coughs into his coffee.
I stare at Ivy in horror while Mama outright grins now.
“Well,” Mama says while pushing herself up from the booth, “I’m gonna go get pie before Maggie combusts right here in public.”
My entire face goes hot while Alexei looks down for a second like he’s trying not to smile. I do the only thing I can at that point and keep my mouth shut until Mama comes back carrying slices of pie.
“Oh no,” I protest weakly. “I can’t eat pie after all this food.”
Mama ignores me entirely while setting down plates. “There’s always room for my peach pie.”
Ivy lets out a delighted little squeal the second she sees the thick slices piled high with peaches and whipped cream.
“Oh wow,” she murmurs.
Mama laughs quietly. “Careful now, sugar. You’re gonna make me think my cookin’s actually special.”
“It is special,” Ivy says.
Alexei takes a bite and pauses before looking toward Mama. “This may be the best pie I’ve ever had.”
Mama points at him proudly. “See? That one’s smart.”
Sweet mercy.
Now my mother and Alexei are bonding over peach pie, as if they’ve known each other for years.
By the time we leave the diner, the night air feels lighter. The fear from earlier still lingers beneath the surface like a bruise every time my mind circles back toward the shelter or Mama’s car. But dinner helped. Ivy helped. And Alexei did too.
Mama hugs Ivy before we leave, promising to save her another slice of pie next time she visits. Ivy wraps her little arms around her waist like she’s known her longer than two hours.
“Well, aren’t you just sugar wrapped in sunshine,” Mama murmurs while smoothing Ivy’s hair.
Ivy grins proudly.
Then Mama looks at Alexei. She doesn’t look suspicious anymore, but she isn’t fully trusting either. The expression on her face turns more thoughtful instead, like she’s still making up her mind about him.
“You drive safe,” she tells him.
“I will.”
Her eyes move toward me next. One look at her face and I already know she’s fixin’ to question me the second I answer my phone later. I pretend not to notice.
“Text me when you get home,” Mama says while pulling me into a quick hug. “And don’t you dare forget this time.”
“Yes ma’am.”
She gives me one last knowing look before heading back inside the diner, the bell over the door jingling behind her.
Alexei walks Ivy toward the black SUV waiting near the curb while I stand beside my truck watching them. Ivy climbs into the backseat before leaning halfway back out.
“Can I come see Mr. Pickles tomorrow?” she asks, batting her eyelashes.
“If he hasn’t stolen somebody’s lunch again by then.”
“That means yes,” Ivy tells Alexei.
I laugh. “That means probably.”
Ivy points at me seriously. “I’m bringing him better snacks.”
Alexei closes the door gently once she finally sits back. Then his attention returns to me. The air changes every time that happens.
“You look tired, kotyónok.”
The low roughness in his voice curls slowly through me.
“I’m a bit tuckered out,” I admit.
“You should sleep tonight.”
I let out a tired little laugh. “Oh wow. Why didn’t I think of that?”
One side of his mouth lifts into a small grin. Then his expression grows more serious. “The apartment building.”
There it is. The tension slips right back into my chest. “What about it?”
“I want additional security there tonight,” he insists.
I cross my arms immediately. “Alexei.”
“Maggie.”
The way he says my name makes my stomach clench.
“There’s already a patrol vehicle outside the building,” he continues calmly. “But I’m not comfortable leaving things as they are.”
I stare at him. “You already put security outside my apartment?”
“Yes.”
My eyes narrow. “Without asking me?”
“Yes.”
I open my mouth, then close it again. While part of me is irritated, another part feels so relieved I could cry, which is probably its own issue.
Alexei steps close enough that I can smell the spice of his cologne.
“I know you dislike this,” he says. “But until I understand who’s escalating this situation, I’m not leaving you unprotected.”
The sincerity in his voice steals the argument right out of me. I nod once. “Fine.”
His shoulders loosen a tiny bit before he opens my truck door and steps back. “I’ll call you later.”
I glance toward the SUV, where Ivy already looks half asleep in her seat. “Tell Ivy goodnight for me.”
“I will.”
Then he pauses. His eyes hold mine. “Thank you for tonight.”
The gentleness in his voice catches me off guard. “For pie?”
“For making Ivy smile like that again.”
Emotion tightens my throat enough that I can’t answer him right away. Before I can respond properly, he reaches out and tucks a strand of loose hair behind my ear. My entire body reacts to it.
Then he steps away. I stand there watching him walk back toward the SUV like an absolute fool.
The drive home feels quieter than usual. By the time I take the elevator to my apartment, exhaustion sinks deep into my bones.
I unlock my apartment door and pause, my pulse kicking harder when the silence inside hits me wrong for a moment.
Not because anything looks out of place.
The lamp beside the sofa still glows, my books remain stacked crookedly across the coffee table, and the blanket I left tossed over the armrest this morning is exactly where I abandoned it before rushing to the shelter. Everything looks normal.
Yet, I stand there scanning the apartment before finally letting out a slow breath.
You are officially losing it, Maggie.
I lock the door behind me and kick off my shoes before heading toward the kitchen, but movement outside the window pulls my attention. A black SUV sits parked across the street, with one man inside, quietly watching the building.
Security.
Alexei wasn’t kidding.