“Should you be working, Evangeline?” Ania persisted. “And does your husband actually listen to you when you ban him?”
“I love what I do, but I tried staying home. I promised him I would while I was pregnant, but it made me so sad, he agreed to let me come to work as long as the doctor signed off on it. I’m careful. If I get too sick, I leave. Fyodor has insisted I have help, so I can call when I need someone to come down. At rush we have a couple of others working. We need more space, though, before that can really happen. As for Fyodor abiding by my decree . . .”
Ashe burst out laughing again, the sound contagious. “Fyodor is a law unto himself. He checks on her about every other second.” She looked up toward the door and waved.
Ania followed her line of sight and spotted the camera hidden cleverly in what appeared to be wide molding along the wall.
“Stop that, Ashe,” Evangeline said. “He’ll take it as an invitation to come and nag me to go home.”
Ashe wiggled her eyebrows. “He likes you in his bed.”
“Will you stop? You have sex on the brain,” Evangeline accused, wadding up a napkin and throwing it at her.
“I have to agree with Evangeline,” Ania said. “I just got through telling you my date was an ass, so no sex for me. Lately, I think I’m going out of my mind. Do not believe it when they say men aren’t needed. Toys are no substitute for the real deal.”
Both women looked sympathetic immediately. Ania realized what she’d said and looked around quickly. She couldn’t believe what she’d just revealed to the two women. She’d been coming in for the last few weeks, but she didn’t really know them that well yet.
The two bodyguards were suddenly a little more alert. Color began to climb. They were both a distance away, so hopefully neither had heard her.
“There isn’t audio on those cameras, is there?” she asked, lowering her voice even more.
Ashe shrugged. “Who knows what that paranoid brother-in-law of mine actually has installed down here.”
Evangeline narrowed her eyes at Ashe. “Don’t scare her. Fyodor hasn’t wired the place.”
“Don’t act like he wouldn’t. If you didn’t threaten to hit him over the head with one of your baking pans, he’d have you in a padded room naked, waiting for him.”
Evangeline rolled her eyes, but she blushed as well. “Probably true. I’m not saying another word.”
Two customers came in and Ashe jumped to her feet, waving Evangeline back into the chair. Immediately, Ania felt the difference in the two women. In the two bodyguards. Both men shifted in their seats. They’d looked sprawled out and lazy. Now they looked ready for action. Evangeline and Ashe exchanged a long look that clearly was of concern.
“I can handle them.” Ashe hurried to the counter. There was no smile of greeting like there normally was.
For some reason, and Ania had no idea why, she moved her chair just a little, just enough to cut off the two customers’ vision of Evangeline. If they wanted to see her, they would have to step out away from the counter and make it obvious to all occupants in the room.
“Who are they?” Ania asked. It wasn’t her business, but already she felt protective of Evangeline. She liked her. She found she was drawn to the bakery not only because she wanted to see Mitya again, and the lattes and baked goods were the best, but because she genuinely liked the two women.
“Cops. They’ve done things, tried to use me and this shop to find evidence against my husband. They have never found anything, but they won’t stop harassing us.” Honesty rang in Evangeline’s voice. “Those two pretended to be my friends. I’ve asked them repeatedly not to come back here. The last time it seemed as if the entire police department was here. Clearly they had hoped my brother-in-law Timur would come in before closing so they could make a scene and possibly destroy my business.” There was hurt in her voice as well as honesty.
“Should you call your lawyer? If you don’t have one, I do,” Ania said. “That’s not right.” She knew better than to jump into something when she didn’t have all the facts, especially since she’d met Mitya and there was no doubt that he was a criminal, or at least was very familiar with that world.
“No, it’s all right. They wouldn’t dare pull anything. They know we have cameras in here.”
One of the two cops stepped deliberately from the counter to face Evangeline. He glanced at each of the bodyguards and took a step toward her. Both men stood immediately. The tension in the room ratcheted up significantly.
“Evangeline, now would be a good time to head to the ladies’ room.” Ania stood up.