Snowflake Circus

Part 14

Maksim winched. He could only guess how much Alik's words had insulted her, for there was nothing in her face to indicate she was feeling anything at all.

Tess came in after her husband, her sunglasses pushed up and carrying a big box.

"Hi, sorry for coming without notice." She turned her attentions straight on Laura and to Maksim's surprise that eased her posture tremendously. She let out a gasp, cleared her hands from the cups, but Tess dismissed her saying she just need to show where to put it and she'd be alright. The way the two hit it off right away and introduced themselves to each other with ease, scared Maksim and seemingly so his brother, who took a nonvolunteer step back. Now that was worth a grin.

"Don't let us disturb your serene paradise here, we're just gonna sit outside, get some sun and then go back tomorrow."

Maksim froze. "Tomorrow?"

"It's too late to head back, especially if we want to sunbath."

"I don't know about that..."

"Why not?"

"I..." He had no good excuse.

"Awwwh!" The front door slammed and Kaspar let out another long whine. "More grown ups!"

"No, guests!" Maksim corrected the boy, then rose his eyes and was taken back by other's blinking at his direction. "What? He's my little brother! He's not grown up, he's -"

"Teenager in old man's form?" Tess offered coldly.

"Exactly!"

"Then we don't have to listen to them?" Victor asked with a knowing look in his not at all innocent eyes.

Maksim's lips refused to say it. It would have been so easy! So easy! Just say the words, just give them permission!

"Yes, you do!" Laura clapped her hands to get their attention. "Go tell others Tess got us some open pie for lunch!"

"Who's Tess?"

"I am." The blond beauty pointed at herself and watched as the boys backed out and ran to inform others about the new aliens.

"Keep it together!" She gave him a playful hook into his left side before concentrating on opening the package and Tess thought better to join her. Alik tried to glare him down, but was first to give in, when he was pushed away from the way of the eldest of the boys. She quickly introduced them to each other and Maksim grinned with passion knowing there was no way for his brother to learn them by heart over the couple days.

"After this we're gonna go swimming, wanna join?" She asked the couple, but her eyes roamed around, doing the head count. They nodded. "Where's Anton? Petro, you did tell him he was not allowed off the grounds? All four of you – not a step outside without our permission!"

"I did!" the boy scoffed and grabbed for a piece.

"Then where is he?"

"Urmas was talking to him."

"OK." She wasn't worried, but she did remove two pieces of pie from the center and set them aside before everything could disappear.

"Healthy growers here," Alik commented to Tess, towering over them. Maksim spurted and Laura automatically gave him a towel to clean himself. "They are fine lads." He added with approving nod.

He would have answered to the poke, if Jevgeni's sudden tensing hadn't pulled his attention away. The boy immediately looked up to check, who had seen it and their eyes met.

"Yes, they are." He said. The boy hunched back, turning back to his pie, but Maksim didn't divert his eyes.

The second the boys were finished with the pie, they dispersed, searching for their swimming trunks. Laura began cleaning up and Tess helped. His brother started towards the door with a sly comment of not wanting to be on their way. He beelined between the women and grabbed him by his biceps.

"If you want to stay," he said, dead serious, "you will rein in your bravura and supermodel act, got that?" His brother stared at him with obvious shock. "You will not drink in front of them, you will not smoke in front of them! You do not use profanities and you will not make slide remarks regarding their parenthood, their financial state or on anything that will make them miserable!"

"Wow, older brother act!" Alik retorted, but raised his hands in mark of surrender nevertheless.

Maksim let his hand go.

"Good for you, lady, you've got him under your foot!" He turned his attention to Laura instead and hadn't Laura hooked her finger discretely around his belt loop, he would have attacked him for the provocation. He literally ran, laughing like crazy for about six feet before they could hear him swear through the window.

Tess stood, awkwardly holding plates by the sink. He had all the respect for the woman, sometimes mixed with pity regarding how he was treating his wife, but most of all he always liked her. But now, he did not feel sorry for causing the scene. He knew his brother better than any of them and he was a predator through and through – he would use any weakness to satisfy his need to feel superior, even if his "enemy" was a little kid. It might make him ruthless businessman, but it made him one lousy family man. He did not want it around if it made boys uncomfortable.

He turned, and saw Jevgeni standing behind them, eyes wide and he groaned, feeling suddenly very small. Laura pat him on his back and he couldn't tell if it was meant as encouragement or to say "way to go".

Jevgeni moved first, holding four pairs of trunks, which he shoved all into his left hand, his eyes steady on him.

"He's not that bad." He tried to sooth over his harsh words about his brother and Jevgeni nodded.

"Thank you." Was all he said and he was gone, leaving all the grownups awkwardly standing, not quite sure what he thanked him for.

Tess turned to the sink and started the water and Laura suggested him to go and check boys preparations for the swimming.