Jessica's Fate

Chapter 46

I finished up with the cupcakes, putting them on a tray and setting some of them out in the showcase in the diner and putting the rest in a covered container in the walk in. I eyed the time, deciding I had enough time to make Raven some pirozhki. Pirozhki were stuffed meat pastries and his third favorite thing that I'd learned to make behind the borsch and rye bread. They also made for a fun diner special with a side of beet and carrot salad and mashed potatoes. The potatoes were added because Uncle decreed that a starch was needed on a diner special. I tried to talk him out of it but, well, he won and it didn't matter anyway, people loved them. With or without potatoes.

I got the dough started and was chopping onions for the filling when Uncle arrived. His eyes gleamed when he saw what I was working on. "Hey." I smiled.

"Ah, baby bird. Good idea for tonight's special." He said.

"Thanks. I'm taking about a dozen of them for Raven though." I said.

"There will still be enough." He nodded. "A small price to pay for you learning how to make them and bringing them to us." He smiled and kissed my cheek before going into the office and leaving me to work.

I found a few other things to work on while the pirozhki baked and when they were done, I packaged a dozen for Raven and left the rest in a covered hotel pan in the oven for the dinner special. "Okay, Uncle. I'm leaving for the day." I poked my head into the office. "The kitchen is all yours for the evening."

He grinned at me and got up, tying his bandana around his forehead. "Thank you, baby bird." He said. "Have a good night."

"Thanks." I gave a little finger wave and headed out with my container. I stopped at home for a quick shower and was soon on my way again, hair up in a high pony tail, wearing a pair of flip flops and sunglasses... a sleeveless top and a pair of cut-offs. I was more excited and anxious about maybe... MAYBE... talking to Tony tonight than I was about having a good conversation with Raven. Which he totally picked up on as soon as we sat down and I'd handed over the container of pirozhki.

"Good." He commented, peeking at them. "They will not last long."

"I bet they won't." I smiled, switching to Russian. "Are your brothers even going to get any of them?"

He responded in his native tongue, as was our habit after initial pleasantries were exchanged. "Maybe Corey. He doesn't piss me off the way Axel does sometimes."

"Or the way your wife does?" I arched an eyebrow at him. He huffed a sigh and took a long drink of the coffee he'd ordered. "That bad this week, hmm?"

"The worst." He rolled his eyes and told me about the latest installment in the Kayli saga.

I tried to keep an open mind because, hey, she was his wife and even if she didn't seem to like me, she didn't seem to like anyone and even Sang had told me about how hard it was to get along with her.

And SANG, unerringly, got along with everyone, well, practically everyone she ever met. Unless they flat out did something abusive to her, as was such with the things I'd picked up on over the years with regards to her mother, the way her father treated her, the principal and vice principal of the school... that drugged out psycho chick ... yeah, you know, now that I think about it, that wasn't such a great list to start compiling. Needless to say, she did typically like everyone and would often bend over backwards to please them.

"Well, I'm sorry that she's been so difficult this week." I said. "You don't have to share the pirozhki with her at all. Ever." I smiled.

He tilted his head and studied me. "You're on edge." He pointed a finger at me. "What is wrong?"