Robert woke thinking of Katerina. He barely knew her, yet he couldn’t get her out of his head. She came from a different world, from a life he couldn’t begin to understand. Listening to her speak of her childhood fascinated him, just as he loved sharing his world with her. Who knew grocery stores didn’t exist in the Soviet Union? Or that families had to wait their turn to buy things like refrigerators?
With food in mind, he ordered a selection of items off the room service menu: croissants, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, sausage. Once that task was complete, he grabbed a quick shower while he waited for the food to arrive.
Practice today, a game tomorrow. Time with Katerina this morning. A jolt of anticipation rippled through him. What was it about her that captivated him?
Her beauty had captured him immediately, but he couldn’t deny he found her an interesting challenge. Whether it was the cultural differences or Katerina’s serious nature, Robert couldn’t deny his fascination or his desire to spend more time with her, even if it was to simply share fresh fruit and whipped cream.
Before he’d met her, nothing had mattered more than winning the next game. He needed to win the next game, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t explore the joys in life outside of the ice rink. His best friend on the team, Miles Donnelly, had been married for six of the eight seasons he’d been with the Canadiens, and he carried with him an air of contentment Robert had never quite understood.
The thought of Miles brought a new idea to the surface. Miles had already gained permission to stay in Toronto for an extra night to attend some event with his wife, Linda. Maybe their coach would let Robert stay behind an extra night as well. Surely Miles and Linda could give him a ride back to Montreal.
Robert dressed for the day, certain he must be crazy. Who changed their schedule around for a woman they barely knew? He didn’t even know if Katerina’s interest in him went beyond curiosity and friendship.
When breakfast arrived, he had the waiter set the food on the dresser. No need to heighten suspicions of who he was sharing his meal with.
As soon as Robert was alone again, he picked up the service tray and carried it onto the balcony.
Katerina already stood outside, the breeze tugging at her hair, her gaze on the city. She turned toward him. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.” He nodded at the food and asked, “Are you ready for breakfast?”
“I am.”
Robert held out the tray. “Can you hold this for a minute?”
Katerina took it from him, and Robert climbed over the rail. She set the food on the table and stared. “So much food.”
“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I ordered a little of everything.” He pulled out a chair for her.
Katerina settled into it.
“Besides,” Robert said, “anything we don’t eat, my teammates will finish for us.”
Panic streaked across her face. “Do your teammates know about me?”
“Not really. My best friend, Miles, knows I met someone, but I didn’t tell him anything else.” Robert poured them each a glass of orange juice. “Maybe I’m being selfish, but I didn’t want anyone to intrude on our time together.”
“If anyone knew I was talking to you—” Katerina began.
“I promise, I’m not going to get you in trouble.” Robert lifted the basket of croissants and held it out.
She took one, and her fingers brushed his. The simple contact shouldn’t have sent his pulse racing. The fact that it did pushed him to ask, “Can I see you tonight?”
Katerina shook her head. “I won’t be back until very late, and tomorrow . . .” Her voice trailed off. “Tomorrow is a big day at work.”
“What about an early breakfast tomorrow?” Robert asked.
“I can’t. My chaperone will be watching everything I do from the time I leave today.”
“Why?”
Katerina opened her mouth only to snap it shut. After a brief hesitation, she said, “I guess you could say tomorrow is the first day of our diplomatic mission.”
“Sounds serious.” Disappointment seeped through him. “Where do you go after Toronto?”
“Montreal. We’ll be there two weeks. After that, we go to New York.”
“I live in Montreal.” Robert considered the possibilities. If his team kept winning, they would be at home for at least part of the time Katerina was in town. “Do you know which hotels you’ll be staying in?”
“No. Not yet.”
“If you can’t meet me tonight, what about tomorrow night?”
“I thought you had to leave tomorrow.”
“I think I can stay one more night,” Robert said. “If not, I can call you.”
“I don’t have a phone.”
“What? All the rooms have phones.” Robert glanced through the sliding-glass door into her room. Sure enough, the table where a phone should have been was empty, a phone cord poking out from the wall beneath it. Even the television was missing from the dresser. “Why did someone take your phone out of your room?”
“Who would I call?” Katerina asked. “Even if I wanted to talk to someone, they would be listening.”
“Who would be listening?”
“The KGB.”
The KGB? It sounded like they were in a spy movie. Surely, the KGB didn’t concern themselves with spying on their own citizens. With the telephone not an option, Robert opted for plan B. “If you don’t have a phone, I can send you a telegram.”
Instantly, she reached out to grip his hand. “You can’t do that. They’ll read it.”
“Who?”
“My chaperone or the security team.” She withdrew her hand and waved toward the rooms to her left. “Please, promise you won’t try to contact me.”
Someone reading her messages? Robert couldn’t imagine anyone violating his privacy that way. The stark contrast of her world and his struck him, but he couldn’t resist pushing for another few minutes with her. “I’ll promise on one condition.”
“What?”
“Meet me here tomorrow night.”
“I won’t be back until very late.”
“I don’t care,” Robert said. “I want to spend time with you. I want to know more about you.” When she didn’t respond, he added, “Please?”
“I’ll try.”