to call to see us—”
Pnina cleared her throat, cutting Everett off. “This is not a friendly visit.”
Everett looked between us.
“Correct,” I said. “In one way. Though I still consider this a friendly visit.”
Pnina nodded, urging me to go on. I didn’t need her permission nor did I seek it. There was something else at stake.
“I love your daughter,” I said. “I’d trade my life to see her safe. I’d sacrifice my life for the honor of hers. I’m not here to ask your permission, but to get your blessing.”
“Charlotte?” Everett asked. He looked almost eager.
Charlotte was Scarlett’s sister. And hell no. The rest of my life would consist of fuck me, the equivalent of why me, if she were the one I called mine.
“No,” I said, meeting his eye. “Scarlett.”
Her father said nothing. He stared at me for some time until he stood, going to the bar in the corner and pouring more cognac into his glass. He kept his back turned to us, staring out of the window again.
Of course, where his children were considered, Pnina ran that ship.
Pnina stared at the tattoo on my arm again. Her mind worked, though she kept her face intentionally blank. I had seen the woman do it too many times to count. Though she tried her damnedest not to, she was easy to read, yet almost impossible to understand.
She took another drink of her coffee, her finger tapping against the glass after she had brought it down. “Scarlett is only sixteen. She is just a girl.”
“I’m well aware,” I said. “I’ve taken her age into consideration.”
She nodded. “What do you expect us to do? Give you her hand in marriage?”
My lip quirked up. No one would give Scarlett to me. She had been mine ever since that night out in the snow. Maybe even longer.
I was here for one reason. To make sure this woman didn’t send my heart to another country because she refused to do what the world insisted was her destiny. Dance.
“She’s not preforming as she once was. She’s hurting.” I paused. “And she’s rebelling.”
Pnina narrowed her eyes at me. I had hit a nerve.
If there was one way to get the woman to see clearly, it was to discuss Scarlett in terms of business. What good was a ballerina who refused to dance? And not just any ballerina. One that was destined to do great things.
I was told that making arrangements such as this one ran in my blood. I had no doubt that it did. However, I never expected to make one in the name of love.
One way or another, Scarlett would stay put and I’d have her. This woman sent her away much too often and for extended stretches of time. Scarlett needed to be home. For now.
“I see you have been well informed,” Pnina said, the words “go on” on the tip of her tongue. Though she refused to say them.
I grinned at that. “Allow her to go to school,” I said. “Give her something to concentrate on. Give her some normalcy for a change. Offer her the chance to feel like a normal kid. She’s already graduated from high school. I get that.”
Scarlett was not only talented beyond what the law should allow, but she was extremely smart. She had teachers from all over the world, and not just for dance. She had completed high school at sixteen.
Little wonder. Apart from dance, all she did was read and study. Nothing else felt safe enough for Pnina. The girl had danced for royalty but probably had never gone to the movies.
I went on, sensing that Pnina’s interest had been piqued. “The public school will be accommodating enough to let her have a normal year or two, even if it’s all for show. Her best friend Violet will be with her. Scarlett has asked to go before. I doubt she will turn down the opportunity now. And relatively speaking, keeping her contained on the school grounds will keep her safe enough while allowing her the freedom that she needs. It’s not even college. High school. Safe enough.”
Safe enough. I said the phrase twice. Pnina knew what I had intended with that comment. Keep her legs safe enough.
“You have no idea how talented she is, do you? What is in store for her?”
“Ah,” I said. “I do. Or I wouldn’t be sitting here today. That’s why I’ve come to you. She’s been through a lot. I want what’s best for Scarlett. I’ll do whatever it takes to