— Good morning, Dad! — Irma, as usual, stepped into his office before the start of the workday, strode confidently to the large desk, and planted a kiss on her father’s cheek. — How’s your mood? How are things?
Stephen Wozniak, as was his habit, took his daughter’s hand in one of his and gave it a gentle pat with the other. That was the extent of their affection.
— Things are like a clock. Wind it up right, and it’ll keep ticking.
Her father was already settled at his computer, scrolling through the latest news. He didn’t like reading on his phone. Irma wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his now-graying hair, asking:
— Anything interesting in the headlines?
— Interesting to whom?
— To you.
— They’re forecasting black ice tomorrow. And it’ll stick around all week. Not just rain turning to snow, but people slipping and falling too. So, there’s a good chance we’ll have our hands full.
Stephen Wozniak was an orthopedic surgeon and had owned a trauma center for the past ten years. Irma worked there as a physical therapist and rehabilitation specialist.
— The city ER will feel it first, — Irma noted.
— True enough, but all the complicated or tricky cases will end up with us. You know about the deal with the mayor. They’ve set aside funds for exactly this. So, brace yourself.
— Dad, why worry about it now? We’ve been through this kind of thing before. But your big five-oh? That’s a first. I hope the plans haven’t changed? We’re still meeting the day after tomorrow at your country house, right?
Her father rubbed his face with both hands.
— I completely forgot to tell you.
— Tell me what?
— Yes, we’re meeting the day after tomorrow outside the city. But Nina’s planned a party themed around the Roaring Twenties. And everyone’s expected to come with a plus-one.
Nina was Stephen Wozniak’s second wife, significantly younger than him.
— Why the sudden change? — Irma straightened up, surprised, and walked around the desk. She sat in the chair across from her father. — Just two days ago, it was supposed to be a celebratory lunch.
— What’s the big deal? — Stephen Wozniak’s brow furrowed instantly as he leaned back in his chair. — We just tweaked the original plan. Moved it to the evening. The date’s the same, and it’s been fifty years in the making. What’s got you upset? Be specific, point by point.
Irma could have listed her objections point by point, but she saw no sense in it. Whenever her father started defending Nina, he wouldn’t hear anything against her intentions, words, or actions. On one hand, it was almost sweet—few men were so devoted to their wives. On the other, it created a heap of problems for everyone else close to Stephen.
Now Irma had to find a dress fitting the theme in just two—well, more like one and a half—days, and on top of that, find herself a date. Someone willing to walk into the lion’s den with her. Even with his own daughter, Stephen Wozniak wasn’t always as calm and open as he was today. The only person who currently held significant sway over him, and who could get away with almost anything, was his second wife.
Who was Nina trying to provoke this time with her new rules—Irma or her mother, Stephen’s first wife? Of course, it could be someone else entirely, since Nina was quite the schemer. But considering her strained relationship with both Irma and Faina Wozniak, the first guess seemed more likely. So Irma stood up and forced a smile.
— I’m fine with it. I’ll definitely show up in a stunning dress with a date on my arm. — Her father narrowed his eyes. Who did he think her date would be? Irma herself had no idea. Not yet. — Now I’ve got to run to work. As you always say: time is money and reputation, and lost time is lost money and lost reputation.
— Exactly, — her father agreed.
Irma smiled even wider, blew her father a kiss, and left the office. As she walked down the hallway, her smile faded. She’d deal with finding the right dress later today, or maybe tomorrow, but as for a date… Irma pulled her phone from her pocket and scrolled to the right contact. A cute gray kitten popped up as the background on her screen.
— Good morning, — a pleasant male voice answered. — How’s it going?
— Hey, Fred. How are things? — Irma wasn’t sure how to squeeze everything she wanted to say into one sentence. — Let’s meet for lunch. We need to talk.
— Is it urgent? — Fred asked with a slight hesitation.
— Very, — Irma confirmed, glancing impatiently at her watch. In just a few minutes, she was supposed to be examining a patient. — Meet me at our usual spot at one o’clock. Okay?
— Okay.
With that, Irma ended the call. Work came first, always.
Fred Andrienko was a handsome guy. Irma was reminded of that once again as she watched him weave through the café toward their table. His light, wavy hair was swept back, his blue eyes framed by long lashes, his build lean and elegant in his well-tailored clothes… By the way, a tuxedo would definitely suit him. Back in the Twenties, men wore tuxedos to parties, didn’t they? She’d have to think about an outfit for her date too.
Darn it! Why did everything have to be so complicated?
Irma and Fred had been in the same university class and had been just friends for a long time. But one night, unexpectedly for both of them, they ended up sleeping together. Fred was Irma’s first. Since then, they started meeting up alone more often. Their friends called them a couple, and they didn’t deny it. Though they hadn’t made any plans for a shared future, they usually attended events together.
Fred gave Irma a quick kiss on the lips and settled into the seat across from her.
— I’ve already ordered for us, — she informed him, then got straight to the point. — Fred, my dad’s big birthday is the day after tomorrow.
— I know. You’ve mentioned it a few times already. — Fred looked into her eyes and shook his head. — Are you nervous? That’s not like you.
— I’m not nervous. It’s just… — Irma smoothed her hair. — Something’s bugging me.
— Can I help with anything? — Fred asked immediately. He was always so attentive. — You know I’d do anything for you.
Perfect timing for that question and statement. It made her task a lot easier.
— You can, — Irma nodded right away. — I need you to come with me to the birthday party the day after tomorrow. It’s couples only, and as you can imagine, I can’t skip my own father’s celebration.
Fred froze for a moment, then blinked a few times.
— I think I might’ve overstated things a bit. — Irma tensed. — I’d do anything for you… except this.
— But…
— Irma, I can’t. Honestly. Your dad will just look right through me again, like I’m nobody. Every time we’ve gone to an event together, he asks about my job and future plans in front of everyone, then doesn’t even listen to my answers!
— Fred, sweetheart, Dad talks to everyone like that. At least he asks you questions. Most people, he just ignores. I’ll talk to you, I promise. So much that you’ll get tired of me.
— Please don’t try to convince me. I have my pride too, and I don’t want to feel like a second-class citizen.
— What are you talking about? No one thinks of you as second-class!
— You don’t, but your family… To them, I’m just some ordinary ENT doctor from a local clinic.
Irma had never seen him so hurt before.
— Fred, that’s not a life sentence, — Irma took his hand and squeezed it. She spoke as convincingly as she could: — Don’t overthink it. Everything will be fine, you’ll see.
— Maybe, but I don’t want to feel the way I always do around your father, not again.
— So… — Irma frowned. — I can’t count on you?
— Now you’re upset.
— I’m not upset, — Irma muttered. Though, okay, maybe a little.
— I can tell. Ask someone else.
— Wait… What do you mean, someone else? And you won’t even be jealous?
— I will be. But it’s just an invitation to a party, not to… well, you know what I mean.
Irma shook her head, displeased.
— I don’t like any of this.
— I hope my refusal doesn’t mess up our plans. We’re still on for Sunday, right?
— What? — Irma heard what Fred said but didn’t immediately process it. — Oh! Yeah. Everything’s as usual…
* * *
Fred’s refusal made everything so much harder.
Irma had suspected that her, let’s say, very close friend wouldn’t be thrilled about attending her father’s birthday, but she’d hoped to talk him into it. No such luck. Apparently, her feminine influence over him wasn’t limitless.
It was a bitter defeat. Irma wasn’t asking Fred to swim across an ocean, climb a mountain, or blast off into space for her sake!
Irma forced herself to breathe slower and not nitpick, because if she thought about it, Fred wasn’t entirely to blame.
It had been a while since Fred and Stephen Wozniak first met, but from the very start and up to this day, her father hadn’t taken Fred seriously. Why that was, Irma still couldn’t figure out. You’d think a stern, authoritative man like Stephen Wozniak would appreciate someone as polite and non-confrontational as Fred, but no, that hadn’t happened. At least her father didn’t get upset when she showed up to events with Fred on her arm.
Whatever the case, now she had to keep looking for a date. After weighing all her options, a frustrated Irma called her longtime friend, someone she’d shared everything with since their first year of university. She’d even met Fred later, and the three of them had become close friends.
— Hannah, hey. I need you.
— Urgently? — a melodic voice chimed through the phone. — I’m booked with appointments until five. Can it wait?
— Desperately, — Irma sighed. — But it can wait. I have no choice. Let’s meet at our usual spot at five-thirty then.
— Deal. Just order me something to eat, okay? I’ll be starving.
— Got it…
While Irma waited for her friend at the same café she’d been to at lunch, she kept mulling over the fact that there were, of course, other options. Two, to be exact. The first was to show up to the party without a date, but then Nina would have an extra reason to gloat. She’d phrase it as sympathy, but both of them would know it wasn’t sincere. The second option was to skip the party altogether. But not showing up to Stephen Wozniak’s milestone birthday was the worst possible choice, because Irma not only loved her father but respected him deeply, and she couldn’t bear to hurt him by being absent.
Suddenly, a hand waved in front of her face. Irma flinched.
— You really didn’t see me? — Hannah Holovan, her best friend and a total doll, laughed softly. Long blonde hair, blue eyes, heart-shaped lips, and a guitar-shaped figure currently wrapped in a stunning floral jacquard blue coat.
— You scared me! — Irma frowned, but only for a moment, because it was impossible to stay mad at Hannah. — I really didn’t see you, which is weird. You’re absolutely gorgeous. Is that a new coat?
— Yep, — Hannah took it off, hung it on the rack conveniently placed near their table, and revealed a form-fitting woolen blue dress. The woman’s femininity was something to envy. Even the men at the next table couldn’t help but notice her. — Did you forget to order? — Hannah gracefully sat down.
— Nope. Everything’s taken care of, just the way you like it—potato pancakes with mushroom gravy. They’ll bring it soon.
Not only had nature blessed Hannah with a near-perfect figure, but it also gifted her with a metabolism that let her eat whatever she wanted without worry.
Irma, on the other hand, didn’t restrict herself either. She just sometimes forgot to eat and ended up looking almost too thin.
— You’re a lifesaver! — Hannah checked herself in a small mirror and tucked it back into her purse. — What can I do for you?
— I’m really hoping you can help. You’re my last resort. I literally have no one else to ask about this, — Irma sighed nervously.
— Hey, why so down? That’s not like you. Now I’m intrigued, — Hannah raised a perfectly shaped left eyebrow.
But before Irma could gather her thoughts, their order arrived. She waited until the waitress left, picked up her fork as if it might somehow help, and began:
— I urgently need a man. — Hannah blinked a few times, probably caught off guard. — Well, not urgently. For the day after tomorrow.
— I must be slow today. Maybe it’s solar flares or something? — Hannah glanced at the fork Irma was tapping on the table. — I can tell this is serious. You’re saying you need a man? What happened to Fred? Where is he?
— Fred’s still around. I talked to him during lunch, — Irma grumbled, irritated. — But he said no.
— Said no to what exactly? — Hannah asked cautiously. — Maybe you should start from the beginning?
— From the beginning? Fair point. Go ahead and eat, or it’ll get cold.
Hannah picked up her fork.
— Alright. I’ll eat, and you talk.
— You remember my dad’s big birthday is the day after tomorrow, right?
— Of course! How could I forget?
— Well, Nina decided to scrap the idea of a celebratory lunch. She’s got it in her head to throw a party styled after the 1920s.
— Wow! — Hannah neatly cut her potato pancake into small pieces and popped one into her mouth.
— Tell me about it. — Irma speared a big piece of her own pancake and dunked it decisively into the gravy. — And it’s couples only. Can you believe it?
— What do you mean? So, you can’t go to your own dad’s birthday without a date?
— I can, of course. Who’s going to stop me? Let them try. — Irma sighed. — But just imagine how thrilled Nina will be if I show up alone!
— You’re right. That’s a sticky situation.
— I just don’t get what Nina’s trying to achieve with these ridiculous rules. Who’s she targeting—me or my mom?
— Honestly, I’ve never been able to figure out her motives, and now even less so. She seems nice enough, smart too, always a top student. Heck, she was even our friend for a while! Though not for long.
— Exactly—not for long. Right up until the moment Stephen Wozniak fell for her. Can you believe I personally brought her into our home? It doesn’t matter that my parents were already divorced by then. Back then, Dad still came over to see Mom and me often, and I hoped they’d get back together. What did Nina do to charm him? Heaven only knows!
— No one really knows the rules of attraction. There are so many theories that…
— Forget the theories! Just tell me where I can find a date for one evening, someone I won’t owe my entire life to afterward?
— So Fred really refused? He straight-up said no? — Hannah asked skeptically.
— Yep, — Irma confirmed with a mouthful of food.
— That’s not like him at all, — Hannah reacted, surprised. — Fred never says no to you. Or at least, he never used to.
— Turns out, Fred’s capable of it. I even understand him. A little. He and my dad have… a weird dynamic. But by refusing, Fred’s made things so much harder for me. Way harder.
— I feel for you.
— I’m glad you do. So, do you have any suggestions or ideas?
For a while, Hannah chewed thoughtfully, and Irma didn’t waste time either. She ordered coffee and a slice of walnut cake for each of them. Finally, Hannah pushed her plate aside and said:
— Sorry, but I’m drawing a blank. Unless you want to borrow my Vitaliy for the evening. He doesn’t care where he goes as long as there’s good food.
— No, I won’t take yours. But why Vitaliy? Wasn’t your boyfriend’s name Vsevolod?
— You’re so observant, Irma, it’s almost funny. Vsevolod and I split up two months ago.
— Sorry. But why did you break up? You said Vsevolod was a decent guy.
— Exactly—decent, but nothing special. By the way, I’m not even sure Vitaliy is the one either. I can’t imagine introducing him to Movchan.
— Why would you, if Vitaliy isn’t a keeper? And why bring up your brother all of a sudden?
— Didn’t I tell you? Movchan’s flying in tonight…