Svetlana wasn't the only one who'd never have seen this friendship forming. How could anyone have expected it to? She'd taken this woman's husband away from her, from his children, for a year. And, had things been different, had Bangkok never happened or if things had unfolded differently, she might have still been with him. It was strange to consider and she didn't do it often. She'd seen him with his girls, and though she couldn't take back all that had happened, she was grateful things had gone the way they had. She had Freddie back, and for all their issues, she knew he loved her and he'd do everything he could to keep her. And she felt the same. And, from the time the two couples had spent together, she was relatively certain Anatoly felt much the same where Svetlana was concerned.
So though she was surprised when the blonde woman showed up at her door, she wasn't panicked or shocked. She merely lifted her eyebrows at the bottle in Svetlana's hand and nodded. Sometimes it amazed her how intuitive the woman could be. But then, Svetlana hadn't earned her ice queen reputation for nothing. She was people smart, watching and learning and considering before ever making any sort of play. Amusingly similar to how Florence approached her chess games and she found that she rather enjoyed it.
"Can't say I'd turn it down," she replied agreeably, opening the door wider and motioning for the Russian woman to come inside. "I'm sure Freddie says hello, but good luck pulling him away from the board for more than thirty seconds. Some play from 1970's match he's been trying to recreate."