I walked into the study where I remembered spending a lot of time with my grandfather. I used to love pretending to be a real man, sitting on the dark leather couch and reading from one of the many antique books he had on the shelves. The second I opened the door, I was flooded with vivid memories. I looked at his favorite chair and could almost picture him sitting there, legs crossed, his glasses on the tip of his nose as he read.
I moved to stare at the wall where he had hung drawings of Greek gods and goddesses along with various artwork depicting Greek mythology. It was a subject he loved to read about. He was always telling me stories.
“He used to talk about those people like he knew them personally,” a female voice said behind me, and I spun around to find Nicole leaning against the doorway, staring up at the pictures.
She had a warm smile on her face. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, showing off her high cheekbones. She was wearing a pair of black slacks and the white button-up shirt I knew was the standard uniform for the staff. I was surprised to see her wearing it. My grandfather never enforced a uniform policy. I figured it must be a new thing.
“I know,” I said.
“I don’t believe in reincarnation per se, but if anyone was reincarnated, it was Alec,” she said, walking into the room. “I swear he lived in the time of Achilles. He was an old soul. He looked up to those men and women a lot.”
“Are you the only one here?” I asked her.
She nodded. “Yep. I was the only one who had no family and didn’t care if I worked the weekends or not. It’s just part of my regular schedule. I always looked forward to Saturdays because it was when it was just me and Alec. I didn’t have to stay busy in case the head of housekeeping saw me. I could get my work done and then sit around and chat with him.”
“I see.”
“I was just tidying up, making sure everything was clean in case you or someone else from the family came by,” she said. “Your grandfather kept a full staff because he hated clutter and dirt.”
“I know. I remember.”
“I’m sorry. Of course, you do. I’ll leave you alone. I have some dusting to do down the hall.” She walked out of the room.
I followed her, wanting to see the rest of the house. It was the proverbial walk down memory lane. She had stopped at a shelf, using a cloth to carefully dust a statue of one of the Greek gods my grandfather idolized.
“He’s had that thing forever,” I said with a laugh.
“It was one of his treasured possessions. My first day here, he pointed it out to me and told me he didn’t care if I broke every vase or window in the house, but to be extra careful with this statue and several of the others lining this hall.” She laughed. “I remembered I was terrified he was going to fire me when I dropped a brass figurine and he saw it. Thankfully, it was of something he didn’t care about, but he reminded me again that I had to be more careful with his other belongings.”
I smiled, remembering the same lecture. “He collected some of those pieces at a very young age. He would save up every bit of money he got to buy one.”
“They really are cool. In the United States, Greek mythology is a required class, but we barely scrape the surface of it. It was your grandfather who gave me all the dirty details. It is fun to imagine a world like that. Fun and a little frightening. Those gods had some serious revenge issues. They certainly did not believe in letting things be.”
I had to laugh. Maybe she wasn’t so bad. The fact she’d been close to my grandfather certainly earned her a few points in the good column. The crazy that I had seen was likely a side effect of the grief. I could understand that.
“Can we go upstairs?” I asked.
She looked at me, furrowing her brow. “It’s your house. You can go anywhere you please.”
“Will you go with me?” I asked, not wanting to visit his room alone.
She seemed to understand and nodded. We walked up the wide staircase together in no hurry. As we moved down the hall, I smelled lemon furniture polish. “It smells like I remember.”
“Lemon?”
I grinned, nodding. “Yep.”
She shook her head. “He was so old fashioned in that way. He said your grandmother used lemon furniture polish and it reminded him of her. The kind she used isn’t available around here anymore. I found it on eBay and ordered a full case, just so he could have that familiar smell.”
“Thank you. Really, thank you for doing the little things like that for him. He loved my grandmother a great deal. It wasn’t fair that he lost her so early in life.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
She pushed open the door to my grandfather’s room. There were a few pieces of new furniture, but the majority looked just like I remembered. I took a deep breath and walked inside. The curtains were open as well as the windows, letting in plenty of fresh air.
“He liked the curtains open,” I murmured.
“Yes, he did,” she said, moving around the room and straightening little things. “That became my thing. The nurse always left them closed. He hated it. I guess I should probably close them before I go, but it’s been a habit. I hate the room being closed up because I know he hated it.”
“Leave them open,” I said. “No one is going to break in.”
“Are you sure?”
I nodded. “I am.”
We moved back downstairs, stopping to talk about a painting or one of the many statues and busts on display. I followed her into the kitchen, where she handed me a bottle of soda from the fridge, taking one for herself as well.
“What did your grandfather mean when he said your past has to be forgotten?” she asked. “Is that why you’ve stayed away?”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t mean anything. It isn’t worth talking about.”
She seemed to understand I wasn’t going to discuss it any further and let the subject go. “I should probably get moving. We aren’t paid hourly, but I’m sure you want to be alone. You probably also already know, but his desk is locked. The key is in the top drawer if you want to get into it.”
“You know where the key is?” I asked with surprise.
“Yes. He had me get things out of the desk on occasion. I never snooped,” she quickly added.
“If he trusted you to know where the key was hidden, then I suppose I have to trust you as well.”
She nodded. “Do you need anything else before I go?”
I looked at her and realized there was something I needed—more like wanted. “Do you want to grab dinner later?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Ha. Ha.”
“I’m serious.”
“You want to have dinner with me?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.
“Yes. Do you have plans?”
“No, I don’t.”
I waited for her to give me a real answer.
“Well?” I asked, when she didn’t give me a direct answer.
“Sure,” she said, shrugging a shoulder as if having dinner with me was better than washing her hair.
“I can pick you up. Let me see your phone.” I held my hand out.
She hesitated but pulled the phone from her pocket and handed it over. I quickly input my number. “Text me the address where I can pick you up. Let’s say six?”
She nodded, looking a little unsure. “Okay.”
I watched as she took the phone back and quickly typed out a text. My phone vibrated once in my pocket to let me know I got it. “I’ll see you then.”
I walked her to the door and spotted a cab waiting for her. If I would have known she didn’t drive, I could have given her a ride home. I closed the door and turned to face the empty house once again. I needed to find out if there was anything pressing I needed to deal with concerning the estate. The letter hadn’t exactly given me a lot of details. I was assuming there was an official will on file, and I would be notified by an attorney eventually. In the meantime, I didn’t want the lights getting shut off or the staff not getting paid.
I went back into the study, feeling his absence as I sat down behind his desk. I found the key right where Nicole had said it would be and unlocked the lower drawer. I should have asked her about the finances. I had a feeling she would have probably known just about everything there was to know about the estate and anything to do with my grandfather.
I flipped through the files and found nothing that would give me a clue about what I needed to do to keep the house running. I sighed and closed the drawer, opening up the one above it. There, I found a picture of me when I was a little boy. I remembered the day the picture was taken. Those had been good days before everything had fallen apart. I hated the picture. I hated being reminded of a life I could never have again. I closed the drawer and left the study.
After another slow tour around the house, I went outside to check out the garden and found it to be exactly what I expected. It was beautiful.
I moved down a narrow path to the concrete bench that had my grandmother’s name engraved on it. It was his personal memorial to her. I sat down, inhaling the scent of the flowers and letting myself travel back in time. I could hear my grandfather telling me stories about his youth as we sat on the very same bench. He had been a vivid storyteller and always made his memories come alive.
God, I missed him.
Chapter 10
Nicole
I turned left, then right, checking my ass in the mirror. The thong I was wearing made sure I didn’t have any unsightly panty lines, but I didn’t want the image of two pigs in a blanket to come to mind when Rand saw me in the tight little black dress.
I smoothed it down, knowing it was probably a little much for a date that wasn’t really a date, but I didn’t exactly have a plethora of dresses. Alena had taken me to a few clubs, but I didn’t want to wear one of those dresses. Those dresses were meant to entice and flaunt. That was not the goal with my dinner date with Rand—the grandson of my late employer.
I wanted to look nice, not desperate. My hair was left loose, wanting to keep it casual. I grabbed the eyeliner from the small vanity and touched up my makeup. He’d only seen me in my daytime wear with almost no makeup and a rather unflattering uniform. I couldn’t explain why I wanted him to think I was attractive, but I did.
“You sure are going through a lot of trouble for a guy you wanted to kill a couple of days ago,” Alena commented, leaning against the bathroom door.
I grinned. “I was a little tense and may have misjudged him. I don’t think he’s as bad as I initially thought. Plus, I kind of want to get to know him a little better. Alec talked about him so much, I feel like I know him somewhat, but meeting him in person was different.”
“Yes, I think you mentioned something about the difference, like he was a raging asshole,” she said dryly.
“He might have been lashing out as well,” I said. “I’m not sure what the family dynamics are, but I get the idea he is not welcome in the family fold. He and his grandfather were close at one time, which means he has to be grieving. I feel bad for him. I don’t know if he has anyone to talk to about it. I think it’s why he asked me to dinner in the first place. He wants to get to know his grandfather again through me.”
She pursed her lips, slowly nodding her head. “You got all of that from a brief meeting today?”
“Yes. I can read people. Years of experience at reading people’s moods and temperaments has trained me well.”
“I suppose,” she answered, clearly not totally believing it.
I slid on a smack of lip gloss and took a step back to check out the image. It was my third chance to make a good first impression. They said the third time is a charm. I hoped that was the case tonight. I wanted to be friends with him. It was probably a little selfish of me, but I needed that tiny little connection to Alec.
There was a knock on the door. My eyes widened, and a flurry of butterflies erupted in my stomach. “Oh god, do I look okay?” I whispered as if he could hear me.
“You look fantastic. In my opinion, you look way too good to go out with the man you described on Thursday.”
“I told you, it was a misunderstanding.”
“Do you want me to answer the door or should we stand in the bathroom?” she asked sarcastically.
I shoved her out of the way. “You’re such a pain in my ass.”
“Which is why you love me,” she called.
I pulled open the door. Rand’s eyes widened as he took in my appearance. I immediately felt self-conscious. I had gone overboard. I looked at his own outfit and realized he was wearing a nice suit, minus the tie, and I relaxed a bit.
“Hi,” I said for lack of anything better to say.
“Hi.”
“Come in,” I said, remembering my manners.
I stepped back and nearly fell on my ass. Alena was standing immediately behind me. I turned and scowled at her. She smiled in return.
“Hi,” Alena greeted him.
“Hello.”
“Rand, this is my roommate Alena. Alena, Rand, Alec’s grandson.”
“You better be nice,” Alena said, doing her best to look fierce.
I elbowed her in the stomach. “I’m ready to go.”
“Great,” Rand said, giving Alena a careful once over.
“Have her home by eleven!” Alena called out when we moved toward the door.
I rolled my eyes. “Sorry. She’s incorrigible.”
Rand laughed. “She’s fine. It’s good to have someone looking out for you.”
“She definitely does that,” I said dryly.
“Does she live there with you?” he asked as we walked downstairs.
“It’s more like I live there with her,” I corrected.
He opened the door to a fancy little sports car. I wasn’t surprised to see he drove something flashy and expensive. I knew he was wealthy, and I had surmised he was a little on the cocky side. Ordinarily, I avoided men like him like the plague. I couldn’t deal with the egos, but Rand didn’t seem too bad.
We drove to a restaurant in the newer part of the city. It was a trendy place I had never been to, mostly because it was way out of my price range. I tried my best to act like I was one of the rich people sitting in the restaurant. I silently prayed I didn’t drop something or eat wrong. Growing up poor meant the rules were pretty lax. It was one of the few benefits of not having a lot of money.
I let Rand do the ordering, mostly because I couldn’t read the menu, but also because I had a feeling he was the kind of guy who would like to do that kind of thing. I kind of liked feeling like the little woman as well. For so much of my life, it had been me taking care of me. I liked the idea of someone looking out for me.
“So, what brought you to Greece?” he asked.
It was an innocent question. I had been asked the same question countless times, most recently by Alec. I couldn’t remember what I had told him but figured it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to be telling anyone I had told him anything different.
“I was looking for an adventure,” I lied easily. “I came here with the intention of being a beach bum, and the place just kind of grew on me.”
He grinned. “The beaches are awesome. Do you surf?”
I scoffed. “No. Absolutely not. There are sharks in the water. Haven’t you watched Shark Week?”
He chuckled softly, drinking from his glass of wine. “Honestly, the sharks off our coasts aren’t quite as vicious as the sharks you see on your TV shows. Plus, the beaches are always loud and crowded, and that scares off the sharks. Most of the time.”
“Most of the time? That’s reassuring.”
“Adrian and I had a minor run-in with a shark a little while ago. I think the shark was curious. It came, it saw, and it went away, leaving all our limbs and digits intact.”
I shook my head. “I think a shark would look at me and think I looked rather meaty and tasty. Nobody wants to chew on muscle,” I quipped before realizing what I said.
I could feel the blush and tried to pretend
I hadn’t actually spoken the words aloud. He was grinning like a fool, which told me I had absolutely spoken the compliment out loud. It was the truth. He was muscular and probably had zero fat on him. I didn’t think sharks were stupid. Why would they want to eat muscle and bone?
“That’s a good point,” he said. “How long had you worked for my grandfather?”
“Two years. I, uh, I was looking for a job after I realized I wanted to stick around. Alena knew someone who knew someone, and the rest is history. What about you? Your grandfather said you started a company?”
“Not me, technically. My friend, Adrian Gabris. I work there, and he won’t say it, but I will—I’m the backbone of that place. Without me, he would have crashed and burned a long time ago.”
I burst into giggles. “That sounds a lot like something your grandfather would say.”
“He was speaking the truth,” he said. “How long do you plan on staying in Greece?”
I bit my bottom lip, not entirely sure how to answer that. “I’m not sure. I don’t want to leave anytime soon.”
“What about your family back home?” he pressed.
“They want me to be here,” I quickly answered. “What about you? Do you plan on moving back to Athens?”
“Nope.”
His curt answer told me it wasn’t a subject he wanted to discuss. I understood the sentiment. I didn’t want to talk about my family either. I sensed we both came to an understanding on the matter.
We chatted a bit more, keeping our conversation focused on safe topics. I was desperate to ask him what it was that had driven him away from his family, but I kept my mouth shut. The dinner was good, and I didn’t want to ruin it by being nosey. It was none of my damn business.
At the end of the night, I was feeling good about the way our date had gone. I didn’t necessarily feel a romantic spark, but I was absolutely attracted to him. How could I not be? He was gorgeous, and once the asshole layer had been shed, I was treated to a very charming man that probably wooed women as a side thing.
My Favorite Mistake Page 6