by Holly Rayner
“In that case, you’d better let me help,” said Zoey, pulling off her cashmere sweater to reveal a black polo underneath. Placing the sweater on a clean, unused table, she donned a spare white apron and walked to the Greek’s side. “Now let’s try it together,” she said. “What’s the first thing we need to do?”
Stelios put the baking pan he was holding down and grinned. “The first thing we need to do is dice two onions.”
Zoey tried desperately not to show it, but after everything that had happened to her recently, Stelios’ romantic surprise was having a profound effect upon her. A billionaire—a man who could literally have whatever he wanted—had nearly burned down the kitchen of his own five-star restaurant trying to impress her. She felt weightless and impossibly heavy all at once, but she had to focus; Stelios had just slipped a sharp knife in her hand.
His hand gently cupped her left one, pushing the fingers into a loose fist on top of an onion he had just cut in half. His right hand gripped the knife handle, just behind Zoey’s right wrist, and guided it to a point on the onion a hair’s breadth away from her fingers.
“Use your left hand to feed the onion into the blade,” Stelios said, slowly guiding her, “while the right one rocks the blade through it.”
“And I’m not going to cut my fingers?” Zoey asked worriedly as the sharp blade fell incredibly close to them.
“No,” Stelios smiled. “Your knuckles are going to keep that from happening. Plus, the more you do it, the easier it gets.”
When the onions were sufficiently diced, Stelios chopped up some dill while Zoey crumbled a block of feta. The Greek was working much more slowly than before, and Zoey noted there was far less banging than she had heard on the way in.
“Who taught you how to cook, anyway?” Zoey asked, watching Stelios measure cups of wine and chicken broth. “Did someone show you how or are you just trying to look like you know what you’re doing?” she said with a playful smile.
“A little bit of both,” Stelios laughed. “My mother loved showing me how to cook her food. I remember her saying, ‘You may be in America now, but you should always have something from your country’. She used to make the most wonderful tirokroketes. You’d happily fight people to get to them.”
“And tirokroketes are…?” Zoey asked, as she fetched butter and ground beef from the fridge.
“Basically, they’re fried cheese balls.”
“That sounds delicious. My mother and I never really did any cooking together, except once, when I needed to make brownies for a school fundraiser. We got all the ingredients together and my mom dug up a cookbook she’d bought when I was about four. For some reason, she’d never used it. We put everything in the bowl, but we didn’t have a mixer, so I volunteered. The stuff was so thick I thought my arms would fall off, but I wanted to do it myself. My mom kept cheering me on as I stirred, and in the end, it came together.”
“I hope your brownies turned out better than my first attempt,” he said, shaking his head and tossing onions into the pan.
Zoey didn’t have the heart to tell him that they had. Instead, she asked him about the restaurant.
“I bought the place about four years ago. I was feeling kind of homesick, and I wanted something that would remind me of Greece and my family. I had to work really hard to get it to where it is now—the previous owner was a terrible manager, and did a lot of skimping to save money. The guy wasn’t big on upkeep, and it’s taken me a long this time to deal with the damage from that. I used to think I’d never get everything fixed. But now,” he said as Zoey introduced the ground beef to the pan, “nearly everything’s been handled, and the restaurant has been a success.”
“That’s wonderful,” said Zoey over the hissing of the oil. “I couldn’t help noticing how beautiful everything looked on the way in here.”
“Thanks. I was very enthusiastic about the design. I’m glad the décor impressed you, even if I couldn’t.”
“Oh, you’re a very impressive person, Stelios,” Zoey said. “You just needed to slow things down a bit.”
“I think you’re right,” the Greek replied, as he started on a reduction. Thanks to you, we’ll soon have a meal we can stomach.”
“Thanks to us, you mean, “Zoey insisted with a smile. “I was having trouble cutting an onion five minutes ago, remember?”
Over the next forty-five minutes, the two worked together, cutting the phyllo to fit a baking pan. Following Stelios’ instructions, Zoey buttered eight sheets of the stuff and layered it in the pan. Stelios topped that with the meat, and Zoey added eight more sheets. They popped their creation into the oven, sure this time that the effort would succeed. When it did, they congratulated each other as a rich, warm scent wafted through the air.
It had barely been an hour, but Zoey was beginning to feel at home. She was surprised to find a soft little smile wouldn’t leave her face. Stelios was just starting to tell her about the first time he made kreatopita when every light in the kitchen flickered violently.
“Shit,” Stelios exclaimed, just a loud whirring noise filled the air.
It was the familiar sound that Zoey knew indicated a power drain. The room was suddenly plunged into darkness. Every device in the kitchen went dead, except the gas burners. Stelios turned a few more of them on.
“Well, the joys of living in New York huh?” Zoey said, fishing her phone out of her pocket and turning on the flashlight app.
“It seems so, Zoey. There’s a little supply closet in the corner over there. Could you grab a few candles?”
“Sure. No problem.” Zoey moved to the right-hand corner of the kitchen and fished a handful of candles out of a small cupboard.
Taking several candleholders and a box of matches, she went into the main restaurant and began creating pools of light. In moments, the entire area had a cozy glow, and Zoey placed a candlestick in the center of the table nearest to the kitchen, ready for them to sit down.
A few minutes later, Stelios came out of the kitchen with a tray that bore two decently-plated helpings of kreatopita, a bright, green salad, a chilled bottle of wine, and two glasses. Setting everything on the table, he made a place setting for Zoey and filled her glass. Once he had done the same for himself, he took a seat beside her, and for a moment, he watched the reflected candlelight flicker in her eyes.
“Not quite what you were expecting, huh?” Stelios remarked, handing Zoey a cloth napkin.”
“Not at all,” she admitted, “but when you think about it, it really isn’t that bad. In a way, it’s kind of romantic.”
“Great. Then my master plan has succeeded,” he joked. “I hope you enjoy the food,” he added.
“I’m sure I will,” Zoey replied, cutting herself a piece of the meat pie. She put it in her mouth and her face lit up. Savory spices combined pleasantly with a flaky, buttery crust, and the rich flavor of the ground beef brought the whole thing together. True, she thought the crust was a little harder than it probably should have been, but it was a good effort and a very tasty one.
“This is excellent, Stelios. You did a great job.”
“We did a great job, remember?” he reminded her, sipping some of his wine.
Zoey gave a little laugh and nodded in agreement before taking another bite. “This really is good, though,” she said as Stelios followed her lead. “I think I taste oregano and…I can’t make out the other spice. What else did you put in?”
“Dill. I’ve been told it helps to balance the flavors. This turned out well but it doesn’t hold a candle to my mother’s cooking. No pun intended.”
Zoey giggled, even as she rolled her eyes.
“Whenever my mother made anything, it felt like an event. People were always telling her she should open a restaurant. I believe she wanted to, but she never found the time. That’s part of why this place means so much to me. In a way, it feels like I helped her accomplish one of her dreams.”
Zoey put her fork down for a moment. She was looking at Stelio
s’ face, and though he was valiantly trying to hide it, she saw that his features had drawn tight, the corners of his lips had turned down, and his eyes looked suddenly heavy with the weight of tears he refused to shed. A profound sadness had covered his face like a fog, and it sprang into Zoey’s heart and took root.
“What happened to your mother,” she asked quietly, though she was almost certain what the answer would be.
“She and my father left the world eight years ago. They were coming back from visiting our family in Greece. The authorities still aren’t entirely sure how it happened, but the plane…” He paused. “It crashed on its way back here.”
“That’s awful,” Zoey replied soberly. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” Stelios replied with a brave smile, doing his best to lighten the mood a little. “I miss them every day, but I try to remember that they led rich lives. I wanted to go to Greece with them, but I felt like someone had to stay here and look after the business. It’s older than I am, and I wouldn’t have trusted anyone outside of the family to run it. Ever since they died, I’ve just been working as hard as I can to make it better. It’s really all I have left of them.”
“Well, I’m sure they would be extremely proud of you,” said Zoey. “You’ve been a fantastic success in real estate, and you’re a wonderful person. You’re even a half decent cook,” she added with a bit of a smirk, patting him affectionately on the shoulder.
The Greek felt the muscles in his face relax. “That’s nice of you to say, Zoey. Thank you,” he returned. “Originally, I’d planned to keep up the pace permanently, but then a couple of weeks ago, I turned thirty-two.”
“Happy belated.”
“Thanks. My father was the same age when I was born, and that starting me thinking seriously about a lot of things that hadn’t crossed my mind before. What I realized was that I was all alone, with no one to share everything I’ve been building with. It suddenly occurred to me that it was time to find a good person to settle down with. I saw that the best way to remember my parents was with a family of my own. And that’s why I decided to pay a visit to your mother.”
What a nice thought, Zoey thought to herself, feeling moved and a little intimidated at the same time. The fact that he had put so much effort into their date was a clear indication that he was considering her as someone to share his life with. Zoey thought his intentions were sweet, but she also wondered what Stelios wanted with her. She was a normal woman, with an overbearing mother, and a desk job. What was a handsome, famous billionaire going to do with her?
“I sensed you were a good person when you sent me away from the appointment the other day,” Stelios continued, seemingly reading her thoughts with the skill of a telepath. “Really, I was sure there was something special about you the second I entered your office.”
“It’s true!” he answered Zoey’s surprised look. “Even if you hadn’t called me back that morning, I was planning to ask you out.”
Most people find it feels good to be told that they are special and Zoey was no exception. Especially since the person that was saying so was a very nice guy who looked amazing and happened to be a billionaire.
“Well for the record, I’m glad I agreed to do it.”
“Even if you’re sitting in the dark right now?”
“Yes, even though I’m sitting in the dark right now.”
“I’m very happy to hear that. While we are on the subject of dating, is there any competition I should be aware of?” Stelios queried in light tones.
Zoey chuckled and shook her head. “Nothing’s been going on in that department for some time now. I really haven’t had time to find something meaningful. On top of that, I have way more than enough romance to deal with at work.”
“Well I hope I can change your mind about that,” Stelios replied, gently taking her hand in his.
The contact sent a current up her spine and a warmth flowing within her heart. The pair moved closer together and saw each other for the first time, by the flickering light of the nearby candles.
“You truly are beautiful, Zoey,” Stelios said, almost whispering. With an air almost of awe, he ran his fingers through her raven-tinted hair.
Without a word, she drew him into a deep, passionate kiss that sent every one of her senses on fire. She sensed the need in his lips, smelled his intoxicating aftershave, and felt his heart beating rapidly against her own. Everything ceased to exist beyond the spark of flame between them. Everything else in the world was plunged into darkness.
***
An hour later, sitting in her own room, Zoey still felt like a woman in a dream. She didn’t know how it was possible to feel so incredibly and completely different from the way she had just two days ago. She was elated, excited, and full of hope. She felt desired and loved by someone for a change, and the thought of it danced through her body like electricity. The date had succeeded beyond anything she would have believed, and for the first time in what felt like ages, she was happy.
Pulling off her sweater and slacks, Zoey duly changed into her nightclothes, but she knew sleep wasn’t going to come to her for several hours. Her heart just wouldn’t stop beating faster than usual, and her thoughts had no intention of quieting down. It was lucky, she thought, that she had nowhere to be the next morning.
Eventually, after about three hours of trying, Zoey fell into a blissful sleep. Even though she wouldn’t remember it the next day, she was smiling; her dreams filled with the adventures that awaited her and Stelios in the future.
SEVEN
When Zoey woke up, late on Saturday morning, it was with a song in her heart. She whistled tunefully while she cleaned up the apartment, took care of the laundry, and washed the dishes. By mid-afternoon, the place looked ready to be featured in a magazine, and Zoey was singing ‘Circle of Life’ from The Lion King. It seemed amazing to her how much joy one person could put in someone else’s heart.
Apparently, Stelios was feeling the same way, because he called at around five in the evening, sounding boisterous and full of good cheer. He was apparently en-route to a crucial business meeting that was going to command his attention for the next week. But, he said, he wanted to see her again the moment he returned. The pair of them agreed on Monday after next, and continued laughing, joking and flirting for nearly an hour after that, before business concerns forced Stelios off the phone.
It was a mark of just how much of an impression Stelios had made on her that Zoey arose early on Monday morning in high spirits. She had a spring in her step as she dove into the shower, and when she came out, she modeled two or three outfits before settling on a rich, forest green dress. For breakfast, she made herself an egg white and cheese croissant with Earl Grey tea and a few sliced strawberries. When she was finished, she saw that there was still plenty of time for her to get to the subway train that would carry her to work.
“Why don’t I get up this early every morning?” she asked herself as she grabbed her clutch and shot out of the door.
A few moments later, she was seated on the train, squeezed in beside a young mother who was soothing a colicky baby, or rather, attempting to. Normally, being inches away from a howling baby might have annoyed Zoey, but today she ended up lending a helping hand. By the time Zoey needed to transfer to another train, she and the mother, whose name she learned was Caroline, had sung two lullabies together. As she got out of the subway car, Zoey was a little surprised to hear some of the people who had been nearest to them quietly applauding. She smiled broadly and went on her way, arriving some time later at Melinda Forde.
As it turned out, Zoey wasn’t the only one on cloud nine that day. The receptionist, a beautiful, portly woman named Annie Bransford, looked positively gleeful. Most days, she was henpecked nearly to death by Melinda, but at the moment, she looked as if she had just inherited a small fortune.
For a moment, Zoey wondered what could have caused such a transformation, but decided to head for her office, certain that the a
nswer was bound to reveal itself later.
Inside her office, she found her mother patiently leaning against her desk.
“Zoey, dear!” Melinda cried out upon seeing her daughter. “I’m so happy to see you! Very well done!” And she hugged Zoey more tightly than she had in years, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek. “You’ll be getting a raise. The receptionist, too. Everyone who had something to do with this is getting rewarded. Hell, I might even send Brie a fruit basket!” she laughed.
Zoey just glared at her, a stunned expression on her face. “What are you talking about, Mom? Everyone who had anything to do with what?”
“As if you didn’t know,” Melinda replied, smiling slyly. “You really must have laid it on thick last Friday. I called him after your little rendezvous together, and he wouldn’t stop talking about you. I’ve had our marketing people busy all weekend.”