Ari crossed his ankles and leaned back in the seat. There were bits of down and feather still stuck to his T-shirt where he’d held Monty close. “One of hardest things about living in the city is not being able to have a pet.”
Grace pushed away a pile of old magazines and moved closer to him on the orange vinyl couch. “You couldn’t have a cat?”
He looked over at her and grinned. “I look like a cat lover?”
“Maybe,” she said. “I could picture you with a gnarly old tom cat. A black one with scars from all his street fights.”
He reached down and threaded his fingers through hers. “A rough old tom cat, you think?”
“Or a big old marmalade girl who wouldn’t take any nonsense from anyone.”
“And if I chose a dog instead?”
She squeezed his hand. “A bitzer.”
“What sort of breed is that?”
“Bits of everything.” She laughed. “I’d say your match in the dog world would be a big old mix of everything. Maybe the body of a ridgeback, the temperament of a Saint Bernard, and the energy of a border collie.”
“I like it,” he said, nodding. “Although it doesn’t sound like he’d be the most handsome dog on the block.”
She looked at him sideways and grinned. “Oh, he’d be handsome, all right. All the lady dogs would be lining up to be seen out on the town with him.”
She turned to face him. “So, what about me? Cat or dog?”
“Easy,” he said with a teasing grin. “Pedigree cat.”
“What kind?”
“Hmmm,” he said, eyes narrowed. “What are those ones with the really superior look on their faces? The fluffy ones.”
“Superior?” she said, and playfully thumped his arm.
“No, not a cat,” he said. “You’d be a greyhound. A sleek, beautiful greyhound who works all day and all night and lies around looking like a princess.”
She leaned to him, and he pulled her closer. “Ever owned a dog?”
“Yeah.” Her throat constricted.
“Tell me about him.” When he saw the look on her face, he became more serious.
“Reggie. A black miniature schnauzer.” She hadn’t said his name in so long, she had to take a deeper breath to carry on. “When I left Mark, it was kinda in a hurry, and I stayed with my friend, Meg. Her apartment building didn’t allow dogs, and when it came to Mark and I dividing our things up, he felt that Reg had been away from me too long.”
He stroked her hair. “Still miss him, huh?”
She laughed lightly. “Every time I open a packet of chips I expect to see him racing around the corner.”
“You’ll have a dog again, and a car, and a great new business.” He kissed her on the forehead. “You’re going places, Grace Bennett. I can tell.”
She breathed in the warm cotton scent of his T-shirt. “I don’t know what I’ll do if something’s really wrong with Monty,” she said. “If I’d been paying more attention, not letting things get so on top of me, maybe I’d have noticed sooner he wasn’t well.”
“Hey, he’ll be fine,” Ari said. “He’s survived cupcakes and pieces of confetti and discarded party poppers, and once he ate the icing off the top of a wedding cake. I’m sure he’s going to be fine.”
“It’s funny,” Grace said as she relaxed into him, the stress of the day and the week to come melting away while they sat here together. “I’ve been a part of the Palace for so long, and yet it’s only now that I really feel I know it.”
“You mean you’re starting to see it warts and all?”
“Yes, something like that. You give everything such a raw honesty. Nothing’s hidden with you, and I like that.”
He lifted her chin and kissed her. “Funny, you’ve given me a whole new perspective on the place, as well.”
Footsteps came toward them from down a corridor, and a nurse in a purple smock appeared holding Monty, “Nothing more than a bit of common bacterial infection,” she said. “We’ve given him some antibiotics, and he should be fine in a day or two.”
“And his bald patches?” Grace said.
“They’ll grow back. He’s in pretty good condition for an old guy.”
“That’s such a relief,” Grace said as she opened the door to the cage and the nurse put him in.
“No way I’d want to tell Dad that we’d lost his pride and joy,” Ari said with a smile.
“Now all we have to do is make sure that we manage his other pride and joy,” Grace said as she closed the door to the cage and handed it to Ari. “Two weeks, two weddings, and the whole of the Katsalos family back here. I’d say we need to buckle in. It could be a bumpy flight.”
Chapter Five
Late the next morning, Grace passed her laptop to Ari. After the visit to the vet’s last night, Monty seemed to be doing fine, and it’d been a good feeling coming in to help again today. He was going to enjoy getting to know Grace a whole lot better.
“So, the list marked on here is all the things we need to have done before Nick and Erin get here on Thursday,” she explained, dragging her hand across her brow. “And then the second list is what I’d like us to have finished by the time your mom gets back. It’d be good to know exactly when your dad will be here, as well.”
“I’ll try to get in touch with him,” Ari said, staring at the screen. “You’re going to have to just tell me what all this stuff is, remember. Words and I don’t mix.”
She smiled and pulled a piece of paper toward her on the desk and methodically checked things off. “I’ve highlighted the list, and if you just push that play button at the top of the screen, it’ll read everything back to you.”
“Sorry?” He looked back at the screen. There was the triangular button she was talking about.
“I’ve added an app so the computer can read the list back to you,” she said as she wrote something on the paper.
He pushed the laptop back to her. He’d been dealing with his reading issues for long enough to know there was no point trying, but the sense of failure always stung. “I promise it’ll turn out better if you just tell me what needs to be done.”
She lifted her chin and grinned, but pushed the computer back. “Haven’t you used text to speech before? It’s like Siri on an iPhone. Here, I’ll show you.”
She came and stood beside him. Her usual scent of flowers and sunshine enveloped him, and the memory of her lips on his as they’d said good-bye last night powered through his blood. She’d asked him in for a drink, and he’d had to round up all his willpower to say no. She’d looked really tired, and the early night had clearly done her good. As she leaned closer, he had to will himself to concentrate on the screen.
“Don’t own an iPhone,” he said as she hovered the cursor over the play button. “I just use my phone to make calls. Novel, right?”
“It’s just like an audio book,” she said, ignoring his sarcasm. “You use those, right?” There wasn’t judgment or concern in her baby blues, just a whole lot of caring.
He crossed his arms. “You think I’m someone who listens to Shakespeare while I’m burning up Route One?”
“Oh, I thought I saw a book cover on your phone when I was at your place. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Just listen to this.”
She pushed the triangle, and a woman’s voice read the words back to them.
“You can have a guy reading it if you like,” she said as she played with the computer settings. Look, he can even have a Scottish accent.” She pushed the button again, and a rich Scottish brogue read out the list of jobs to be done, and they both laughed at the sound. She pushed a slider to the right and the voice doubled in speed.
She laughed again as she turned to him, and his heart squeezed tight.
“I can’t believe no one’s ever shown you this before,” she said.
He shrugged. “I quit school before I should’ve, and I guess I’ve just avoided anything too technical. Not being able to decipher an instruction manual and all that.”
/> “Then you don’t need to do that anymore,” she said firmly. “That’s what iPads and computers are for—to help people do things they can’t do on their own. You’re really no different from me, who can’t add a row of numbers to save myself. If I didn’t have a spreadsheet with all its auto formulas, I’d be in a constant state of panic.”
“So, does that mean I’m not so special after all?” he asked. “I’ve always had this vision of myself being different to everyone else. That I had a secret part of me I could never tell anyone about.” He threw her a smile. “I’m not sure how I feel about being the same as everyone else.”
“Trust me,” she said with a sexy grin. “You’re definitely not the same as everyone else.”
He chuckled as he pushed the triangle, and the Scottish dude read the list right through.
When it ended, Grace looked up from her own list. “Maybe if we work backward from Erin and Nick’s wedding, we can make sure we have all the bases covered. I was thinking that if it’s at all possible, we should have the rehearsal dinner here. I was wondering about asking Leo if he could cook, just for that one night.”
“Why here?” he asked. “I could book a restaurant.”
“Well, it’ll have been a long time since your dad and O’Malley have had anything to do with each other, and I figured it’d be nice for your dad to be entertaining on his territory.”
Ari nodded. “Good thinking. Mom and Dad haven’t seen all the renovations Nick and Yasmin have done either, so it makes even more sense to have it here.”
Grace started moving each of her fingers.
“What are you doing?”
“Counting,” she said with a laugh. “I can never add up in my head properly. The spreadsheet thing, remember? I think we should count on eleven people. That is, unless Erin’s sisters have partners.”
“I don’t get eleven,” he said, staring at her graceful hand and the pink polish that was the same blush as her cheeks. “I get twelve.”
“Mr. and Mrs. O’Malley, Erin’s two sisters, Nick and Erin, Yasmin and Lane, your parents and you,” she said with a smile.
“You’ll be there, too,” he said.
She blinked. “We’re keeping things between us quiet, remember?”
He touched her hand and linked his fingers through hers. “But you’re an enormous part of the wedding, and I want you there.”
She chewed her lip. “We’d have to be careful that no one suspects anything is going on.”
He shrugged. “I don’t see why it’s such a big deal if they find out, but if that’s what you want.”
“It is what I want,” she said. “But it’d be nice to be part of the evening, and maybe I can help smooth things between your dad and O’Malley.”
“Good luck with that,” he said, scrolling through the list. “What’s your main priority for the week?”
“Well, Erin and Nick get back on Thursday. I said I’d meet Erin at her parents’ place at four to go over the plans.”
“I’ll come, too,” he said. “I’d like to speak to Nick about my mom and dad and what he thinks we can do to make being back here a good experience for them.”
“That’s so sweet,” she said. “See, you really do believe in love and marriage.”
“I never said I didn’t believe in love,” he said. “It’s the tragedy of marriage that really gets to me. My parents have been married for more than forty years, and neither of them are happy.”
“I know,” she said quietly.
“In my heart, I think they’d be better off going their separate ways.” He blew out a breath. “They’ve changed each other so much, I don’t know if they could function on their own anymore.”
It sucked to say that, but he’d been thinking about it for a while. Why stay in a marriage where two people were miserable, or even one for that matter, instead of cutting your losses and having a shot at happiness.
Grace sighed and shook her head. “Maybe this wedding will help bring them back together.” She looked at her watch. “You know, it’s past six o’clock. I’ve been working you hard all afternoon. Perhaps we should call it a night.”
“Why don’t I come back to your place for a while,” Ari said. “We can do some more planning for next week. We could get takeout.”
…
“What? You’re not going to offer to cook me dinner?” Grace asked, turning to the window. In the distance, Monty squawked loudly. He’d been so much better with the antibiotics the vet had given him and sounded even more excited than usual.
“It’s okay. He’ll have seen a cat or a possum pass his cage,” Ari said, obviously sensing her distraction. “Trust me, you don’t want me near a kitchen,” he said. “My mom was such a good cook that none of us were ever allowed in the kitchen. Nick and Yasmin were bad enough at cooking, but I’ve got no idea.”
“Maybe I’m going to have to teach you,” she said with a grin.
There was a loud noise coming from the entranceway, and Ari was out of his seat. “Are you expecting anyone?” he asked, his body taut as if he was ready to pounce.
“No, I locked up after Polly left. There shouldn’t be anyone else here until morning.” She stood up, but he waved her to sit back down.
“Wait here while I check it out,” he said, voice low.
He slowly opened the office door, and when he’d moved through into the restaurant, she followed him, her heart hammering.
She stopped and watched through the gap in the door. He made his way around the perimeter of the room like a wildcat stalking its prey, his gaze fixed on the door at the other end. His police training was obvious, and it made her feel protected, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
The handle on the outside door rattled, and Ari reached down to his ankle, and she covered her mouth with her hand. He had a gun?
From behind the door there was a commotion followed by someone cursing loudly, and to her enormous relief, she realized it was Mano.
Ari must’ve realized, too, as his body relaxed. Straightening the bottom of his jeans, he walked over to the door, flicked the lock, and turned the handle.
She was about to leave the office and welcome back her boss, but something stopped her. Mano was exclaiming loudly in Greek and had his son in a tight bear hug. Ari, in turn, had his father’s head cradled in his hand and was replying in Greek. Ari was taller than his dad, and when he placed a kiss on top of the older man’s head, tears pooled in her eyes.
Mano stepped back, and with both hands on his son’s shoulders, looked into his face and shook him. Ari laughed, and Grace wished she knew what was passing between them.
But the love on their faces made breath stall in her lungs. This wasn’t a son who was marginalized by his family, and this wasn’t a father who was disappointed in his son. The love that had enveloped this room when Ari and Mano saw each other again was palpable. She could almost taste it.
Ari gestured at his father’s bags, but Mano said something, Ari replied, and then they turned to the office door.
“Grace!” Mano said as he hurried over. “It is very good to see you again, koukla. I have been so worried about you having all the responsibility for things here, but now I am back, and you don’t need to worry anymore. Not at all. Nicky told me not to come back and get in the way of all your work, but I had to see things here for myself. I hope you understand.”
He stepped closer and kissed her on both cheeks. He smelled of warm wool and Wild Moss aftershave. “Of course, after so long away, I have forgotten my keys, and it was lucky that Ari was here to let me in, or I might have given you a big fright.”
Grace smiled back at him. His face was more lined than when he’d left for Greece, his hair grayer, but his always expressive deep-brown eyes sparkled. “It’s so good to see you! How are you?” she asked.
Mano shook his head and placed his carry bag on the ground. His normally loud voice became softer. “I am not good, Grace,” he said sadly. “After all these months, I have not ma
naged to win back my Pia. We have spoken so many times, but she still refuses to come home with me until I agree to many changes with the Palace and the way we have lived our lives.”
Grace looked past Mano to his son, and Ari gave a one-shouldered shrug.
“I’m so sorry,” Grace said as she rubbed his back. “I’d been hoping that you two would have had some quiet time to talk things through.”
“Quiet! Bah,” Mano exclaimed. “In Lesvos, there are always people around and is always work to be done. Nothing is ever quiet with Pia’s sister there all the time like a thirsty goat. You’d think it would be busier here with a business to run, but it’s not. It feels like I have to come back here for a holiday.”
“Maybe when Pia comes back for Nick’s wedding there will be time for the two of you to talk,” Grace said hopefully.
“And then there’s Yasmin and Lane’s wedding,” Ari added, “and after that there’s bound to be some grandchildren arriving. That’s got to make Mom want to—”
“I don’t want her to come back here just because of Nicky or any grandchildren!” Mano said forcefully. “I want her to come back because she loves me and can’t imagine spending her life anywhere else or with anyone else. Aristotle, I know you think I am old and foolish but I love your mother so much it hurts me here,” he said, thumping his chest. His voice cracked. “And I will fight for her until she realizes that she loves me, too.”
The power and passion with which Mano spoke brought tears to her eyes. Of course, she’d always guessed that he loved his wife, but he was a man who liked to do things properly and wouldn’t give much of himself away in front of employees. He’d been such a hard worker as well, and it was heartbreaking to think they still weren’t together.
“Okay, Pop,” Ari said as he moved forward, breaking the tension. “You’ll be tired after your trip.” He patted his father’s shoulder. “Why don’t I take your bags up to the house, and we can catch up properly tomorrow.”
“I should leave the house to Pia,” Mano said, his face downcast.
“She won’t be coming tonight,” Ari said as he picked up Mano’s bag. “You can stay tonight, and then we’ll sort something else out in the morning.”
Four Weddings and a Fling Page 7