“I’m thinking about it.” She sipped her drink, but had never cared for champagne. “Tell me about your love life.”
Augusta shook her finger. “Oh, no, my soon to be American mommy. You will not change the subject. Why not now? Why not my father?”
“He’s the most amazing man, and my world is better because of him. We’ll find our time. It’s closer than it has ever been.”
With an expression similar to her father’s, Augusta’s smile became sentimental. “So sweet. This is why I ask—my love life is nothing at the moment. I needed a shot of something so saccharin it was guaranteed to renew my faith in love. That did it. Now—shhh.”
Familiar giggles came from the top landing. The long stairway had nearly deterred Jenn from joining Augusta, but it gave a distinct advantage now as Natalie and Chelsea descended. Augusta grabbed her arm and led her through a door with her fingers to her lips for silence. Jenn rolled her eyes. They were not going to spy on her boss.
“You said this guy is rich?” Chelsea’s voice was loud and clear even from the tiny closet Augusta hid them in. “It always pisses me off when old people have money. Do you think we should grab a few pieces of silver? Maybe take a holiday in Barbados on the Greek loser’s dime?”
What a bitch. Jenn tucked farther back in the closet, barely able to see Augusta beside her in the little stream of light from the crack in the doorjamb. How far out of the loop she was with Natalie and Chelsea. The European tour was her first job for the university, but Chelsea had been part of the program as a student for the year. Jenn set her guilt aside and watched.
“No stealing the silver,” Natalie said. “Greed gets you caught. You have to be patient. Did you know he never entertains down here—just leaves this great space to gather dust? I only know about it because I helped that bitchy Athena with wine bottles one year. Take a seat, we won’t be bothered.”
Their shadows passed, and Jenn held her breath. Beside her, Augusta sat in silence. Jenn hated to listen, but couldn’t ignore what went down.
“Patient is stupid,” Chelsea said. “You’ve been tucking money away for years. Let’s make a big grab at the grants coming in and be happy for the rest of our lives.”
Augusta elbowed her, but she had no idea about what they spoke of.
“I never should have told you,” Coach muttered. “It’s not…it was a bad decision I can’t go back on now, not without going to jail.”
“We both know you don’t belong in jail. You’re too sexy. If we grab a few things here, liquidate the account set aside for the rest of the trip, and downgrade the travel plans, that’s another huge chunk. Tack on the social grants you have coming in this summer and we can run away. We can live like queens on that kind of money in another country. You’d never work another day in your life. You could lie in bed all day and I could, well, lie there with you.”
Their giggles and kissing sounds disgusted Jenn. They were stealing, more importantly, Natalie was stealing, and it sounded as if it had been happening for years. All the time Jenn had admired her as a strong woman, she’d been using her position for personal gain.
“What about Jenn?” Natalie spoke after several noisy, wet kisses. “She’s got access to the books.”
“She’s an idiot. When we get back to the States, you can be all pissed and point to her as the one who stole the money. While the officials are investigating her, we’ll liquidate and leave.”
“She’s trusting, but not stupid,” Natalie said.
“Fine, then I’ll push her down another set of stairs and slow her down to real stupid.”
Chelsea had pushed her. The bitch. Natalie giggled and every bit of respect Jenn once held fell away. She wished they’d never hidden in the closet so she wouldn’t have known. She had to do something and she dreaded it, probably more than she dreaded her next Pap smear.
“I’m so sorry,” Augusta whispered. “How much does this affect you?”
She shrugged, her throat tight with anger. “Enough. I have to go home. I have to talk to the board and the dean and…heck, I don’t know. Just everyone. They have to know what Natalie did. I won’t let her steal from the program, and I won’t let her blame me.”
“I wouldn’t either. Papa will be an ally. Don’t worry, we won’t let them box you in. Bitches are noisy.”
Jenn bit back a giggle. They were. She covered her eyes though she couldn’t see them.
“I know, I’ll text Zoe to come down and break up the love fest,” Augusta muttered. “Now I feel I need to spend some time on my love life. Everyone is having sex around here.”
It wasn’t funny in the situation, but she had to fight to keep nervous laughter inside. Heavy stomping came from the stairs. Natalie and Chelsea cursed and rustling clothes replaced sex sounds. Jenn couldn’t have been more grateful.
“Hello,” Zoe called. “Is my sister down here?”
“No,” Chelsea said. “Get the hell out of here.”
“Chelsea,” Natalie snapped. “That’s no way to speak to our hostess. Sorry, Zoe, you know how it is with kids. I haven’t seen Augusta. I’m heading up to my room. Are you going to be at practice tonight?”
“Yes, I will. Thanks so much for inviting me.”
“I’ll see you on the court. Come on, Chels.”
Jenn eased up to standing as footfalls hit the stairs. The closet door opened, and Zoe shook her head. “Spying? Really, Jenn? You can’t follow Augusta around. She has horrible habits such as this one.”
“Not now, Zoe,” Augusta said. “Those two bitches are plotting and are trying to hurt Jenn. We will tell Papa. He will bring the hammer down on their lying asses.”
“No. I’m not asking him to hammer anyone. I will handle this. It’s my job, my team, and my…life. I will see to it.”
The sisters looked doubtful, but the logical instructions Dr. Arogos shared echoed in her mind. She had to take care of the things. She could pass it to Dorian, knew he would help, but she had to do it.
“Let me talk to him.” Jenn flashed the girls a reassuring smile. “It’ll be fine.”
She left the basement, shooting off emails to the university supervisors as she mounted the stairs. There was no way in hell Natalie would lay the blame at her door. Jenn wanted to see the best in everyone, but that had ended with Natalie’s betrayal. She refused to let life happen to her. Doing that had gotten her into bigger trouble than she’d realized. It had almost cost her Dorian. She was done.
Chapter Thirteen
His daughters acted oddly, but nothing could bring Dorian down. He waved at them, as he continued on to his rooms. Jenn had given him a schedule. She had two hours off. He hoped to find her in the shower, or perhaps fresh out of one, sitting with her hair in a lazy braid while she gazed over the sea. He considered proposing near the water, but perhaps more spontaneity was in order.
He found the door open, but the sitting room was empty. He froze when Jenn hurried past, throwing a suitcase on the bed they’d shared.
“Jenn?”
She turned, her pale face pulled tight with tension. “Hi. Athena said you were running errands.”
“I am back now.” He frowned, thinking of logical explanations and finding none he liked. “What’s going on?”
“I’m packing. I have to go home. Natalie has been stealing from the university, and she’s going to try to pin it on me. I need to get back to the States and talk to the dean and the athletics director. I’ve been emailing with them already and talked to them over the phone, but when they looked, they admitted they didn’t know what the heck they were doing.”
Dorian caught barely the gist of her fevered explanation. He moved farther into the room and sat beside the suitcase.
“You could see to that over the phone. Why go back to such problems? I can help from here.”
“I appreciate your offer so much, but I have to go. It’s my job, and I owe it to Natalie to make sure she pays for this crap. Oh, and count the silver while they are here. That bitch
Chelsea mentioned stealing, and I don’t put it past her.”
His mother’s insistence about Jenn leaving echoed in his mind. “I don’t want you to leave.”
She paused. “I don’t want to leave either, but I have to.”
“It sounds like you are taking on a responsibility that is not yours once again.”
“This is my job. Of course it’s my responsibility.”
He shrugged. “Quit. Stay here and we will get you citizenship. You never have to return to the States.”
“What? That doesn’t make sense. Of course I have to go back.” She continued packing. “I only planned on being here for a month.”
“But things changed.” His heart slammed in his chest. They had finally reached where he’d dreamed. He was ready. She was ready, and now she ran away again.
“You’re right, they have. I’ll be back.” She closed her suitcase, face red instead of white. “If you want me back. I don’t understand your anger. You had to know I’d go home sometime. I have an apartment, my clothes, my papers, and stuff. I have a life in the States.”
“What life? Family? You said they are gone. Friends?” He stood, anger and frustration bubbling over. “Where were they when you struggled? Not with you. Not where I will be if you would stay and let me be your family.”
She opened and closed her mouth a few times and then shook her head. “That’s low. I have to go. I’ll be back in a few weeks. If you want, we can figure this out.”
“You assume I will wait?” he called as she walked away.
She stopped, her shoulders rounded in defeat he hated to see, but he couldn’t regret his words, not in his pain.
“I’ve never assumed you’d wait for anything. I never knew you were making plans. Maybe before you get too angry at me, you’d better think about why you put off telling me how you felt. I have to go. I’ll barely have enough time to make my flight, and I have responsibilities—real ones that will let me have a future or will hurt it. I’ll, ah, I’ll see you soon.”
She strode away, out the door, out of sight. Though his brain tried to assure him she had every right to go, every need to go and would return, his heart said good-bye. Again.
Chapter Fourteen
Leaving Greece had nearly killed her, but she’d left knowing she’d return, so she sucked it up. Leaving campus, though…. Jenn’s tears blurred her vision so much she pulled over. She’d spent the last three weeks pouring over documents with two different accountants, helping match up foreign receipts with the paperwork Natalie submitted. Every year, the theft increased, the boldness covering the lies.
Because she’d been there and remembered the itinerary, Jenn matched the numbers and identified where Natalie had stolen thousands of dollars of gifts, donations, and travel allowances. Jenn left the administrators with her resignation and everything they needed to dismiss Natalie. An airport bus passed by. She couldn’t be sure, but she’d bet the team rode home. Her heart hurt. The athletic director had offered her the head coach position, but she’d declined. They would find someone who would do a good job, but it wouldn’t be her.
She snuffed her tears back and wiped away the stragglers. She’d spent all week crying between frenzied bouts of number crunching. Dorian hadn’t answered her calls, texts, or emails, but on the third day away, she’d found a travel voucher in her email, an open ticket to Greece. She believed it meant he wanted her to come back.
She put her car in gear and rejoined the flow of traffic, hoping she could make it back to her apartment without having to pull over again. In the States she’d seen no one she called friend. The school staff was nice, but she’d left knowing something more waited for her. She wouldn’t miss anyone there, even after spending four years as a student and only a few months on staff.
Three measly weeks away from Dorian and Athena and her heart had gone numb. She’d called Dr. Arogos twice for reassurance. He’d listened and given her a few pep talks, but mostly recommended she use logic and conscience as guides.
She turned down the street to the tiny apartment complex where she’d packed up on the long evenings alone. The van for a local charity waited in the parking lot, and she bit back tears once more. It took less than twenty minutes to give away the larger contents of her life and leave five boxes to be shipped to Greece. It would cost a small fortune to send them, but even if things with Dorian didn’t work, Greece was her home.
Athena would adopt her until she got on her feet. Besides, she had enough in savings to make it a few years. The university gave her full severance, much more than she’d expected, and Jenn saw it as another sign to make the change.
The walls she’d planned on decorating would remain bare. Carpet and linoleum she’d intended to jazz up with bright rugs still looked fresh from their last cleaning. Next to the gray walls and brown boxes, her red suitcase adorned with Hellas stickers stood out like a beacon. The only life in the room waited in that suitcase. She had to go back.
Jenn pulled out her phone and booked a seat on an early morning flight to Athens. She’d arrive after midnight, most likely hobble to the nearest hotel to crash, but she didn’t care. Another tear trickled down her nose. The damn things had to stop.
She checked her refrigerator, tossed the baking soda, and pulled out the last two pops. Her landlady had agreed to meet the moving company that would get her possessions to Greece. Jenn tried not to make life hinge on Dorian, even though she wanted it to. If he lost the characteristics that made him the man she loved, she’d still do fine. They’d had a fight. They would make up. If not, maybe Athena’s spare room had a closet big enough to accommodate her basketball jerseys.
Jenn took her suitcase and dropped her keys off in the landlady’s box. The older woman had even offered to buy her car when Jenn explained the situation. She tossed her car keys in as well and pulled out her phone again, this time to call a cab. She slouched on the curb outside the apartments, amazed at the changes…ones she wanted.
She’d been so at loose ends. First her mother, and then the cancer scare. So much had been beyond her control, she’d shut down. She took a long drink of her soda. The heat of summer hit with both fists, and she sweated as much as she cried. It was a miracle she wasn’t dehydrated. Dr. Arogos would be proud of her for meeting the emotions head on and dealing with them. She was proud for sure.
A green cab approached. Jenn stood, wincing at the mild ache in her knee. The sports doctor at the university had commented on the light swelling, but swore it looked healthy. If she wanted an in-depth check, she’d have to go to the clinic, and that wasn’t happening.
“Hello there.” The young driver jumped out and helped load up her suitcase, even holding the door open. “Climb on in. You’re headed to the airport?”
She stepped in and buckled up as he ran around back to his seat.
“Yes, airport, please.”
“Sure,” he said. “Where ya headed?”
“Greece.”
“No way. That’s cool. I’ve always wanted to travel to Europe, but yeah, like that’s going to happen on a cabbie’s wage.”
“Well, you keep opening doors and being kind and I’m sure you’ll have tips to your ears before you know it.” She watched the familiar neighborhood pass by.
She had good memories, lots of them. She didn’t have the means or desire to make new ones in the area. Her future waited in Hellas with a man who was angry at her, a housekeeper who bossed her, and two women who treated her like family.
“What’s your name?” she asked as they approached downtown.
“Charlie.”
“Charlie, I need to make a stop. Would you mind? I mean, I’ll pay whatever you need. I’m not in a rush to get to the airport, and I don’t think it should take long.”
“Sure. It’s a Tuesday—usually a wash. Where to?”
***
She’d sworn never to step into a hospital again, not unless she was bleeding to death and couldn’t sew herself up, but the second she passed the s
ign on the highway, she’d known she hadn’t finished everything.
She’d thought for sure she’d be turned away, but the oncology nurse welcomed her back. Jenn’s head spun as she waited outside the closed door. Dr. Arogos would tell her she had no place in the hospital with the other Jenn. She probably didn’t want to see her.
Jenn didn’t want to see her either, yet…she had to.
Her heart jumped when the doorknob rotated and a familiar man in a white coat stepped out. He looked up and froze.
“Jenn. Hi, how are you?”
“I’m fine, Dr. Faden, thanks. How are you?”
“Well, thanks. What are you doing here?”
She blew out a shaky breath. She didn’t have a real answer. “Just had a feeling. How’s she doing?”
He shook his head. “For all the file screwing up we did, you’d think I could tell you. However, you’re welcome to visit. I think she’d like to see a new face. Heaven knows she’s been seeing too much of mine. You look pale, though, so take it easy, okay?”
“Sure, thanks.” She felt light-headed and weepy again, but if other Jenn was in the oncology unit for an extended stay, she didn’t need the tears or drama.
Hefting her purse higher, she forced her feet forward, one baby step at a time until she stood near the privacy curtain. The bathroom door stood open and two chairs sat empty. The bed, though, was occupied.
“Hi,” she whispered, her throat tight at the sight of the skinny, bald woman.
She looked up, brown eyes so different than the ones Jenn saw every day in her mirror. They reminded her again, they were not the same woman.
“Well, hey.” She shimmied higher on the pillow. “Come on in. You didn’t run into a nervous bald guy wearing a green polo out there, did you?”
Jenn shook her head and moved farther into the room, but didn’t get close, couldn’t.
“Good. My husband is driving me bananas.” She shifted again. “Why are you here? What can I help you with?”
Home to Hellas (The Challenge Series) Page 8