Greek for Beginners (11 page)

“How long have Pieter and Selene been together?”

“Officially, they have been engaged for the past year. They dated for a year before that. Unofficially? I do not want to know, although they have both assured me repeatedly that I was long out of the picture when they started seeing one another.”

“You don't believe them?”

“I am not sure what I believe.” He sighed heavily.

Darcie glanced out at the harbor. The water was calm now, as was Nick, but when storms blew in, she imagined that the surface would turn choppy and become dotted with whitecaps that could wrest a small boat from its moorings and swamp it. That must have been how Nick had felt when he'd returned to Athens to find his brother courting Selene.

“You feel betrayed.”

“Pieter and I are—were—more than brothers. There is barely a year between our births. We did everything together. We were always the best of friends. There was no one I trusted more.”

“That must make this situation all the more difficult,” she said softly and rested a hand on his arm. “You lost your best friend and...and the woman you loved.”

“Did I?” Nick uttered the question softly. His dark eyes were full of pain when he added, “Did I truly love her? Did Tad love you? Is that how love works?”

Darcie frowned. “I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean.”

“Real love would not take more than it gave. It would not be selfish,” Nick said. Darcie thought of the Bible verse from First Corinthians that she'd asked one of her brothers-in-law to read at her wedding.
Love is patient. Love is kind...it is not self-seeking....
She always felt it underscored love's many good qualities.

“But Tad was selfish with you. From what you have told me, he put himself, his needs and his wants first. And I was that way with Selene. I knew from the beginning that she did not want to move to America. I knew that she wanted a life here, a life like the one she now will have with Pieter.”

“Are you sorry?” Darcie swallowed.

“I hurt her. Yes, for that I am very sorry.”

But that wasn't what Darcie meant, so she tried again. “Knowing everything that you know, do you...do you wish you had made a different set of choices?”

“I cannot rewrite history.”

“Tad wants to.” She hadn't meant to say that.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Darcie,” he pleaded.

“He's left several messages on my cell.” She shrugged.

“And?”

“There is no
and
. I'm just saying that even if we cannot rewrite history that doesn't mean we don't have regrets. So, do you?” She returned to her original question, afraid of what the answer might be.

“No.”

But his expression remained so pained that she wondered. Could he still love Selene? The possibility left her uncomfortable, but why? She had no claim on Nick. No right to expect exclusivity when it came to his affection. They hadn't slept together, even if Darcie could admit that was the direction they were heading, albeit at a slow and measured pace. And when they did, she knew it would be casual. Mind-blowing, but casual. So why did it matter?

Because Darcie feared she was trading one emotionally unavailable man for another.

NINE

Nick swapped his
Jag for the 1963 Porsche 356 that was parked in the garage and they were on their way. If all went as planned in Trikala, his client would buy the Porsche and they would drive away in a 1956 Austin-Healey roadster that, depending on its condition, would knock off most of the Porsche's asking price. The Austin-Healey, meanwhile, would be featured in Nick's next auction.

It took them just over three hours to make the trip to Trikala. Nick remained preoccupied and introspective the entire way, even though Darcie tried to draw him out in conversation. It was a relief when they finally arrived at their destination, but they were more than two hours early for their meeting.

“We can take a walk through Trikala's scenic old town, if you would like?” Nick said.

Since it would kill some time and might just help shake him from his mood, she readily agreed.

Fifteen minutes into their stroll, she was fanning herself. The heat was stifling and the light breeze's effect on it negligible. They stopped at a café and he bought her
Kliafa
, a refreshing orange drink that was perfect given the day's heat.

After taking a sip, she gravitated to the window of a nearby shop. She couldn't help herself. Shoes were on display and all but calling her name.

“Would you like to go inside?” Nick asked. He was smiling, the first real smile she'd seen all day.

“You don't know what you're saying,” she warned with mock sternness.

“Pardon?”

“No man in his right mind encourages a woman to shop.”

He took her drink and sipped it straight from the straw. All the while his gaze was on her. “I have a condition.”

The simple statement managed to raise gooseflesh on her skin despite the day's heat.

“And that is?”

“Everything that you try on you must model for me.”

She glanced back at the shoes. “I'm game.”

It was an easy enough deal to keep in a shoe store, but then Nick steered her into a shop two doors down.

“Remember our deal,” he said, pointing to a display of lingerie.

“I am
not
trying that on,” she said resolutely of the bustier. “But I will try on these.” She selected a pair of stone-colored capri pants from one of the racks. “And this.”

Nick fingered the soft fabric of the turquoise tunic-style blouse in her hands. “The color will complement your complexion and bring out your eyes.”

Darcie tried not to glance at the price tag, which she knew would not complement her bank account. For kicks, she added to the growing selection a white halter dress that made her think of Marilyn Monroe.

“I would really like to see you in this.”

Clipped to the hanger he held was a tiny bikini that would leave even more of Darcie exposed than the lingerie.

“Right.” She snorted indelicately. “I haven't worn a two-piece swimsuit since I was six years old.”

He thrust the hanger into her hands. “Then I would say you are overdue.”

“Nick.”

“Ah, ah, ah. We had a deal.” He nudged her toward the changing room in the back of the store. “Keep in mind that on many European beaches it is perfectly acceptable to go topless.”

Laughing, she ducked into the small room. She lined up the hangers, leaving the bikini for last and far from certain she would honor their bargain. The first thing she stepped out in was the white halter dress.

“Ta-da!” In her bare feet, she executed a twirl for him and then posed with one hand on her hip. With the other she primped her hair. “I'm channeling Marilyn Monroe.”

“Very sexy. Perhaps the store has an air-conditioning duct you can stand over top of. I would not mind seeing a little more of your legs.”

Darcie hiked up the hem of the dress's skirt by a couple of inches to accommodate his wish, but he wasn't satisfied.

“Make no mistake, you have very nice knees. However, I was thinking about your thighs.” His smile held a dare.

She glanced around. The shop was busy, but the dressing rooms were at the back. A couple of sale racks helped to shield her from view.

She inched up the dress more slowly this time.

“I will tell you when to stop,” Nick said quietly.

“I bet.”

The hem was not quite to the middle of her thigh when Nick uttered a gruff, “Enough!”

“You don't want to see any more?”

“Not out in public.”

Darcie didn't smile, but she wanted to. The same went for pumping her fists in the air. Eat your heart out, Marilyn, she thought, feeling every bit as desired as the famous sex symbol.

Nick stood. “I'm going to buy another
Kliafa.
”

“Right now? I was going to model the bikini next,” she teased ruthlessly.

After muttering something she couldn't quite catch, he said, “I will wait for you outside.”

So it was that Nick never got the chance to see Darcie wearing a clingy wine-colored dress that an ambitious saleswoman slipped into the changing room along with some sexy satin undergarments that the young woman claimed were essential to ensuring the dress's proper fit.

Darcie had to admit, they definitely smoothed out certain areas while lifting others, which was why she purchased them. As for the bikini, she wasn't sure why she bought it. She didn't need it. Wasn't sure she had the guts to wear it out in public. But she looked good in it. Damned good. A little voice that sounded suspiciously like her friend Becky told her she should buy it.

At the cash register, she wound up charging enough to her credit card to leave her feeling guilty and a little giddy.

“You are flushed,” Nick noted as they made their way to the restaurant.

“Yes, well, spending more than I earn in a week has been known to have that effect on me.” She chuckled weakly.

* * *

Despite their shopping trip, the man they were to meet had not yet arrived when they reached the restaurant. Nick requested a table in a shady part of the patio that offered a lovely view of the Litheos River.

“While we're waiting, why don't you tell me a little about Ari Galanos,” Darcie said.

“Ah, Ari.” Nick chuckled fondly. “I should warn you, he will flirt shamelessly with you. The man goes through cars almost as quickly as he goes through wives.”

“Thanks for the warning.” The waiter came by for their beverage order.

“A glass of wine?” Nick asked.

“Why not? I'm not driving.”

“You could, you know. If you wished.”

“No, no.” She shook her head. “With or without a glass of wine, that wouldn't be a good idea.”

“The roads can be a little treacherous if one is not familiar with them,” he agreed.

“Yes, not to mention the fact that it's been a decade since I last drove a manual transmission.” She tilted her head to one side and asked, “Are you familiar with the expression, ‘If you can't find 'em, grind 'em'?”

“I am not.”

“Well, suffice it to say, that was my motto whenever I was trying to shift from one gear to the next.”

“Ah.” He grimaced as understanding dawned. And they both wound up chuckling.

“This is nice,” Darcie said on a sigh a few minutes later, as she sipped her wine and gazed at the river. “I feel very relaxed.”

“That is the point of a vacation, yes? To relax, rejuvenate one's spirit.”

She nodded. But they both knew this wasn't a normal vacation for Darcie. The trip had been booked as her honeymoon. After calling off her wedding, she had intended to use it as a getaway, a timeout from her post-breakup reality. Now, it was turning into a job opportunity and so much more.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked, surprised.

“For helping me get my life back in order.”

“Your gratitude is not necessary. You have done that all on your own.”

But she persisted. “No, you had a hand in it, Nick. If not for you, I would be on a plane headed home right now, and going back to a job that I'd talked myself into believing was good enough since it pays the bills.”

He reached across the table for her hand, giving it a squeeze. “You sell yourself short, Darcie. You would have reached for your dream again, with or without my help. I gave you a gentle push in the right direction. That is all.”

Her smile told Nick she didn't quite believe him. Her gratitude made him uncomfortable. Another man might have used it, exploited it even, to maneuver her into his bed. Nick was too scrupulous for that. He wanted Darcie there, and the waiting was taking its toll, but he did not want her to say yes because she felt she owed him something. He meant it when he told her she would have sought out her dream again on her own, even without his prodding. If her passion for writing was anything like his passion for cars, it wouldn't be denied.

Ari arrived as they were finishing their wine. He ordered a second round of drinks, although this time Nick switched to sparkling water. Not only would he be driving later, but he also preferred to keep a clear head in business. Ari was shrewd and he was used to getting his way.

As predicted, the older man's eyes lit with appreciation when Nick introduced him to Darcie.

Still holding her hand, he said in Greek, “Nick did not mention hiring an assistant. Or is your relationship more personal in nature?”

Smiling, Darcie glanced helplessly at Nick.

“Darcie does not speak Greek,” he said. “She is an American.”

“I apologize,” Ari replied in heavily accented English. “I was asking about your relationship with Nick.”

“My re—”

“Darcie is a writer,” Nick explained. “I have hired her to prepare feature articles on some of the automobiles that will appear in my next auction brochure. Already she has done some research on your Austin-Healey.”

Ari didn't appear convinced. His tone was just shy of condescending when he asked, “What have you managed to learn about my automobile, my dear?”

“Let's see, I know the 1956 model is worth more than other 100M Roadsters.” She ran a fingertip around the top of her wineglass as she spoke. “That was the only year they manufactured the performance-enhanced model, which tops out at a speed of one hundred and fifteen miles per hour. The car was marketed to customers who wanted to compete or who just plain liked to go fast, which is why it has a tighter front suspension, added louvers to keep the hood in place at high speeds and a fold-down windshield.”

Ari's bushy brows shot up. “Beautiful
and
smart. I apologize.”

“Darcie is not to be underestimated,” Nick agreed with no small amount of pride. And he knew a moment of panic as he wondered if he had underestimated the impact she was having on his life.

Earlier, she had thanked him for helping her to get her life back in order. For helping her find passion again where it long had been missing. It dawned on Nick that she had returned the favor. He always had enjoyed business. It was his personal life that had been lacking. Oh, he'd dated plenty of women, one or two of them for several months before breaking off the relationship and moving on.

None of those women had affected him the way Darcie was. None had made him envision a future with a family that he'd taken for granted when he was a young man.

* * *

The drive from Trikala to their hotel in Meteora would have taken less than half an hour, but Nick wanted to put his newly acquired Austin-Healey through its paces.

“Satisfied with the car?” Darcie asked when traffic finally forced him to slow down.

“I am, yes. Ari has taken good care of her. She runs like a dream.” He rubbed the leather seat. “And other than this one small tear in the upholstery, her body is in mint condition, as well.”

“Why do men refer to cars with female pronouns? I've never understood that.”

“It seems more natural to be riding in a female than a male.” Nick grinned. “Maybe it is simply the way we are wired.”

“So, you're saying it's in your genes?” Darcie rolled her eyes. “Please.”

His grin turned wicked. “A different kind of jeans then.”

Darcie crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes a second time, but she looked more amused than exasperated. He wasn't sure how she'd managed it, but over the course of the day, she'd drawn him out of his foul mood. Indeed, Nick was actually enjoying himself, whereas he often found buying trips tedious.

He reached for her hand, forcing her to unfold her arms, and then gave her fingers an affectionate squeeze. He was still holding her hand when they reached their destination.

* * *

The hotel where Nick had booked their rooms was nicer than anything Darcie would have chosen had she been picking up the tab herself. It went without saying that it was nicer than anything Stavros would have provided as part of the all-inclusive tour.

Their rooms were on the third floor, which like all of the floors, was open to the atrium on the main level. They made plans to meet for a late dinner, which would give them both a chance to unpack and unwind.

“Wear the white dress to dinner,” he suggested as he handed her a key card.

“I didn't buy the white dress.”

“What is in there then?” He pointed to two bags she carried that were printed with the shop's logo.

She smiled benignly. “I guess you'll just have to wait and see.”

When Darcie said it, she was referring to the sexy wine-colored dress. But that changed when she slipped into her room and realized that it joined with Nick's via an interior door. Because she could quite vividly picture him on the other side of it, undressing, she decided to go for a swim. The hotel had a nice pool in a courtyard outdoors. A quick dip and a little lounging on one of the chaises might be the perfect distraction.

She eyed the tank-style one-piece in a bland shade of blue that she'd brought with her from Athens before deciding to slip into the red bikini. She wouldn't wear it downstairs. Probably. But...