Greek for Beginners (14 page)

“My family will be disappointed if you are not there to share in the celebration. They credit you for making me come to my senses, you know.” He cast a smile in her direction, and then sobered. “I do, as well.”

Something about his expression was different. Darcie couldn't quite put a finger on it. “I think you would have eventually.”

“Perhaps. But not in time for their wedding. Not in time to ease their hearts with my blessing or to act as my brother's best man. So, will you come with me, Darcie?”

“I want to, Nick,” she said slowly.

He studied her a moment. “Saying that you want to is not the same as saying you will. Please say yes.”

Darcie took a deep breath and gave herself over to fate. “Yes.”

* * *

“You're staying in Greece?”

“Sheesh, Becks, you make it sound like I'm moving here for good,” Darcie replied on a laugh. “It's only for an extra couple of days. You and I will still meet for coffee and gossip when I get back. It will just have to wait until Tuesday now.”

Darcie had already called her father with similar news since he had volunteered to pick her up at the airport. He'd taken the change to her itinerary in stride, probably because Darcie had left him with the impression it was the result of the airline overbooking her return flight. She felt a little guilty about that, but figured the white lie was better than having him worry.

Becky, however, wasn't buying it.

“What's really going on? And, no, I will not wait until Tuesday for an explanation. I want to know right now.”

“Okay.” Darcie sighed. “You know how I mentioned before that Nick and his brother were estranged, and the rift between them was a source of friction for the entire family?”

“Uh-huh. You said that was why his mother and grandmother kept trying to set him up on dates,” Becky said.

“Right. So, he was pretending to be dating me so they would cease and desist.”

“Uh-huh. His family wanted Nick to find happiness himself so he would— Oh, my God!”

An ocean away, Darcie could see her friend jumping to conclusions. “Becky, no. It's not—”

But her friend was shouting excitedly, “He's in love with you! That gorgeous Greek man is in love with you!”

“No.” Despite the denial, Darcie's heart took off at a gallop. She swallowed and forced it to slow down. “He hasn't said anything about love. He's patched things up with his brother, and now he's asked me to stay and attend the wedding. It's his way of saying thanks, I think. Because...I don't know...I helped him put aside his lingering feelings of betrayal and move on.”

“And how do you suppose you managed to do that?” Becky asked, her voice laced with triumph. “The man has moved on...to you! Are you in love with him?”

“I just broke off my engagement.” Darcie's protest sounded weak even to her own ears.

“The timing sucks, I'll give you that. But your breakup with Tad was a long time coming, and we both know it.”

“Nick and I hardly know one another,” Darcie said, well aware that the explanation carried little weight. True in terms of time, they had only just met. In other ways...it was as if she had known him forever. He understood her so well.

“My mom and dad met on a blind date, eloped a month later and have been going strong for thirty-five years.”

“Becks—”

“You knew Tad for years, Darcie.
Years!
And you still weren't sure in the end. Doesn't that tell you something? When it's right, it's right. And you just know it. The amount of time doesn't matter.”

“I've got to go.”

“Darcie
—
”

“See you Tuesday,” she said and quickly disconnected.

She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to
think
about it. What Becky suggested was preposterous, outrageous and very, very probable, at least on Darcie's end. As for Nick...well that was a whole other matter.

* * *

Rain was forecast for Pieter and Selene's big day. The sky was thick with fat dark clouds when Darcie and Nick entered the church, but nothing could dampen the excitement of the guests assembled in the church's pews. When the bride started up the aisle, all eyes were on her, and even the insistent tapping of rain against the stained-glass windows was ignored. Selene made a gorgeous bride. And she was so obviously in love.

Darcie had never attended a Greek wedding, but in many ways it was not so different from the American ones she had attended, even if she didn't understand much of what was being said. Love and commitment, such things were universal. At Nick's family's insistence, she was seated in the front row, wedged between his mother and grandmother. Even before the ceremony started, Sophia had stuffed a lace-edged hankie into her hand.

“You will need this,” the older woman predicted.

Thea had nodded, dabbing her eyes.

Nick, of course, was on the altar with the bride and groom during the exchange of vows. He looked as handsome as ever in formal attire, his dark hair tamed for the event. As the
koumbaro
, he placed the crowns on their heads at the appointed time, and then switched them back and forth three times to symbolize their union.

Darcie might not have understood the words being spoken but the emotions translated perfectly. She found herself sniffling and dabbing at her eyes right along with Thea and Sophia, grateful for the hankie.

“Thank you,” Nick's mother whispered to Darcie as the bride and groom shared their first kiss as husband and wife. “You have given me back my sons.”

“I...oh. Actually, Nick—”

“Nick is so happy.” Thea smiled. “Maybe soon Pieter will be switching the crowns on your heads.”

Darcie's eyes filled and the tears spilled over. As Thea squeezed her hand, Yiayia wiped them away with a knowing smile.

* * *

By the end of the ceremony, the storm had passed. As they left the church for the reception hall, patches of blue were visible in the sky. It was fitting given all that had happened.

Darcie had never enjoyed herself at a wedding reception more, especially when the dancing began. Nick and his family showed her some of the basic steps to traditional Greek dances.

“I'm afraid I have two left feet,” she told him after one dance, during which she had stepped on his toes at least half a dozen times.

Now they were seated at a table, enjoying a glass of wine. Darcie had sworn off the ouzo after the first toast. The inside of her throat still felt as if it were on fire from the strong spirit.

“You were doing well for just learning. It takes time.”

Time that she didn't have. “I can't believe I'll be going home soon.”

“Let's not speak of that now.” The band began to play a new song. The melody was familiar, if old. Darcie placed it by the time Nat King Cole started to sing “Unforgettable.” Nick stood, held out his hand. “I requested this one especially for you.”

“Am I unforgettable?” Darcie found the courage to ask.

“What do you think?”

Gazing into his dark eyes, she chickened out. “I think I have had the best vacation ever, and I'm going to be really sorry to see it end.”

On the dance floor, Nick gathered her closer and rested his cheek against hers. It was just as well that he could no longer see her face, because despite Darcie's best efforts, her eyes began to tear.

TWELVE

“Is this goodbye
or is it ‘see you later'?” Darcie asked Nick as they sipped coffee in a crowded Newark airport café.

The question had been weighing heavily on both their minds, but Darcie apparently was the only one brave enough to give it voice. Another time her newfound courage might have made her smile. After all, mere weeks ago, she had been a go-along-to-get-along girl. Right now, her transformation took a backseat to heartache.

Her connecting flight to Buffalo wouldn't board for another hour yet. She'd insisted he didn't need to wait with her, but Nick was just as insistent that he would
—
prolonging the inevitable.

Neither of them had slept on the long flight from Athens. They'd spent the time talking, each sharing details of their lives from the mundane to the profound. Even so, they had scrupulously avoided making any reference to their relationship and the future.

Until now.

“Is there a difference?” he asked.

“You know there is.” She gathered up the empty sugar packets and crushed them into a ball. Her gaze was fixed on her fist when she continued. “I'm only asking because if this is the last time I'm likely to see you, I'm going to want to make my kiss count.”

“They have
all
counted,” he assured her.

“True. Some more than others,” she added thinking about their lovemaking.

Back at his home after the wedding, Nick had undressed Darcie slowly, hands caressing her skin as if memorizing her body's every dip and curve. The exquisite tenderness of his touch, the soft cadence of his voice as he spoke in his native tongue, both had been in stark contrast to his fierce expression and ultimate possession.

Afterward, he'd gathered her close.

“Tonight, I will stay,” he'd told her. “I want to watch you wake.”

True to his word, when Darcie opened her eyes early the next day, Nick had still been beside her and already awake. Indeed, given the shadows under his eyes, she'd wondered if he'd slept at all.

“Just as I suspected,” he'd said quietly.

“What?”

“You are even more beautiful in the morning.”

So, now, she had to know. “Will we see each other again, Nick? Whatever the answer is, I promise I can handle it. I'm not fragile.”

No, Darcie wasn't fragile, but that didn't mean she couldn't be hurt or manipulated. She had been in the past. Nick was determined to do neither. Unfortunately, he found himself in a predicament. The past two weeks had been amazing, so much so that he didn't want them to end. They made for a great beginning. But...

It would be much easier if they lived in the same city. Then they could fully explore their feelings and decide over time where they were heading. But Darcie lived on the other side of the state, which was better than being on the other side of the ocean, but still not close enough for a relationship to develop naturally. As it was, what had occurred between them in Greece had been shaped by outside forces, not the least of which were her broken engagement and his strained family ties.

Now that they were returning to their everyday lives, what would happen? In the light of a new day, would she look back on her time in Greece and see it as a romantic holiday dalliance and nothing more? That was how it had started. That was all it was supposed to be.

Nick didn't wonder how he would feel once he was back in his old routine. He knew. He loved Darcie.

So, he said, “I want to see you again.”

“You don't sound happy about that.”

“I am being cautious, I suppose. For both of our sakes.”

“Are you worried that I'll suddenly realize I still love Tad or that I want to go back to my old job as a fact-checker?” she asked.

“No, but you have choices to make, Darcie. And I don't want to put any added pressure on you.”

“I think I've already made those choices.”

Nick nodded, somewhat mollified, but he still felt the need to point out, “Darcie, your life is in a state of upheaval. It has been since we met. In a way, you are starting over. I was selfish once. I expected someone else to bend her life to suit my needs. I don't want to do that again. You have so much to sort out right now.”

“I need a new address and to revamp my resumé. The rest...” She shrugged. “It will sort out itself.”

“Your plane leaves in less than an hour for Buffalo. That is where you live. I am in Manhattan.”

“And if I lived in Manhattan, too?”

His heart took off like a shot at the idea. That was Darcie's dream, he knew. To move to New York City and work as a serious journalist. Even as he wanted to offer to help her pack her bags and move that very day, he also knew she needed money to do so, and she wouldn't accept his financial assistance. He'd had a hard enough time convincing her to accept it in Greece, and even then she had insisted on a
quid pro quo
arrangement. But without a reliable source of income, she wouldn't be able to swing New York's high cost of living.

“I want you in New York. Make no mistake about that.” He swallowed hard then as he pushed what he wanted behind what would be best for Darcie. “But the city is very expensive, and I am trying to be realistic. Also, your entire family is in Buffalo. When everything is said and done, you may...you may decide that is where you want to stay. I would understand.”

It would kill him, but he would understand.

Darcie's smile was reassuring. “I'm not Selene, Nick. I'm not going to change my mind. I
will
come to New York.” The smile disappeared then. “But it's going to take a little while, before I have established myself as a writer and can afford to move.”

“A little while,” he repeated.

They both fell silent.

“And in the meantime?” she asked.

“It is a short flight. I can be in Buffalo every weekend.”

“That's a lot of frequent flyer miles,” Darcie murmured.

“It won't be forever. Eventually, we will be together in the same city.” Even as Nick said it old memories swirled like vultures. He did his best to ignore them, but some of his concern must have shown on his face.

“You're wondering if while we are apart I will reach the conclusion that what happened in Greece was simply meant to stay there,” she said softly.

He didn't care for Darcie's assessment, but he couldn't argue its accuracy. “I would understand.”

“Because I'm supposedly vulnerable and confused and we only just met?” She arched an eyebrow. “Oh, please. I spent years with Tad and I never felt for him what I'm starting to feel for you, Nick.”

He knew what he was starting to feel, too, but, as much as Nick wanted to give voice to the words, he was afraid. “Absence does not always make the heart grow fonder. Sometimes...feelings change.”

Her eyes were bright, but she nodded. “And you think mine will.”

“No!” God help him, he hoped not.

“All right. Let's put it to the test.”

“What do you mean?”

“We won't see each other until I can afford to move to New York,” she said baldly.

Her suggestion caught him off guard. “How long will that be?”

“I don't know,” Darcie admitted on a frown.

“Six months,” he declared. “That is all the time I will give you.” It might take longer than that for her to build her resumé, but half a year was all the time Nick was willing to be apart.

She nodded. Exhaled. “And during that time, we won't see one another.”

“No.” He swallowed before adding, “Nor will we speak to one another on the telephone.”

She nibbled her lower lip. “I assume texting and emails will be out of the question then, too, huh?”

He chuckled in spite of himself. Mirth didn't last long before he sobered. “We will have no contact at all. If I am in contact with you, I will want to
be
with you. My resolve will weaken.”

“And that would be bad?”

“Not bad, but...selfish.” It kept coming back to that. “You need time, Darcie. You may not think so, but I want you to have it.”

And he wanted her to be sure of her feelings for both of their sakes.

She exhaled slowly and nodded. “Okay. No contact at all. And then what?”

“If after six months we both still feel the same way we will meet.”

“Where?” She chuckled as she added, “On the observation deck of the Empire State Building?”

“If that is where you wish.”

“That was a joke, Nick. Sorry. Obviously you've never seen
An Affair to Remember
or
Sleepless in Seattle.
”

She quickly explained how the couples in both movies had made plans to meet at the New York landmark.

“I like the idea of a neutral site so there is no pressure, but too many other variables appear left to chance,” he said. “I do not want to leave anything to chance where you are concerned.”

She smiled. “Then where?”

An idea came to him. “Are you familiar with Tidwell's?”

“The big auction house in Brooklyn that is your main competitor?”

He nodded. “The first Saturday of each month, it auctions classic automobiles. We can meet there in January.”

“The start of a new year.” She smiled. “I like it. Very symbolic.”

If all went as he hoped, it would be the start of much more than a new year. He jotted down the pertinent information on a paper cocktail napkin and handed it to her.

“Remember, we will not be in touch between now and then, so do not lose this.”

The smile she gave him now was wobbly. “I've already got it committed to memory.”

“If...if you do not come—”

“I'll be there. I'll wear red in honor of your grandmother. If you change your—”

Nick stopped her from finishing the thought with a kiss. Then, with time ticking down until her flight boarded, he walked with her as far as the airport allowed.

“This is not goodbye, so there is no need to make it count,” he reminded her as he drew her into his arms.

“That's right. It's see you later. Or, more accurately, see you in six months.”

Still, the kiss counted. When it came to Darcie, everything did.