FOUR MONTHS LATER
“WHAT DO YOU mean you’re making Irish desserts?”
Glancing over to Katerina, I stared at her for a few seconds. By now, I was starting to figure out Nic’s mother. She was a hard nut to crack, but I was somehow making my way in and learning how to maneuver around in this family.
It was the pretend three percent Greek in me.
“Well, Kilyn is Irish, so I thought for her baby shower, a few Irish desserts would be fun to do.”
She stood there staring at me with her mouth gaped open. “What is wrong with baklava or katifi?”
Shrugging, I replied, “Nothing.”
“Most of the guests will be Greek!”
“Probably,” I said with a chuckle.
“Then why not make a Greek dessert. Something everyone would enjoy?”
I was having a hard time holding back my smile. “Katerina, you’re more than welcome to make the desserts if you’d think everyone would prefer Greek.”
Narrowing her eyes at me, she forced a smile and waved her hand around. “No. Kilyn specifically asked for you to handle the desserts.”
I smiled. “Besides, it will be fun for everyone to try something new.”
Katerina huffed.
Going back to reading Kilyn’s and Thano’s baby registry, I couldn’t help but notice Katerina glancing around the house.
Peeking up, I watched her walk over to one of the kitchen cabinets and open it. Any other woman would have been pissed, but I knew this was part of the Nic package. And I knew that privacy was something his family didn’t do. I learned that the day Nic practically had sex with me in front of his mother and aunts when they decided to come over and cook him some meals so he didn’t starve.
“Did Nic get new mixing bowls?”
I fought to roll my eyes.
“Nope. Those are mine.”
Another cabinet opened. “He bought new plates?”
“Those are my plates.”
Grunting, she looked through a drawer then another cabinet.
“Your pasta bowl?” she asked.
“Yep.”
She shut the cabinet. “Have you officially moved in, Gabriella?”
Her eyes shot right to my left hand.
“I guess you could say I have since I’m here every night.”
“What about your place above the bakery?” Katerina asked as she took a seat at the kitchen island.
“Charity is living there. With the baby coming, she needed the extra room.”
Katerina smiled. She loved babies, and I knew she was counting the days until Kilyn had her second child. It killed her Thano and Kilyn hadn’t told anyone the sex of the baby.
“How nice of you to do that. It’s the Greek in you.”
I smiled. “Don’t you think it is strange, Katerina, that I’m ninety-seven percent Italian, and three percent Greek?”
“No. Someone in your family history had the good sense to sleep with a Greek man.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “We both know how well they are in bed.”
Dropping my mouth open, I gasped. “Katerina!”
She brushed me off with her hands. “Oh, don’t pretend you are shy and innocent now, Gabriella. I’ve heard my Nicholaus and how he talks dirty to you.”
I wanted to crawl under a rock. I’d never live that moment down for as long as I live.
“If my Nic makes you as happy as my Dimitris does, I know why someone in your family went Greek. You know what they say about Greek men.”
Grinning, I asked, “No, what do they say?”
“Once you’ve had Greek, you can’t walk for a week.”
I could feel the heat on my cheeks as she sat there and stared at me with a deadpan face.
When she lifted her brow, as if to challenge me, I closed my eyes and wished for a time machine to go back an hour and not answer the door.
My phone beeped, causing me to open my eyes and glance down at it.
“It’s Max.”
Katerina chuckled. “It’s always Max.”
I couldn’t argue with her on that.
Standing, I knew she was waiting. “Would you like to drive over there with me?”
A smile exploded on her face. “I’d love to.”
Katerina and I talked a little more about Kilyn’s baby shower on the way to the bakery. It was a short drive. Less than five minutes. I was lucky enough to find a parking space right out front so we walked in through the front door.
My eyes immediately went to the display cabinets.
Oh. No. She. Did. Not.
Snapping my eyes up to Charity, she was making a face like she tried to stop it, but failed.
Katerina walked in and started greeting patrons at their tables as I stood there and stared at the foreign desserts.
Leaning closer, I whispered, “Kataifi!”
Sweeping my eyes across I saw baklava, phyllo pastries, kourabiedes, and kariokes.
I turned on my heels and stormed past Katerina who was asking a lady how she liked the baklava.
“It’s delicious, but I thought baklava was Greek?”
Katerina chuckled. “It is.”
“I thought this was an Italian bakery.”
I held my breath as I stopped and faced them.
“You know what they say about Italian cooking. It goes for baking as well. It’s simply Greek food with no taste.”
The older lady’s eyes widened in shock before she giggled.
Ugh! This woman is going to drive me insane!
Max and Charity started walking next to me as we made our way down the hall and to my office. Once in, I slammed the door and glared at them both.
Charity put her hands up in defense. “First off, I’m pregnant and trying to argue with that woman is exhausting. I need to harness all my energy for sex. Have I mentioned how good Cole is in bed?”
Max and I both groaned.
“Seriously. Shut up, Charity.” My eyes shot over to Max. “How? How did she get that food in my bakery?!”
“Stop yelling at me, Gabi! It makes me nervous.”
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath before forcing a smile and looking back at him.
“Max, would you mind telling me how Katerina was able to put at least five different Greek desserts in my bakery.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, she came in about two hours ago.”
“More like an hour and a half,” Charity added.
“And she carried them in, walked around the counter and just kind of . . . well she . . . she kind of . . . she . . .”
“Oh my gosh, just say it!”
“She started putting them in with the other desserts! Charity asked her if you had said she could and all she did was laugh and replied with what do you think, Charity?”
Charity nodded. “And what I really wanted to say was I think she would say fuck to the hell no, but then I got scared.”
I shook my head. “Why did you get scared?”
They both shrugged. “She’s scary,” Charity whispered as Max nodded in agreement.
Pointing to Max, I said, “Take them out.”
“R-right now? With her here?”
“Yes.”
“Why do I have to do it? Make Charity! She’s pregnant and Katerina won’t do anything to her.”
“Ah, hell no, Max. She told you to do it.”
I pulled out my phone and hit Nic’s number.
“Hey, agapiméni.”
“She’s gone too far.”
Nic was silent for a few seconds. “What did she do now?”
“She put Greek desserts in my bakery. My Italian bakery.”
“Wait. She did what?”
I sighed. “She walked into the bakery, went behind the counter and started to put Greek desserts in with mine.”
Max held up his finger. “Oh, she kind of took some of yours out and gave them away to customers.”
If looks could kill, Max would have been on the floor.
“Nic, I’ve got to let you go. I need to throw out some Greek food.”
“Wait! Did she happen to make any kariokes?”
Pulling the phone out, I looked at it before putting it back to my ear.
“I can’t even with you right now, Nic Drivas.”
Hitting End, I pushed past Max.
As I reached for the door and opened it, he softly spoke to Charity. “I think she’s gonna do it. We’ll live to see another day.”
“Ugh!” I cried out.
I knew I was on edge. Hell, anytime Katerina was around she put me on edge. But I had to give a deposition on Monday regarding Dante and the night he shot his father. All I wanted to do was put that life behind me.
Making my way back into the bakery, I watched as Katerina sat down at a table with an older couple.
I shot her a dirty look and wished I had the power to shoot daggers at her.
The bell to the bakery opened and Kilyn walked in. She saw Katerina sitting at a table and her eyes widened in surprise. Then she turned and saw me. Walking up to me, she plastered an everything is okay smile on her face.
“Hey, I see you and Katerina are hanging out.”
Glaring back over at her, I tried not to growl.
“Or maybe not.”
Focusing back on Kilyn, I said, “She put Greek desserts in my bakery.”
She frowned. “Huh?”
I motioned for her to walk to the end of the counter. Leaning down, she gasped.
“Oh. No.”
“Yes. And they are all going in the trash.”
Kilyn jumped up. “What? There is some good stuff in there. I’ll take it home! Don’t throw it away.”
I narrowed my left eye on her and she took a step back. “Or you could throw it all out.”
“Max!” I called out.
“Yep, right here.”
“Will you package all of this up for Kilyn, please.”
She smiled and licked her lips as she watched Max reach in for the Greek desserts. Katerina looked up at me. Pointing to her, I motioned for her to meet me in the back.
“What are you doing?” Kilyn asked.
“I’m going to set her straight.”
Max, Charity, and Kilyn all gasped.
“It’s about time,” Liza said walking up tying on an apron.
I looked at her as she shrugged. “Sorry, but this has been going on for too long. This is your turf. She can’t mess with you on your turf.”
“Yeah!” Kilyn said as she lifted her fist into the air. Slowly pulling it back down, she turned to Max. “If you’ve got that ready, I’ll just be leaving before the shit hits the fan. Later, guys.”
“Chicken,” I called out. Lifting her hand, Kilyn gave it a quick wave and was out the door with her goodies.
And to think I’m planning her baby shower.
Spinning around, I made my way to my office where Katerina was already sitting behind my desk.
I shut the door and took a seat. Before I had a chance to even start talking, she went first.
“Don’t be upset, Gabriella. I only meant it with good intentions.”
Breathe. Stay calm. You’ve got this.
“Katerina, this is my bakery. My business, my livelihood. My dream. You cannot come in here and act like you are a part of it. You especially cannot come in and bring food. For one, it is a health violation. I could get in trouble.”
Her face dropped. “Oh, Gabriella, I wasn’t even thinking about that.”
“Well, honestly Katerina, you weren’t thinking at all. You’re walking around putting down my baking to my customers. How do you think that makes me feel?”
She only stared at me, but didn’t respond.
“You are to never bring food into this bakery again, and if for any reason you think there needs to be a dessert here, talk to me about it first. Maybe we can have a Greek day or something.”
I don’t think in the six months that I have known Katerina Drivas I have I ever seen her speechless. Standing, she smoothed out her hair and smiled.
“Well, it appears I’ve been put in my place.”
Sighing, I dropped my head. When I glanced back up at her, she was moving around the desk. “I’m not trying to put you in your place. I’m simply asking that you not interfere with my business. I’ve worked very hard to make this bakery what it is. I know you wish I was Greek, and I’m sorry I’m not.”
She smiled. “You’re three percent.”
Slowly shaking my head, I smiled softly. I could tell her the test was false, but what good what it do.
“I’m very proud of my Italian heritage, just as you’re proud of your Greek. I’m very passionate about my cooking, like you’re passionate about yours. It’s okay to be different. It’s okay if Nic loves an Italian dish. Because no matter what I cook or what I bake, you’ll always be his mother and he will always love you with every ounce of his heart and soul. I’m not competing with you on that, Katerina. We both love the same man, but in two totally different ways.”
Katerina glanced away for a few moments while she cleared her throat before focusing back on me.
“You are a strong woman, Gabriella, and I see why my Nicholaus loves you so.”
Smiling, I walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek. “You raised an amazing man, Katerina. I’d be lost without him.”
With a quick pat on my arm, she stood up straighter. “Now, if you’ll bring me back to my . . . er . . . Nicholaus’s house, I will get my car and head home. I have some planning to do for the shower.” Narrowing her eyes, she flashed me an evil smile. “Kilyn thinks she snuck in the bakery today without me seeing her, but I saw her. I also saw her taking all the desserts! I knew that girl loved my kariokes.”
I covered my mouth to hide my smile as Katerina marched out of my office.
With a deep exhale, I looked up and said a quick prayer. As I made my way out of my office, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Life with Katerina Drivas was going to be interesting.
Exhausting.
But very interesting.