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 managed 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.”
His father nodded and turned to Grace. “Good night, koukla mou, I will see you in the morning. There is much to be done in the next week, and I want to be at my best.”
“Good night,” Grace said as she watched both men leave. After working here for so long, she’d felt she knew everything about everyone, but seeing Mano’s heartbreak now, and watching the way Ari had so gently related to his father, had her questioning the way she’d been so ready to judge him. It made her want to do her very best for this family.
Half an hour later there was a soft knock at her apartment door. After she’d said good night to Mano and Ari, she’d double checked that all the doors to the Palace were locked, so she guessed it must be Ari.
“It’s me,” he said, confirming her thought. “I didn’t want to leave without saying good-bye.”
She raced to the tiny mirror above the hall table and raked her fingers through her hair. God, she was a mess. She straightened her blouse, yanked her skirt straight, and took a deep breath. When she unlocked the door to her apartment Ari was standing there like some kind of priceless Greek statue, one hand on her doorframe.
Her pulse fluttered in her throat. Did she have any beer in the house? Any coffee? Had she put on her comfy beige bra this morning, or the red one with the little bow?
“Hey,” he said. “Sorry if I disturbed you.”
“No, no,” she said. “I was…well to be honest I was making myself grilled cheese. Do you want some?”
His mouth tilted in a grin. “Grilled cheese sounds awesome.”
She stood back and waved him in. “How’s your dad? Is he okay?”
“He’s okay, I guess. He’s not going to find it easy to take a backseat while he’s here, but I’d like him to. He seems really tired, you know?” He stopped, his hands in his pockets. “Wow, you’ve done a lot to this place,” he said, looking around. “My grandparents used to stay here when they visited from Greece, and it was nothing like this then. My mom used to keep plastic over the furniture so that everything would stay really nice.”
The walls she’d painted a soft green, and the cute rug she’d got on sale—this place was really a part of her now. “I don’t go out a lot,” she said over her shoulder as she moved into the kitchen and he followed. “Work takes up most of my time, and I don’t like to have friends over when your parents are around, so I’ve spent a bit of time decorating.”
He picked up her yearly horoscope book, which had been sitting on the table, and thumbed the pages. “So, this is where you found out that Scorpios and Libras weren’t a good match?” He grinned. “You really believe this stuff?”
“Yeah, I do,” she said. “My grandma always seemed to understand people. She was such a good judge of character, and when I asked her about it one day, she said it was because she’d worked out their star sign. Of course, some of it’s hokey, but the more you read, the more it kinda fits.” She opened the fridge door. “I don’t have any beer, sorry. Wine?”
“Sure.”
She busied herself getting the wine and grilled cheese as he flicked through the book. He was quiet for a while then said, “Hey, listen to this. The Scorpio man has the need to always speak his mind, and in general, he will speak the truth. It could be said that his biggest joy lies in giving his observations of the hard truth that nobody wants to deal with. I reckon that sounds exactly like me, don’t you?”
She came back into the room and put a wine bottle and two glasses on the table then sat on the couch with her feet tucked up. “What sort of hard truths would they be?”
He tapped the book on the table. “What we were talking about before. About marriage and how it makes people unhappy. That if people could accept other people’s faults and not try to change them, things might work out better.”
He really believed what he’d said about marriage? Where did that come from? Was it just through his work, or had he been burned by a relationship in the past?
“Let’s see what it says about Libras in relationships,” he said.
She poured the wine, and Ari read again. “It can be hard to understand her position because she’ll rarely show her uncontrolled emotions and passions, so the right partner needs to know her deeply and intimately, including the things she doesn’t want to show.” His eyes sparkled. “Sound like you?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. I like to think I don’t keep my feelings too covered up, but maybe that’s true.”
“What star sign was your husband?” he asked, his attention still focused on the pages of the book.
Grace’s heart stalled, and her throat wouldn’t move to swallow the wine. When she didn’t answer, Ari’s chin lifted, and his face changed. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s fine,” she said, then took another sip of the wine to compose herself. “It’s been a long time since anyone’s mentioned him, that’s all.”
Ari’s gaze intensified. “I’m sorry if I upset you.”
He came and sat down beside her, and the scent of him—his raw, male presence—made her more conflicted about telling him this. It was precisely those physical things that she’d let rule her feelings with Mark, and here she was doing it all over again.
“We just didn’t end on very good terms, and thinking about it makes me angry,” she said as she twirled the glass in her hands. “I’d wanted to leave for a long time before I actually did, and I’ve pushed away a lot of those memories.”
He turned to face her, his dark, expressive gaze roaming her face. “Where did you live when you were married?”
It made sense that he’d ask lots of questions; he was a detective after all. But he didn’t need to know the whole truth. “Not far from here,” she said, thinking about the beautiful house she’d had, the pretty garden, the rules and the threats.
“Oh, I’d imagined you’d lived in the city,” Ari said. “When you said you didn’t have a car, I guessed it was because you didn’t need one.”
She took another mouthful, and this time the wine burned the back of her throat. “It’s not that I didn’t need one.” Should she tell him anything more? This was only a bit of fun, no attachments, no expectations. She didn’t need to know all about him, and he didn’t need to know all about her.
“So, you didn’t like the responsibility of driving?” he asked, misreading what she’d said. “Yasmin was a bit like that when she was younger, but now that she’s cheated death, she’s fearless. I kind of feel you’re fearless, too.”
She looked down at her hands then back up at him. “I’m not fearless at all.” She’d lost so much confidence in herself, living with Mark, that she hadn’t even trusted herself behind the wheel. Fearful, maybe. Fearless, no.
“But you’ve taken a chance on me,” he said, leaning further into the seat—making himself at home. “Maybe I’m your first step into throwing caution to the wind. Maybe in a few weeks you’ll let me help you find a car that really suits you.”
He did make her feel safe, but that was the problem. She’d gotten it so wrong in the past when she’d been attracted to someone with charisma and a strong sense of their own sexuality. Look how it had ended with Mark.
Grace smiled at him. “You’re different than I’d imagined,” she said.
He sat closer to her on the couch and touched her hand. Warmth surged into her chest, and she shivered when his rough hands skimmed across her skin. His voice dropped low, like aged whiskey, smooth and possibly lethal.
“How had you imagined me?”
“Kind of arrogant, I guess. You know, when someone is as good-looking as you are, it’s kind of off-putting. I remember when we had a wedding here once, and you arrived on your motorcycle. None of the female guests could keep their eyes off you.”
Including me.
He laughed out loud. “And here was me thinking you didn’t consider me enough for you. When I kissed you on that date, I could’ve sworn you were backing away. I wondered if you rubbed off the taste of me with the back of your hand when you got inside.”
“It wasn’t like that,” she said, and dropped her gaze, the rush to be close to him scrambling her brain. “It was almost like you’re too beautiful.”
He brushed a strand of hair from her face, and she couldn’t fight the shiver. “You’re the beautiful one,” he murmured. “I remember the very first time I met you here. I was supposed to be coming home for Easter, but I’d been called out to a big job, and Mom was telling me how disappointed she was in me. And then you walked in with your hair all loose around your face. You were wearing a floaty white top and took my breath away.”
She touched his arm, and the strong muscles tensed beneath his navy blue shirt. Every part of him was taut, as if ready to spring, and it made her giddy with desire for him. She leaned in and placed her lips on his, and he kissed her back. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, and when he found the inside of her mouth, she moaned. His hands cupped her shoulders, and he drew her closer so that her weight was resting against him.
“I’ve always noticed you,” he whispered when he’d ended the kiss. “The way you light up a room with your smile. The way you make people feel comfortable whatever the situation. When you stepped back from me on that first date it was like a stab in my gut.”
“It wasn’t you,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. I can’t ever imagine you making me feel bad.”
As her heart rate spiked and a warm sweat inched its way up her body, she pulled back. Her head was spinning, her mouth was dry—all signs that soon she would lose her head and be at the mercy of her instincts and Ari’s touch.
As if sensing her hesitation, he slowed the kisses against her skin. “It’s only me,” he whispered. “We can take this as slowly or as swiftly as you like, you only have to say the word.”
“And if I wanted you to stop?” she asked breathlessly.
“If you wanted me to stop, then I would just hold you close until that thought passed and I could touch you again,” he said. “It’s you and me alone in this, Grace.” He reached down and squeezed her hand. “I’m willing to wait until you’re ready. Until you can really relax and just be with me in the moment.”
She’d never been spoken to like that. Given permission—no, encouraged—to take the lead, to decide how she wanted this to work. The trust he had in her, the belief and caring, was the biggest turn-on of them all.
Like a drowning woman, she reached for him and held him close. Tight. She pressed her lips against his again, but this time willing their bodies to be joined, and when he kissed her back, she groaned with the heady thrill of it.
Desperate to get closer, she pushed up his shirt until she met the warm firmness of his stomach, which trembled when she slid her fingers across the smooth muscle. And it was everything she’d imagined. Touching his flesh, getting close to the blood that ran in his veins to the heart she was now a part of. As he kissed her ear, his intake of breath was swift, and it was clear he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.
He pulled back and held her gaze. “I want you to want this as much as I do,” he said as his eyes sparked.
“You can’t know how many times I’ve imagined your hands on my skin,” she gasped. “Your fingers exploring every piece of me.” She raised her arms above her head, inviting him to take her blouse off—to get as close as he possibly could.
As he lifted the shirt over her head, she pushed every negative thought from her mind. He made her feel safe. He made her feel wanted and desired, and that was the greatest turn-on she’d had in years. With her blouse a puddle on the floor, he gently put both his hands at her waist, and a surge of goose bumps swept across her skin. Beneath her bra, her nipples contracted into painful peaks that yearned for his most intimate touch. Slowly, agonizingly, he trailed his fingertips up her torso, all the while keeping his gaze fixed firmly on hers.
When he reached her breasts, he let his fingers skim lightly over the fabric of her bra and then cupped his hands on her shoulders. It was as if she were in a trance, immobile with the power of his stare and the warmth radiating from his touch to her very core.
“Kiss me,” she whispered. “You make me feel alive again, and I want to know that this is all real.”
He leaned closer until his breath warmed her cheek. “Are you sure?” He turned his hands over so his nails were resting on her skin, then he dragged them, ever so softly, down the tops of her arms to her elbows.
“I’m ready,” she moaned. “I’ve never been more ready in my life.”