CHAPTER 8
________
NICK
Kent. What a simple surname, after all this time. In the years since I’d last seen Eva, my mind had turned and fizzed with millions of potential surnames, from the simple Smith or Johnson to the more ridiculous Freudenberger or Salamalavich. And after all this time, it was Kent. Eva Kent. Like Clark Kent. I’d even gone to school with a Danny Kent. Great football player. I figured he was no relation.
Her hair was just as thick and glossy as ever, and as I stared at her, I wanted to reach out and touch it. She stared up at me, and now that I’d called her out, literally, by using her name, she blinked and sighed.
“Hello, Nick,” she said.
Authors tend to avoid clichés. They’re clumsy and overdone, and they’re the mark of a lousy writer. But as I looked at her now, all I could think about was that she was even more beautiful than I’d remembered. Her eyes were an even deeper blue, but they’d changed somehow from what I’d recalled; a little of the light and innocence were lost as though there was a sadness hidden underneath, as though life had taught her some harsh lessons, as it does.
“So, you do remember?”
“Yes. It seems we both do.”
Even though I was convinced that she’d recognized me as soon as she’d laid eyes on me back at the airport, I felt strangely relieved at hearing her saying it aloud.
“So, what do you remember, exactly?” I asked. From the blush that almost immediately reddened her cheeks and the way she averted her gaze, avoiding eye contact, I didn’t need an answer.
“What can I get you to drink?” I asked instead, not wanting to make her feel more uncomfortable than she already seemed to be. “A beer? Some wine?”
She cleared her throat. “To be honest, I believe I’m working right now,” she said, and looked over at Maria, who was gazing out over the ocean with a Kleenex in hand, dabbing away tears I hoped were of joy.
“She’s fine,” I assured Eva. “And you’ve had a long journey. I’m pretty sure you’ve earned yourself a glass of wine. Besides, I don’t mean to pull rank or anything, but I have a feeling that you’re on my payroll, and I say its fine.”
“Well, I dare not refuse the boss then,” she said and flashed me a quick smile. “Wine sounds great, thank you.”
“Wine it is. But first, let me show you to your room and help you with your luggage. You’ll probably want to freshen up, too.” She hesitated for a second, but then joined me as I walked back inside. She gazed around, taking in the interior of the house.
“It’s a gorgeous house,” she said. “You must be one hell of an author.”
“Well, I certainly couldn’t comment, but I like to think my readers think so.”
“So, what sort of books do you write?” she asked. “Don’t tell me you’re into self-help books or, even worse, horror? It’s beyond me how people can choose to be scared out of their wits and then call it pleasurable.”
At this, I was somewhat surprised. I don’t, of course, expect every single person I meet to be a fan, but for some reason, I thought that Eva knew who I was. There’s no easy way to tell someone your last five books have topped the fiction best seller’s charts in several countries without sounding like a conceited asshole, so I didn’t really have any other choice but to show her.
“Follow me,” I said, and she followed me as I led her into my study. There, I pointed to one of the shelves on which sat an entire collection of my published works. She walked closer, and I could see her eyes widen in recognition. She turned to look at me, then back at the books and back at me again
“You’ve got to be kidding,” she said, and she placed a hand to her forehead. “I feel so dumb! You’re Nick Stavrou!”
“In the flesh,” I said, smiling.
“Last Christmas, I bought my dad the entire box-set,” Eva laughed. “The first trilogy, with that guy… the detective… Fabian, right?”
“That’s right. Fabian Ackroyd.”
“Yeah! And I didn’t have a clue what the story was all about, but my mom said that after Dad had seen all the movies, he’d really wanted the books, too. So, that’s what I got him. I can’t believe that after all this time, that was you and I didn’t even know!”
“At the risk of sounding like a total prick, did he like them?”
“I’m sure he did,” she said. “I can call and ask him if you’d like?”
“Absolutely not!” I cried. “Jesus, can you imagine?”
“Well, I guess millions of readers can’t all be wrong,” she said. “And Hollywood doesn’t come calling for just anybody.”
“Thanks. That’s sweet of you to say.” We were silent for a moment, staring at each other. I shook my head gently.
“What?” she asked.
“I just can’t get over it,” I chuckled. “What are the odds of seeing you again after all this time, standing right here in my house, of all places?”
“Yes. Life’s weird,” Eva said.
“It sure is.”
And again, we stood, looking at one another, not saying a word. There was so much I wanted to say to her. But where could I possibly begin? I wanted to ask her where the hell she’d gone that day, and why she never called me. I wanted to know whether her friend Caroline had even given her my number, and just as I was about to say something, she broke the silence.
“I think I’d better be getting back to Maria. I know she hates me for insisting she does her exercises, but she really needs to keep that knee moving.”
“How long have you been a physical therapist?” I asked.
“Long enough to really know what I’m doing,” she said, jokingly. It was nice to see her a little more relaxed, and I returned the smile.
“I’m sure you do. Maria wouldn’t have it any other way. She sure is a barbed-wire powder-puff, that one. Stubborn as hell, although I do think that being so incapacitated has really set her back.”
“As long as she goes through the therapy, she’ll see that the operation will give her a whole new lease on life. From what she told me, she’d been in pain for quite a long time before then.”
After we left the study, I took her through to her room, setting her suitcase on top of her bed so she could unpack easily. She smiled at the sight of the place. It didn’t overlook the ocean but rather the front gardens, which was still a breathtaking view.
“You have your own bathroom through that door,” I pointed, “and there are fresh towels over the bathtub. If you need anything, just ask. Okay?”
“Right,” she said. “Thank you. I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Sure, no problem,” I smiled, and I closed the door to her room and walked downstairs to join Maria. I wondered whether I should tell her that I had a history with the young woman who’d been charged with looking after her. But, I decided against it, for Eva’s sake rather than my own. My aunt had a knack for prying into people’s deepest, darkest secrets and she was hard-nosed, asking very inappropriate and very blunt questions. I certainly didn’t want her to start interrogating Eva before I had the chance to speak to her first.
But when I stepped back out onto the deck where Maria was still gazing out at the ocean, she took one look at my face and frowned. “Are you going to behave with that girl while she’s here?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, don’t play coy with me. I wasn’t born yesterday. I saw the way you were looking at her. Just remember that she’s here for me, not for you.”
“Yes, I know,” I replied. “I’m the one who was sent the bill for her services.”
“Seriously, agapi mou,” Maria said. She always called me my love when she particularly wanted me to sit up and listen. “She’s a good girl, and she doesn’t need to have her head turned by you. As soon as you laid eyes on her, I knew she’d caught your fancy. And you weren’t even subtle in the least! And I have to say there was something in the way she looked at you too, come to think of it.”
I sighed. She was sharp as a tack, and nothing slipped past her even when she literally had her back turned to you. So, I decided to tell her the truth before she started her usual interrogation.
“Look, you have nothing to worry about,” I assured her, “but there’s something you should know about Eva and me.”
“Ah, I knew it!” she cried and tapped her nose with the tip of her index finger. “Nose like a Dachshund. This old honker has never let me down so far. Can still sniff out a story from a mile away. So, go on. Tell me.” I could only smile at how pleased Maria looked with herself.
“I know Eva. I met her seven years ago. The look you saw on my face was not because I thought she was a pretty face. I was just taken aback at seeing her here, of all places, with you, after all this time.”
Maria was stunned into silence at first, and then the flood of questions ensued. She wanted to know every detail, of course, and I explained that we’d met during the summer after my second year at the paper.
“Remember? I went surfing with Josh and the guys in Long Beach? You didn’t want me to go at first, saying that surfing was for boys, not men?”
“Yes, yes, I remember,” she said. “So, what was she? A summer romance?”
So much more than that, I wanted to say, but I bit my tongue. I would have explained a little more, but then Eva appeared. She was in a light summer dress which showed off her beautiful pale skin. I couldn’t help but stare. She looked at both Maria and me, and then down at her dress.
“Is this not the right thing to wear?” she asked.
“So, Eva. How could you not tell me that you and my nephew were lovers?” Maria cried, holding out her hands as though she’d just heard that the Virgin Mary herself had come for a visit and she hadn’t been invited.
Suffice it to say, I was a little more than taken aback by my aunt’s candor, but at least I was not new to her blunt approach to things. However, Eva had her first taste of Maria Mikos’ candidness. It was written all over her face. First the widening of the eyes, and then the narrowing of them, as the blow settled. It was clear from the expression on Eva’s face that she was far from impressed, her lips now pressed together in a thin line. She was pissed.
Her anger wasn’t directed at Maria, that much was clear as she frowned and shot me a look that would have had lesser men running for the hills. And even though I wasn’t happy with my aunt for being so damn blunt, I kept my cool, interested to see what Eva would do next.
She didn’t disappoint, still holding my gaze even though she addressed my aunt through gritted teeth. “That was a very long time ago and long forgotten, I assure you,” she said. “And it’s really not relevant at all.”
“Pah! I will decide what’s relevant or not, and I say it is!” Maria said.
“How, exactly?” I asked, and at this, she was at a loss for words.
“Because… well, because I say it is… and you know better than to question an old woman,” she spluttered, waving a finger at me. I forced myself not to smile, as I knew that her playing the I’m-just-a-little-old-lady card meant that she really didn’t have a reasonable answer.
“I can assure you that it isn’t relevant at all,” said Eva, and she gave Maria a tight-lipped smile. “I did plenty of idiotic things when I was eighteen years old and enjoying my first taste of freedom, especially at times when I wasn’t sober and thinking straight. But then I went to college and grew up. So, I can assure you that I will not let my past involvement with your nephew distract me from doing my job to the best of my ability.”
Maria shrugged and looked at me. “So, what have you got to say for yourself?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I said. “I agree with Eva. As she said. It’s all long forgotten.”
Another shrug and I could tell that Maria was now a little peeved, not so much because of the situation, but rather because neither of us would disclose any more of the juicy details she so desperately hoped to hear all about.
Eva whirled around on her heel and shouted over her shoulder. “Nick, would you mind helping me fix that drink you offered? I think Maria should keep her fluids up, too.”
“Of course,” I said, and followed her back into the kitchen. Once inside, I took a bottle of chilled white wine from the wine cooler, and as I turned around, Eva was standing in front of me, her hands on her hips, eyes dark with anger.
“Why the hell would you tell her?” she hissed. “What were you thinking?”
Calmly, and a little amused at how everything had seemed to escalate so quickly, I opened the top drawer to the left of me and took out a corkscrew and proceeded to twist it into the spongy cork in the neck of the bottle.
“She thought I was making unwanted advances at you,” I said, smiling. “I told her that she couldn’t be more wrong and that we simply knew each other from another time. I didn’t say anything more, but she’s a perceptive old lady.”
“Oh.” At this Eva didn’t seem to have a reply. She chewed the inside of her cheek and shrugged. “Well, I guess it’s better now that it’s out in the open anyway. As I said, it’s all long forgotten, so we can carry on as if it never even happened. Agreed?”
“Agreed. But just for the record, know that seven years ago, you were the one who walked away from me, and not the other way around. So, you don’t have to play the part of the wounded little schoolgirl with me.”
“I beg your pardon!” she gasped. “Wounded little schoolgirl? Believe me; you couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, I had you pegged from the second I laid eyes on you, Nick Stavrou.”
“Really? Enlighten me.”
“You’re nothing but a hat-trick-dick.”
“Excuse me, but I’m not familiar with cheerleader lingo. You’ll have to explain what that is.”
“Sure. You know… meet the girl on a Monday, fuck her on a Tuesday, and leave her in the dirt by Wednesday.”
I set the filled wine glasses down on the counter a little harder than I usually would, my initial amusement now replaced by irritation. Her attitude was beginning to piss me off.
“As I recall, you didn’t mind the fucking all that much. And if my memory serves me right, you were more than a willing and very satisfied participant. So, if you want to start throwing around insults, let’s just get the facts straight, shall we? You were the one who met the guy, fucked the guy and then left him in the dirt while you ran away like a damn coward,” I growled.
I set the bottle down too and closed the small distance between us, stepping forward, looking down into her eyes. She suddenly seemed fearful, as though worried about what I was going to do next. I was just so damn mad at what she’d just said, that at that moment, I didn’t care to stop.
“Do you know what went through my mind when you left without so much as a goodbye?” I said softly. “I gave Caroline my number. Yes, that’s right. Caroline. I remember her name. I also remember Sarah and Hannah. I trawled social media for you. For any one of you, because I couldn’t believe that this strange, beautiful girl who I’d met and had an amazing couple of days with, would simply up and leave without a trace. So, this user you’re describing? That’s not me, and you goddamn know it. You might want to take a look in the mirror if you want to find someone who matches that description, Miss Kent.”
She was standing so close to me that I could feel the heat emanating from her body, and all I wanted to do was grab her and kiss her, taking out all the anger I’d felt towards her; anger from both then and now.
Only, what I felt wasn’t really anger… it was hunger, and that pissed me off more. And even though my expression hardened, hers softened.
“Well, thanks for the advice,” she said softly, giving me a faint little smile, although surprisingly, tears now glistened in her eyes. I was taken aback, and before I could say anything more, she quickly moved away, hastily wiping her face as she took a glass of wine and marched out onto the veranda.