Chapter 15
“Is Dad... smiling?”Jax asked as they watched their father in the kitchen.
“And cooking?” Zayn was equally bewildered.
So was Olivia.
Nikos’ grandmother, who had asked them to call her Yiayia, had invited them for dinner the day before they were all leaving the island.
Ever since her heart-to-heart with their father three days ago, Zayn, Jax, and Olivia had been looking at him like he sprouted a second head. But, it was Zayn and Jax mostly, since Olivia was a little aware of the change in their father since her talk with him. She hadn’t shared what was said with her brothers because she believed that their father should be the one to bridge the gap between them. However, she hadn’t expected to see him so unlike himself.
“Why are we standing here?” Nikos whispered next to Olivia.
They had all come to a synchronized stop when they got to Yiayia’s kitchen and found their dad smiling like he was Jolly Old Saint Nicholas himself.
“Do you see this?” Jax whisper-shouted in response as he wildly gestured to the scene before them.
“My Yiayia is cooking with your father?” Nikos asked, confused.
“Exactly!” all three responded.
He held his hands up in surrender, probably because the Clarke siblings were glaring at him as if he should know better. Nikos then made his way further into the kitchen, leaving them standing where they were.
“Can you believe this?” Papous said as he entered the house from the backdoor. “I come into the kitchen and she kicks me out. He comes in and, suddenly, she had no problem cooking with someone else?”
Papoushad his back to them as he complained to Nikos. Olivia shared a look with Jax and Zayn, who both looked like they were just about ready to leave.
“Do you think if we move back slowly, they’ll know we left?” Zayn whispered conspiratorially.
“We can try,” Olivia said to humor him.
“But, I’m hungry. I haven’t had a home cooked meal in a while,” Jax said.
Olivia admitted that a home cooked meal trumped the weirdness of the moment right now. The scent of delicious food and baked goods wafted in the air in a way that was inviting.
Just as they decided to stay, Yiayia noticed them.
“Why are you just standing there? Come, join us,” she rushed to them, then turned to her husband and said something in Greek.
Papousrolled his eyes but got up, slightly dragging Nikos with him out of the room.
The room was filled with the clattering of pots and pans, the sizzle of ingredients meeting a hot pan as their father flipped something. They approached where Nikos and Papous had just vacated the seats and sat down.
Yiayiaturned around and spoke Greek to their dad, who, to their surprise, responded in perfect Greek.
“You speak Greek?” Zayn asked for them.
“I speak a lot of languages,” their dad laughed before turning back to whatever they were making.
“Your father here is quite exceptional,” Yiayia said.
“Oh, stop with the frowns,” their dad laughed when he turned back to them. “There is a lot about me you guys don’t know.”
“Evidently,” Olivia said as they watched him shift his attention to whatever was in the oven.
“He taught my Constantine how to speak English, and Constantine taught him Greek.”
“It was a nightmare for us all,” Papous said as he returned with Nikos, both holding boxes in their hands.
“Oh, come on, we weren’t that bad,” their dad protested.
“Tell that to the house you burned down,” Yiayia responded as she moved to another pot on the stove.
And then, back and forth, Olivia’s dad, Papous, and Yiayia continued to reminisce about his childhood with Constantine, who was Yiayia and Papous’ late son.
The Clarke siblings watched in a mixture of comic disbelief and bewilderment as they saw a version of their dad they had never met before. They occasionally shared looks as if confirming with each other that they were looking at the same thing.
At some point, Nikos stole Olivia away, but only after they had eaten all the sweets Yiayia insisted on feeding them. They would have had more if Papous had not objected to going back to fetch more boxes.
“I have never seen my father like that. I think we are all pretty freaked out,” she said as soon as they were away from the noise in the kitchen.
“I think Yiayia and Papous are excited to have more company,” Nikos said as he put an arm around her.
They headed toward the beach in the late evening.
“It’s been ages since I saw my dad smile that hard,” Olivia admitted. “It’s weird. Like seeing a turtle out of its shell.”
Nikos burst out in laughter. “That’s a very weird way of putting it.”
“It is that weird,” she chuckled.
“To be honest, I don’t think Papous and Yiayia have been that animated before. At least, as much as I remember,” he said after sobering. “Maybe it had something to do with your dad.”
“My dad? Why?” Olivia stopped walking, prompting Nikos to follow suit.
“Well, he lived at the hotel for a while with my dad,” he said. “I think it feels like they got back a piece of their son through your dad. Is that weird?”
“That’s not weird at all,” she responded, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Although, now I’m seeing what you meant by your fate mumbo jumbo.”
“Mumbo jumbo?” he leaned back, feigning shock.
“You know what I mean,” Olivia shrugged, shoving him gently.
“It’s strange how life works, isn’t it? Your dad knew my dad, and now, here, you and I are, continuing the family cycle. Who knew?”
“I’m grateful for how this turned out.”
“Me too,” he pulled her into his arms. “I hope you are ready for my crazy family, Olivia Clarke, because I’m never letting you go.”
“Well, I come with an overbearing family and a whole lot of public opinions. Last chance to back out.”
“No chance, baby.”
“No take backs,” Olivia smiled as Nikos leaned in and kissed her.
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