15. Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
The rest of the week at work goes by in a blur and Nikos and I barely see each other; he’s closed up in his office most of the time and when he’s not, he’s busy talking on his phone or running errands and taking care of orders, deliveries for the upcoming wedding reception, etc. It’s late on Friday when the hotel is quiet when we finally get some time alone and he summons me to his office.
“Have a seat, please,” he instructs and I feel like a chastised schoolgirl as I take a seat on the worn leather sofa across from him.
He looks down at my fumbling fingers and I can feel myself breaking a sweat.
Has he thought it over and decided to turn me down?
Sighing, I look up to meet his eyes and I know he can feel it, too. He has to.
“This is about what I proposed, isn’t it? You’ve thought it over,” I blurt, unable to stop myself. “I’m sorry, Nikos, I did—”
I shoot up but he grabs my hand before I have a chance to walk away.
“Please, sit back down so I can talk to you, Lisa. You can’t just drop that kind of thing on a man and not expect him to be somewhat taken aback. You’ve had me so riled up since that night, I could hardly concentrate on anything but replay it over and over in my mind.”
Without taking my eyes off him, I flop back on the couch, processing his last words. “You mean that’s why you haven’t said anything about it since? I thought—”
He strikes a match, lighting his cigarette while studying me carefully, and I know that he can feel the electricity in the air just as much as I do. “I want to know a bit more about you and your husband, Lisa. How long have you two been together?”
I sigh, thinking back to when Tom and I first met. “A long time. Twenty-five years.”
I watch as he takes a deep drag and I follow his eyes as he looks across the street, where two tabby cats are seemingly locked in mortal combat. Their little bodies lie utterly still as they measure each other up, weighing the outcome of a possible fight.
When he speaks again, his voice is filled with anguish. “I’ve never had that kind of relationship with anyone. I was engaged for nearly a decade before my fiancée at the time decided to break it off with me and then I met my ex-wife. We got married as soon as we found out she was pregnant with our son and I didn’t believe in breaking my Holy Vows.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Are you happy with him, Lisa? I noticed you’re not wearing your wedding ring.”
I look down at my hands, thinking back to everything Tom and I went through over the years. “And you’re still wearing yours, Nikos. Does that mean I don’t love my husband? If you must know, I took mine off a couple of years ago or I’d have to have it cut off.”
“Fair point. Mine is stuck in place so—”
“My point exactly,” I interrupt, my emotions getting the best of me. “What did you want to tell me, Nikos? Let’s not beat around the bush, okay? I don’t have the patience to act like I don’t care what you’ll say because I do. So, please, whatever it is, just go ahead and say it.”
“Wow, Lisa. I didn’t want to upset you.”
The CCTV on his desk shows a Fed-Ex employee walking in at that moment, looking around for a second, and then ringing the bell when no one answers his call.
“I’ve got to go see what he wants,” I say, shooting up and walking to the front desk.
“I have a package for Nikos Sergianopoulos.”
“I’ll take it for him,” I say, tapping my fingernails on the granite surface as he fumbles with the tablet in his hands. “Where do you want me to sign?”
“Here, please.”
Two minutes later, I place the small rectangular box on Nikos’s desk, feeling his gaze following my every move. “Here, this just came for you.”
He stubs out his cigarette, pulling another one out and bringing it to his lips slowly. “I’m trying to quit, but it’s pretty damn hard. You’re not making things easy for me, either.”
“I know. You aren’t either. Can you give me a straight answer? Please?”
“I’ll play along, Lisa. You just tell me when and where. God only knows I could use a little excitement in my life right now, too.”
“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it? I was thinking we could all go for dinner at the new seafood restaurant on Sunday. See how it goes and take it from there.”
He picks up the box, looking at it for a long moment before he looks into my eyes again. “Sounds good. You didn’t tell me how your driving test went.”
“I failed,” I mumble, already half-way out of his office.