Doris turned away, and soon she and Joey were well into their rhythm. But Jen found herself distracted by Nikos. She could see Nikos’s profile out of the corner of her eye as he watched appreciatively not three feet away, definitely within arm’s length. Jen breathed in slowly, aware of the slow sound of his breath, the complicated scent that was partly soap, partly just him. She felt . . . warm.
Then Nikos smiled her way, causing warmth to flood in a tidal wave, pooling deep. “I heard what you said to the students. It is something I often say to my own.”
“What’s that?” Jen said, distracted by the curve of his mouth.
“The young.” He tipped his head slightly. “They wish to gain attention by using the, how do you say it, the difficult and flashy moves. They do not seem to realize the appeal of expertise that looks effortless. Such as these two demonstrate now.”
Jen wrenched her gaze back to Doris and Joey, who stood side by side, working in a rhythm that only they could sense as all the ingredients combined to their mutual satisfaction. It was true. Jen had never seen either of them playing around with fire or tossing knives into the air. Their skills were superlative anyway.
“Will they want help, do you think?” Nikos asked.
“They usually don’t. Doris always says they’re faster by themselves, so I’ve learned to stay out of the way. They’ll let us do cleanup assembly-line style.”
“Good. That, I am more confident to help with,” he said, adding, “though in truth, I am not very handy in the kitchen.”
Jen said, “Same—”
A soft ringtone collided with her voice—coming from Nikos’s hip pocket. Nikos’s smile twitched to seriousness. Jen knew immediately that he recognized that ringtone, and whoever was on the other end was probably not calling to ask how the weather was in California.
“Go ahead and get that,” she said.
He paused, clearly torn. He didn’t want her to go away?
“I’ll catch up with you after you’re done,” she added. Why did she say that? It was sheer instinct.
The obvious relief in his face caused a warm burn through her as he said, “Will you excuse me?” One hand reached into his hip pocket. “My apology.” His head dipped forward, almost a small bow. “Thank you.” And he moved away, speaking into the phone in what sounded like Greek.
Aware of his voice around the corner, she moved away lest it seem like she was listening in, though of course she couldn’t understand a word of his rapid, low-toned conversation. He wasn’t even that loud. But her ears seemed sensitive to the sound of his voice. A warm voice, slightly husky, but not raspy, much less grating. She sensed tension in his tone.
“Oh, Jen!” Bird appeared at the other end of the hall. “Would you mind finding those girls Nikos brought? They’re still upstairs, I think, and the food’s nearly ready.” She shrugged a shoulder toward the beautiful carved staircase, her arms busy with a tray of sliced fruits.
“Are you sure I can’t help with setup?” Jen asked.
“No—I’m just carrying things as they finish them. If you find where the girls ran off to, that would be the best help!”
Bird sailed off toward the terrace, and Jen ran up the stairs. She walked along the length of the house, poking her head into each room with open doors—most of them furnished with antiques from the twenties and thirties. All beautiful, but not a sign of two teenage girls.
Had they closed themselves into one of the bedrooms? Jen was about to work her way back again, this time knocking at the closed doors, when she heard a giggle from midway down. She loped back to the upstairs lounge between two guest bedrooms. The lounge had an enormous sliding door with a grand balcony outside it.
The two girls stood on the balcony looking out at the ocean. Jen could have sworn that room had been empty a moment ago, but she must have somehow missed them. “Time to eat, girls,” she said.
Petra and Cleo turned, twin looks of surprise on their faces. They exchanged quick looks of dismay, and Cleo’s lighter skin reddened, as if they’d been caught doing something wrong.
“Thank you,” Petra said with quiet dignity as Cleo giggled, and the two sped past Jen, heading for the stairs.
Odd, Jen thought. Almost as if they’d been caught, or nearly caught, doing something they shouldn’t. But the room was clearly untouched, and the girls had been out on the balcony anyway, not snooping through closets or drawers.
Well, maybe where they came from, it was considered rude to have to be summoned, or something. But Jen recollected being in Greece for a story she and Robert had worked on. She had fallen in love with the warm, generous Greek people of the countryside with their chairete, the charming Greek greeting meaning “Be joyful.”
She shrugged it off as she reached the ground floor, and found everyone migrating toward the delicious smells wafting off the terrace.
As she joined the crowd, she found herself searching the faces. Wow, she really was reverting back to high school! Well, if she had to have a crush at this point in her life, at least the unfortunate target would be gone soon, with no one the wiser.
She forced herself to concentrate on the conversation Bird was having with Godiva and Bird’s daughter-in-law, who was living with them while Bird’s son was deployed overseas. They were talking about different types of seagulls when she caught movement at the edge of her vision.
A quick look, to see Nikos framed in the doorway, his face tight with strain.
Joey called to him, “Nikos! Like your ribs well done, or torched?’