Page 27 of Accidental Getaway
He takes his fork and steals the dolma I’m holding in midair.
“Was it that obvious?” I ask.
“I must know you better than you think, Jenni.” His words tug at my heart. He does, doesn’t he?
The rest of our meal includes chicken souvlaki, lamb gyros, and fries with salt and oregano. Both entrées are 100 times better than the dolmades, so I don’t have to pretend to like them. In fact, when Eli offers seconds of the souvlaki, I enthusiastically accept.
“What was it like spending summers here?” I ask in between bites. “Was it as magical as I imagine?”
“At the time, I kind of hated it. I didn’t feel like I fit in here. None of the kids really accepted me, so I mostly hung out with my cousins: Ana and her sister. And it felt like my friends back in California had a blast without me. It took forever to fit back in when I got home each fall.”
He takes a sip of water, seemingly to collect his thoughts. “So I guess there were pros and cons. It’s such a beautiful place, and I’m really grateful to still be connected to my culture.”
“Ana told me about Callie. I’m so sorry. That must have been so tragic for the whole family.”
He gives me a sad smile. “Yeah, it’s been a rough few years.
That’s one of the reasons I decided to come back here.
In addition to trying to connect with my dad, I wanted to be here for Ana.
She doesn’t really have anyone else who sees or supports her.
Most of her family has really been stuck in denial. ”
“You’re a good cousin.”
Before I can say anything else, Eli is back and handing Niko a brown bag. The bag is covered in grease stains and a sweet, steamy aroma wafts from the opening.
“Oh, wow. That smells amazing! What is it?”
Niko takes the bag and slips Eli some more cash with a “Thank you.”
“This is our dessert. I thought we could eat it while we walk.”
With an excited flip of my stomach, we gather our things and walk out the door. We head toward the beach, and I wait not-so-patiently for Niko to let me have a go at that paper bag.
“Are we going somewhere special? And can I at least get a peek at those desserts?”
“I thought we could walk through the old city and catch the sunset at the windmills.”
Oh, sunset at the windmills might be the perfect spot for a cute selfie. We cross the road and head around a building where the shore pops up in front of us.
“And yes, we can eat our loukoumades while we walk.” He gestures toward me with the bag.
“Lou-kou-mee-des?” I say, trying to pronounce the word correctly.
“Lou-kou-mah-des,” Niko corrects with a grin. “Greek donuts. They are basically donut holes, deep fried and covered in honey, cinnamon, and sesame seeds.”
They sound mouth-wateringly delicious. I reach my hand into the bag to grab one. It’s warm and sticky and perfectly sized to plop the entire thing in my mouth.
Even though I would have loved to scarf it down, I take a half-bite. The honey and cinnamon soothe my taste buds, and the warm dough practically melts in my mouth. It’s more than amazing. It’s heaven, balled up and slathered in honey. I plop the second half in my mouth.
“That good, huh?” Niko grins, plopping his own donut in his mouth whole. “I knew you would love them. Everyone loves loukoumades.”
I giggle at the ridiculousness of a grown man talking with his mouth full of food. It’s adorable.
“What?” He stuffs another donut in his mouth and exaggerates his mumbled words as I fail to hold in my laughter. “What’s so funny? You’re the one with honey on your nose.”
My hand involuntarily juts up to cover my face, only for me to realize he wasn’t lying about the glob of cinnamon honey on my nose. I try to wipe it off but end up just smearing it across my face. Now I have honey all over my fingers. I’m a sticky mess when I look over at Niko helplessly.
“Hold on.” Niko laughs and reaches into the bag and pulls out a napkin. He wets it on his tongue before handing me the bag. Using his free hand to cup my face and pull me close, Niko wipes at my nose, my cheek, and the corner of my mouth, making sure he’s gotten every last bit.
My skin melts at his gentle touch. My senses seem to go into hyper-focus, noting the sharp whites and blues of the building behind him and the way my body responds to his touch. My stance softens and goose bumps cover my arms despite the warm evening air.
When he’s done, I pull my gaze back to his, unable to avoid our closeness any longer. He smiles, as if waiting for a sign that it’s okay to kiss me.
“Niko, is that you?”
We both snap our attention down the street. An older man in a fancy suit is striding toward us, a woman on his arm.
Niko drops his hands from my body immediately and takes a step back. “Hi, Theo. What a surprise. How are you?”
“Good, good, and who is this?” The man gestures toward me. Meanwhile, I’m frozen with donuts in hand and a sinking feeling in my gut.
Niko glances at me, blinking twice before answering. “This is Jenni Swanson. She is a marketer from the States who we’re hiring at the hotel. She’s here to get acquainted with the property.”
The man extends a hand toward me. “Well then, best of luck. It’s a fine hotel.”
The woman clears her throat, nudging the man. “Yes, yes, of course. We’re late for a reservation. I’ll see you soon, Niko. ”
The couple walks away and I stare down the street, confused. Why was I a friend at the restaurant but a business associate here?
Niko grabs my hand. “I’m sorry about that. My father’s accountant. I wasn’t sure how you’d want to be introduced.”
I can’t stop my chin from trembling. All the times Malcolm introduced me as his employee, instead of his girlfriend, race through my mind, filling me with nausea.
“What’s wrong? You’re shaking.”
My gaze snaps back to his. His eyebrows are raised in concern.
“I think I’m just cold. Let’s keep walking and I’ll warm up.
” I turn and rub at my face where he cleaned the honey, trying to wipe away the tingling sensation he left there.
“I need one more of these.” I take another donut out of the bag and hand it to Niko before turning back in the direction of the old town.
I can’t shake the feeling that Niko is the one who wasn’t sure how he wanted to introduce me to someone who might care about his reputation.
By the time we get to the windmills, I can barely appreciate the sunset. And I’m definitely not feeling confident enough to ask for a picture.
Piper: Hey girlie! How was today? I need so much more info. You never called me!
Jenni: Sorry, it’s been a really long day. I just got back from dinner and a sunset walk with Niko. I really need to talk to you, but I’m not sure I can right now. I need to process some things.
Piper: Okay. Sure. Get some rest and call me in the morning. I’ll stay up late. Call anytime.
Jenni: Thanks. You’re the best.