Page 86 of Going All In

“Pretty sure this place is open to the public.”

Jake ignored Baz and they all headed out.

They walked through the door of Zorba’s twenty minutes later. The aroma hit him instantly. Oregano, olives, garlic, and meat roasting for a variety of dishes. His favorite was the lamb kabobs.

His stomach grumbled at the familiar scents. This was by far the best Greek restaurant he’d ever eaten at. Not that he’d ever been to Greece, but this place was as authentic as they came.

And loud.

Never trust a quiet Greek restaurant.

Darcy would love this place. Girlfriends and wives didn’t typically go to road games, but he suddenly had the overwhelming need to bring Darcy here.

And there was nothing fake about that.

“Jakey, you’re here, and you brought friends,” Toula said, arms open wide when she spotted him. She was only five feet tall, and when she tugged him into a hug, he rested his chin on the top of her head.

“Jakey said this was the place to come, and we’re starving,” Baz said, humor in his voice.

Toula released him. “Great. Come sit. Your mom and grandma grabbed a big table. Should be room for everyone. I’ll bring out your favorites, and then you can introduce me to everyone. How many of you are single?”

“Toula,” Jake said with a groan. She was as bad as his own grandmother.

“What? Just making conversation.” She winked at him before she headed back toward the kitchen.

“Should I be concerned?” Baz asked, his gaze darting around the restaurant.

“Yes. Very concerned,” Jake said in his most serious tone. He led everyone toward a long table in the back of the restaurant. His mom waved when she spotted him, and he scooted around the table to her side.

He greeted his mom and grandmother with kisses on their cheeks.

“It’s been too long, Jake,” his grandmother said, patting his face before he could lift his head back up.

“I was here at Christmas,” he said, taking the seat in between both women.

“Too long,” his grandmother teased. “We know Ethan, but who else did you bring?”

They’d met Ethan when they’d come to visit him in New York a few years ago, when Jake and Ethan were still playing there.

“Hello, Ms. Northman and Mrs. Northman,” Ethan said, taking a seat across from them.

“Hello, dear. How’s Penny doing? You putting a ring on her finger yet?” Jake’s grandmother asked.

“Grandma,” Jake sputtered.

She looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. “Just getting an update.”

“We’ll get there,” Harty said. He took a long drink from the glass of water in front of him. Jake wondered if his friend wished it was something stronger.

Jake’s grandmother would love Darcy’s mom. The possibility of that meeting happening was pretty minimal, but it didn’t lessen the terror of that event. He pushed that thought out of his head and introduced the rest of the guys. How many of them wished they’d passed up lunch with Jake’s family now?

Luckily, Toula and her oldest son, Mark, arrived with platters of food before his grandmother could dig into anyone else’s personal history.

His mom patted his hand. “It’s good to see you, Jake. Don’t mind her. You know she means well.”

Jake chuckled. “I know. It was just nice not to be on the receiving end of it.”

“Oh, don’t worry. Your time will come. We’ve been dying to hear more about Darcy. I’m hoping to get out to see you by the end of the season. We’re working with a new client that I brought on. I won’t get into details, but he has substantial holdings, so it’s a lot of work right now.”

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