Page 25 of Love on the Rocks
“Which conveniently happened to be under her bra?” I scoffed and continued clearing dishes for Maria.
“It was purely professional.” He leaned in closer, and I could feel the heat of his body and smell the grassy, citrusy scent of his cologne.
“There is nothing the least bit professional about you.”
His dark eyes fixed on mine, and I forced myself to turn my back to him. I squeezed my eyes shut, and repeated my mantra.I’m opening a restaurant. I’m opening a restaurant.
I just had to make it to the meeting next week.
* * *
The next day, I was determined not to let Nikos get under my skin. I was going to get under his. I turned on the television over the bar and set it to a Greek music video channel. Then I recruited his friend Panos to once again be my taste-tester. Theidea of giving him my food while ignoring Tall, Dark, and Broody made me giddy with anticipation.
I needed a fight this afternoon to keep me going because no matter how many times I kept repeating my mantra, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was wasting my time here. Gaz had gone MIA, as had Fred, and with no news on the permit front, I didn’t have much to distract me from the prospect of another lonely night on the hill. As pathetic as it was, I’d come to look forward to my daily sparring match with Nikos. The butterflies that took flight in my stomach at the thought of him were just further confirmation that I was attracted to the worst men.
I kept glancing expectantly at the door for him, but by the time I served Panos dessert, there was still no sign of my small-island nemesis. I didn’t want to let on that I cared in any way, but my curiosity got the better of me.
“No Nikos today?” I asked as I set my latest dessert experiment—a riff on ababa au rhum, but with fennel and ouzo—in front of him. Panos dove right in, shoveling a forkful of the liquor-doused cake in his mouth and giving me the thumbs-up.
“Ochi,” he said with his mouth full, gesturing to the port with his fork. “He go . . . see his children.”
“Children?” My stomach twisted for some weird reason. “How many are there?”
“Many. Too many.” God, he was even worse than I thought. Panos sighed. “It’s too bad.”
“For him? Or for the mother?”
“Mother? Many, many mothers . . .”
“Wow, unbelievable,” I agreed. I’d wanted another reason to dislike him, so why did I feel so disappointed in this news? After all, it gave me permission to disapprove of him even more.
As I cleared the plates away, I caught a whiff of myself. There was no amount of jasmine-scented perfume that could cover up my stench. I desperately needed a bath.
Just then Yiannis popped in and I grabbed the sleeve of his shirt before he could sit down with his friends. “Any news about a new rental, Yiannis?”
His eye twitched and he scratched his neck. “Soon, there will be something. I let you know.”
“Okay, the thing is I could really use some hot water for a bath.”
He came closer and whispered. “Do you know the thermal springs?”
“The thermal springs?”
“Yes, there are a dozen of them on the island. If you want to,” he said as he cleared his throat, “bathe. You can do.”
“Where are they?”
He pinched a napkin from the stack next to the cash register and drew a quick map of the island, making scribbly marks where the hot springs were. “Here is a very nice private one, with—how do you say it?—falling water?”
“A waterfall?” Now this sounded magical.
“Yes.” He smiled.
I needed that and now. Forget about spending the rest of the day cooking. I was going swimming.
I hoofed it up to my place, grabbed a towel and my bathing suit and went looking for the springs. Studying the map, I realized how little exploring I’d done on the island. I’d been so focused on not letting down Greystone that I hadn’t taken any time for me. Well, screw that, not anymore.
The springs were ridiculously close to my house, but I had to climb down a steep incline next to a small stream to reach the cove below. Twice I nearly slipped on the rocks, but it was worth it when I came upon a little beach, circled by pine trees and framed by craggy rocks and tall grass.
