Page 14 of Possessive Greek Chef

“That bitch knows all of my recipes. That’s proprietary information. I’ll sue her. I’ll sue you for soliciting her…” Bedros barely gets the words out before Atticus grabs him by the throat.

“What did you call her?” he snarls.

“I didn’t have you arrested last time you put your hands on me but I will this time. You let me go,” Bedros warns.

“You’re trespassing in my closed restaurant and making a scene. You can call the police after you apologize to Aria. We’ll see who they side with,” Atticus says. “Or, I can just smash your fat skull on the bar until it cracks like a nut.”

The purple-faced Bedros is slobbering and spitting as he cries, “Let me go.”

“This is getting to be a regular ritual for us, isn’t it? Apologize,” Atticus insists.

“Alright. I’m sorry that I called you a bitch.”

Atticus releases him and he leans against the bar with his hand on his chest gasping for air. Everyone stares in anticipation. Bedros isn’t known as the smartest man in town. He’s bound to say something that causes Atticus to beat him to a pulp.

“But I’m still suing. You can count on that,” he gasps.

“If you win, you might come close to having my kind of money but you’ll still be a talentless short-order cook. Now get the fuck out of my restaurant while you can still walk,” Atticus says and turns his back on him.

Humiliated, Bedros waddles to the door. The hostess sees him out and locks the door behind him.

Atticus looks at me and says, “I’m sorry about that, princess. He shouldn’t have called you that.”

“It’s okay,” I shrug. That wasn’t the worst he’d said to me.

“No, it isn’t. No one is ever going to disrespect you and get away with it,” he says.

“Should I worry about him suing me?” I ask and Atticus laughs.

“No, little one. He’s making idle threats. Winning would mean confessing that a line cook can prepare all of his signature dishes. He’ll never admit that on record.”

I don’t say it out loud but there’s something different about the way Bedros behaved just now. He’s always an overbearing blowhard, sure, but as much as he yelled and insulted me, I never felt truly threatened by him before now.

It’s hard to pinpoint and maybe it’s just a gut feeling, but his energy was more volatile and there was a true rage in his eyes. I can’t imagine him thinking that my knowledge of his recipes could be a threat to him, but maybe his business is sinking and he’s desperate for someone to blame.

“What are you thinking, princess? You’re on another planet over there,” Atticus asks, drawing me out of my thoughts.

“Have you heard any news about Bedros? I mean, is the restaurant in any trouble?”

“I haven’t heard anything. But let’s face it, that guy doesn’t know how to cook or run a restaurant. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in trouble. That’s not your worry, baby. I’m glad I found you when I did so you didn’t have to go down on his sinking ship with him.”

He winks at me and I smile. He’s right, I mean, he has to be. I probably overreacted.

8

A SURPRISE TRIP

ATTICUS

“Hey, get up, little girl. Pack a light bag and be ready in thirty minutes. We’re going away for the weekend.” I can hear the sleep in Aria’s voice when I call, but she perks right up when she hears that we’re going away. I don’t know if she’s going to think it’s too soon for something like this, but I will not take no for an answer.

“Where are we going?” she asks with all the excitement of a child.

“Molyvos. It’s where my family lives,” I tell her.

“You’re taking me to meet your family? Okay, now I’m nervous. What happens if they don’t like me? I would die.”

“I’m taking you to see my roots so you can experience the culture and taste the food. While we’re there, yes, we’ll stop in to see my family. I promise you they’re going to love you. They’re nice, simple country people. They have good hearts and you’re going to melt them. Is that okay? Do you trust me, princess?”

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