Secret Paradise (Kimani Romance) (9 page)

Callia gripped her hands. “Why does she have to come here? It’s bad enough that I have to travel to see her four times a year. But why is Uncle Lucian letting her come here and spoil things?”

“She insisted,” Dante said.

“The cow,” Callia grumbled.

Kay wagged a finger. “That’s not nice.”

“She’s not coming tomorrow,” Dante said. “So stop being unhappy about it. Let Kay take you to Italy for a week.”

“Can you come?”

“No. I have work to do,” Dante replied.

Callia frowned. “You’re always working.”

“That’s because I have a lot to do.”

“You didn’t before. You, Uncle and I used to travel to Italy and Spain just for fun. Sometimes you’d just take me to the mainland and we’d have ices and—”

“Basilio can take you.”

“He’s not the same. You work too hard and that’s why you don’t smile.”

Dante tweaked her chin. “I’d rather see you smile. Chef is making one of your favorite desserts.”

She sat up with interest. “Which one?”

“Why don’t you come and see?”

Kay spoke up. “I don’t think that’s appropriate. She’s not a little girl anymore.”

“I don’t see the harm in it,” Nikki said, seeing the disappointment on Callia’s face.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Kay replied.

“She’s right,” Dante said. Then his phone rang before anyone could argue. “Pardon me,” he said, then walked out.

Callia watched him leave and Nikki could see the longing in the young woman’s eyes. Yes, Callia was at the right age to develop a crush, and Dante was completely blind to her affection. Perhaps Kay was right to keep Callia “above” stairs, because nothing could come from the young woman’s infatuation. Nikki waited, expecting Callia to say something rude or get angry at Kay. Instead she sat quietly, with tears streaming down her face.

Nikki stretched out her hand to her. “Let’s go for a walk. It’s okay, Kay. I’ll take care of her.”

The two wandered outside and walked a distance in silence. Then Callia said in a quiet voice, “Dante doesn’t like me anymore.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“We used to be such good friends. It was Uncle Lucian, Dante and me. Then Basilio came, and now Kay, and he avoids me because he thinks I’m crazy.”

“He has a lot of responsibilities and you’re not a little girl anymore.”

“I know. I’ll be fifteen next month. If I were older, I’d make Dante want me.”

Nikki paused, surprised by Callia’s brazen statement. “But you’re not.” She wanted to be gentle with the young woman’s feelings but knew that the situation couldn’t be what she wanted it to be. “I remember my first crush. A teacher. I thought my heart would break when he got married, but I got over it, and you will, too. You have a lot of growing up to do, and things change in relationships.”

Callia wiped her eyes and sniffed. “I’ll always love Dante.”

“Yes, maybe your love will change into something else.”

“Uncle Lucian hates me to talk about the past, but sometimes I like it better there. Uncle says, ‘It’s not where you’ve been it’s where you’re going.’”

“That’s right.”

“Then why do I sometimes feel that everything that’s important to me is going away?”

Chapter 10

N
ikki crumpled up a wad of paper and tossed it aside in frustration. Dante had kindly set her up in the room she was to design, providing a small drafting table and all the supplies she needed. It didn’t help. Her ideas weren’t coming together. She’d never had this much trouble with a design before. And she had no one to blame but herself. Callia had given her great ideas, as had Basilio. The last several evenings he’d been extra courteous, making her stay pleasant. He made up for Lucian’s absence.

“He usually eats alone,” Basilio said several nights ago at dinner.

Callia opened her mouth to say something, then winced and closed it.

Nikki suspected he was lying, and understood. Since the night on the terrace she’d seen Lucian only in passing and was never given a chance to be alone with him. While one brother avoided her, the other went out of his way to charm her. Even last night at dinner she’d tried to ignore Lucian’s absence and enjoy the
garides me feta
—sautéed shrimp dressed in a ruby-red tomato sauce, sprinkled with feta cheese and served with loads of crusty bread with which to soak up the succulent juices. For dessert they had had Turkish dried apricots stuffed with cream that were lightly covered with syrup and sprinkled with pistachios.

After dinner Basilio had strolled with Nikki in the garden. “I didn’t mean to upset you about the smugglers,” he’d said. “Dante told me I did and I apologize.”

“No need. When I mentioned it to him, I didn’t think he would take it so seriously.”

Basilio scowled. “Dante takes everything seriously.”

“You’ve really made my time here enjoyable.”

“I’m glad.”

As she sat at her drafting table, Nikki could not avoid the fact that despite Basilio’s efforts, Lucian still loomed large, as did the mysterious Alana. How could she please a man who kept her locked out? Not that she blamed him, after the awful encounter on the terrace. She knew this design meant more than she wanted it to. It was an apology and a plea for him to trust her once more. She took out a new sheet of paper and started again.

The cat, Lethe, came into the room and jumped up on the table.

“Shoo,” Nikki said with a wave of her hand.

He blinked.

Nikki sighed. “All these other flat surfaces and you have to choose here?” She nudged him. He growled. She snatched her hand away. “I thought you were supposed to be friendly.”

He licked his paw, then looked at her again.

Nikki held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, you win. You can stay.”

He curled into a ball, looking as soft and cuddly as a tiger.

She rested her chin in her hand and studied him, wishing he could talk. “What can you tell me about your owner?”

“He thinks people who talk to animals are strange,” a voice said behind her.

She spun in her chair, stunned, not knowing what to say. Lucian seemed casual and relaxed, as if nothing had happened between them and those days of avoidance were a trifle. That made her even more uneasy, because she knew he was a man who didn’t forget anything.

“I never asked you about your trip with Basilio.”

“You haven’t been around to ask.”

“I’m asking now. Did you two enjoy yourselves?”

“Callia was there, too,” she said, annoyed by his insinuation.

“And you had a good time?”

“A very good time.” She cleared her throat, but her voice remained hoarse. “What do you want?”

“I want to see how things are progressing.” He glanced at the paper balls on the floor. “It looks like they’re not.”

“I have my own system,” Nikki said, trying to show a nonchalance she didn’t feel.

Lucian picked up a paper ball. “It seems broken.”

“I’ve requested to see you and get your feedback, but you’ve been oddly out of reach.”

“Feel like quitting?”

“I wouldn’t give you the pleasure.”

Lucian began to open the paper ball.

Nikki grabbed his hands. “That’s not for you to see.”

He stiffened and his eyes met hers in a silent challenge. Their gazes held each other in a battle of wills. She felt the strength of his hands, hers almost looking like a child’s in comparison. She knew she could fight him, but she wouldn’t win. He wouldn’t be the first to let go. Nikki sighed and she reluctantly did. He opened the crumpled paper and spread it out on the table. He studied it for a moment, his expression giving nothing away. Then he bent down and took another scrunched-up paper off the floor and did the same, then another.

Nikki watched him with growing impatience, then stomped her foot. “At least say something. Do you hate them? Like them? Don’t care?” She rested her hand on the stack of paper. “Give me something.”

Lucian removed her hand, rested his arms on the table and continued to ignore her.

“I’m sorry, okay? That night on the terrace wasn’t what you thought and—”

He held up a hand, while keeping his gaze focused on her sketches. “I’m not here for that.” He sent her a sharp look. “Don’t bring it up again.”

Nikki sighed, knowing that was impossible. What had happened hung between them. At least on her end. She couldn’t compartmentalize the way he could. She wanted to touch his scarred hand and caress the raised skin on his neck. She wanted to massage the tension in his shoulders. She had found something else to do with her fingers when she suddenly felt a strange vibration. She glanced down and saw she’d been stroking Lethe, who’d begun to purr loudly. She yanked her hand back.

As the silence stretched between them, her sympathy for Lucian was replaced with frustration. Was this how he meant to punish her? It didn’t take this long to form an opinion about her work. Was he taking the time to come up with a suitable cutting remark? Fine. She’d be prepared for it.

She began to pace. “You’re exasperating,” she muttered to herself, not caring if he heard her or not. “No wonder the others quit. This was supposed to be my dream assignment. I can’t tell you how much I dreamed of seeing inside this house. But of course, there’s not much to see. Instead there are shadows behind every door, rude maids, mysterious butlers, flirtatious brothers, a strange girl and an owner who barely speaks to me for nearly a week, then shows up, expecting a masterpiece.”

“Are you finished?”

Nikki halted, turned to Lucian and found him watching her, amused.

She folded her arms, embarrassed, but gave a careless toss of her head. “Yes.”

Lucian sat back. “No meze table is absolutely complete without dolmades—stuffed grape leaves. It is my favorite…” He waved his hand, searching for a word. “What’s the word? Starter? Breaker?”

“Appetizer?”

“Yes, appetizer. I love the fresh tomatoes and aubergines.”

“Aubergines?”

“Yes, the purple vegetable.”

“Eggplant?”

He nodded. “And courgettes, what you call zucchini. The grape leaves are stuffed with rice and these vegetables and served with lemon wedges and yogurt. Have you ever had them?”

Nikki shook her head, not sure where he was going with his story.

“I’ll make sure you have some before you leave. Anyway, I once had a chef who knew that I loved this dish and added extra cinnamon, olive oil and yellow onions. He also cooked the leaves until they wilted. It was too much and I didn’t enjoy it. Can you guess why?”

“I’m sure you’ll tell me.”

“Because he was trying too hard to impress me. He forgot to do his job, which was to prepare dolmades and nothing more. I don’t need to be impressed.” He stood. “It will make things easier.”

“How can things be easy when you go out of your way to avoid me? You don’t join us for dinner. I have asked Dante for an appointment with you and have been told you’re too busy.”

“Because I am.”

“But the other night can’t be—”

Lucian’s eyes and tone hardened. “The other night meant nothing, was nothing, is nothing.”

Nikki blinked as if he’d slapped her. “Then why can’t
I
forget it? Why won’t you forgive me?”

“How can I forgive you when there’s nothing to forgive?”

Nikki threw up her hands. “I hate these word games you play.”

“Good. We now understand each other.” He patted Lethe. “He likes you.”

“But you don’t.”

Lucian only gave her an enigmatic look before walking away.

Nikki gripped her hands into fists and shook them in the air, then sank into her chair, feeling as if an anvil had just fallen on her. He’d effectively demolished the beauty of the time they’d shared on the terrace by not letting her speak of it. Nothing happened. What he was really saying was that she didn’t matter. That she was one of a number of women who’d come and gone from his life. Why did she care? There were plenty of other men.

She’d returned Benjamin’s ring with a note, unable to pretend that their relationship was more than it was. She knew he’d be relieved. His actions had been impulsive. He was more afraid of losing her than he was desirous of building a new future with her. She wanted to think that she could just return to the carefree relationship she’d had with him, but she knew that would be impossible. Lucian stood in her way. She didn’t want to think about him, but she couldn’t help herself. But if he didn’t care, neither would she.

Nikki briefly covered her eyes, feeling defeated. Not only had Lucian rejected her as a lover, but he also hadn’t liked her designs. She needed to focus on her job, complete it, then leave. Nikki opened her eyes and stared down at her sketches. He was right. They were too ostentatious and showy. She was embarrassed that her desperation had shown. She had wanted to impress him with her brilliance, but she’d failed.

She seemed to be failing a lot lately. Nikki abruptly stood, startling Lethe. “I don’t care if he thinks I’m strange talking to you. You’re the only one who seems to make sense around here. Can you make me forget?” She reached out and stroked him, no longer afraid. He brushed his head against her hand. She scratched him behind the ears and he began to purr. “At least I can make you happy.” She glanced around the room, feeling as if the walls were closing in on her. “I need to get out of here.”

And as if he understood her, Lethe jumped down and walked to the door.

“You want to come with me? Fine. I’ll accept the company.”