“Greece.” His face went flat.
Oh no. Screw the distance. She reached out and squeezed his hand. She wanted to ask about his dad, but needed to head there cautiously. “Homesick?”
His eyes widened in surprise. “No.”
Relief eased her shoulders. “Good. Because America has you now. We’re keeping you, like we did with all the immigrants before you.”
He turned his head and touched her hair. “You want to keep me?”
“Yep. I have you in my thrall. You are obsessed with me.” She purposefully used the exaggerated words his father had used on the phone call.
“Mia.” His voice came out chastising. “Were you listening in on my phone call?”
“That’s how I roll.”
“My father sees what he wants to see. And he wants me back. He’s lost Niko to this place and Hope. And Niko has his own business; he doesn’t need our father. So, Father wants me to run his end of things one day. In Greece.”
The car had stopped. Vincent came around to get the door before she could ask him more. Too soon. Alexi was opening up to her. If he was still here after graduation, she’d make him take a road trip with her. Alexi and a long car ride. She’d learn everything about him. Grrr. She let her eyes close a second. She’d never wanted to know everything about a guy before him.
***
The following week was a short one due to the Thanksgiving holiday. On Wednesday, Alexi’s lunch tray contained the school cafeteria’s version of a Thanksgiving meal. He poked at the spongy slice of turkey with his fork. It bounced a bit and shoved into the gravy and dressing.
“Movies show Thanksgiving as all about the food.” He looked bitterly disappointed. The gravy contained pieces of floating egg alongside something very much like a bone. “Mia…” He jabbed the loaf with his fork.
Mia’s gaze lit on his plate. “Score. You got the wishbone.” She stuck her fingers into the gravy, lifted out the bone by one of its two prongs, and held out the other toward him. She shook it. “Make a wish.”
Alexi drew back.
Quinn stretched a hand across the table. But Alexi beat him to it and grabbed hold of his half of the wishbone. He looked at Quinn in triumph. Quinn was too slow off the field as well as on. Mia gave a sharp tug. Snap. The bone separated into two pieces. She waved the larger piece at him. “I get my wish.” She let her wicked thoughts show in her smile.
Alexi placed his half of the wishbone on the tray and wiped his fingers. “Interesting.”
Quinn held out a cupped palm. “Grow a pair, A, and just eat it.”
Alexi lifted the small piece of skeleton in his hand and flicked it down the center of the laminate tabletop. It stopped and flopped over wetly in front of Quinn. “Enjoy.”
Jake laughed. “Yeah. You suck it up, Quinn. You lost that round.”
“Your wish had better be about my holiday party,” Lauren said. “It’s going to be off the hook this year.”
“Is it this weekend?” Quinn asked without touching the carcass.
“Friday night. Shots, sheets, and no supervision,” Lauren said. “And no fireworks.”
“I’m there.” Quinn glanced at Mia. “My band has got a gig tonight to kick off our four-day weekend. A private party, but they rented out a whole club. If y’all want to swing by, you can catch us.” He gave Mia a pointed look. In case she’d missed the invite.
“Cool,” Lauren said.
Mia leaned toward Alexi, close enough that she could smell his yummy mall kiosk cologne, and put her lips to his ear so the table wouldn’t overhear. “We’ll have to make the most of this party because Hope warned me—we’re getting a new curfew.”
That evening, Mia headed toward the living room with caution. She did not want a new curfew. She didn’t want a curfew at all. How to work this…she paused in the doorway.
Niko was pouring a drink, and Hope was sketching. “Thank goodness Sacha came to his senses. For years, it was a different girl every week. My father used to call him the Greek whore.” Niko tilted his shoulder down in apology to Hope. “Uh, I mean, Romeo. He’s doing much better here. He should stay.”
Romeo? Heat rose in her face at Niko’s words, and her stomach twisted. What? What girls? What was Niko saying? Alexi was a virgin, waiting like her. Wasn’t he? Why would his dad call him that? Her stomach tightened harder. Stupid, stupid, of course Alexi isn’t waiting. Look at him. Mia eased away from the room. She went directly toward the foyer, one goal in mind. Get her purse and get out before she embarrassed herself. She’d misunderstood him before, spilled her V-card secret, and he’d let her.
Alexi appeared on the stairs.