Only With Me (With Me 2)

Katerina pointed to each one to tell me what they were.

“That is ekmek kataifi, those are koulourakia, and this right here is Yiayia’s famous phyllo pastries.”

“Hmm, everything looks so delicious.”

Yiayia picked up my plate and put a piece of baklava on it. “Eat. You need to fatten up for the babies.”

Kilyn groaned as did Phoebe.

“Oh, Yiayia, stop that!” Katerina said with a laugh.

“Babies?” I asked in a panicked voice.

Katerina scooped more desserts onto my plate. “Kourabiedes, also known as Christmas butter cookies.”

My eyes met hers as I repeated, “Babies?”

She nodded, but didn’t utter a word. It was like she was letting the old lady break the news to see if I’d run or not.

Well, she had no idea who she is dealing with. My eyes caught a familiar dish.

Smiling, I reached for the dish. “Diples. My mother made something similar around Christmas time.”

“She probably made these,” Katerina added.

Yiayia added to the conversation. “The damn Italians. Always ripping off the Greeks.”

Katerina gasped then giggled. “Yiayia! Don’t be mean to our lovely Gabriella.”

Yiayia waved Nic’s mom off with her hand and shoved a truffle ball of some sort into her mouth.

Kilyn cleared her throat, getting my attention. “So, Thano said you were heading to Italy.”

I swallowed hard. With a slight smile, I nodded. “I am.”

“How exciting!” Phoebe said. “Have you been before?”

With a wider smile, I replied, “Lots of times. My family used to go every spring or early summer.”

“Do you have family there?” Katerina asked as she sat down.

I froze.

Stick to the plan, Gabi. Stick. To. The. Plan.

“Distant relatives. Family that we would see very briefly on our visits. One of them still owns my parents’ bakery that they left behind when they came over to the US.”

“Really? Do you speak with them often?”

The lump in my throat was growing by the second.

“No. I haven’t really spoken to any of them in a number of years.”

“Where will you stay? I mean if you don’t have close family there.”

“At a hotel not far from the bakery. I grew up spending my summers there, so I know my way around pretty well.”

I felt his stare before I knew he was there. Nic stood in the dining room staring at me. I didn’t like the way he was looking at me. There was something dark in his eyes, and it wasn’t anything sexual. It was something else. Something I’d never seen before and it sent a chill through my whole body.

“Dad wanted to know if the desserts were on the table yet.”

He never took his eyes off of me as he spoke.

“He knows it is here. Tell that old fool to stop tinkering with that piece of junk car and get back in here.”

Nic nodded and turned on his heels.

I let out the breath I hadn’t noticed I had been holding in. A buzzing sound came from my right. Glancing down, it was Nic’s phone. My heart stopped when I read the preview of the text message.

Scarlett: You’re all set with the tickets. Let me know if you need anything else. I miss

I instantly felt sick. Why was he getting a text from Scarlett? What did she miss? Him? His call? Their friendship? Their relationship?

My mind started spinning in a million directions. Every word that was said was a blur. The only thing I could think about was the text.

Nic sat back down next to me and I tried to relax. He glanced at his phone, swiped it open, frowned, and then pushed it into his pocket.

Do I let it go?

Chewing on my lip, I placed my napkin onto the plate of desserts and stood. “I’m so very sorry, but I’m not feeling well. I think I need to leave.”

Everyone jumped up. Nic, his parents, both his brothers . . . even Kira. They all came rushing over to me.

“Nicholaus, take her to the couch so she can lay down,” Katerina said as she led the way.

I shook my head and called out, “No.”

It came out harsher than I had intended. Nic stared at me with a worried expression.

Looking into Nic’s eyes, I said, “I’d like to go home. Besides, Nic has a text I’m sure he is eager to answer.”

Frowning, he looked confused. “What?”

Tears formed in my eyes.

This was my payback for all the lies.

The only thing I could do was whisper, “Scarlett.” Turning, I looked at both Katerina and Dimitris and said, “Thank you so very much for dinner.”

Katerina walked up to me and kissed me on the cheek then hugged me tightly. Dimitris followed her lead as she said, “Of course. Of course! I hope you feel better, Gabriella.”

Kira who had been playing with her cousins most of the evening came rushing up to me. “Don’t leave, Gabi! I wanted to play hide and seek with you.”

Kilyn walked over to me and glanced between Nic and me. “Is everything okay?” she asked while bending down and picking up her daughter.