Adonis in Athens - Page 55

“Thanks.” Paige glanced up at her. “You look tired. Why don’t you go get some rest?”

“Oh, I’m fine. You’re the one who’s been on a plane for hours and hours!”

Paige nodded. “I’m okay, I slept on the plane. I just want to stay with Raegan.”

“I could use a little nap,” Nora said, yawning.

“Why don’t you go to our apartment and sleep?” Paige asked softly.

“I suppose I could do that.” Nora looked uncertain. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.” Paige pulled out her keys and took the key to the apartment off her keychain. “Go relax. I’ll stay with Raegan tonight and go home to shower and change in the morning.”

“Thank you—you’re a good girl.” Nora hugged Paige, kissed Raegan and left.

“She’s going to fight us on this,” Raegan whispered, glancing at her friend.

“Don’t worry about anything except getting better,” Paige said, squeezing her hand. “Really. I’ll take care of your mom.”

“I’m sorry,” Raegan said after a moment. “This isn’t your responsibility.”

Paige cocked her head. “Responsibility? You’re my bestie—like my sister—this is what we do.”

“This is an epic fail, even for me. I can’t work with a broken leg, Paige—what am I going to do?”

“You’re going to get some short-term disability and then find a job you can do sitting down.”

Raegan just sighed, her tear-filled eyes meeting Paige’s. “We really have to talk about—”

“We don’t have to talk about anything tonight. You look exhausted, so just relax, okay?” Paige held on to her hand tightly. “I’ll be right here.”

“You’re, like, the best bestie in the world.”

“I know.” Paige grinned at her.

14

Apollo couldn’t believe the turn things had taken with Paige. One minute, everything was fine and they were getting ready to leave for Las Vegas and begin their life together; the next she was gone and he was struggling to figure out what she’d overheard. He was an idiot, trying to act so nonchalant about everything, as if Mick couldn’t see right through him. He loved Paige and didn’t want to lose her; it was that simple. His father’s game with Pio had given him an easy way to get what he wanted, which was Paige. If she was nervous about moving to Greece, he could kill two birds with one stone by moving to the U.S. for her and teaching his father a lesson at the same time. Instead, it was all starting to backfire. Mick had shaken his head, telling him how stupid he was and both Melina and his mother were pissed.

“We just started to like her and now you did something to make her leave?!” his mother had reprimanded him. “Hazos ise?!” Are you stupid?!

“She left because her friend was in an accident,” Apollo had replied with a sigh.

One of his and Mick’s friends from Yale was now a detective in Henderson, Nevada, and Mick had reached out to him to find out what was going on. He’d confirmed that a young woman named Raegan Warner had fallen asleep at the wheel—no drugs or alcohol found in her system—and drove head-on into a concrete crash barrier. Her passenger came away with a few cuts and bruises but Raegan had required surgery for a multitude of injuries, as well as a broken leg. According to the police report, Raegan had simply been exhausted from working multiple jobs and going to school.

Knowing Paige hadn’t lied, that she’d truly had an emergency that made her leave Greece without even saying goodbye, made him feel better but he didn’t know what to do now. His flight to the U.S. left in the morning and he wanted to be on it, but part of him was as reluctant to leave Greece as she’d been to stay here permanently. That was the hard part; he didn’t want to lose her, but he didn’t want to leave his family, the company he loved or his lifestyle. He’d enjoyed living in the States—and wouldn’t mind visiting a couple of times a year—but in the summer he wanted to be in Greece. The beaches, fun evenings at outdoor restaurants and cafés, and the overall long, lazy days were things he wasn’t sure he could live without. And Paige enjoyed them too. If only he could convince her that everything would be okay if she stayed—he wouldn’t let anything happen to her if things didn’t work out between them romantically. He’d put money in her name only, or give it to her parents—whatever she needed to feel secure.

He heard the bell downstairs, indicating someone was at the door, and he frowned. It was 3:30, siesta time here in Greece, and he wasn’t expecting anyone. He was headed down the stairs when he heard the door opening and he sighed, knowing it had to be his parents or one of his sisters. Instead, his grandmother was standing in his useless kitchen, a frown on her face.

“What is this? No wonder your wife left! How is she supposed to do something with this mess?”

“She was here on vacation, Yaya,” he said with a smile, leaning down to kiss her cheeks. “If she’d moved here, the kitchen would have been a priority.”

“What did you do?” she asked softly. “Tell me the truth.”

He sighed. “I was talking with Mick…” He told her everything he could remember as they settled into the two folding chairs left in the room.

“You’ll go tomorrow, yes?”