Free Sweet Baklava by Debby Mayne Page B

desk. "C'mon back and I'll get you seated."
    Nick caught Apollo's conspiratorial wink at Mama. "I saw that."
    "You didn't see nothin', Nick," Apollo roared. "You're imagining things." He belted out a laugh that echoed throughout the sparsely filled restaurant.
    "My son is suspicious of everything," Mama said. "He doesn't even trust his own mother."
    He patted her shoulder. "I do trust you, Mama. I trust that you're always doing things you think are best for me, which is why I know you're up to something."
    "Have a seat and I'll let Stephanie know you're here."
    "Oh, is Stephie coming too?" Nick said.
    Apollo darted a nervous glance at Mama, then faked a smile. "She's here, but she's working."
    "This just keeps getting more suspicious by the minute." He waited until Apollo left then turned to Mama. "So here we are at a table set for the whole Papadopoulos family. Who else besides Papa and Stephanie is coming?"
    She tried to wave him off. "Oh, you know, the usual. Apollo called everyone and asked them to come for dinner. You remember how this family likes to show up when there's food."
    "Mama. There's always food."
    He caught his mother's nervous glance toward the door, so he turned to see who was coming. It was Apollo's wife, Aunt Phoebe, followed by his cousins Alexa and Charlene.
    "Wow. This is a party."
    "We're just having dinner."
    Nick's family often got together for impromptu dinners, but this was obviously a planned event. They'd already had his homecoming party, and no one's birthday was on the calendar in his mother's kitchen.
    Suddenly everyone got quiet.
    He turned around to see what was going on behind him. First he saw Steph. Okay, no big deal. Then Steph stepped aside, and the big plan was revealed.
    Paula walked toward the table, looking stunned. She smiled, but he knew it was a front. She was too polite to do anything else, but he imagined she wanted to bolt.
    "Don't just sit there, Nick," Apollo urged. "Get the chair for your girl."
    As Paula approached the table, he leaned over her and whispered, "Sorry about this. I knew something was up, but no one told me what."
    "Hey, everyone's here! Opa!" Apollo held up his water glass, followed by the rest of the group.
    "Opa!"
    Nick offered an apologetic grin. "I hope you're okay with this. They mean well."
    She shrugged. "I'm fine with it. I sort of figured it out as soon as we walked inside. Steph told me to meet her here before her shift, which isn't all that unusual since we've done that before." Paula looked at him with amusement. "But she was way more nervous than normal."
    "What can I say? I have a conniving family."

    At least he had a family who cared. Paula lifted her water glass again to another chorus of "Opa!" and took a sip. She'd loved the Papadopoulos family from the first time she went home with Steph after school. Mrs. Papadopoulos had warm cookies waiting for them—something her own mother would never have thought to do, even if she didn't work.
    Apollo personally served the family his moussaka special. Afterward, Paula turned down dessert, claiming she couldn't eat another bite.
    "Why don't you two go for a walk?" Nick's mother suggested. "I'll catch a ride home with your father."
    Nick held her chair then waited for Paula to lead the way out the door. As they walked down Dodecanese Boulevard, the sounds of the boats slapping against the docks blended with the music in the various shops. Good sounds. Sounds of home.
    They crossed the street to get closer to the water. "Sometimes I miss this place so much I ache." Nick casually reached for her hand. "It feels like a million miles from my life now. I'm sorry about not giving you enough space. I guess I should have let someone know our agreement."
    "That's okay. I understand."
    He grinned down at her then gestured toward the boats. "I even miss those stinky old sponge and fishing boats."
    "Your family misses you too, Nick."
    He stopped and turned her around to face him, gently resting his forearms on