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“That’s how I feel about—”
“Macaroni and cheese,” Mick finished her sentence almost as if it was a reflex and their eyes met briefly before she turned away.
“I ate some almost every day while I was in Vegas,” she admitted with a grin, trying to ignore the way it made her feel to know that he remembered her favorite food. “I gained two kilos while I was there but it was worth every minute at the gym!”
“I’d rather eat this,” Raegan said, taking another bite.
“Macaroni and cheese and chicken pot pie,” Lena continued. “Those are the two foods in the U.S. I miss the most.”
“Not the Cheesecake Factory?” Mick asked dryly. That had been where they’d gone on their first date and he caught her look of surprise.
“Well, yes, I miss that restaurant specifically, but it’s probably best for my figure if I don’t eat there.”
“Did you go while you were in Vegas?” Raegan asked, her eyes twinkling.
“Twice!” Lena admitted, making them all laugh.
They were up early again the following morning, but there was nothing they could do related to work. Loren had come over as well, prepared to help, but with nothing to do but wait for the investigators to allow them to open up the job site, Lena came up with an alternative. Sitting around was driving them all a little crazy anyway.
“Let’s go to the beach in Perissa,” she said. “There are hundreds of chairs with umbrellas, free wifi and restaurants galore. We can lounge there for the day but we’ll still be able to check our phones for texts and emails so we don’t miss anything. I think it’ll be fun and you’ll see another part of Santorini. What’s the point of hanging around here waiting for answers?”
“I’m in,” Raegan said. “Mick?”
He shrugged. “Sure, why not?” Though he was frustrated, he wouldn’t mind watching Lena and Raegan in bathing suits for a few hours. He was still a red-blooded man, after all, and maybe this would be a good casual setting to have a talk with Lena.
Within the hour they’d piled into a rental car big enough for all of them and were headed to Perissa. The view along the way, once they got close to the Caldera, was incredible and everyone was mostly silent as they looked down into the turquoise waters, the small island where a dormant volcano rested and the hauntingly beautiful caves formed in the walls of the mountains.
“This is my favorite beach here,” Lena said as they walked onto the sand looking for a group of lounge chairs they could get together. “You see that enormous rock out there that looks like a mountain? It’s called Mesa Vouno, which means inside the mountain, and it essentially rises from the sea. It’s one of the main attractions of this beach. Visitors are usually mesmerized by the view of the rock, especially when it shines after dark.”
“Super cool,” Raegan was nodding.
“Ammoudi Bay is nice too, but it’s a bit of a climb up and down, and I’d be worried about Mihalis falling. Many of the other beaches are very, very rocky—not a lot of sand. It’s hard on your feet and if the wind picks up, it’s hard to get in and out of the water, believe it or not.”
“This looks perfect,” Raegan said, setting her beach towel down on a chair. “How about Mick and I sit here, Lena and Mihalis in front of us and Loren on our right?”
“I’m going to find a cocktail!” Loren pulled off his T-shirt and trudged off towards the street, which was lined with bars and restaurants.
“This is nice,” Raegan commented to Mick as they adjusted the backs of the chairs and the umbrella. “It’s great that Lena knows her way around and we can see some of the island like a native.”
“It is,” he agreed, staring out at the water. “I just have a lot on my mind. The whole thing with the fire has me worried. It feels personal. I can’t explain it.”
“It’ll be okay,” she said. “You’ll see.”
“Let’s hope so. Otherwise, we’ll both be back in the U.S., unemployed and broke!”
She smiled. “I’ll be able to walk again soon, so I can go back to waitressing if I have to. I’ll finish my master’s in December, which makes me pretty employable, and I’ve been really good about saving money since you hired me. I’ve put away almost all of it. Just spent a little for sunscreen and shampoo and stuff since I’ve been here.”
“I’ll make sure you’re taken care of, no matter what happens with me.”
She eyed him. “You really think you could lose your job over this? Even though it’s your family’s company?”
“It’s only partially my family’s company. The other part includes Loren’s family, and with him reporting back to his uncle, who knows what he’s telling him?”
“How about I sleep with him and get him to tell me everything?” she joked.
He snorted. “I don’t think I could ask that of anyone, especially not someone I like!”
She giggled. “Well, you saved my life, so I owe you one.”
