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The little boy pressed a wet kiss on his mother’s cheek as he nodded and then turned to Lena, jumping into her arms with a bright smile. “Aunt Lena! Mama says I can stay with you!”
“Yes, and we’re going to have so much fun! Just let me talk to Mama for a minute.” Lena glanced at Raegan and switched to English. “Would you take him out back and show him the pool while I talk to my sister, please?”
“Of course.” Raegan grabbed the little boy’s hand and pointed at the pool.
“He knows a little English!” Lena called after them. She turned to Sophia. “You’re taking a trip?! Are you serious?”
“I’m sorry,” Sophia said softly. “I need to get away. I love Mihalis, but he’s not my responsibility anymore.”
“Actually, he is.”
“My life has gone so crazy I can barely take care of myself, much less him.”
“I’m always here to help!” Lena cried. “I always have been. I’ll only be here working for another week or two and then—”
“And then you’ll go hide in Athens again.” Sophia gripped her sister’s hands, gazing into her eyes. “It’s time for the truth, Lena.”
“You can’t just spring it on me like this.”
Sophia’s normally dark scowl softened and she put a gentle hand on her sister’s face. “We made a mistake and now we’re going to fix it. Trust me, this is the right thing to do.”
Lena bit back an angry retort, knowing Mick was still standing there, off to the side, watching, his bright blue eyes assessing everything. He didn’t speak Greek, but he was a smart, educated guy and he would have learned some by now. Hell, he probably remembered everything she’d taught him when they’d been dating; that’s the kind of mind he had.
“Legally, I can’t take care of him.”
Sophia chuckled. “Who would try to stop you?”
Lena took a breath. “What did Giorgios say?”
“Not much, but he told his parents Mihalis wasn’t his last night.”
Lena gaped.
“It was horrible. There was the typical yelling and carrying on. I left around the time Giorgios started calling me names.”
“Why would he call you names?” Lena was momentarily confused. “I’m the one who—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Sophia said softly. “You and I did it together and we can’t change it. Now we have to make it right.”
“But—”
“Shh.” Sophia put a gentle finger on her lips. “For once in your life, let me act like your big sister. This is the right thing to do. Just like what I’m doing.”
“What are you doing? Where are you going?”
“Florida.”
“Florida?!” Lena stared at her. “What on earth are you going to do in the U.S., much less Florida? Please tell me you’re not going to Disney World!”
“Of course not. I’m going to a resort. A friend of mine from college goes there for work retreats and said it’s lovely so I’m going to go unwind. Get a massage, maybe go snorkeling… take time for myself. To think, loosen up, and figure out what’s next.”
“Did Apollo give you the money?”
Sophia smiled. “Everyone chipped in. I have money of my own, too, you know. But it was Yaya’s idea.” Yaya was Greek for grandmother and their father’s mother lived with them.
Lena’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “That sounds like her. Well, have a good time.”
“Trust me,” Sophia whispered. She inclined her head at Mick and then was gone.
