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“Tired?” he asks, coming up behind me to put an arm around my waist.
“Very. I hope the kids leave soon.”
“Why don’t you go on up to bed? I’ll keep an eye on them.” He glances at his watch. “I need to check the markets anyway.” Jayson waves a hand at the small group. “I don’t think they can get into much mischief with me down the hall.”
Another yawn escapes, and I let myself be persuaded. “I’ll be lonely without you.”
He chuckles. “Liar. You’ll be sleeping.”
“You can wake me up,” I whisper.
With a shake of his head, he pats my rear and scoots me in the direction of the door. “I’m going to allow you to sleep tonight.” His expression turns wicked. “For a while. I’ll let you build up your energy again.”
I fall into a deep sleep almost the instant my head hits the pillow. Upon awakening, I’m disoriented, uncertain what roused me so abruptly. A second later, I hear raised voices and realize it’s the sound of an argument. Listening for a moment, I recognize Sophie and Jayson’s voices. It isn’t like them to argue, and I slide from bed and wrap myself in a robe before leaving the bedroom.
They stand down the hall, near Sophie’s bedroom. Jayson is yelling and waving his hands, occasionally pointing at Sophie. Loukas, who is standing beside her, looks frightened but determined not to show fear.
“What’s going on?” I ask as I approach them.
“I caught this boy sneaking out of Sophie’s room. They had…” He switches to Greek, unleashing a new wave of anger on the young couple.
“He was not sneaking, Theo Jayson. I am an adult, and I can do as I please.”
“An adult?” His cold laugh makes me flinch almost as much as Sophie. “You are a stupid girl, led by a stupid boy.”
“She’s not stupid,” I interject. “Sophie is a young woman, Jayson. This sort of thing is natural.”
“Not for good Greek girls,” he snarls. “You wait for marriage,” he says to Sophie.
She rolls her eyes. “Your attitude is archaic, Theo. In New York, no one would think anything of me going to bed with my boyfriend.”
Jayson winces, even more upset to hear the words coming from her. “We are not in New York. I see you haven’t spent nearly enough time in your homeland, learning proper behavior.” He curses. “You should be ashamed, both of you.”
Loukas bows his head, but Sophie straightens her shoulders. Stepping closer, I sense the situation will continue to escalate unless I can convince them to stop arguing. “It’s late — ”
They both ignore me. “I feel no shame. I love Loukas, and it’s as Harper says.”
Jayson turns his glower on me. “What did Harper say?”
“She told me sex can be beautiful with someone you love. You don’t have to be married to be in love.”
I gulp, not liking the way Jayson’s eyes darken. “It’s late,” I say again. “Why don’t we go to bed and talk about this in the morning?”
He regards me with an unreadable expression for a long second, before transferring his attention to Loukas. “I will escort the boy home.”
Seeing Loukas tremble, I put a hand on Jayson’s arm. “I’m sure he can find his way home just fine, Jayson.”
“Yes, Kyria Satyros,” says the boy eagerly. He pauses long enough to squeeze Sophie’s hand before practically running down the stairs. His escape might be amusing if not for the heavy tension remaining between my husband and his niece.
“I’m going to bed,” says Sophie haughtily as she spins on her heel and marches back into her room. The slam of the door echoes through the hallway.
I stand awkwardly beside Jayson. His silence is a worry, and I find myself trying to fill it. “It isn’t the end of the world, you know.”
Looking at me coldly, he says in a low voice, “I don’t expect you to understand our ways. I also wouldn’t have expected you to deliberately steer her down the wrong path.”
My mouth drops open. “I didn’t steer her anywhere, Jayson. She asked me a question, and I gave her the best answer I could.”
“No. You gave her a trite, Western answer that excuses promiscuity.”
