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“Goodbye, Hope, Mia.” Niko walked past, wearing a big smile on his face.
Yep, they’d made up.
Oh. His Armani jacket almost covered the bright yellow handprint on his backside. “Uh, Niko…” How did she tell him?
Niko didn’t turn. “It’s decided. Hope is moving in, and the necklace will be replaced.”
Growing up with staff had left him a bit spoiled and a little too quick to ignore those around him. When someone yelled ‘Heads up’ in suburbia, she knew to look up. “Uh, okay, never mind, but later, when you realize what I was going to tell you, you’ll remember this moment.”
He tugged on the door handle. “Bye.”
“Peace out,” Mia said.
Niko flinched but didn’t turn around as he walked out the door.
***
The next day, two bouquets arrived at Hope’s loft. The small pink rose bouquet had Mia’s name scrolled across the card. Inside was a pithy quote about the wisdom of listening. A guy who could be taught, she liked that.
The second bouquet was huge and filled with yellow and red roses. Hope grinned and circled it. “Isn’t Niko wonderful?” Sunshine from the window hit the crystal and caused the prisms to shimmer. Reaching a hand toward the sunlight, Hope ran her hand through the sparkle, then she went over to the couch to sketch. According to Dad, Hope’s obsession with art began with her first crayon. Good thing Hope was so talented and sweet, or they’d have abandoned her in the woods long ago.
Mia touched one of the fluffy petals. Niko irrefutably adored Hope. Most men wouldn’t be so gracious about yellow paint on an Armani suit. Maybe he was good enough for her sister. Maybe. She joined Hope on the couch and tugged the forest green afghan over her legs.
“So Sacha’s moving in with Niko,” Hope said.
What? She’d missed the first part of the conversation. Weird. Hope was usually the scattered one. “Who’s Sacha?”
Hope scratched away at her drawing. Caught up in her art, she ignored the question. Mia poked her leg with the toe of her canvas sneaker. “Who’s Sacha? How old?”
Hope slapped at her shoe, leaving a smear of black charcoal on the white canvas. “Niko’s sister. She’s a senior, like you, I think. Niko doesn’t talk much about Greece. His stepmom’s not so nice.” Hope frowned. “That’s part of the reason Niko stayed here after school.”
“She’s the artist, right?” Hope and Niko almost hadn’t gotten together because Niko hated artists, courtesy of his artist stepmom. It had been quite the drama when they’d started dating.
“Yeah. They live in Santorini. Sacha goes to boarding school in England, and Niko wants her here instead.”
“American high school after British boarding school? That’ll be a shock.” She’d hate to move senior year. Yesterday’s conversation clicked with today’s in her mind. This was the origin of yesterday’s foreign exchange student conversation. Niko’s sister Sacha would leave her British boarding school to finish senior year here in Texas. Sacha would become this year’s foreign exchange student. OMG, and what if she was the Greek female version of Kristnaldo? She’d be related to this year’s freak.
“Maybe you can show her around?” Hope asked hesitantly.
Chapter 3
Show her around? No. Mia twisted on the sofa and threw the blanket off her lap. Her feet hit the floor for a quick escape.
“Please? For me?”
Ugh, Hope would do it for her. She settled back into the cushions. “Sure. Can you get her email address? I’ll write her.” She kept the reluctance from her voice.
Hope’s shoulders eased. She patted her hair and resumed sketching. “I’ll get it.”
What had she just promised? A brief introduction around school? A place to eat lunch? A school year of side-by-side, no-release attachment? Mia tightened her fingers on the rounded seam at the sofa’s edge. “If she doesn’t shower, all bets are off.” If desperation colored voices, hers was back-off orange. Like when she’d tried to make scared of heights Lauren climb the top of the cheer pyramid.
Hope’s lips twitched, but she didn’t agree.
***
She’d promised, so she did her duty. Then something weird happened. Two days into emailing Sacha, and she realized Sacha was fun. More than fun, it was like talking to her best friend Lauren, but different, because she’d known Lauren her whole life. They’d been besties since Trallwyn Elementary School. Sacha had a different take on things and plenty of opinions.
Mia glanced over at Hope, who was sketching and ignoring all the empty moving boxes. Right now, she had full cred for doing Hope a favor by emailing Sacha. As long as she didn’t tell Hope how well she and Sacha were hitting it off, it could stay that way. Mia typed, I’ll have you Americanized in no time.
