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Chapter12
THEY SAT OUTDOORS TO eat. A table was set not on the expansive terrace that ran towards the ocean, but on the lawn, underneath a particularly impressive tree.
“It’s my favourite place,” Maggie confided, once again linking arms with Mila as they walked towards the table. A white linen cloth lifted a little in the breeze, but the wine glasses stayed resolutely in place, upside down, awaiting filling.
Leonidas and Thanasi sat at the table, opposite one another, and their conversation apparently revolved around business.
“They’re just like their father,” Maggie said with an affectionate eyeroll. “Always, always working.” But Mila could hear the pride in Maggie’s voice, and understood how much those similarities meant to her, particularly now Konstantinos was gone.
“Actually, we were just discussing our plans.”
“What plans are those, darling?” Both men stood as the women approached the table, Leonidas’ eyes catching Mila’s, his hand gesturing slightly towards the seat at his side.
She moved to it at the same time as Maggie, who laughed.
“After you, of course.” But that raised a flag in Mila’s mind—a suggestion that naturally she should want to sit next to Leonidas. She demurred instinctively.
“Not at all. I’m happy here.” She changed course and took the seat beside Thanasi, smiling at him in greeting. The last thing she wanted to do was give Maggie false hope. Leonidas had come to mean something to her, that much was obvious, but Mila wasn’t a fool. It wasn’t a relationship with a future. It wasn’t even what she’d call a relationship.
It was troubling to try to pinpoint a descriptive word for what they shared, or to home in on what she wanted. She knew only that she had to keep her focus on Internationals. Leaving Leonidas was non-negotiable; she refused to make the same mistakes as her mother, to lose her career to an ill-conceived affair.
Leonidas poured four glasses of wine, but added a mineral water to Mila’s set, their eyes meeting and a familiar feeling of flames licked through her.
“I’m going to Athens tomorrow,” Thanasi said. “I need to check in with the office.”
“You mean you’re sick of babysitting your mother,” Maggie responded quietly, but with a soft smile that broke Mila’s heart.
“You are the first one to say you don’t need babysitting.”
“I don’t,” she responded quickly, turning to Leonidas. “So if the next part of the plan is that you are to be saddled with my care, think again. You and Mila may leave whenever you’d like. I’m okay here on my own, Leo.” Tears sparkled on her lashes and Mila felt a strong kick of sympathy for the woman. “I’ll be fine.”
It was a valiant attempt, but no one believed it.
“I’d like to see a little more of your beautiful home, if you don’t mind,” Mila murmured, eyes flicking briefly to Leo’s and then back to Maggie’s. “Perhaps we could just stay a day or two, and then leave you in peace?”
Maggie’s mouth tightened. “I see they’ve co-opted you into this conspiracy,” she said, but kindly, then, leaning forward and pressing her hand to Mila’s, “Thank you. Tomorrow I’ll show you my roses. I—couldn’t quite face it today.”
Mila understood why, given the significance of the memorial garden.
“If you’d like.”
Dinner arrived dish by dish—an array of Greek delicacies: baked cheese, salad, vegetables, squid, whole baked fish, goat, and dolmades. Mila salivated as she stared at the mountain of food.
“Thanasi showed me a video of you performing, Mila. You are so graceful.”
Mila’s eyes lifted to Maggie’s and then Thanasi’s, heat in her cheeks. She couldn’t look at Leonidas. Hundreds of thousands of people had seen her perform, it was no secret, and yet, since dancing in the Loire Valley, it felt almost like a secret she shared with Leo.
“Thank you,” she brushed aside the praise. “I’ve always loved it.”
“You’re a natural.”
“She works very hard,” Leonidas interjected, defensively. Mila’s eyes flew to his, surprised by the unnecessary response.
“I don’t doubt it. Only a lot of work could make something look so beautiful and effortless. There were times when I truly thought you were flying.”
Mila dipped her head modestly. “I’ve been blessed with an outstanding team.”
“An outstanding team might be a bonus but it’s your dedication, I’m sure,” Maggie added.
