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I roll my eyes.
“Andreas is a hundred percent Greek, and never lets you forget it either. He’s always talking about the old country and how he wants to go back, but here we are, still in Jersey,” I say with a wink.
Nico nods.
“No, I get it because Greece is a beautiful country with a Mediterranean climate, fertile land, a storied culture, and of course, the sea. How interesting that you were adopted by a Greek,” he muses. “That’s fascinating.”
I nod.
“Yep, and even more interesting is the fact that Andreas adopted me when I was just a baby, and as a single guy too. I had no idea that single men were even allowed to adopt, but somehow, Andreas was able to finesse the system. We’ve been together ever since.”
Nico nods before shooting me a curious look.
“Your father’s never told you about your biological parents?”
I shrug.
“I don’t think Andreas knows anything about them, and to be honest, I’m not interested in finding out either. I’m happy with my life, and the people who gave me up can go to hell. I mean, not in a bad way,” I amend quickly. “I’m sure they had valid reasons for giving me up. It’s just that I don’t want to open that can of worms, you know?”
Nico nods.
“It’s understandable,” he growls in a low voice. “Not everyone wants to know about their biological family.”
At that moment, our food is served and we take a few moments to enjoy our meals. My chicken alfredo is creamy and delicious, and Nico’s steak looks juicy and tender. After swallowing a few bites, I look up.
“Well, Mr. CEO,” I smile. “You’re running a great company because I like working at Key Largo, actually. Maybe I’m just a secretary, but I enjoy the job and feel like I’m contributing to the larger whole.”
“That’s wonderful to hear,” he chuckles. “It’s very gratifying, in fact, because sometimes CEOs fall out of touch with the day to day. We’re so busy talking with investors and shareholders that we have no idea how the boots on the ground are faring.”
I nod.
“But how did you come to be CEO?” I ask curiously. “Did you work your way up from the bottom?”
Nico pauses, putting down his fork.
“Sort of. As a Greek, shipping is in my blood, and has been for many generations. My great-grandfather founded Key Largo back in Athens, but the company fell on hard times for quite a while. It was only when I took the helm that things began looking up.”
I stare.
“Really? It was based in Athens? So why did you move to New Jersey?”
He shrugs.
“Because this is a key transit point,” he says. “We specialize in shipping oil from South America to all over the world, and New Jersey has a number of terminaling facilities that are convenient. The facilities come equipped with deep water ports, shallow water ports, as well as plenty of containers to use when storing oil, not to mention access to rail lines, which are key to domestic distribution.”
“I see,” I nod. “I had no idea. I mean, I knew some of this about Key Largo, especially the part about transporting oil from South America, but I didn’t know that Jersey was such an important location. I suppose I should have figured that out.”
Nico merely grins.
“It’s not always obvious. Oil is a testy subject to many, and we try to keep things on the downlow. Especially with the current geo-political climate,” he adds.
I nod, letting this new information absorb. But then, I shoot him a quick glance.
“Permission to speak freely, Mr. CEO?” I ask in a saucy tone.
He chuckles and nods. “Permission granted, sweet Petunia.”
I blush, fighting back a smile.
