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“You call me Yaya, dear. All of the grandchildren do.” Maria Costas urged them forward into the dining room.
Nik swallowed his laugh. His grandmother would refer to his generation as the grandchildren until the day she died. The fact those grandchildren were all having children of their own now mattered not at all to her. The rich scent of well-cooked meat and heavy spices filled the air, scents that brought back memories of his childhood. He’d spent countless meals in this very room with his cousins and extended family, and a wave of nostalgia rushed through him. He hated that the action of Angelo and Vanessa had kept him away for so long. But now he had a reason to visit often. He wanted Ava to know Yaya.
“I’m sorry we’re late. It was hard to get a car today. Some sort of event happening in the city that has them all tied up.” He leaned down to give his grandmother a kiss, taking the time to examine her more closely for any signs of illness or age-related issues. His mother had made it sound like Yaya was on death’s door, but he saw no evidence of that. Cassandra didn’t usually exaggerate, but perhaps Yaya had been ill and was doing better now. He’d find out later if his mother had been genuinely worried, or if she’d manipulated him just to get him to return to Toronto.
Yaya waved away his apology. “Not to worry. I kept everything warm. Sit, and I’ll bring it all out.”
“Let me help you.” Jules moved to follow her into the kitchen.
Yaya pointed Jules towards the table. “You go ahead and sit. I’ll only be a minute.” She disappeared into the kitchen.
Nik pulled out the chair for Jules. “Don’t feel bad. She never lets anyone help. We’ve all been trying for years.”
Nik had barely taken his own chair when Yaya reappeared carrying one of her famous lamb-and-rice pies. His mouth watered. No one made meat pies like Yaya.
“When Nikos told me he was coming, I had to make this,” Yaya said to Jules. “It’s his favourite.”
“It smells wonderful. I can’t wait to taste it,” she replied.
Yaya dished up servings for everyone and took her seat at the head of the table. Nik took a bite of the pie and let the spices explode on his tongue, the tender meat and pastry melting in his mouth. He closed his eyes in bliss. This was what home tasted like.
“What brings you and Nikos to Toronto?”
Nik opened his eyes to observe Jules and Yaya. Any discomfort Jules might be feeling was either gone or well hidden. She was relaxed and laughing as she described the charity auction to Yaya between bites of lunch.
“How much did you pay for the privilege of winning a date with her?” Yaya asked Nik.
Nik glanced away, embarrassed to admit how much to someone who’d grown up with as little as Yaya. Would she think he was being wasteful? “It was a lot, but it all went to charity,” he hedged.
Yaya raised an eyebrow. “Whatever it was? She’s worth it.” She smiled kindly at Jules.
A small knot of tension loosened at her approval. Nik so badly wanted Yaya to approve of Jules, and this was better than he had hoped.
“I’ll go make us some tea.” As Yaya pushed back from the table, there was a knock on the door, followed by the sound of steps in the foyer.
“Yaya? Your door was unlocked. Are you OK?”
Nik held his fork in a death grip and cursed under his breath. He would know that voice anywhere. What was Vanessa doing here? The whole point of coming to visit Yaya this weekend was to avoid the rest of his family, but especially Vanessa.
“We were in the neighbourhood, and the girls wanted to see you.”
His cousin Angelo came into sight as he said this, carrying a little girl with curly black hair in his arms. He stopped at the sight of Nik. A flicker of surprise crossed his face before being masked by studied indifference.
“Nikos. I didn’t know you were in town.” Angelo’s tone didn’t quite reflect the lack of interest Nik was sure he wanted to project. Angelo always tried to hide his true colours from Yaya, but prior experience told Nik that inside, Angelo was gloating.
Nik relaxed his fist and set his fork down beside his plate. The meal he had just enjoyed sat leaden in his belly, and he wished he were anywhere but here. “It was an unplanned trip. I thought I would surprise Yaya.”
Vanessa had come to stand beside Angelo, holding their older daughter’s hand in hers. “Hello, Nik.”
At one time his name on her lips had inspired lust. Now it left him cold. “Vanessa.”
Nik studied his ex-wife, noting that she looked tired, and there were new lines around her eyes and mouth. He had managed to avoid her for most of the eight years since their divorce, and the years had aged her more than he’d expected. More, she didn’t look happy, and he didn’t think it was because she had found him here unexpectedly. He had heard through the family grapevine that Angelo’s business was struggling, and Vanessa had needed to go back to work, which probably added to her stress. Her betrayal had hurt, and when he’d first heard about Angelo’s financial difficulties, a small part of him had thought they both deserved it. Now he felt sorry for her.
“Who is this?”
Angelo turned a flirtatious smile towards Jules, and rage bubbled up inside Nik. Angelo had stolen his wife, and now he was going to flirt with another woman in front of Vanessa? Another one ofNik’s women? Red rage filled his vision, and he struggled not to let Angelo know how upset he was. He would not give Angelo the satisfaction of knowing he could make Nik jealous. At best, Angelo would gloat. At worst, Angelo might think Nik felt insecure about Jules. Angelo would jump all over that to try to beat Nik. He’d been that way since they were kids.
“Nikos brought a friend to meet me. Her name is Jules,” Yaya said. Nik wanted to kiss his grandmother. Using few words but heavy emphasis, she made it sound like Jules was his. Her warning to Angelo was unmistakable.
