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“What? Have you told Mama and Papa?”
“Not yet.” She sighed. “I don’t know how to. It’s another reason why I’m worried about your plans to go off to god-knows-where this year.”
“Why are you moving though?”
“Taki is being transferred. Honestly, if it was up to me…” she let the thought trail off.
Eirene laid her hand over her sister’s. “It’ll be fine. You’ll have a wonderful time there.”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll come visit. I’ve always wanted to see Berlin.”
Rhea patted her hand. “You always make me feel better. I’ll miss you.”
“You won’t get rid of me that easily,” Eirene promised. She was surprised at how much it bothered her to think of Rhea and Taki living so far away. Rhea was so much a part of home. To not be able to hop in the car and drive over to see her was upsetting.
Later, when she was getting ready for bed, Eirene remembered that Taki’s boss was Nick Katsaros, and the whole Katsaros family would be at Nicki’s wedding. What would happen, she wondered, if she cornered Katsaros and asked him to reconsider the transfer. Would he even know what she was talking about? Katsaros and Matthias Dimitrios were business partners and friends, but would he know Taki as anything more than Rhea’s husband? Would he even remember who Rhea was?
Still, it couldn’t hurt, she decided. Just a few words, a simple request to see if Taki couldn’t be spared. Without any penalty, of course. She didn’t want her interference to cost him anything. She’d have to make that clear. She’d even dance with his odious son if it would warm the old man up a little, get him to see her as a potential daughter-in-law the way the families had long planned. She wasn’t above it if it would help her sister stay close to the family.
On the morning of the wedding, Eirene and Rhea had their hair done and got manicures. Rhea had a lot to do so they parted company after an early lunch, and Eirene did a little shopping before she returned home. Paul was there waiting for her, looking fretful.
“Where were you?” he demanded. I told you I’d be here by one.”
“And I told you it would take me until at least two to get back. You don’t listen.”
“And you don’t respect my time.”
“Paul, I told you when I’d be home. You chose to ignore me.”
“Your family hates me,” he said. He looked miserable and she thawed a little.
“No, they don’t. They just don’t know you.”
“I hate this city,” he said.
She sighed. “Why don’t we have a drink by the pool? It’ll relax you. “We’ll be leaving here about five, so I’ll still have time to dress.”
“Why don’t we just go upstairs?” he asked, slipping an arm around her waist. Was he asking what she thought he was asking?
“Uh… Paul, this is my parents’ home. You’re not coming upstairs with me.”
“Don’t be such a prude. Who cares anymore?”
“My parents, that’s who. And if you think they dislike you now, you cannot begin to imagine what my father would think of you if he found you in my bedroom.” Or what he might do to you, she added silently. But the bottom line was that she respected her parents and their rules. She’d never even think about doing what Paul was suggesting.
She fixed him a gin and tonic and got him calmed down.
The wedding was everything Eirene expected. It was big, loud, lavish, and filled with relatives who asked her personal questions without a second thought. Paul enjoyed the ceremony, but ruined it by explaining to everyone who would listen that he was a student of religious rituals, and talking about how it compared to various other ceremonies. Guests who were willing to cut him slack for not being Greek ran in the other direction when he began to discuss the deeper meaning of Orthodox rituals.
“So he’s nice to look at,” Nicki observed, “but does he ever draw a breath?”
“He has good qualities,” Eirene replied, knowing how lame it sounded.
“Well let’s hope that includes being great in bed.”
Eirene smiled in a manner that she hoped implied that everything was great in that area, but couldn’t bring herself to lie outright. It wasn’t great, it was adequate. But adequate was all she expected. She’d long felt that the whole cosmic sex thing was a myth. No one she knew ever talked about how the earth had moved or even about their men ensuring they had a good time every time. She wasn’t stupid; she got that sex was more often than not a commodity to be traded for security, and sometimes she thought that she’d taken up with Paul because she had absolutely no illusions about him. It was a nice, low-key relationship based on mutual interests.
