“Welcome back, Kalli.” Detective Stevens took my hand and then kissed my cheek as a summer breeze carried the smell of fresh-cut grass and flowers past my nose. We stood at the edge of his ma’s brand-new house, sneaking in a moment alone before everyone else saw us.
I inhaled deep and smiled up at him. “Thanks.”
He was so handsome, dressed in khaki’s and a sky-blue polo shirt that brought out the sapphire blue of his eyes. He was tall with thick, wavy, coffee-colored hair, olive skin and a heavily whiskered face. His piercing eyes twinkled before he leaned in to whisper, “I missed you,” into my ear while still holding my hand, and I read his mind. If you give me a chance, I’ll be happy to show you just how much.
“I missed you, too,” I whispered back, then took a step away, letting go of his hand and flushing over his thoughts as I discreetly applied my ever-present hand sanitizer to my palms, spinning my fidget ring three times. I smoothed my gray business suit, feeling awkward, never having successfully dated. With everything so new and still up in the air between us, I didn’t quite know how to act around him. It didn’t help that I hadn’t seen him in weeks.
He started filling me in on what had been happening in our small Connecticut town, Clearview, while I was away, but my mind kept wandering. Ever since I fell and hit my head, I’d been able to read people’s minds. It was because of this gift that I’d been able to kiss a man and not think about all the germs we were exchanging. Nik’s thoughts made me stay out of my own head and enjoy the moment.
He was a complex man. I’d come to know him as Nik the nice guy, Nikos the smug Greek, and the all-business Detective Stevens. One minute I wanted to smack him, and the next he made me weak in the knees. I hadn’t told him about my gift because I didn’t want him to think I was even stranger than he already thought I was.
The last time I saw him we’d agreed to give dating a shot. But first, I’d had to go to New York City for several meetings with the head of Interludes regarding my new collection of Kalli Originals lingerie. Thanks to my best friend, Jaz Alvarez, letting me display my collection in her boutique, Full Disclosure, I’d been discovered by Interludes. Having them carry my line was a dream come true. Not to mention, it allowed me to pay my part of the rent on the half a house I shared with Jaz. Detective Dreamy rented the other half of the house.
I loved my adoptive Greek family, but living at home had become unbearable. Ma was constantly trying to fix me and marry me off so I would give her grandbabies. My gaze locked with my handsome detective as he continued to talk. I used to think marriage and motherhood wasn’t in my future, but for the first time in my life, I had hope. Nik was only half Greek, but apparently that was Greek enough for my desperate Ma.
“Everything okay?” He raised a brow at me with a half-smile. “You’re staring at me like you’re in a daze. Did you hear anything I said?”
“Sorry. My mind is all over the place.” I could feel my cheeks heat.
His eyes softened. “It’s okay. I’m just glad to have you home.”
“Me, too.” A sense of peace filled me as we started walking into the yard.
“Kalliope Ballas, you’re home!” Aunt Tasoula squealed, heading in my direction with her arms open wide.
I jumped. So much for peace, but family was family, no matter how crazy.
Aunt Tasoula was my ma’s sister, but they didn’t look anything alike. She owned a hair salon, was half my ma’s size, and tried to look much younger with black hair that was way too long and clothes that were far too tight.
She tsked. “Look at these split ends.” She picked up a strand of my thick golden blond hair that had fallen out of my signature chignon, inspecting the ends. “You come to my salon. I give you a trim.” Some lowlights would do her good. She’s way too pale for a Greek.
Over my dead body would I let her touch my hair with chemicals. I shivered over the thought of Parabens, Formaldehyde, and Phthalates to name a few of many harmful ingredients found in hair products. I could become infertile, lose my hair, develop asthma and maybe even cancer just so my hair would smell good and look three-dimensional. And to think what it might do to my brain. That had already taken enough abuse, thank you very much.
I gave her a quick hug and stepped back the second she let me go, happy not to read her mind anymore. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m so busy right now with my new clothing line finally out.”
“Ah, about that.” She looked around and lowered her voice. “I, um, have a friend who would like to place an order on the line.”
“You mean an online order?”
“Yes, that’s what I said.” She frowned. “Put some aloe in your ears. That will help your hearing.”
“I’ll be happy to help you with your online order.” I lowered my voice to match hers. “For your friend, of course.”
“Good girl.” She patted my had. “I’ll be in touch.” She looked around the busy back yard again. “I trust you’ll be discreet.”
“Always.” I smiled knowingly. Half my family had a friend who wanted to place an order who happened to wear their exact size. They all loved my Kalli Original lingerie, even though none of them would ever admit it.
“My baby!” My ma, Ophelia Ballas, rushed to my side and inspected every inch of me, her big poof of teased black hair not moving an inch. “You were gone so long. What did they do to you? Your suit is baggy. You’re too thin. Come with me.” She took me by the arm, her satin blouse billowing and polyester pants swishing as she pulled me toward the gazebo in Chloe Steven’s brand-new back yard.
I gave Nik an apologetic look and received a wink in return.
My cousin Yanni owned a landscaping business called Yanni’s Yards. Ma had told me he’d hired a new guy. Looking around, I was impressed. The man had talent. It wasn’t easy landscaping anything for a Greek Sunday brunch and not have it be over the top, but it was clear he had an artistic eye.
“I knew letting you go off to the big city alone was a bad idea,” Ma interrupted my train of thought. “First, you make scandalous lingerie, and now you no eat.” She shook her beehive nest of hair. I’ll put some aloe in her tea. That’ll fix her right up.
I gently pulled my arm from my ma’s grasp so I didn’t have to hear her thoughts lecture me, and no way was I drinking aloe. I sighed as my stomach turned over. The city had been a nice break from my big fat Greek life.
Nik knew exactly how I felt. His ma was Greek and had divorced his father years ago because he wasn’t, blaming that for all their problems. She was all class and sophistication, with her trendy chic haircut and clothes, but she schemed as much as my ma did. She’d moved to Clearview Connecticut to be closer to her only child just as soon as she’d found a suitable house. This Sunday brunch was the first in her yard to christen the move before Nik’s extended Pagonis family returned to their homes.
I had missed mass at our Greek Orthodox Church today—a sin in my pop’s eyes—due to horrendous traffic making me late. So, the second I crossed the town line, I’d headed right to brunch before I’d sinned any further. I mean, I hadn’t missed much. Well, okay…I admittedly missed a certain dreamy detective more than I’d thought possible.
“There you are, Roomie.” Jaz hooked my arm with hers and pulled me away from the mamas. Thank the Lord Boomer isn’t Greek. There’s not enough Ouzo on the planet that would help me survive a family like that.
Jaz was tall and perfectly proportioned, with thick honey brown curls and amber eyes. She had her investment banker father’s brains and her model mother’s looks, but after seeing how her mother’s wandering eye had hurt her father, she’d vowed never to fall in love. That was before Detective Boomer Matheson had been relentless in convincing her otherwise. With his unruly russet hair, hazel eyes, and long lean body, he wasn’t her usual type. She normally went for brainless blond beefcakes, but Boomer was her feisty equal. When they weren’t trying to kill each other, they were head over heels, and I couldn’t be happier for her.
“Thank you, but do you mind?” I looked at our looped arms.
“Whoops, sorry, I keep forgetting about your gift.” She dropped my arm and adjusted the straps of a floral sundress, undoubtedly one of her summer finds for her boutique. She had a great eye for fashion, outdoing the only other competition in town at Vixen’s.
Jaz was the only one I had told about my mind-reading ability. For starters, it had first happened in her store and had been hard to hide from her since she was the one who found me on the floor. Not to mention, I had needed at least one person to talk to about it before I lost my mind completely. Who better than my best friend to help keep me sane?
“You seem happy.” My gaze followed Boomer as he headed over to Nik.
“I am.” She giggled. “Deliriously so, for now, anyway. Ask me tomorrow, and the story might be different. My man certainly keeps me on my toes.”
“I’m happy for you, Jaz. You deserve this.”
“Thanks.” Her gaze shot to Nik, deep in conversation with Boomer, then back to me. “Speaking of men and happiness…any updates?”
Heat crept up my neck as I remembered Nik’s whispered words that he’d missed me and couldn’t wait to show me how much. I pulled the collar of my blouse away from my throat and fanned my neck. “I’m not sure. I mean, we definitely have chemistry. That was evident before I left for New York City. He did say he wanted to take me out on an official date when I got back, but I know he just got out of a relationship only a couple of months ago, right before moving here. Up until that time, I didn’t think a relationship was even possible for me. I don’t want to rush into anything, and I especially don’t want to be someone’s rebound.”
“So don’t.” Jaz lifted one delicate shoulder. “It’s only a date, Kalli. We’re not talking weddings and babies.” Her gaze traveled to the food table. “The mamas, on the other hand, are on a mission for both.”
I followed her line of sight and groaned. My ma and Nik’s ma were huddled together with heads bent, discussing Lord only knew what, their hands moving as fast as their lips. They’d probably already planned the next five years of our lives when all I wanted to do was make it through the next five minutes. I liked Nik, I really did, but I couldn’t shake the knot of unease in my stomach.
The gentle breeze turned to a gust of wind as it swirled into the back yard, blowing paper plates, napkins and cups off the food table beneath the gazebo. Marble statues and an impressive water fountain were soon covered. Nik’s relatives mixed with mine as they ran about duct taping everything down in an attempt to save brunch.
Children laughed in glee, and my cousin Frona skipped about with her crooked ponytails, singing, “Ring around the rosy, paper plates a blowy,” as she snatched items from the air in glee. Frona was my age but had fallen off an apple cart years ago and hadn’t been the same since. She was happy, safe, and cared for by my family, but my ma had checked my pupils every day since my fall. She was terrified my fate would be the same, especially since I was her only child. She got upset that I wouldn’t let her duct tape my ears. I’d had to draw the line somewhere. My life was crazy. Not much shocked me anymore.
Suddenly two women came barreling around the corner. One was most definitely a Greek mama, judging by the dark hair, fierce determination blazing from her eyes, and firm grip she had on a younger stunning version of herself. The unease in my gut grew to full blown acid reflux, making me worry my esophagus would be fried. I sensed there wasn’t enough aloe or duct tape in the universe to save brunch, much less anything else at this point. My gut had never been wrong, and this time was no exception.
The mama and daughter came to a stop right in the center of the yard, and everyone froze, all eyes trained on the dramatic duo. The mama looked around, her furious gaze finally spotting who she sought, and my heart dropped.
Detective Nik Stevens.
Nik frowned. “Ariana, what are you doing here?”
The younger woman wouldn’t quite look at him.
His gaze turned to the older woman beside her. “Penelope?”
“It’s Mrs. Drakos to you.”
“Fine, Mrs. Drakos, but I can’t imagine why you’re here. Your daughter and I broke up months ago.”
“Not before you left her with a little gift. If her father were still alive, he would kill you.” She made the sign of the cross. “I’m all she has, and I want to know what you’re going to do about it.”
“Do about what?” Nik rubbed his temples. “I’m afraid I don’t know what are you talking about?”
Penelope Drakos snapped her spine straight. “My precious daughter is pregnant, and you’re the papa.”
Nik gaped.
Chloe fainted.
Chaos ensued.
I guess weddings and babies were in the future after all…just not in mine.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get over my shock.” I looked at Jaz as we sat on our back deck that evening, sipping wine. We’d changed into yoga pants and t-shirts. It was a comfort sort of night.
Jaz owned a big old colonial house with a huge fenced-in backyard on Picture Perfect Drive—a dead end road just off of Main Street. She’d had carpenters split the house into two halves, insisting she didn’t need that much space. I couldn’t afford to rent the other half by myself yet, and I was determined not to take charity from anyone, so I paid to live with her. She rented the other half of the house to Detective Stevens. I had to stop thinking of him as Nik, or I would fall apart.
“You and me both. What a mess.” She looked out over the yard.
Priscilla, aka Ms. Priss, perched on the railing, turning up her nose to the huge, sloppy St. Bernard staring at her from the other side of the fence that separated our half of the lawn from the detective’s. My calico cat was about as prissy, picky and finicky as they came. She tolerated his dog Wolfgang occasionally, but for the most part she teased the poor, slobbery, silly, goofball relentlessly. He didn’t care. Every day he came back for more torture, whining as he adored her from afar.
As for Wolfy and me, we had come to an understanding. If he kept his germ ridden saliva to himself and his wiggling fanny firmly planted on the ground, then I would pet his massive head briefly. Followed quickly by a thorough scrubbing of my hands with my hand sanitizer, of course. However, I couldn’t bring myself to go near anything belonging to the detective after the brunch bombshell that had been dropped earlier today.
“A baby? That changes everything.” I kicked off my flipflops to prop my bare feet on the clean stool in front of my Adirondack chair, where they were safe from splinters. I wasn’t taking any chances. Anything that pierces the skin can create a point of entry for microbes from outside the body, leading to horrifying infections.
“I have to admit, I didn’t see that one coming.” Jaz took a sip of her wine, completely barefoot without a care in the world. She always put slippers on when reentering the house because she knew I would follow her everywhere with a mop if she didn’t. “I’m all for having fun, but Nik is a smart man,” she added. “How could he let something like this happen?”
“I have no clue.” I took a deep breath and frowned down at my glass, the wine tasting spoiled all of a sudden. “But it’s not my problem.” I stared out at the woods out behind our fence, watching some crows fight off a hawk who was probably after their young.
“I thought you were going on a date with Nik.”
“Not anymore. Not after this. I’m a firm believer in signs, and this is a big one.” I swirled the wine in my glass, fascinated by its golden color that was a pretty close match to my hair. I set my glass down, feeling defeated. “She’s full Greek and an absolute goddess. I can’t compete with that.”
At that moment, Detective Dreamy walked out onto his back deck and called Wolfgang to come inside. His gaze met mine and locked. He hesitated like he wanted to say something, so I looked away. I couldn’t get in the middle of his mess right now, no matter how tempting he was. I didn’t look up until I heard his screen door close.
“You really don’t know how beautiful you are, my friend. Trust me, you have way more to offer than her. After you left brunch, Nik’s ma and Penelope got into a yelling match and everyone started gossiping. Nik’s family filled in your family with plenty. I guess Chloe never liked Ariana. She didn’t trust her and didn’t think she was the right woman for Nik, but Nik’s a nice guy. He didn’t want to hurt Ariana’s feelings and was just having fun anyway.”
The moment after the bombshell had been dropped, I’d lost my appetite and hightailed it out of there, not caring to hear anymore. But I had to admit, I was curious now. “Then why did they break up?”
“I guess when he found out she used to date a guy involved with the mob and lied about it to him, he realized it didn’t look good on him since he’s a cop. He was the one who ended things. Let’s just say Ariana didn’t take it well. I don’t think she’s used to anyone dumping her. Her ma took it even worse. Chloe was relieved to be rid of them, but now her worst nightmare has come true. Poor woman. I’m sure Nik will do the right thing by the baby, but that doesn’t mean he has to marry Ariana.”
I was already shaking my head. “It doesn’t matter either way. I have my new lingerie line to focus on. I can’t afford to get distracted by getting caught up in a bunch of drama. Nik was the only guy who didn’t care about my quirks, and the only guy whose kisses made me stop thinking completely, but whatever was between us is now over, ending before it even started. I should have known things were too good to be true.”
“Aw, Kalli, I’m sorry. I just want to see you happy.” Jaz squeezed my hand, and I smiled, then quickly let go. “What are you going to do?”
“What I should have done from the beginning. Mind my own business.” I slipped my shoes back on, picked up my wine glass and scooped up my cat, then gave one last glance at Detective Dreamy’s deck before heading inside to pour myself a different glass of therapy. Maybe something stronger.
My sketchbook lay open on my kitchen table with a brand-new design I’d finished this morning. My first ever Kalli Original I’d designed specifically for myself with Nikos Stevens in mind. I groaned.
Minding my own business just might be harder than I thought.