Greek for Beginners. Jackie Braun

He loved Greece. But ever since he’d sold that first automobile to a collector living in the United States more than a decade earlier, he’d known that he would never settle for the quiet and predictable life he would have endured living here and working with his father.

      His family had never understood Nick’s obsession with classic cars and his desire to see them restored, much less the pleasure he took from connecting a collector with exactly what he or she sought. They were proud of him, certainly. Through hard work, shrewd investment and a little bit of luck, Nick had managed to turn his passion into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. They just wished he’d decided to base it in Athens rather than New York.

      “Besides, those women are not Greek,” Yiayia said.

      It boiled down to that for his grandmother. His mother, too, though she was less inclined to say so out loud. Both women wanted Nick to marry a nice Greek girl, preferably one from a family they knew, so that he would return home, buy a house nearby and settle in. It wasn’t going to happen, but that didn’t keep them from trying.

      Sure enough, his mother was saying, “I saw Maria Karapoulos at the market yesterday. Her daughter Danika was with her. She has moved back from London. Her job there didn’t work out.”

      “Just as well. They don’t know how to make a proper cup of tea in England,” Yiayia observed. Both women laughed. “How does Danika look? As pretty as ever?”

      “Prettier,” Thea said. “She has lost some weight, and I think she has contacts now. She wasn’t wearing her glasses. She has such lovely eyes.”

      “And she comes from a nice family,” his grandmother noted.

      Nick sipped his tea and said nothing. The eyes he was thinking about were blue and belonged to Darcie.

      His mother went on. “I invited her to the wedding. Her parents were already on the guest list. It seemed rude not to extend an invitation to her as well.”

      “Good. Good. She will have fun at the wedding,” Yiayia said. “Especially if she has someone to dance with.”

      Even though his tea was plenty sweet, Nick added a little more honey and tried to ignore the conversation going on around him. But he knew what was coming.

      Sure enough, his grandmother added, “Nick could be her escort.”

      He gave his tea a vigorous stir. “No.”

      How many times must they go through this particular exercise before his mother and grandmother accepted that he didn’t need or want their help to find a date? He’d considered asking one of the local women to come with him just to get Thea and Yiayia off his back, but that posed a problem of its own. Thanks to all of the gossip, the single women in his social circle saw Nick as a challenge or as an object of pity. He didn’t want to be viewed as either.

      He glanced over at his father, hoping for an ally, but George pushed his chair away from the table and rose. Motioning over his shoulder, he said, “The drain in the bathroom sink is running slow. I promised your grandmother I would take a look at it.”

      “I will give you a hand,” Nick offered.

      But George shook his head. “No. You finish your tea. I can manage on my own.”

      “Thank you, Papa,” Nick drawled sarcastically.

      His father stopped at the doorway. “You might listen to your mother, you know. I remember this Danika she speaks of. The girl comes from a good family. You could do worse.”

      Now there was a recommendation. The room was quiet after his father’s exit. Nick was just starting to think the topic had been dropped when his mom said, “You are not going with anyone. It would be a shame for two young, single people to attend alone.”

      Yiayia clapped her hands together. “So it is settled. Nikolos will take her.”

      “No. I will not take her.”

      “No?”

      Nick blotted his mouth with a napkin and worked to keep his tone civil. “I am not going to take Danika or any of the other women you two have suggested to the wedding. I have said no and I mean no.”

      “No! No! Always no!” His grandmother gestured with her arms before demanding, “Give us one good reason why not.”

      A curvy young woman with deep blue eyes, killer legs and a thick, wavy mane of hair came to mind and inspiration struck.

      “I have a date.”

      Both older women blinked in surprise. His mother was the first to find her voice. “You have a date?” she asked skeptically.

      “For the wedding?” Yiayia added, her tone equally dubious.

      Lying did not come easily to Nick, no matter how good he considered the cause, so he answered her question with one of his own. “Is that so hard to believe? I am not repulsive, you know.”

      “You are as handsome as Adonis,” his mother affirmed, undeterred. “But just yesterday you stormed out of here after the grocer’s daughter happened by and your yiayia invited her in for a cup of tea.”

      “Happened by?” His brows rose. “She was dressed for cocktails, not tea. It was a setup. I do not appreciate your matchmaking. Nor do I need your help, as well-intentioned as it may be.”

      Thea sighed. Nick hoped that was a sign that the matter would be dropped, at least for now. Unfortunately, his grandmother wasn’t done.

      “Who is this woman you have invited to your brother’s wedding? When did this happen? You have not mentioned her before.”

      Since nothing had actually happened yet and very well might never, Nick decided to answer Yiayia’s other question first. “You do not know her. She is an American.”

      “American.” His grandmother put a hand to her chest and frowned.

      “It is not a disease, you know.” He chuckled, hoping both to lighten the mood and to divert the conversation. Neither woman cracked a smile, however.

      “You know her from New York?” Thea asked.

      “Actually, I met Darcie in Greece.” Which wasn’t a lie. He saw no need to mention when or where.

      “Darcie. What kind of a name is Darcie?” Yiayia’s frown deepened. “It does not sound like a Greek name.”

      His mother had other concerns. “Does she live in Athens?”

      “No. She came here on holiday.”

      When his conscience bucked, he rationalized that he wasn’t lying to his mother and grandmother. He was merely offering a selective version of the truth.

      “What does she do for a living?” Yiayia inquired.

      “She works at a car magazine.” Beyond that, Nick knew precious little about Darcie Hayes other than the fact that he found her very attractive. At the moment, he also found her his ticket out of a tight spot. “I tell you what. I will bring her by some time and you can ask her all of these questions yourselves.”

      He thought he was off the hook, or at the very least had delayed his day of reckoning. Yiayia dispelled that notion.

      “Good. I will set an extra plate for supper.”

      “S-supper?” he sputtered. “Tonight?”

      “We will eat at seven.”

      “Come early,” his mother added with an eager smile that sent his insides churning.

      What had he gotten himself into?

      * * *

      Darcie had forced herself to stay awake until 9:00 p.m. the previous evening. She’d called Becky as promised and explained about her changed itinerary, after which she had collapsed face-first on the bed and slept like the dead. When she awoke just before ten o’clock the following morning she had