bright red vehicle. “The three of us would never have fit in her.”
“We would have figured out something,” Theo began.
“Look,” Trish exclaimed, pulling him forward. “Shopping carts full of shoes.”
Though metal carts filled with leather loafers had never held much appeal, Theo found her enthusiasm contagious. “Just remember,” he teased, “Gladys can’t hold more than a few dozen pairs.”
“Ha, ha,” she said, before turning her attention to the shoes. But then, as if realizing she’d forgotten something, she reached out and grabbed Theo’s hand, pulling him to her side. “Help me look. I wear size thirty-six.”
She looked so beautiful with the sun shining down on her coppery hair. An unexpected warmth rose up inside him and Theo decided shopping for shoes might not be quite so boring after all.
He’d just picked up a pair of sandals when his phone rang. It was a standard tone, very similar to the one that had announced Bruno’s call. He recognized it immediately and it was all he could do not to groan.
“Aren’t you going to answer?” Trish asked. “It could be Bruno.”
He could have explained that it was his mother, the last person he wanted to converse with on a beautiful summer day. But that would lead to questions. It seemed simpler to just answer the call. Theo flipped open the phone and switched to Greek. “Hello, Mother.”
“Theo, what’s that noise in the background? Where are you?”
“Naples,” he said. “At the street market.”
“In Naples?” Her voice rose. “What are you doing in Italy?”
His mother had been known to go months without talking to him. But once she’d learned Katherine Stamos had contacted him, Tasia had suddenly become interested in his every move.
“I’m visiting Bruno,” Theo said, picking a reason that wouldn’t prompt too many questions. “You remember Bruno Tucci, my friend from college.”
“Of course,” Tasia said smoothly. “Give him my regards.”
“I’ll do that.” Theo paused and waited for her to get to the real reason she’d called.
“You were supposed to phone me after your meeting with those women,” she said. “I haven’t heard from you.”
The edge was back in her voice, the same edge that was there whenever Elias Stamos or his family was mentioned.
Her bitterness toward Elias and his family had been a part of her for as long as Theo could remember. He knew the last thing she’d want to hear was that the meeting had gone well.
“It went,” Theo said flatly, conscious of Trish’s curious gaze.
“What did you think of them?” his mother pressed. “Do you plan to see them again?”
“I suppose our paths will cross sometime in the future. I’m not sure when.”
That was true, as far as it went. He wasn’t exactly sure when they’d be getting together. Dinner with Helena tonight had been discussed but not finalized.
“That family is nothing but trouble,” Tasia said. “Mark my words”
“Look, Mother, I need to go.” Theo refused to waste one more minute of this beautiful afternoon hearing her berate the Stamos family. He’d heard it all before. “Ciao.”
“Anything wrong?”
Theo turned to find Trish staring, a pair of conservative leather loafers in one hand.
“Not at all.” He frowned. “You’re going to buy those?”
“You don’t like them?” She turned the shoes over in her hand, reinspecting them. “They’re a bargain.”
“They just don’t seem like your type of shoes. Too plain.”
“I think you’re being presumptuous.”
“How so?”
“You have this image of me in your head,” she said. “And I’m not sure it’s entirely accurate.”
Actually she was wrong. He didn’t have an image of her fixed in his mind at all. But the more time he spent with her, the more he felt he was getting to know her.
The noise around them dimmed as Trish looked up at him. The only thing he was conscious of was the plump juicy
“We would have figured out something,” Theo began.
“Look,” Trish exclaimed, pulling him forward. “Shopping carts full of shoes.”
Though metal carts filled with leather loafers had never held much appeal, Theo found her enthusiasm contagious. “Just remember,” he teased, “Gladys can’t hold more than a few dozen pairs.”
“Ha, ha,” she said, before turning her attention to the shoes. But then, as if realizing she’d forgotten something, she reached out and grabbed Theo’s hand, pulling him to her side. “Help me look. I wear size thirty-six.”
She looked so beautiful with the sun shining down on her coppery hair. An unexpected warmth rose up inside him and Theo decided shopping for shoes might not be quite so boring after all.
He’d just picked up a pair of sandals when his phone rang. It was a standard tone, very similar to the one that had announced Bruno’s call. He recognized it immediately and it was all he could do not to groan.
“Aren’t you going to answer?” Trish asked. “It could be Bruno.”
He could have explained that it was his mother, the last person he wanted to converse with on a beautiful summer day. But that would lead to questions. It seemed simpler to just answer the call. Theo flipped open the phone and switched to Greek. “Hello, Mother.”
“Theo, what’s that noise in the background? Where are you?”
“Naples,” he said. “At the street market.”
“In Naples?” Her voice rose. “What are you doing in Italy?”
His mother had been known to go months without talking to him. But once she’d learned Katherine Stamos had contacted him, Tasia had suddenly become interested in his every move.
“I’m visiting Bruno,” Theo said, picking a reason that wouldn’t prompt too many questions. “You remember Bruno Tucci, my friend from college.”
“Of course,” Tasia said smoothly. “Give him my regards.”
“I’ll do that.” Theo paused and waited for her to get to the real reason she’d called.
“You were supposed to phone me after your meeting with those women,” she said. “I haven’t heard from you.”
The edge was back in her voice, the same edge that was there whenever Elias Stamos or his family was mentioned.
Her bitterness toward Elias and his family had been a part of her for as long as Theo could remember. He knew the last thing she’d want to hear was that the meeting had gone well.
“It went,” Theo said flatly, conscious of Trish’s curious gaze.
“What did you think of them?” his mother pressed. “Do you plan to see them again?”
“I suppose our paths will cross sometime in the future. I’m not sure when.”
That was true, as far as it went. He wasn’t exactly sure when they’d be getting together. Dinner with Helena tonight had been discussed but not finalized.
“That family is nothing but trouble,” Tasia said. “Mark my words”
“Look, Mother, I need to go.” Theo refused to waste one more minute of this beautiful afternoon hearing her berate the Stamos family. He’d heard it all before. “Ciao.”
“Anything wrong?”
Theo turned to find Trish staring, a pair of conservative leather loafers in one hand.
“Not at all.” He frowned. “You’re going to buy those?”
“You don’t like them?” She turned the shoes over in her hand, reinspecting them. “They’re a bargain.”
“They just don’t seem like your type of shoes. Too plain.”
“I think you’re being presumptuous.”
“How so?”
“You have this image of me in your head,” she said. “And I’m not sure it’s entirely accurate.”
Actually she was wrong. He didn’t have an image of her fixed in his mind at all. But the more time he spent with her, the more he felt he was getting to know her.
The noise around them dimmed as Trish looked up at him. The only thing he was conscious of was the plump juicy
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