“Oh, Shelley, you’re so funny,” Asia said dryly. “This, from a woman who had her first child at thirty-four.”
“Yeah, but you might not have my kind of luck.”
Asia gave a sigh. “I’ll be fine.” Then she smiled. “All I have to do is keep my mind on the job and out of the bedroom.”
To Asia’s surprise Shelley reached out and pulled her into her arms. “You’re like a daughter to me, Asia. Please don’t keep dallying until it’s too late. I want you to find a good man and be happy.”
Asia wrapped her arms around the little lady and hugged her back. “I will one day, Shelley. I will.”
But even as she spoke she knew that her heart yearned for only one man. Or maybe it was just her body that was doing the yearning, but still…
That man, excruciatingly handsome and lust-inducing, was - sadly - totally off limits for her.
******
“Rico, which one of these American women plans on making a good man out of you?” Julio slapped him on the shoulder, almost pitching him into the pool.
Rico shrugged away from his older brother’s heavy hand and put some distance between then. If he knew anything about his brother it was that he should never trust him when he was at his most amicable. As a kid he’d suffered at the hand of a brother who was nine years his senior and brawny, to boot. How do you defend yourself from a brother like that? You use your wits and you move damn fast, never letting him get the upper hand.
So Rico chose to do that now. Never mind the fact that he was in his twenties and his brother was in his thirties, Julio would think nothing of launching a surprise attack and knocking him over into the pool.
“Don’t you worry about that,” he said coolly and walked away from the poolside and toward the patio where his parents sat, Julio’s daughter on the lap of the matriarch of the Megalos family.
Carmelita Megalos was a tiny woman but her body was the only thing about her that was small. In her family she wielded a power that rivaled that of her husband. Between the sparrow with her snapping dark eyes and the bearded lion who had fathered the small tribe of three, there was a constant battle for control. To this day, though in their fifties and sixties, they refused to give up the fight for domination.
But it was a loving rivalry that they enjoyed. They’d been like that for as long as Rico could remember and they’d be just as feisty for many years to come.
“Come here, Athena. Come to Uncle Rico,” he said and held out his arms to the two year old.
She blinked up at him then pulled the pacifier out of her mouth. “No,” she said, her voice strong, firm and resolute. Then she closed her eyes, leaned back against her grandma’s belly and popped the pacifier back into her mouth.
Rico straightened with a sigh. “No-one can deny that she’s a Megalos.”
Alexander Megalos chuckled. “The only sweet one in the family. Except for your sister, of course.”
“Demetria? She’s just as bad as the rest of us. She got Mama's Latin spirit and your directness.” Rico laughed. “You never have to wonder what she thinks of you.”
Alexander laughed, too, but then he smiled and shook his head. “Pity she couldn’t have made it on this trip.”
“I know,” Rico said with a nod. “But with the baby on the way it wouldn’t have been a good idea. And remember, she has two other kids under three years old. That’s quite a handful.”
“Maybe next time,” Alexander said and his voice trailed off as he looked out over the pool, obviously deep in thought. Most likely his mind was still on Demetria, his middle child, and as Rico and Julio always teased, his favorite. There was a closeness between Alexander and Demetria that her brothers did not question or even think of resenting. Who could come between a man and his daughter?
The Megalos family - Alexander and Carmelita along with Julio, his wife and their daughter - had crossed the Atlantic on their mega yacht as they’d done each year since Rico moved to Florida. They would spend a month in the United States, part of the time at Rico’s home on Fisher Island, and the rest visiting relatives in various cities. The matriarch and patriarch were retired and free to roam and although Julio was running his own shipping business in Greece he’d decided that time with family came first. He had no hesitation about spending a month away from the office. While he was traveling whatever needed to be done could be done remotely.
Rico loved it when the family visited. It was an opportunity to connect with his culture and heritage. Carmelita would fix Greek and Spanish dishes like nobody else could. She loved to cook and he loved to eat. It was not unheard of for him to gain five or maybe even seven pounds during one of their visits. And - his favorite part - whenever she visited, his mother spoiled him.
Rico flopped down in the chair beside Carmelita and stretched his legs out in front of him. He’d enjoyed the outdoor barbecue and now he was full, relaxed and ready to enjoy the cool evening breeze that wafted over the island. His eyes were closed and he was almost drifting off when he felt a warm hand on his arm. He opened his eyes to see his mother smiling at him.
“Are you happy here, Enrico?” she asked gently. She was the only one who still called him Enrico. There was a slight crease between her brows, a sign that she was worried.
“In Miami? Of course,” he said, deliberately making his tone light. His mother was a very perceptive woman and you had to be careful or she’d read you like a book.
“Are you really, mi hijo? You are not lonely all by yourself in this great big country?”
“I am fine, Mamita. You don’t need to worry.” He covered her hands with his.
“And what about the girls?” she persisted. “You did not find any American girl you like? You never tell us about a girl over here.”
Rico frowned. He should have guessed where his mother was heading with her line of questioning. On every visit she would find at least one opportunity to ask questions about his love life. She was convinced that he was lonely without a woman and had even suggested that he return to Europe to find one. She refused to believe what he told her each time - that he was too busy for a relationship right now. She was convinced that at twenty-five her younger son needed to have a woman in his life.