Page 117 of Love Among the Ruins
CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE
ELENI
“The family jet is in the US, so we won’t be taking that.”
Eleni looked at him as if he were an alien. He’d said it so matter of factly, as if everyone had a private jet at their disposal.
“Do you only have the one?” she asked, as calmly as she could.
“The other one’s out of commission.”
That told her. She blinked a few times.
Looking unfazed, Dominic slipped an envelope across the table to her. “I’ve booked tickets. We fly out and come back on different days.”
She was relieved to hear this, though her mind was still trying to come to terms with the one jet being in the US and the other one being out of commission. She’d gone shopping one day after work and had managed to find something affordable and decent, but it didn’t stop her from getting worked up about her outfits, the shoes and accessories, and how to do her hair and make up.
Whether she would fit in. Or stand out like a sore thumb.
Even learning about Dominic and his family, it hadn’t hit home, not even when she was being chauffeured around with him in the Merc. She’d become so used to his bodyguard skulking around always within reach, that he’d become invisible to her.
But now, because of this mission, each new thing she learned about Dominic’s world, especially about the women in his past—the smart, wealthy, upper class women—troubled her and made her even more uneasy.
And now this. That he didn’t travel the way most people did, he had a private jet. Every new fact made her retreat into her shell.
He gave her a lengthy stare. “Eleni? You zoned out. Are you still okay to do this? Because this isn’t like coming with me to one of Galatis’ meetings around Athens.”
He didn’t need to remind her that this was a society wedding in the world of billionaires, a place she didn’t belong in.
“I … I …” she faltered for a small second, but determination steeled her resolve. He was still the man she’d thrown orange juice over. A man who had been just another annoying tourist.
And one who had paid her handsomely so that she could fulfill Jonas’ dream.
Wasn’t it her dream also?
Dominic sat up looking worried. “You’re having doubts.”
“I’m not. You’re the reason I can do the mountain climb, for Jonas. You’re the one who’s made this possible for me.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed and something in his expression darkened, something she didn’t understand. It only served to remind her that this man and his moods could change in an instant.
“I want to do this,” she continued. “You’ve been to all these Greek monuments you don’t like—”
“I never said I didn’t like them. It was the company that frustrated me, and I had a goal to achieve. It’s not that I don’t like the Acropolis or the Temple of Ha..ha..hafa—”
“Hephaestus.”
He pointed a finger at her. “That one.”
She had the urge to roll her eyes so hard they’d be permanently stuck that way.
“I’m sure if I were going sightseeing with someone…” He looked away and picked up the pen. “It might be fun … “
“I’m grateful for all that you’ve done for me, Dominic. I can do this.”
And now the real reason she’d come to see him. “I … I was umm … going to ask you where it is, the wedding, so that I could book a room at a hotel nearby—”
“We would need to book into a room together. We’re dating, remember.”
