Page 35 of Love Among the Ruins
“She did. I just want to make sure I have it right.” Eleni chewed her lip, and it immediately revealed more to him than her words had. She sounded timid, so unlike the ballsy waitress he’d first met, the one who’d given Ioannis what he had deserved. She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
“Something you want to say?”
She pressed her lips together, feeling unsure, then, “Was there really a job for me or did you invent one?”
He laughed uneasily. “There’s always work here. Do you have any idea how busy this office is?”
“It’s quiet in the office I share.”
He cocked his head. He should have known that a good deed wouldn’t end there, by giving her a job, that it would lead to complications.
“It feels as if I’ve been put into a role, into an office, and I’m not wanted.”
“That’s not true.”
“I’m taking work away from Agnes and Isidora.”
“I doubt it. They’re slow and old, and they plod along like dinosaurs. They’re scared I’m going to replace them with you. That might not be such a bad thing, actually.”
“You can’t do that,” she protested.
“I can do whatever the hell I like.” He paused to examine her face. “You look shocked, but don’t be. I speak my mind, like you.”
“I appreciate you wanting to help me, because of what happened, but I don’t need your pity, Dominic.”
It was different, something he wasn’t used to, her calling him Dominic with no reverence, as if they were equals. He shuddered, thinking how much she’d hate him if she knew his thoughts. He didn’t mean it like that, but everyone here was so respectful. Miranda had called him Mr. Steele for weeks until he’d told her to call him by his first name. People quaked in their shoes when he summoned them to his office. But Eleni was above all the airs and graces, and he liked that.
“Are your colleagues unfriendly? Have they told you that you’re taking their work away?”
“No, but I feel as if I’m not doing anything of value, anything significant.”
She wanted to do work of value. How odd, given that she’d come from the catering industry. That she gave a fuck at all. He’d let her down. He’d plucked her off the island and planted her here, then forgotten all about her.
“It’s a bad system. There’s nothing intuitive about it. The managing director of this office is away. He was supposed to have implemented a better system. It was in the works, but I don’t know what happened.” Dominic frowned. The Athens office was so different to what he was used to in the US. “He’ll get around to it one day, I hope. Don’t feel too bad. It’s not your fault.”
She wiped her slender fingers across her forehead. “Maybe I’m overthinking things. I need to give it a while.”
“It’s only been a week,” he agreed. He’d have to do something. He hadn’t checked in on her, to see if she was settling in okay. But these things weren’t for him to do. He didn’t have the goddamn time, not with Galatis doing his head in, but this was different. This woman was here because of him. He had to do better.
“It has. It’s not been long at all.”
His cell phone went off. It was Helen. He needed to get this. He lifted a finger to Eleni telling her to wait. “Helen?” He turned his back, and paced around, listening to her. She was talking fast as usual, throwing dates and clauses and contracts at him. She wanted him to read something she’d emailed him.
“Okay. I’ll take a look and call you.” He slipped the phone into his pocket; his work wasn’t done and he’d need another hour or so in the office. “Don’t spend too much time here. It’s not worth it.” He started to head back.
“Then why are you here?”
He turned around, couldn’t help but laugh at her innocence.
Because his father was testing him. Because his brother was on standby waiting for him to fail. Because he needed to prove himself. Because there was a lot at stake. “I have things to catch up with as well. A lot of people are depending on me and I have to get results.”
“That sounds like a lot of pressure.”
He nodded.
“It’s not as blissful as I thought it was… being a billionaire,” she said. The corners of his lips curved up. She had a laser sharp memory and she had no qualms about saying to him what others never would.
“Don’t stay too late.”
