Page 54 of Love Among the Ruins
Then why was he?
His cell phone rang and the name on the caller ID sent a chill through him. He was tempted not to take it. But he did.
“Dominic.” His father’s commanding, baritone voice came down the line. “What’s the hold up with Galatis?”
Dominic feigned surprise. “Hold up?” His father had a negative way of looking at things, at least it seemed like that to him. “There’s no hold up. He’s just … putting me through my paces like you said he would.”
His father coughed. “I didn’t expect it to take forever.”
Neither did I.
“He has me meeting him in all sorts of places,” Dominic explained.
“Humor him. Hector is nothing if not trying. He wants you to work for the honor of doing business with him.”
“I am working on it.”
“I’m expecting good things, Dominic. This deal is a given.”
“I heard you the first time, Dad. You don’t have to keep repeating yourself.” His father could be a patronizing man. Dominic counted to five and breathed in slowly. His father’s words and tone and everything about him always riled him up.
He got up, paced around his office, looked out onto the traffic spilling onto the busy streets. Beyond it, much farther in the distance, he could see the sea.
He hated this wild goose chase with Galatis. But more than that he hated the pressure of his father’s judgment hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles.
* * *
ELENI
She couldn’t contain herself.
As she headed out of the office, home, she took her paycheck stub out of her bag and opened it, curious to know how much money she had received from her first office job.
She worked hard at the cafe and the money was good, but the office work was much easier in comparison, and she was excited to see in writing what Dominic had promised her.
She opened the enveloped and unfolded the white rectangular sheet of paper. The air sucked right out of her lungs. She staggered back a few steps.
It could not be.
They’d made a mistake—the HR department or whoever was responsible for this.
Dominic had quoted her a different figure when they’d discussed it.
This was nearly double what he’d told her.
It couldn’t be right.
She blinked a few times, but the number was still there.
The largest number she had ever seen on a paystub that belonged to her.
This was ... more money than she could have hoped for. More money than she’d dreamed about.
At this rate, she’d be able to go on her expedition in two months’ time.
She put the slip away. The smile slipping from her face.
Obviously, there had been a mistake.
