Page 88 of Love Among the Ruins
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
ELENI
The sun streaked through the windows when she woke up with a start.
Eleni opened her eyelids and stared at the bright white ceiling, confused. It took a few seconds for it all to come back at once—where she was.
In Dominic’s house.
In his bed.
No, in a bed in one of his ten rooms, in his house.
Óh Theé mou.
She got up, wearing only the T-shirt which he’d left on the bed along with a new and comfortable pair of flip flops. She reached for her phone.
Eleven o’clock?She was so late for work! But as she rushed to get out of the bed, she cried out in pain when the full weight of her body came down on her feet.
Her ankle.
It was a dull ache at first, which throbbed through it, but then the pain turned sharper and stronger.
She’d sprained it and no way was she well enough to walk out of here. She flopped back onto the bed, her head sinking into the big downy pillow as she considered her options. She couldn’t go to work, not like this, not today. Unless she took a few pills.
But she couldn’t stay here either. Not for another day. It slowly started to come back to her about last night and she wondered if Dominic had come. Or had he stayed at Helen’s?
Helen’s just a lawyer,he’d told her once. But he’d gone over to her place last night, and it couldn’t have been for dinner, because he’d eaten with her.
If not for dinner, then what?
Another shot of pain lanced through her. This was Dominic’s house, and if she hadn’t been in the way, he would most likely have asked Helen to come over for the night.
No, Eleni could not stay here and get in the way. She needed to get back to her hotel, and fast, and then she would figure out a plan to work from home.
For a fleeting few seconds she debated calling Agnes and Isidora to let them know that she wouldn’t be coming in to work today, but they didn’t care whether she did or not. So, she decided against that.
But she couldn’t just leave. She had to tell Dominic who was obviously at work. She sat up slowly in bed again then reached for her cell phone and rang his number. Just like the last time, he answered on the first go.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Thanks.” She chewed her lower lip, her thoughts running rampant about his whereabouts last night and what he might have been up to. “I overslept. Sorry. I don’t think I can come to work today—”
“I wasn’t expecting you to.”
“I was thinking that I need to get set up for working from home for a week...”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get someone in IT to set you up.”
“Thanks. Um ...”Don’t ask him. Don’t.“I didn’t hear you come back last night. I was probably out of it.”
“You probably were.”
She considered probing further, not satisfied with the answer he’d given her.
Don’t.
“I have to go. I’ll talk to the tech guys.” He hung up.
